Make extra money by recruiting other people for focus groups or join market research companies

• Get paid to give your opinion in a focus group.
• Contact these market researchers to get started.

Do you get irritated by smiling people with clipboards stopping you in the shopping centre and asking you your opinions on mayonnaise? If you were paid to talk about it, in a pleasant room with food and drink laid on, would you be more willing to share?

What's involved?

Lots of companies do market research to find out who is buying (or not buying) their products and why. To find out – they need to get out there and talk to the public (that’s you!).

You may be asked to fill out surveys without being asked to attend a focus group, because this is how they screen for the best candidates. And the work is sporadic, so you can’t rely on it for a regular income.

How do you do it?

Step 1: Join a group by registering online.

Join market research companies like Saros Research by entering your details on their website. They will email you when they need you for specific groups, so they'll take a few personal details from you to make sure you're allocated to the right focus group.

Step 2: Get the call, and join the group.

Target companies have a pool of people they regularly call on to join focus groups, because you're more likely to get work.

You’ll probably be asked to go to a local office and sit around a table giving your opinions on a product or an advert or similar.

It's best to join as many groups as you can, as you'll only be asked to do a few group meetings per year.

You can make extra money by recruiting other people for the focus groups. Check out the Saros Research site for details.


How much can you make?

You can make between £30-£100 for a session, depending on what you are talking about in the focus group, plus free food.

Then make a few pounds per person if you work as a recruiter.

You can also make about £8 an hour by being on the other side of the fence – interviewing people on the street.


Getting started

If you fancy taking part in market research then sign up with these companies now:

• Saros Research - fill in the application form online
• Criteria
• Check out the Market Research Society for more information and market research companies.