Focus Groups are Part of the Survey World
You may have run across the term “focus group” when signing up for various paid surveys and research projects. The term “focus group” is one of those industry-specific phrases that, quite simply, means a group of consumers who are brought together to chat about various products and services. When you sign up to participate in a focus group, the meeting could be conducted in person at a market research facility or online through Zoom.
There are certain things you can expect from focus groups that are a bit different than online surveys. You can expect to be grouped with 6 to 12 other participants (or more or less depending on the project) and moderated by a professional hired to keep the event on task. The moderator will ask specific questions and the conversation will organically develop on its own; your answers will spur on comments from other participants and so on – lots of conversation is the goal of the day, so don’t be shy!
Often, at the conclusion of the focus group, you may be asked to take surveys about the product, service or event in general; this is part of the overall focus group experience. Because focus groups require more time and effort (and revolve around the client’s schedule, not yours), they generally pay quite well. Depending on the project and client company, you can expect to make anywhere from $25 to $200+ for participating in a focus group.
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