There are many ways to make money, but not all of them are created equal. Some methods are more time-consuming or risky than others. If you're looking for a way to make some extra money that doesn't involve too much effort, then product reviewing may be the perfect option for you. All you need is a computer, internet access and possibly some writing skills.
There are so many different companies that are looking for people to write product reviews for their website, blog, YouTube channel or even letting you do it on your own sites.
The best part is that you can get paid to review products that you are already using and love. Here are the top 5 ways to make money by reviewing products:
- Amazon Vine Program / Outreach
- Blogging
- YouTube Videos
- Paid Surveys
- Product Testing Services
Amazon Vine Program / Outreach
Amazon Vine is a program that allows manufacturers and distributors to get honest feedback about their products from real consumers. In order to be a part of the program, you must first be invited by Amazon.
Once you're a part of the program, you'll have access to free products that need to be reviewed. You'll then post your review on Amazon.com, and if your review is helpful, you'll be compensated with Amazon credits.
Essentially you get to test products for Amazon and get paid for the time. Yes, it is in Amazon credits, so this is only a worthwhile IF you use Amazon a lot.
Another method, that doesn't use the official Amazon channels, is outreach to Amazon stores and manufacturers found on the Amazon platform. Using one of the methods spoken about below, you can do manual outreach asking to 'borrow' or on occasion be sent the product to keep, to then offer a review.
Blogging
Blogging is another great way to make money by reviewing products. You can start your own blog or write for an existing one. There are many different companies that will pay you to write reviews on their products. All you need to do is find a company that you're interested in, sign up to be a reviewer, and start writing.
The majority of the time, product owners will offer either an affiliate relationship (you are paid if someone buys through your special link) or they may pay for the review. Being paid for reviews are usually seen as advertisement, and can be seen as biased. Always be sure to explain the relationship when writing.
This style and method appears in many different styles and varieties. From writing about online courses, and tools, to reviewing and looking at physical products and items.
Depending on your metrics, such as traffic or social media stats, companies may offer to send you products to review (for free). When you are just starting out, you may have to join an affiliate program such as Amazon or ShareASale and purchase the products yourself to then review.
If you don't have a lot of cash starting out, some companies such as these guys actually find other ways to help write product reviews and be paid for them.
YouTube Videos
YouTube is a great platform for product reviews because you can reach a large audience with your videos. If you have a popular channel, companies will be willing to pay you to review their products. A lot like Blogging, it's always worth showing your relationship with companies (are they sponsoring the view, offering an affiliate code to be paid or simply sending stuff to get some opinions).
YouTube allows for a much more visual approach to reviewing products, working particularly well with physical products that require in-depth visual elements.
Channels such as LinusTechTips and David Does Tech Stuff do really well by reviewing and showing off a variety of tech related items. Items that may be really difficult to write about, or hard to show off every part due to the nature of the products being reviewed.
For example they may be reviewing a new computer case, trying to write about an odd design, or a poorly thought out back panel would be hard to express this to readers. It works a lot quicker, and easier throwing a camera into the space and talking about it for a few minutes.
As with Blogging, you may have to purchase products when you are just starting out. Clawing back some of that cost via affiliate links, or even ad revenue from the videos. As such, put some cash aside each month to put towards purchasing products to review.
Starting a YouTube channel also doesn't have to be expensive. With a microphone and webcam set up coming in at less than $100, you have everything you need to start making review videos.
Paid Surveys
Paid surveys are another option for making money by reviewing products. There are many different companies that offer paid surveys, and all you need to do is sign up and take them.
Companies such as this can help find surveys or questionnaires that companies have paid to be completed. This can include being sent products to then answer the questionnaire on.
A lot of the time this will tie into the method below, but companies will send items such as toothbrushes, new perfumes, makeup or other small physical products that then require a survey to be completed.
They may also just be looking for feedback on new adverts and ad creatives, paying a few $'s to understand if you relate to the product being promoted.
Product Testing Services
Lastly, one of the oldest ways to make money reviewing products, has to be product testing services. These are companies looking for product testers on new products, and they want you to give your feedback. They are usually run by advertisement companies who are trying to find stats and feedback about products before they go to market (and of course can be used within adverts).
Have you ever seen a new makeup that has the stat (80% of women loved this product, 57 agreed it may them look younger), or something similar? This is achieved by sending random amounts of the product out and capturing their feedback.
These companies usually require you to fill out a short survey before they send you the product. Once you've tested the product, you'll give your feedback and get paid for your time.
Of course, the more in-depth the questionnaires, or the longer it takes to complete, usually means you get paid more.
Can I make money by reviewing products?
The simple answer, is yes. There are so many different ways to get started with this style of making money from home, with lots of different platforms looking for product testers.
Of course, some methods may only offer a few $$'s per month, in exchange for your time. But review sites and channels can earn $$$$'s per month after they have started to grow and reach new audiences.
How much does a product reviewer make?
This is going to differ depending on the style you look at pursuing. Using the Amazon affiliate program, you may only make 1% - 5% per sale, so with low cost items it can take a lot of sales to start seeing any significant amounts appearing in your account.
But, with so many niches and platforms available to get started with, you can find lots of high ticket, high paying affiliate programs which can offer $500+ per sale.
Top 5 Ways To Make Money Reviewing Products - Conclusion
So there you have it, the top 5 ways to make money by reviewing products. If you're looking for an easy way to make some extra cash, then these options are definitely worth considering.
As you can see, the majority of the time you can get started with these methods with a pretty low cost. Possibly having to purchase a few products to get you going, but if you use them daily or enjoy them anyway, then it can become a normal cost.
Have you got any extra ways to make money reviewing products? Drop them below and share your ideas.
I started this blog around 2017, after realising that I wanted to let people know about all the different ways someone could make money online. From DropShipping, Affiliate Marketing, Network Marketing and more.
This blog has now grown to review and explain a variety of different tools and platforms, in the bid to help you.
This blog contains affiliate links, and I will get a commission for purchases made through these links. It doesn’t change anything for you and will on occasion save you money! Enjoy, James.