Product Tester

Before a new product hits the market, it needs to undergo careful testing to ensure it actually works and doesn’t have any faults or defects.

That’s where you come in as a product tester. You get to try out products before anyone else sees them, and in exchange for your feedback, you get to keep them (and sometimes receive direct monetary compensation, too).

Where are product tests conducted?

There are several types of tests you can take part in, which are conducted in different environments:

• Home-based: With this option, companies will send you products and samples that you can try out and review from the comfort of your own home.
• Online: This is another remote option that consists of trying out digital products, such as apps, rather than physical goods.
• In-person: Some companies will require you to go to an on-site location, such as an office. This is common in industries like technology, software, and gaming, which require the use of specialized equipment.

What types of products can you test?

Companies require testers for a wide range of products. Here are a few popular classes of product that people often get paid to try out:

• Household products
• Video games
• Cosmetics and beauty products
• Apparel and footwear
• Foods and beverages
• Electronics
• Baby products and toys
• Pet products

What types of product testing jobs are there?

Product testing is a broad job category, and gigs vary both in terms of what kind of compensation you can expect and what sort of work you’re expected to do.

As mentioned, in some cases, you’ll be paid real money for testing out items. In others, you’ll get free samples in exchange for feedback.

There are also other, related side hustles that are sometimes grouped under the broad umbrella of “product testing.” For instance, there’s affiliate marketing, a strategy you can pursue if you have a platform (e.g., a blog or YouTube channel) with a decent following. When you review products as a company’s “affiliate,” you’ll include a purchase link with your review; when someone in your audience follows it and buys the product, you get paid a small commission.

Product testing and reviewing also sometimes get lumped in with quality assurance (QA) testing. QAing a product means comprehensively evaluating it for faults. QA jobs often require degrees, and they’re particularly prevalent in the software industry, although companies in many fields employ QA testers.

We spoke with Louida Martin, an experienced product tester and the creator of Product Review Mom, who told us about what being a product tester is like and shared the job’s pros and cons.

Pros and cons of a product testing side hustle

In more detail: the perks of testing products as a side hustle

When we asked Martin what originally drew her to this type of work, she told us it was a combination of the money and the chance to express her opinions.

“I began product testing by participating in market research studies, which are also referred to as paid online survey panels,” she said.

“I was interested in finding a way to earn additional income and came across an advertisement from a mother who claimed to make money online for free by taking paid surveys. Intrigued, I decided to join and started completing questionnaires from various brands seeking feedback on their latest product developments.”

One of the big draws for Martin was the opportunity to test products she was interested in. “I started testing beauty products, as it’s something I love to review,” she said.

Downsides of testing products as a side hustle

No job is without its pitfalls, and according to Martin, the biggest downside of product testing—at least when it comes to taking paid online surveys about products, which is her particular focus—is that it can be very time-consuming.

She told us that filling out surveys often takes around 30 minutes.

Moreover, the pay isn’t the highest, and it can be unpredictable. According to Martin’s website, her jobs sometimes pay as little as $3 (although she noted they also can pay up to $300).

When we asked Martin what a “typical” rate was, she told us that the pay rate for participating in a market research program was usually $10 for a two-week period.

Notably, rather than paying you directly in cash, many product testing companies pay in points, which you can exchange for either cash or gift cards.

Watch out for product testing scams

Product testing is a legitimate way to make money. However, scammers may pose as legitimate product testing companies in order to steal your money or identity. Martin told us that it’s a major red flag if a company asks you for money—you should never have to pay to test a product.

Moreover, exercise caution with companies that demand positive or five-star reviews. This practice may violate the terms and conditions of certain reviewing platforms, and it’s a red flag that the company may not be operating ethically. Legitimate companies usually want genuine feedback on their products.

If you’re looking for cash in exchange for your time and input (or you’re looking for an actual career in product testing), then look into these companies, all of which Martin recommended to us:

1. McCormick & Company

McCormick & Company, Inc. is a large producer of consumer packaged goods, and its testing program offers the chance to try various food and drink products in exchange for your input.

As noted above, McCormick offers home product testing, as well as on-site testing at its location in Hunt Valley, Maryland. It’s worth noting that you’ll only be allowed to test products once every 3 months, for a total of 4 times per year.

2. Product Report Card

Product Report Card will pay you to test out products from home and fill out an online survey about your experience.

The company will invite you to partake in surveys every day. You can receive up to 32 free product tests per month.

In most cases, you’ll earn money in the form of “rewards,” which you can redeem for an Amazon Gift Code. However, for especially high-paying jobs (Product Report Card claims some product tests pay up to $100–$500), you’ll receive compensation in the form of a Visa gift card or check.

3. UserTesting

UserTesting is a firm that primarily offers website and app testing, although it also sometimes offers consumer testing for digital products or prototypes. You can complete online tests from home or opt for in-person tests when they’re available.

To enroll, you’ll need to download the UserTesting app from the Apple Store or Google Play and ensure that you have a computer (and microphone) that meets the company’s system requirements.

4. Sago

Sago, previously known as Schlesinger Group, is a company that runs product testing studies for various companies. It does both in-home use tests (IHUTs) and in-person tests.

You’ll be compensated with points, which you can redeem for products or Visa debit cards. Every 100 points equals $1 in cash, and you can cash them in once you reach 1,000 points. It generally takes 4–6 weeks to get paid after you complete a product test.

To become a product tester, you’ll need to sign up to be a panel member for Focus Group by Schlesinger, Sago’s online community of testers and reviewers. After testing a product, you’ll provide feedback by phone, in person, or digitally.

5. Princeton Consumer Research

Princeton Consumer Research is a market research firm that offers consumer testing for products in the healthcare and cosmetics industries. It does both safety testing and efficacy testing.

Currently, this company recruits testers in the following US locations:

• New Jersey
• St Petersburg, FL
• Tampa, FL

Note that you’ll need to visit testing centers in person to complete your assignments. At the end, you’ll receive payment in cash.

6. Game Tester (from Lionbridge Games Studios)

Game Tester, from Lionbridge Technologies, offers product testing jobs specifically for video games.

If you’re an experienced and enthusiastic gamer, you could join Lionbridge’s growing pool of testers and get paid to play and give feedback on games that haven’t been released yet. Simply register and download the Game Tester App from Google Play or the App Store to get started.

As a tester, you’ll be given a game to play and then asked to perform certain tasks. Each time you complete a test, you’ll receive GTGold, which you can cash out as XTRM eWallet credit. You can then redeem this credit in the form of a prepaid debit card, gift voucher, or direct bank transfer.

7. L’Oréal

By signing up to be a L’Oréal VIP testing panelist, you get the opportunity to try out an array of products and play a role in the company’s product development process.

You can either partake in the at-home testing program or do on-site testing at L’Oréal’s Clark, NJ location. At-home testing studies usually last 1 week. L’Oréal mails the test products to you, and then you complete a questionnaire.

8. Kolcraft

Kolcraft is a company that produces baby products. Its consumer feedback program, Mom Matters, gives mothers and fathers the opportunity to get paid to test out new products that are still under development.

Kolcraft also runs other paid programs that parents can sign up for to earn an extra few bucks, like focus groups, beta testing programs, and photo and video shoots (compensated at $75 per hour).

9. Opinion Outpost

Opinion Outpost is a survey site that offers various ways to earn money by sharing your opinion, including by testing out prototypes for new products. It’s also a good place to get paid to write reviews (which can be a bit more involved than product testing).

For every product you test on Opinion Outpost, you’ll need to complete a survey, and each survey you take earns you Opinion Points. You can redeem these points as gift cards for various retailers or as a deposit into your PayPal account.

The company claims that the average survey earns you 10 points (equal to $1) but that some earn you up to 250 points (equal to $25).

10. MindField

Louida Martin particularly singled out MindField as a company that you should check out. “I’ve been getting a lot of invitations for product testing from them lately, and they’ve been around as a market research platform for quite some time,” she said.

MindField doesn’t indicate on its site what products it solicits tests for, but online reports suggest that many are hygiene, skincare, or beauty products. In addition to testing, you can also take surveys (which MintField apparently pays $10 for) or participate in focus group discussions (which pay $100).

If you aren’t dead set on earning real money from product testing, you can also look into these companies. They won’t directly pay you, but they’ll send you samples, which—depending on your interests—you might value just as much as actual cash.

1. Influenster

Influenster is a company that offers members free samples of a wide variety of products. Once you enroll and download the Influenster mobile app (available from Google Play or the App Store), the company will find products that match your profile and send them to you in a package they call a VoxBox.

One advantage to Influenster over many other companies is that you only need to be 16 years old to sign up, making it a good option for teens.

2. Home Tester Club

The Home Tester Club is a product testing scheme run by The Brand Power Company. It’s exclusively a home product testing program, meaning that The Home Tester Club will send you the products it wants you to test and you’ll complete the whole product testing process online from home.

After you register, you should hear back by email after 1–2 weeks if you’ve been selected to participate in a product test. After that, it’ll take an additional 1–3 weeks to receive your free products.

3. Brooks Sports

Brooks is a well-established sportswear company with a consumer testing program that’s perfect for athletes and amateur fitness enthusiasts alike.

As a product tester for Brooks, you’ll get to try out top-of-the-line sports shoes (and potentially other apparel) that haven’t yet been made available to the general public.

4. PINCHme

Just about anybody can benefit from signing up for PINCHme, which is a product testing company that offers an impressive array of freebies from different brands, including big names like Kraft, Kellogg’s, Nestle, Starbucks, Pepsico, Olay, Sephora, Clinique, and Garnier.

You get to choose the products you want to try on PINCHme. You’ll then receive a box of free samples in the mail. Once you’ve tried them out, all you need to do is complete a short survey.

5. Smiley360

Smiley360 is a free product testing platform and online community that works with hundreds of brands.

When you sign up as a Smiley360 member, you’ll be offered a Smiley Mission, which you can choose to accept or decline.

As with other free, home-based product testing schemes, the products will be sent to you by mail so you can try them out from home. You’ll then be invited to share your opinion online with fellow Smiley members, friends, and the company that developed the product.

While most companies that do product testing are open to applications from just about anyone, others are much more selective. As you might expect, these invite-only product testing programs often happen to be the most appealing product testing gigs out there.

These exclusive platforms include:

Amazon Vine

Amazon’s product testing program, Amazon Vine, gives you access to Amazon products free of charge or at a steep discount in exchange for honest reviews. However, only well-established and respected Amazon reviewers are invited to sign up.

If you want to become an Amazon product tester with Amazon Vine, the best thing to do is to start writing reviews and try to build a solid reputation for yourself on the platform.

Pinecone Research

Pinecone Research is a market research company that hires consumers like you to test products for various brands. It offers attractive product testing jobs; the downside is that they’re not easy to land.

You can’t just sign up for Pinecone Research on the company’s website. Instead, you have to sign up through one of its ads, which are scattered across the internet.

As a product tester, you’ll be enrolled in the company’s Pinecone Rewards program, which allows you to earn points for each product test you complete. You can then redeem these points in the form of cash or prizes. You’ll receive your rewards 3–5 days after you complete a product test.

Product testing is a job that just about anybody can do, but some people will be offered more jobs than others. Although to some extent, your success is beyond your control, there are steps you can take to maximize the number of gigs you get.

Be honest when filling out screening questionnaires

Businesses often have specific demographics that they want to solicit opinions from (e.g., women aged 25–40). When you first sign up to test a company’s products, they’ll usually present you with a short survey that will ask about your age, sex, marital status, and so on.

Always answer these questions honestly. Don’t be tempted to give false answers to make the company more likely to send you products. Above all else, companies value reliability in their testers, and if they suspect you’re not taking their surveys seriously, they might blacklist you from testing any of their products at all in the future.

Stay active on each testing platform you use

Some product testing organizations will award you points or credit each time you use a review platform or app. Generally speaking, the more active you are and the more useful contributions you make through these platforms, the more likely you are to be selected for upcoming testing jobs.

Similarly, some invite-only product testing programs (like Amazon Vine) require you to demonstrate your ability to provide high-quality, honest, and useful feedback about certain products. If you get in the habit of regularly reviewing your purchases, these companies may invite you to become a product tester.

Boost your social media presence

One of the most lucrative avenues to make money from product testing is to become an influencer and practice affiliate marketing. If you share links to a company’s products, you’ll get compensated when someone makes a purchase through your link.

What’s more, some companies that offer product testing jobs specifically target influencers. Strengthening your social media following can make you a more appealing candidate. You don’t have to be a huge celebrity to see a benefit from this; if you have just a few thousand followers, that’ll be enough to give you a boost.

Martin told us this is one of the best ways to make money from product testing, though it’s more viable for those looking to make product testing a full-time career. “If you’re looking to make a full-time living product testing, you’ll need to have a blog or YouTube account to make money through affiliate marketing, ads, and sponsorships,” she said.

Pick a niche

Lastly, choose a niche to focus on as a product tester, based on your interests, knowledge, and experience.

You’ll get much more out of reviewing products you actually like and use frequently. So will the companies you’re testing for, which will make them more likely to give you assignments in the future.