Whether you work part-time or full-time, finding other means of making money during your free time is a great way to start diversifying your income opportunities. There are so many easy ways to make extra money online.
Establishing ways to earn more will only help you to develop smart passive income strategies for the future. But for now, let’s start with some easy, everyday opportunities to earn a little extra cash.
Get Paid to Answer Surveys
Instead of watching Netflix or scrolling through your Facebook timeline for hours on end, start turning those clicks into money-making opportunities in your pajamas by visiting these online survey sites that pay you for surfing the net.
1. SwagBucks
Swagbucks is one of the easiest, most popular sites to earn some extra cash. It serves as a plugin to your browser to earn points toward money. Instead of searching in your Chrome box, you do a search in your Swagbucks box and it will tell you if you can earn points from that search.
While the search will still be conducted in your Chrome or Safari browser, the internet will do its magic to find you opportunities to earn some more points. Points are referred to as “swagbucks” and can be redeemed for cash. You’re going to search the internet regardless, so you might as well get paid for it.
2. UserTesting
UserTesting is a service that allows you to test out websites online. Websites have problems, but companies are too busy running a business to go through every link and page to find the problems.
They go to UserTesting in order to get users like you to interact with websites and give live feedback. And they pay you for it!
By creating an account, you’ll be able to log in and see if there are tests available for your demographic. In addition to tests for Mac and PC users, they also offer options for smartphone users.
Oftentimes, you may find that you don’t meet their requirements, as companies are often looking to test their websites with specific types of individuals in mind. That's okay. Your time will come.
3. UserZoom
Like UserTesting, UserZoom is a platform to test user experience, or UX. UX has been gaining lots of traction in today’s tech-dominated environment. Companies have to compete for your eyeballs, and the more people they hook, the more revenue they get from advertisements.
Both of these companies provide the same service, so sign up for both to double your opportunities to get paid.
4. InboxDollars
InboxDollars is another way advertisers generate viewers for their websites. You'll receive a $5 bonus just by signing up for the site. After that, you can earn extra money by signing up for offers that partner with InboxDollars.
All that small change will add up over time! Companies want to make potential customers aware of their sites, so InboxDollars serves as a small investment for them to do so.
5. FocusGroup.com
The biggest potential income comes from participating in focus groups at a testing location. Companies pay market-research firms to conduct studies and interact with users to see what resonates with them best.
Brands want to put their best foot forward with customers from the very beginning before launching an advertising campaign. They also want to know how customers reacted to past campaigns.
I’ve been doing focus groups for over 10 years and have netted thousands of dollars in extra income.
By signing up on FocusGroup.com, you’ll be able to take pre-qualifying surveys to get set up with focus groups in your area. These will require you to go to a local office, where you'll meet and talk with other people who are likely in your age group or other similar demographic.
Although rare, some of these groups may have you participate in online forums. That way, you never have to leave your house. These will require more time and effort, but if you don’t live near a big city where many focus groups are conducted, they're a great option.
FocusGroup.com will email you frequently with survey opportunities to qualify for these studies. Be patient. You may not qualify as often as you’d like, but once you do, it’s not unusual to be paid $100 or more for just two hours of work!
6. Craigslist
Craigslist sometimes gets a bad reputation for having creeps or for just being a place to get rid of stuff you don’t want. However, it actually has a huge job board. Whether it be some weekend side hustle or a temp position, companies post jobs on here.
Try out this trick: Go to Craigslist and find the “Jobs” section in your city. Scroll all the way down to the “ETC” section and search “Market Research” or “Focus Group.”
Ignore offers to participate in diabetes, pregnancy, ADHD, or any other medical studies or surveys if you aren't sure of the products that they're testing.
Look for surveys that allow you to send an email to someone with your information. If you meet the initial requirements after you complete this process, someone will call you to ask questions. This may sound like a lot of work, but you could make more money in an hour or two than you would in almost a full day’s work. If you ask me, that's time well-spent!