Lately, I have been talking about focus groups a lot, mainly highlighting the many companies that can help you make $50 to $250+ just for investing 30 to 90 minutes of your time.  Honestly, it’s some of the easiest money you can make.  As long as you don’t mind showing up in person and/or using a webcam/microphone at home answering some questions, it’s one of my favorite ways to make money one the side.

FocusGroup.com Reviews

In today’s review, I wanted to talk about a company I use personally and feel as if it’s one of the best options out there.

It’s called FocusGroup.com.

While there are a ton of great focus group companies out there, FocusGroup.com is one of my favorites for a myriad of reasons.  And, it’s the reason I wanted to create this review.

I want to talk about how it works, how you can take advantage of them and how you can make some great money.  As in all of my reviews, I’m always honest and will never negatively sway you.

If you want to make up to $250 simply answering questions online or in a small group, then this is a company you may want to consider joining.

So, let’s dive in and see how it works and how you can maybe start making money as early as next week.

What is FocusGroup.com?

FocusGroup.com is owned and operated by Focus Pointe Global, a market research company that has been around for more than 30 years.  Starting in 1988, they started in a single facility located in Philadelphia but have since grown into more than 18+ facilities spread out across America.

The company offers a variety of focus group options, from telephone interviews to in-person studies and even webcam studies online.  There’s something for everyone.  I will be sure to list all of your options later on.

As long as you can share your honest opinion and don’t mind sharing your thoughts online or in person, then you will qualify.

FocusGroup.com, without a doubt, is backed by a legitimate organization with a solid history.  You can be 100% certain you’re dealing with a company that can set you up with legitimate focus group opportunities.

How to Sign Up

To sign up for FocusGroup.com, it works no differently than the many research companies I already talk about on this site.  They will ask for mostly personal information, such as your name, phone  number and zip code.

It’s not much, but after you join, you will be asked to fill out personal profiles so that they can get to know you better.  This part is optional, but I highly recommend you do it so that they can  match you with the best opportunities.

This sign-up process only takes a few minutes to complete and offers you access to the dashboard, in which you can start viewing your dashboard and the most current studies.

At this moment, only U.S. resident, older than 18, are accepted.

FocusGroup.com Dashboard

Immediately after signing up and confirming your dashboard, you will be able to view your dashboard, which will look something like this on your desktop…

It’s fairly straight-forward to browse. You can view the hottest focus group topics in your sidebar or you can browse studies by location if you scroll down.  You can also click on a few menu items, all of which I will talk about next.

For now, let it be known that this site is very easy to browse, and they make it so easy to find the focus groups you qualify for.

Your Profile – Start Here First

If it’s your first time joining, I would highly recommend you start with the “My Profile” section.  Here, you can fill out more information about your personal demographics so that you can receive targeted studies.  Oftentimes, companies will come to this market research company and say I need this type of person, and if you don’t fit the demographic, you won’t get the invite.

In clicking on this list, it will look something like this…

As you can see, there are a ton of profiles you can fill out.  And, yes, while it does seem overwhelming, it’s so important that you fill it out to increase your chances at receiving more invites.  If I told you that you missed out on a $250 study because you didn’t fill it out, how mad wold you be?

While you don’t get paid for this, I always recommend you fill out your demographic profile on any research panel you join so that a company can find you.  If you only provide basic answers, then they will provide you basic invites which are often sent out to everyone on the platform.  In this case, you usually can’t qualify since every person will apply to it.

Each section takes about a minute or two each, so I promise you that it’s not long at all.  Plan on investing 15 to 20 minutes of your time here.

How Does the Whole Thing Work?

The premise is simple.

You will browse the available studies and apply to any that fit your demographic.  The company makes it easy, letting you know what they are looking for in a sentence or two.  You can also wait for e-mails, wherein the company offers you the opportunity to sign up for a newly added focus group based on your profile.

If you feel you fit the demographic, you can take the pre-screener survey and the wait for a response to see if they want to use you or not.  The process is very easy, I promise, and I get into it next.

The Hot Topics

Once you complete your profile, make it a habit to log in at least once or twice a week.

Whenever I log in, I always start with the “Hot Topics” section, which you can view in your left sidebar immediately upon logging in.

These studies are located all over the United States, so you may not qualify for any, but at least check them out because these studies are often desperate for participants, which means you could have a good chance at getting accepted.

If any of the studies are of interest, just click on the link and answer the pre-screener questions to see if you can qualify.

Available Studies by Location

This is the most important section on the site, where you will find the current focus group studies you apply to.  While the company will e-mail you with an invite, I often log in to see if there were any that I missed.

This section, also located directly on your dashboard, is very straight-forward.  You can scroll down after you log in to find a list.

Just click on a physical/online location, and you will then be presented with a list like this:

If you want to perform a focus group in person, you will click on a location near you or one that you’re willing to travel to.  If you only want to complete your studies  online, then you will want to click on the National link for online opportunities only.

As you can see, they make it easy.  You will know how much you can get paid, the topic presented as well as what kind of people they are looking for.

How to Apply

On that list, for instance, browse through the listings and see if any of them meet your demographic profile.  For example, if you were a pet owner between the ages of 18 to 69, then you could qualify for that $150 focus group study.  Only apply to jobs you know you meet the requirements so that you don’t waste anyone’s time.

In clicking on a link, it will take you a screener to determine your eligibility to participate.  This is how all of these focus groups work since the company running the group wants to make sure you fit their buying audience.  Most of the questions will relate to the study.  Usually, it will take a few minutes to complete, and upon completion, you will receive a message like this…

If your profile and answers match an opening that has yet to be filled, then one of the recruiters will contact you to continue the process.  During this time, a recruiter will confirm your answers you provided as well as ask more questions if need be.  At this time, if they feel those answers meet the profile requested, then you will move onto the confirmation process to be considered.

At the confirmation stage, if you are chosen, a recruiter will send you a confirmation message with all of the information you need to know to get started with the project.  This will include the time to meet, how to meet as well as any special instructions.  All of the information you need to know will be included in this e-mail.  Just make sure you show up on time to get paid.

NOTE:  After every screener you complete, Focus Pointe will give you one sweepstakes entry, in which you can win up to $100.  The company draws one random name the first of the money, issuing a $25 prize to six winners and a $100 prize to one winner.  If you win, it comes in the form of an Amazon gift card.

The Research Types

Even though it’s FocusGroup.com, it doesn’t mean they only cater to focus groups.  Aside from this popular option, they offer a variety of research types, including the following:

• shop alongs (observe you during a shopping trip)
• in-person surveys (complete a survey in a nearby facility, either on a computer or paper)
• home-based interviews (professional visits your home and asks questions about a product or service)
• one-on-one interviews (you are interviewed, either in-person or on the phone)
• online surveys (complete a survey online)
• mystery shopping (shop undercover as a customer and answer questions after shop is done)
• online bulletin boards (log in and answer questions on a forum setup when convenient)
• product testing (test products at home and then share your thoughts online)
• online product reviews (test a product and then write an online review)

All of these research types will always show up in your available studies section.  Just make sure you read through the description to know what kind of study you’re applying to as they all vary.

Getting Paid

How you get paid will depend on the study you take.

For example, if you take an in-person study, you will be handed a prepaid Visa card at the end of your session.  In some cases, they may issue a check.

If you take a telephone and/or online survey, then your payments are made via a Visa card, but it could take up to eight weeks to receive it after the study completes.

Lastly, for a single-session online survey, you will receive what’s referred to as Online Focus Pointes.  These points work just like other research companies, where you have to wait until you have at least 2,000 points before you cash out.  Once you reach the minimum, you can cash out and receive a prepaid Visa debit card.  However, after three months, you can cash out as long as your balance is more than 100 points.

How Much Can I Make?

FocusGroup.com will send out surveys from time to time, just like that of Swagbucks or Survey Junkie.  These studies tend to pay out the least, usually anywhere from 100 to 1,000 points, a $1 to $10 value.  This tends to be the industry average.  Personally, I don’t take many surveys as I don’t find them to be a great option, but if you want to take one, just make sure it’s worth your time.

Anything outside of the online surveys generally pay anywhere from $50 to more than $250 on average, with the average study taking 30 to 90 minutes to complete.  This is where your money is at.

As you can see in the research study types mentioned above, there are quite a few options.  Generally, as long as it isn’t an online survey, you should expect to make at least $50.

What Others Are Saying

As in all of my reviews, I love to see what other people are saying, hence, the reason for this section.

Here, I list both the pros and cons I found, most of which came from third-party review sites.  Hopefully, it can give you a better understanding as to what people like and don’t like.

The Pros

• great customer service
• high-paying focus groups (up to $250+ in some cases)
• you get to choose the jobs you want
• fun (and easy) work

The Cons

• hard to get selected for some focus groups
• some reports in delayed payments
• some pre-screeners are lengthy
• long waits to hear back
• no PayPal
• physical locations are limited

Final Thoughts

9/10FocusGroup.com is one to bookmark for sure.  It’s not like your other sites, where you get paid $0.50 to $5 for a survey that takes 20 minutes of your time.  While they do offer surveys, I usually skip them and only focus on the higher-paying options.

Again, as long as you don’t mind going on a webcam and/or meeting with people at a physical location, then it’s not too hard to earn $50, $100 or even $250+ for 30 to 90 minutes of your time.  I’m telling you, it’s some of the easiest money you will ever make.  I have taken a few studies in the past and have easily made $100 to $150 each time I took advantage of a study.

For now, I highly recommend you create an account, fill out all of the profiles and then make it a habit to log in at least once a week to see what kind of studies are available.  It also doesn’t hurt to white list the company’s URL so that their emails land in your inbox in case of an invite.  Seeing the good studies go quick, you will want to apply as soon as you can.

Now, as always, I leave it up to you.

Have you ever joined FocusGroup.com?

What kind of studies did you do?

What do you like?  Hate?

Feel free to sound off in the comment section below.