What exactly are focus groups? How can I make extra money by participating in them? And where can I find them? These are common questions concerning focus groups.
The first question is fairly easy to answer. The dictionary answer is: A small group selected from a wider population and sampled, as by open discussion, for its members' opinions about or emotional response to a particular subject or area, used especially in market research or political analysis. Basically this means that a group of people with something in common are asked questions about a topic that concerns their commonality. An example of this for market research would be; a group of people who use the same type of cell phone are asked questions about what features they like about their cell phone, what they don’t like about the phone, what kind of features they would like to see in the next phone, and price.
A market research company will pay you for your time when you take part in one. You can participate in a focus group over the phone, over the Internet, and in person. Before you join the company will tell you how long it will take and how much they will pay you. Usually they last from thirty minutes to a couple of hours. Some can last a few days to a few weeks. In these longer focus groups you might have to talk with someone once a day or meet with the group once a week. You can earn between a few dollars to a hundred dollars.
Now that we understand what focus groups are, where can you sign up for them? I have compiled a list of market research companies that pay participants to complete online surveys. You can find the list here. If you are interested in local focus groups you can find them by looking in your phone book and by searching the Internet by typing in “your city name paid focus groups”.