People will literally pay you to do anything on the internet (hey, reign your dirty mind in, you!). And you can make money online from home by simply taking surveys, trials and doing basic tasks.
You won’t get rich doing this, but an extra $20-$30 dollars here and there is always nice at the end of the month.
And you can even get paid to do your online shopping. You know, that stuff you already do anyway without thinking about it. So you can build up cash back without even putting in any effort. As they say in Manchester winner, winner, chicken dinner.
7.1: Surveys And Trials
Okay, I’m going to be really honest here. I have no idea why people pay for this stuff. Like, no idea at all. It blows my mind. Yet, make money online surveys are actually a thing.
But they will pay you to do it, so why the heck not, right?
If you want to get paid to fill out surveys, take trials and do other little tasks around the internet, you can sign up to these sites:
Be sure to check out my more detailed tutorial that shows you how to to maximise your earnings with survey sites.
7.2: CashBack
Cashback works by making you an affiliate of an affiliate, if that makes sense?
For example, DavidBuysThings is an affiliate of Target. You buy your kids birthday present through DavidBuysThings at Target. You get a percentage of his percentage of the sale.
And depending on the type of thing you purchase, you can get a lot of money. For example, buying a mobile phone contract in the UK can earn you up to £100 cash back.
These are a no-brainer for making money online, really. You’re going to buy stuff anyway, so you might as well get paid for doing it.
But I’d recommend reading this guide on cashback sites to learn some of the best practices, and to cover your own backside.
Here are some of the top cashback sites for you to choose from and make your next online purchase through:
7.3: Market Research
Don’t worry, there’s no dodgy medication or possible side effects here. Instead, there’s only money to be made. Market Research is big business, and companies spend millions of dollars on it each year. So, why not pocket some of that for yourself, too?
When they outsource that research to third party sites, they tend to pay people to enter the trials, answer questions and be part of focus groups. And you can be as blunt as you want and get paid for it. Score. Reports show people making between £200 and £800 a year for this.
Try it out at one of these sites:
- Qustodian Read adverts on your phone Field Agent Perform research tasks via an app Yoobic Take photos of products in shops and marketing displays Streetspotr Market research tasks
7.4: Consumer Research
Market research is pretty specific to finding what an audience likes, and tailoring a product to it. Consumer research is when the product is in the production phase and is having the kinks worked out.
It’s kind of like watching a movie before it’s released to tell the director if it’s good or not.
This could have had its own section within itself, but between you and me (and the thousand other people who will read this), it’s not as lucrative as it used to be. For example, I’ve been a BzzAgent for almost two years and have trialled a grand total of zero products.
So while it is a worthwhile way to make a little extra money, I wouldn’t suggest you turn it into a career just yet.
This can be split into loads of little subcategories, though:
- Product Testing: Testing products before release. Games Testing: Gameplay testing games before release. Music Listening: Listening to music, and quality, and reporting if you like it. Focus Groups: Letting companies test ideas, shows and other items on you. Website Testing: Testing experience, ease of use, navigation etc. Mystery Shopping: This is a little online and offline, you sign up online and test restaurants/shops in real life for quality of service.
Here are all the sites you can get involved with each of these…
7.4.1: Product And Games Testing
This isn’t always paid, but it often is. For example, Pinecone Research will pay around £3.00 per survey or product tested, and you usually get to keep the product afterwards.
And either way, you get to play with some cool new tech or products:
7.4.2: Music Research
Despite what other sites might tell you, I’ve only found two legitimate ways of making money from listening to music.
The first is Slice The Pie, where you get paid to write reviews. The second is Music Research. where you get paid to answer surveys and questions about music.
The pay here isn't exactly great, you'll be looking at starting at £0.03 per review on Slice The Pie. but if you're really in need of an extra couple of bucks, you could probably build this to a decent little saver over time.
7.4.3: Online Focus Groups
Become a part of a focus group at any of these sites:
7.4.4: Website Testing
This niche doesn’t pay the most, but you can get $10-$25 for five minutes work and to share your thoughts. Do a few of these in a couple of hours and you’ve made a pretty penny.
You can find opportunities for this here:
7.4.5: Mystery Shopping
This is split between online and offline, and could be subject to location, but you can earn from $25 onwards, with your expenses covered, using one of these sites.
7.5: Renting Property
Okay, I'm not going to recommending buying, selling or flipping actual properties on the Internet. Because, if you're reading this article, you're probably not in the market for that. And that's as much offline as it is offline. However…
Renting space you do have, even just a room in your house or apartment, is an easy way to make extra cash without having to do any work (except for maybe a quick vacuum and making a bed).
You can rent out spaces on the following sites:
