The smart way to get paid for your opinions

Opining in person
More money usually can be made if you live near a major city, where research companies are regularly looking for focus group participants.

The groups sometimes meet during the day, but often sessions are held at night and generally last about two hours. Food (at least snacks and beverages) is usually served and participants are paid, often in cash as they leave. The pay ranges from $50 to $200 a session.

"What we are seeking are folks who have an interest in participating in new product design and development, who want to have a real impact on the goods and services that are brought to market," says Kevin Smith, president of Smith Research in Chicago.

To find focus group participants, Smith advertises in Chicago-area newspapers, purchases targeted mailing lists and maintains a form on his Web site where potential participants can register. His groups pay $75 for a two-hour session.

Ruth Stevens, a consultant on customer acquisition and an adjunct marketing professor at Columbia University in New York City, lives in a neighborhood where several research companies hold focus groups. She frequently accepts invitations to participate. Not only does the experience keep her abreast of research trends, but she says "the money is great. Two hours of my time in the evening and I walk out with $100 to $200 in cash."

Getting and staying on the list
So how do you get asked to participate?

Check the ads, both classifieds and small display ads, in your newspaper, particularly if you live in a university town or a large city.

Search for "research" under Community on Craig's List to see if any research companies are looking for participants with your characteristics.

Search the New York American Marketing Association Greenbook, a nationwide directory of research companies that hold focus groups. You can search by city or state. Search results include company names, phone numbers and Web addresses. The Marketing Research Association has a similar directory.

Take a walk through the student center at a nearby university or college. Survey opportunities are often posted on bulletin boards.

A word of warning: There are some online companies that offer to match you with survey companies for a fee. Save your money. In most cases you'll simply get a list similar to free ones such as Online Surveys That Pay and Get Free Reports.

Once you're in the door, make sure you get to stay. Stevens, who has run as well as participated in focus groups, says certain people get more invites than others. What makes a good candidate?

• Don't be a shrinking violet: You're there because companies want your opinion. Speak up.
• Be presentable: You don't have to be a fashion plate, but the research company doesn't want its clients to think it has recruited bums.
• Don't dominate the discussion: Having opinions is important, but preventing others from expressing theirs is bad manners and will get you on the reject list fast. If you're talking and everybody else is just listening, close your mouth.
• Don't dis others: In the consumer data collection arena, there are no bad ideas. Making fun of somebody else's thoughts is a no-no.
• Liars aren't welcome: The industry frowns on people who lie about their knowledge and experience just to be chosen. So if a research company calls looking for people knowledgeable about motorcycles and you've never been on a bike, don't tell them you once owned a Harley. They'll figure out that you're just there for the money. Worse, you'll find yourself on the industry's "cheaters and repeaters" list and out of future chances to earn some opinion-based bucks.

Jennie L. Phipps is a contributing editor based in Michigan.