Get rewarded for testing products

Do you want to get sent products to test, keep them and earn money for reviewing them? Of course you do!

Testing productsThe kitchen cupboards are empty, your purse is feeling rather light, and it’s months until you receive your next student loan instalment.

We’ve all been there, and if you don’t fancy robbing a bank, you’ll probably think that you have no option but to look for a part-time job.

But if you don’t want to venture into the world of regular employment just yet, check out this guide for the best product testing companies who often pay for your opinions.

If you’re interested in getting rewards for product testing, you’ll probably also fancy getting paid for filling out online surveys. Check out our full guide here.

What’s in this guide?

An introduction to product testing

What rewards can you get?

The best/legit product testing sites

Tips to maximise your product testing

An introduction to product testing

There are companies out there who are willing to pay you decent money for giving your opinions and reviewing their stuff.

hand coin

They’ll sometimes send products free of charge in exchange for your feedback (which you could sell online), or they might just pay you cold, hard cash for your views. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

We’ve already shared some great ways to make money, but this nifty guide will teach you everything you need to know about making money specifically from product testing. From assessing the benefits to finding the best (and legit) sites, we’ve got the essentials covered! Read on…

What rewards can I get?

Let’s get down to business. Are the rewards really worth the time and effort? Well, yes, often they are. Rewards differ from site to site, but there’s sure to be something that floats your boat.

Freebies

A few of the things we’ve received from product testing

We’ve seen some of the following freebies up for grabs:

Vouchers for stores such as Debenhams and Amazon

Gadgets and technology like Apple iPads and Samsung smartphones

Food items (sometimes limited edition)

Drinks

Cosmetics

Toiletries

Books and magazines

Cash

Clothing and footwear

It’s worth noting at this stage that not every user of product testing sites gets sent something to test. This is because there are 1000s of users and they simply can’t afford to send out 1000+ free TVs for example. But they do say, if you don’t buy a ticket you can’t win the raffle…

The best product testing websites

If you want to get involved with product testing, you’ll obviously need to know which websites offer the best deals.

There are more popping up all the time, but there are a select few with great reputations that you can be sure will deliver what they promise. After testing a whole range of sites ourselves we have come up with a list of the most trusted product testing sites below.

Toluna

Toluna logoWe say: Toluna is pretty much the best site out there when it comes to getting free products and rewards for your views. You simply sign up for a free account (click here), then you can choose to start testing products or select various polls to answer.

How it works: To receive free products for testing, you can visit the ‘testing’ area of the site (under rewards), and apply to test products. If you are chosen to test the product then it will be sent out to you.

You get to the keep the items, in exchange for filling in a short survey about what you thought of the product.

Example testing items: The goods on offer change all the time, but often include shower gel, toothpaste and cosmetics.

Likelihood of receiving products: Toluna generally have around 200-500 of each product to test and testers are chosen at random each time.

Sign up to Toluna »

UserTesting

usertestinglogoWe say: UserTesting is awesome because it lets you test websites for money. Although you won’t be testing products it’s really fun and the range of sites you get to test keeps you entertained.

How it works: You sign up and complete a test review. If that all goes well you are then sent sites to review from time to time.

You then get paid $10 to your Paypal for every review you do and they only take around 20 minutes.

Example testing items: Just websites (which you don’t get to keep)…

Likelihood of receiving products: It’s a trusted site and only 1% of reviews get declined.

Sign up to UserTesting »

Pinecone

Pinecone ResearchWe say: Pinecone is an excellent and well trusted survey and product testing site and one of the best paying.

The only problem with them is that invites are hard to come by and we only get them every now and then (check via the link below).

How it works: You can sign up to Pinecone to answer surveys and from time to time you might be asked to test a product.

Example testing items: Beauty products, food & drink & more

Likelihood of receiving products: The Pinecone products are a little more limited than other sites but you have less users to content with so chances of getting a product are actually higher.

Check if Pinecone are recruiting »

Ipsos

Ipsos logoWe say: Ipsos is one of the UK’s leading market research companies, and they are more than happy to reward you for your opinions.

How it works: It’s simply a case of filling in surveys and letting them know what you think about certain products, or what your typical buying habits are.

Sometimes the surveys require IPSOS to send you a product to test.

Example testing items: NA

Likelihood of receiving products: We’ve yet to be sent any products from IPSOS but have earned a lot through answering their surveys so it’s still well worth signing up.

Sign up to Ipsos »

Producttesting.uk.com

prodtestWe say: Producttesting.uk.com have lots of differing products to test from expensive electronic items to beauty products and weekends away.

It’s worth noting that we’ve had mixed reviews when promoting them in the past so be sure to be careful with your details such as your email.

How it works: The link below goes through to an offer to test a Toshiba laptop and once you’ve signed up for that you can browse other items on the site for testing.

Example testing items: iPhone 5s, iPads, TVs, beauty products, weekend breaks & more.

Likelihood of receiving products: As with any product testing there is only a limited number of each product and users are chosen at random.

Sign up to Producttesting.uk.com »

You can also want to try the website BzzAgent as well as looking out for “supermarket home panels” or signing up to fashion magazine newsletters but these product tests are very rare and hard to get on to.

Product testing tips

Know your odds

It would be easy to assume that just because you have signed up to test a product that you will automatically receive it. Unfortunately this is not the case!

Most companies set aside around £5,000 – £10,000 of products every month to test and because most of these sites have 1000s of users it means that they cannot sent a product to everyone.

It’s best to see it as if you are entering a competition each time!

Be selective about the products you choose

It’s easy to get carried away and sign up for every free product you can find, but you’re just wasting your own time.

If you have no real interest in receiving the latest copy of a baby and parenting magazine, don’t fill in the form!

Always follow-up with the company

Never forget that these companies are giving you free stuff because they want to know what you think of them. If you forget to send your reviews, they probably won’t send you anything again.

It usually only takes a few minutes to give your feedback, so make sure you do it.

Don’t give up after one day

If you sign up to a product testing website then never return, you’re not likely to receive anything. Make sure you check back on a regular basis to see what’s available.

On sites such as Toluna, you can even chat with fellow testers. If you prove that you’re reliable, have a fully updated profile and that you plan to stick around, you’re more likely to receive the best products.

Set up a “testing” email

If you don’t want your personal emails to get in the way of your testing emails (meaning that you might miss out on an opportunity) then we recommend setting up a testing email.

The good news is that you can also use this email for competitions, survey sites and any other times when you are unsure about handing over your personal email.

It might seem a bit too good to be true, but the product testing sites reviewed in this guide really are genuine and, if you stick with it, they’ll happily send you enough items to keep your spending as low as possible.

Smile!Have you ever used any of these sites? Did they work for you? Leave your thoughts and any of your own advice in the comments below!

If you’ve got the bug for getting rewarded for your opinions, check out our guide to paid online survey sites.