Earning Cash From Focus Groups
Did you know you could earn anywhere between £30 to £100 for each focus group session?
Market research comes in many flavours. One of the most interactive and also the most popular formats is focus groups or telephone interviews.
In earlier times, focus groups was one of the only a few ways in which companies could get detailed data on peoples opinions and reactions to its products. With the advent of the internet, online surveys became a quicker, faster and cheaper way to gauge customer opinion and traditional forms of market research were used less.
That being said, paid focus groups are still used because they provide companies with an easier way to get more detailed responses from participants. What’s more, the internet now provides an environment to run online focus groups where people can give their opinions in a focus room environment from the comfort of their own home and get paid for it!
Normal focus groups are usually held in a hall or hotel conference room in a local area. Groups usually consist of a small number of people 3-12 and can either be based around a single topic or a number of topics. Participants are not usually told what the topic is before they arrive for the discussion.
At the start of the focus group, a group moderator introduces the topic of discussion. The topic could be anything and everything. Participants are then invited to give their opinions on the topic and the moderator will lead the group through the discussion being sure to pick up on certain points made and getting more detail on comments made where necessary. A focus group usually lasts from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Participants will be rewarded for their time. This payment is usually between £30 to £100 (plus travelling expenses to get to the venue) depending on the length of the session and if the group covers specialist topics. Sometimes incentives such as shopping vouchers or products are provided in lieu of cash payment. The great thing about focus groups is that you get paid to give your opinion and you really feel like you are helping to shape the products of the future. Online focus groups are even better as you can participate from your own home. Participants visit a website and enter a virtual discussion room. The discussions are just as entertaining and informative, but you need to be able to type fairly quickly if you want your opinion felt.
Online focus groups are one of the most lucrative formats when you look at money received for time spent. Most of the major research companies offer paid focus groups, online chat groups, sms research or telephone interviews for cash payments.
For a full list of companies running online focus groups, visit our survey directory page for full reviews and links.
