When you browse the internet, you see a lot of sites and blogs that talk about products. Of testing. Tests and comparisons of this or that object. Some of these sites are held by amateurs, who try to transmit a passion. This is the case of some blogs that only deal with a single subject. But others are much more professional. We are talking about real comparisons. Not quick stuff. But searched articles. With a real product test. To achieve such a result, a certain professionalism is required. Hence the job that I am explaining to you now: that of product tester!
Being a product tester is not a job that can be improvised overnight. There is no classified ad such as “ looking for M/F product tester ”. No, there is none of that. It is a job that is much more discreet.
To become a tester, a brand must first need a tester to test its products.
Nowadays, almost no company does this itself. She delegates. It outsources the work to a specialized firm. And these firms are mainly present on the internet! This is where they recruit the bulk of their workforce.
These sites, I talk about later in this article.
Becoming a tester means first of all being ready to sacrifice your free time to test a product (that you haven’t necessarily chosen) and to give an impartial objective on it. It may take time. And I can also say that it’s not easy…
To become a product tester, you must first register on a site that allows you to become one. That’s what I did !
The easiest way is to do a Google search and find a company that offers this type of service.
In fact, there are quite a few and the choice is wide as to the type of product to test. There is a bit for all tastes.
In fact, the vast majority, the overwhelming majority of products are tested before being marketed. We must not delude ourselves. A firm is not going to launch into the production of millions of products without being sure to recover its investment in the end.
And for that, she needs to know if the public likes it or not and if they are ready to buy her product in the long term.
To do this, it uses a sample of people. A panel. We often see this term below advertisements. For example: “Effective on 97% of women. Panel of 100 women. »
And this panel is the testers!
And it is possible to test almost everything. What is in high demand are testers for beauty products . And there, brands also like to recruit YouTubers and Instagrammers who have a bit of an influencer role and who can launch the product via their own channel if they like the product.
But that’s not all. It is quite possible to test electronic equipment, gardening equipment, equipment, etc.
Believe me or not, being a product tester is not an easy job. In fact, it’s not really a job either, because you don’t make a living from it… Or very rarely.
Casually, testing a product takes time. You really have to invest and in the end, it’s not as good to pay as that.
For each platform and for each product, you have to fill out a questionnaire and give your opinion. That takes time. Almost more than testing the product itself. In addition, each tester platform has its own vade mecum and you have to be able to adapt.
Then, some brands have wishes and want us to test their product in a certain way. You have to have some flexibility !
In fact, there are some great features you need to have to become a tester. I give them to you now.
When you are registered on a platform, whatever it is, you will quickly receive invitations in relation to your profile.
So if you’re focused on beauty products, you’ll get invitations to take part in beauty tests.
But you are not alone and the competition is fierce.
It is therefore not enough to be registered to participate in test meetings. It is also necessary to respond quickly to advertisements.
Reactivity will be decisive in your ability to win a product test. To have a better chance of being chosen, you have to stay on the lookout. I, for example, put alerts on my smartphone to check my mailbox regularly.
When you receive an ad, it comes from a firm or a professional. These people expect professionalism in return. And also some gratitude. I have already seen people who were very unpleasant with the people who hired them, but difficult to go and ask them for a new test.
They are the ones who provide the work and if they come across someone who is too demanding, they replace him very quickly.
So to have a better chance of being contacted again, you have to remain friendly, polite, respectful.
It’s not enough to be friendly and polite, you also have to be on time. And that is very important.
When a large company organizes tests, it organizes several on the same day. If a participant is late, the whole schedule shifts and poses a problem.
It is therefore always better to arrive on time, a few minutes early.
I told you about it above. You don’t have to be too demanding. When a test proposal is made, there is always the amount / remuneration that is indicated.
And this may vary depending on the product. This can be cash compensation, but also in gift certificates. And I have already met a lot of people who refuse this type of remuneration on the simple pretext that a gift voucher is not money…
It’s a shame because it’s still compensation and if you’re choosy, you miss out on a lot of things.
In addition, refusing outright compensation also means alienating the person who organizes the product test. And who will have no desire to contact you again for the next test.
Finally, a gift certificate, even if it does not serve you directly, can always come at the right time at another time of the year. During Black Friday or Christmas holidays to finance purchases, for example.
A good tester is someone who gives their opinion. That’s what we ask of him. It is therefore not necessary to modify its answers to please the brand.
Whether in the product test or in your profile… Anyway, companies that use panelists have access to a lot of information and are able to determine whether you are telling the truth or not.
If you are caught lying or distorting reality, you risk being rejected from all the tests. In a way, you are blacklisted .
As sad as it sounds, a man is more likely to pass a test than a woman.
The reason is simple…
There are fewer men doing product testing than women. So the competition is less fierce.
There are many testing platforms. I’ll give you an overview… And it’s clearly not exhaustive:
Platforms:
Testing companies:
In short, my advice is to register on several platforms to maximize the chances of obtaining product tests and launching yourself as a tester. All of these platforms, companies, and brands fall into three broad categories.
Some sites don’t necessarily ask for your opinion. Instead, they offer you to receive a product for free as part of a product launch. Here, all we want is to make you want to talk about it and buy it afterwards. Sites like:
are sites that allow you to get samples. Your only gain will be to spend less, because you won’t earn any money. In addition, you will have to settle for what there is…
Here, the sites offer to test products for free. In fact, you receive the free product in more or less small quantity and in exchange, you must give your opinion . The gain is counted in product and not in cold hard cash. Fortune is not there yet….
This type of offer is available on:
New sites have appeared and act as intermediary platforms between companies and testers. These sites land operating contracts with large corporations and do the testing for them. Seriousness is required and the obligations for very specific testers.
We are no longer joking here. On the other hand, it is remunerated . Much better than with the other categories of sites.
Among the big websites, I can tell you about trnd and Sampleo. These two companies are the locomotives of the sector. And above all, it plays the international card.
TRND is the abbreviation of ‘Trend’, fashion in English. This is a community site that allows anyone who wants to participate in product surveys.
When registering as a tester, you must fill in many points of your life. In fact, your life has no more secrets for them. I have experienced it myself.
In fact, I find it very cool. Because they can provide you with offers that a priori you would not have accepted.
But for them, it is also a means of control. Because the companies that manage the tests use the data to check that the tester does not falsify his data… I told you about it above…
In terms of use , it’s very easy . All you have to do is sign up for the tests you want to take part in.
And unlike beauty-only sites, TRND aims to be generalist. We can therefore get a test on batteries, such as on shampoo, through household products, sanitary napkins, animal food, etc.
Once you are selected for a mission (a test), you receive all the questions that need to be answered.
The questions and questionnaire vary depending on the product and the needs of the brand. Sometimes I find it a little blurry, because it feels like we’re going blind. But it is clearly wanted by certain brands and TRND plays this card thoroughly.
With TRND, there is a way to earn money on a regular basis . Because the number of missions is clearly higher than what we can have on other sites.
Sampleo’s name comes directly from the English word ‘sample’ which means sample. Here we are at the heart of the matter!
It’s one of the last sites that appeared and it’s also one of the sites that has experienced the greatest expansion in recent times. Just like TRND, Sampleo plays the international card and signs many brands to have a well-stocked catalog of offers.
On Sampleo, you can sign up for lots of different product reviews. This can range from beauty products, to foodstuffs; products for women, men and children, not to mention animals.
To participate in a test, all you have to do is register and answer all the questions asked. Then just choose a test and be selected.
Sampleo has the particularity of offering links for social networks on the personal page of each subscriber. Somewhere, we feel this desire to promote products and do marketing in addition to testing.
Hence my question (which I have not yet answered): does being active on social networks increase my chance of being selected for a test?
In any case, once you are selected, you have to finish the job. Can’t register for anything else if you haven’t completed the previous assessment.
It’s good and not good at the same time. It is true that it gives a pledge of seriousness. We give ourselves thoroughly to a product by testing it. But on the other hand, it creates downtime and it is impossible to test the products on the line.
So on the compensation side, there is a way to earn more if the rules change. But we can’t complain compared to the free tests of other sites.
Like I said earlier, it’s impossible to make a living as a tester. But it can be a pretty side. Some testers I know earn up to 1,000 euros a year like this. Simply by testing free products from home. But hey, it’s an activity that takes time and you have to have it. Which is not the case for everyone.
So when I talk about making money as a product tester, I’m not talking about real pay in the sense of “I work 35 hours a week. It is rather a write-off.
Most sites that mediate between testers and brands offer rewards . I have already indicated it in a previous paragraph, it can be of 3 different natures :
Cash is the most attractive of all, but the value of gift certificates should not be underestimated.
In general, the sums vary between 5 and 10 euros per test . End to end, if we work well, we can reach 1,000 euros per year. But for that, you have to be ready to work a lot and manage to be selected often in the tests.
And to be able to chain the tests, you have to think carefully about how they look. Will they take time, are the questions difficult, etc. These are questions that must be answered to optimize your time.
When you are a product tester, the time is not extendable. It’s a time-consuming activity and you won’t be able to do 10 tests a week.
As I said, the best way to earn more is by carefully selecting the tests we do.
Always opt for tests that are too complicated and do not require too much investment. In absolute terms, you will not really be paid more for answering 5 questions or 10 questions. So, you might as well opt for the shortest test.
Then there are tests that are done in real life and not at home. This is, for example, the case with companies that are about to market a new food (cereals, etc.). In these cases, they invite the testers to their premises to test the products. However, if you live in Clermont-Ferrand and the test takes place in Paris, it will be expensive to pay for the remuneration… It is therefore better to always stay close to home, even if you miss out on a good offer.
Finally, the best tests for a tester are the ones that no one wants to do. It may sound weird, but you will earn more by selecting tests on products that people have little interest in . This is one of the great observations of life that I have been able to make. It’s a bit like boring jobs or difficult jobs. There is always room, because no one wants to do them. For example, garbage collector, night work, etc.
For tests, it’s the same… Competition in beauty products is much too strong… Whereas this is less the case in foodstuffs. And even less with high-tech products or household appliances. All in all, who wants to test a toaster or a vacuum cleaner? But these are tests for which the remuneration is more substantial or which make it possible to keep the product.
Becoming a product tester is done by choice. So we also stop when we feel like it. This is my case, and I think I can extend the paradigm to all testers.
Anyway, that’s not how you get rich. And even if you think you can fill your cupboards with free products in this way, you quickly realize that this is not the case at all.
And I think that’s the main downside. The “job” of tester does not allow you to earn a living. Or we are a youtubeur and we get paid to promote a product. But it’s not really product testing anymore. And above all, it is no longer objective at all.
Because being a tester means telling the truth about a product and not disguising the truth!
Beyond that, there’s really no downside to being a tester. It is an activity that takes time. This can be a handicap for some. But then, we do not embark on the adventure.
Among the advantages, we can talk about the remuneration , even if it is not substantial. Nevertheless, 1,000 euros per year is a tidy sum for more than one of us.
Then, one of the advantages is to exclusively test products that have not yet been released. And that is something you can really appreciate. Especially when you receive the object to test for free.
Being a product tester is not an occupation without risks… In fact, there are two risks that you incur. First of all, as you give a lot of information about yourself , you don’t really have a private life anymore. For those who like to share their life and their image on the net, this can be prohibitive.
Second, some products you test may contain allergens . So be careful with the ingredients if you are prone to allergies or skin reactions. Especially with beauty products and cosmetics. Even if these have already been tested in the laboratory.