If you are one of the 230.5 million people who prefer to shop online, you are missing out on an easy way to boost your monthly income just by sharing your opinion about items you already know and love by writing reviews. While online shopping dominates the consumer market, there are many features that enable its success—and your opinion is one of them! Not only do customer reviews hold vendors accountable for the quality of their item, but they remain the cornerstone of successful marketing. Sellers are aware that their tactics can only entice buyers, after this, it is the reviews that make the sale, which is why word savvy, tell-it-like-it-is Reviewers are paid every day to test products and drive the market!

There are several features that make writing reviews a great way to earn extra cash! The first is the ability to try new products for free. Yes, you read that right. How many times have you looked up a product review on YouTube? Or turned to Amazon to read the user comments? What you may not know is that some of the content you are reading come from dependable Reviewers, who were sent products for free to use and report on.

The second perk of writing reviews is that it is simple and requires extraordinarily little time. In fact, lengthy, verbose reviews are often considered bad form. When it comes to reviews “brevity is bliss!” Consumers are in search of a quick, efficient, honest snapshot of the product they are considering and any pertinent information. When it comes to writing reviews, a few short sentences earn you money.

Lastly, passive income relieves the strain of monthly budgeting and money constraints, works to decrease stress, improves your quality of life, and expand your opportunities.

Here are 12 ways to get paid for writing reviews.

Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie remains one of the most dependable resources to obtain quick cash for little work. Just like it sounds, Survey Junkie pays Reviewers to complete simple surveys on products they know and love. One of the aspects of Survey Junkie is it opens doors to greater earning potential depending on your respective goals. Each survey takes between 2 and 5 minutes to complete, offering various payouts for each, ranging anywhere from $2 to $75! For only an hour and a half of your time, you could easily walkaway with $50 (or more). This is higher than most hourly wages! Lastly, unlike most survey sites, Survey Junkie allows you to cash out at $10, which remains one of the lowest minimums available across survey platforms.

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InboxDollars

InboxDollars is a survey platform that pays its Reviewers between $.50 to $5 for their opinions on products they are passionate about. Dealing in cash, not points, InboxDollars stands out among their peers for simply allowing those to create literal dollars for their time. They will even give you $5 just for signing up! However, they do not stop at surveys. InboxDollars also pays Reviewers to watch funny videos and TV shows, which helps break the monotony of question-based platforms.

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Swagbucks

Often listed at the top of most lists, Swagbucks is one of the most popular survey sites available to Reviewers. Here you can take surveys, watch videos, and even perform web searches. Although it is a point-based system, most rave that their platform is easy, user-friendly, and diverse compared to their peers. It is also a great way to get paid for leisurely activities if you want to expand past writing reviews! Right now, Swagbucks will give you $10 just for signing up to take part.

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Vindale Research

Vindale Research is a straightforward, user-friendly platform that pays Reviewers anywhere between $.25 to $50 for their time. Unlike some survey or review sites that require you to exchange earned points for dollars, Vindale Research prides itself on transparency and is upfront about how much you will be paid per project. With Vindale Research, you earn dollars—not points and can earn as much or as little as your respective goals. While you may not get rich with Vindale Research, it is a verified platform that stands to boost your income for truly little of your time.

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Life Points

Life Points is another survey site that pays you to write reviews of products you have used or have knowledge of. Like other point systems, you are given Life Points for every survey you complete, typically averaging around $5 or less. While there is no listed average completion time, you will get paid (or generate more points) for completing longer surveys. Do keep in mind that depending on your demographic and other qualifying information, you may not qualify for every survey you take. However, Life Points is unique in that it pays you for insight on general topics, which creates a unique review platform that is unlike their peers and perfect for those who need a break from product reviews.  

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Focusgroup.org

Ready to maximize your reviewing potential? By taking part in a Focus Group through focusgroup.org, you could earn as much as $200 per group you are involved in. This is a serious payout for often only an hour of your time. However, you may be wondering what a Focus Group is. Focus Groups exist to provide corporate or political entities direct insight on products and trends. Often a group is comprised of diverse demographics and created with the intention that their sample is a direct representation of the market or population they are needing insight from. This insight then helps to create trends, products, marketing strategies, and generate facts about their company, organization, or the population they serve. While it may be more hands on than taking surveys, this is one option to consider if you are looking for above average payouts for your time.

UserTesting.Com

User Testing provides businesses direct access to their target market for research. At UserTesting, you will be paid $10 to provide human insight and write direct reviews on products that you have used and are familiar with. Each survey takes about twenty minutes to complete, which equals to $30 per hour. While you are paid more with UserTesting, it does take longer to complete, and because you must represent a specific market, you must qualify to take part. This includes completing an entrance test and answering other key questions that will assist them to assign you into a cohort appropriately. At times you may be required to give a quick interview of a product, which pays a great deal more—making UserTesting potentially one of the most lucrative sites available to Reviewers.

Beta Readers

If you are a fast, proficient reader, who has a niche for a specific genre, or loves books of all shapes and sizes, you could be paid for leaving a review! Beta Readers are used by authors in early development of their novel and are responsible for working out the kinks, finding problems in storytelling, and helping the author hone their story into publishable content. Beta Readers may provide more than one read, depending on the writer’s needs, and are often used by writers for further projects. Remember when I said brevity is bliss in the reviewer world? This is not the case for Beta Readers! Writers want full, honest, specific reviews of their work and will pay well for those who can provide this service. Furthermore, Beta Readers can make more than $100 for their time and service. To find opportunities, join Beta Reader groups on Facebook and other social media platforms, create a profile on Upwork and other freelance sites, and maintain a blog! Writers are consistently searching for quality Beta Readers to add to the context of their work!

Respondent

Hands down, Respondent  is one of the most well-paid survey sites available to Reviewers. In fact, you can earn between $26-$100 an hour by interviewing, communicating with researchers, and by taking surveys through their survey platform. Unlike others that deal in anonymity, at Respondent, the Reviewer gives face-to-face interviews on products they are knowledgeable about, which is ideal for those who do not mind in-person interactions and prefers giving their review orally verses written or through direct survey. Moreover, Respondent pays well for those who have niche expertise or fulfill a certain aspect of the market, offering up to $700 for participation alone.

Upwork

As a freelancer, you have the potential to work with clients who are looking for specific services and pay accordingly. Unlike survey sites, Upwork will enable you to create a profile and market yourself as an honest Reviewer, to those looking for writers, content generation, or product reviews. The best part about Upwork is that you are not being paid a nominal fee for your time. Most employers will pay you per completed project or hourly for professional content. Many individuals can claim freelance writing as their fulltime or part-time employment, and this is well worth consideration, if you love writing content and are ready to expand your skills in a new direction.

Become a Review Blogger

There is big money to be made in the blogging industry if you come equipped with the knowledge and understanding on how to do it. Basically, you choose a niche. For example, let us pretend you operate a blog where you explore all the steps one can take to “Live Simple.”  Every day, you post content that provides readers with knowledge and reviews of how to implement this. Within your content, you provide readers with direct links to products and sellers that promote simple or clean living, and every time a reader clicks on the link, you are paid. This is called affiliation, but there are other ways to generate income from blogging.

Review Stream

Are you a candid person who thrives on telling like it is? If so, Review Stream is your site! In fact, you get paid based on consumer rating and whether your review is sold. Thus, professionally written reviews equal higher payouts. Also, with Review Stream, you can put your stamp on anything from movies, books, products, and much more. Also, unlike those reviews that are based on surveys or blurbs, Review Stream gives you a solid platform to express your voice and delve into some serious writing. If someone likes your review, then it sells, and you make money. However, it is important to note that Review Stream has a difficult payout system that is calculated based on your first sell. After which, a high cap is formulated, often over $100 that you must accrue before you can cash out. This may or may not work for some. To make money with Review Stream you often must contribute and sell more than fifty reviews before you are able to reap those benefits.

Optimizing Your Time

Of course, the best way to generate a substantial payout for your reviews and time is to be active on more than one platform. We suggest you buffer survey sites with one or two freelance opportunities or by participating in a focus group (or two). It is perfectly acceptable to participate in more than one site.  Not only does this leverage your skills as a Reviewer, but once you build up your profile and ability, you can branch out to provide reviews on YouTube or start promoting yourself as a consultant, wherein you are paid to provide insight on your niche.

Before Making the Review

Some review platforms have strict guidelines when it comes to honest reviews and the authenticity of their sources. Amazon, Google, and many others prohibit the act of paying for good reviews.  Meaning, you can be paid to write reviews, but you must not be paid to write “good” reviews. Your reviews must be authentic, real, and true—and the bases of your contract cannot express the expectation that you are being compensated to flood sites with five-star reviews. Sadly, this happens frequently. Therefore, it is always best to read the fine print and legality of your review site and your payee (if you are contracted), to be sure you are protected against action and following best-practice guidelines as detailed within their rules and expectations.

In addition, be sure to understand how survey sites work and what your minimum cash out allotment is. Some require you to make a minimum amount before you can cash out and not all pay in direct cash, some only pay through PayPal or through gift cards. This is true for signup bonuses, too. Some require a minimum amount before they will pay you for your bonus.

Lastly, before leveraging your skills to many sites, consider creating an additional email. This way your inbox will not be flooded with alerts and offers.

In any event, be sure that you are comfortable with the amount of work you are doing for how much you will be paid. Be wary of those who want to pay you pennies for extensive reviews, and never sell your opinions for free.

Are Reviews Anonymous?

This is one of the most common questions asked when individuals are considering becoming a paid Reviewer. Unfortunately, the answer is both yes and no, and depends solely upon your platform. In some cases, such as Google or Amazon, the answer is a resounding no. Amazon and Google hold reviewers accountable for their content and while your picture may not be visible, your account is. This way your reviews can be traced to you.

Focus Groups are the most visible as they require actual staffing and face-to-face time, as do interview-based groups where a telephone or quick zoom meeting may be utilized. If you are wanting to provide anonymous content, survey sites are your best bet. Although, your answers are still tethered to your profile, unless the survey is blind, in which it will follow protocol.

Final Thoughts

If you are searching for a way to cash out on providing honest reviews on products you know and love, becoming a Reviewer has considerable rewards. Not only can it provide you with extra money in your account, but it has the power to open doors into freelancing and other lucrative opportunities you may have never considered.