How can I make money writing reviews online?

If you're looking to earn some extra cash in the easiest way possible, why not try making it on the internet as an Amazon Mechanical Turk review taker or a Walmart Moms shopper?

You don't even need any special skills — all you have to do is sign up and start earning without putting forth too many hours into research beforehand. Plus they won’t take long at all if done right.

Here's how you can use these services to make money doing what you love (or at least like).

How do I become a paid reviewer?

The most popular service among them is probably Review Me which gives users $5 per completed task. It also pays people more if they complete tasks faster than others, so completing five reviews in the same day might be better than finishing one over several days.

Reviewers who want to work with Review Me must first go through a screening process where they answer questions about their background and personal experience using ReviewsMe. Once accepted, new Reviewers receive email instructions specific to each job type they'll be working on.

Amazon has its own program called AmazonMechanicalTurk.com. You simply apply to join, provide necessary information such as payment methods, and then wait to see if you were accepted. If you weren't, keep trying until you succeed! There are other companies that offer similar programs but this is usually the best option available.

Once accepted, you can access various tools provided by Amazon that let you search items, rate and review books, movies, TV shows, video games, DVDs, music albums, electronics, clothing, makeup, etc., and submit those ratings. The company takes care of billing and payments while paying around 50 cents to two dollars per item reviewed.

As far as earnings goes, your compensation depends on the amount of time you invest into the platform. For example, you may only earn 20 cents per hour when starting out, but after spending three hours rating 10 books, you could potentially end up getting $3 from Amazon. However, many people actually prefer getting paid based on the number of items rated rather than hourly wages because they feel like it provides motivation to focus on the task at hand instead of worrying about whether someone else will find out.

While you're waiting to hear back from AmazonMT, you may want to check out these helpful tips for becoming successful at AmazonMT. And remember, just because you aren't currently getting paid doesn't mean you shouldn't continue submitting quality reviews! Your efforts are worth something regardless.

How much do product reviewers get paid?

With both platforms mentioned above, you can choose to either read a book before giving feedback or fill out a form afterward. While reading works well for short stories and non-fiction titles, it isn't ideal for lengthy novels or technical manuals. So if you'd prefer to give your thoughts on longer pieces once they come out, consider signing up to do the latter. In addition to being able to set your own schedule, you also get to pick topics you're interested in working on.

For instance, you may enjoy analyzing different kinds of smartphones, tablets, laptops, TVs, cameras, headphones, kitchen appliances, etc., and thus decide to opt for jobs related to mobile phones. Or maybe you've always wanted to learn more about health and fitness gadgets, and you would like to spend your free time researching everything under the sun. Whatever interests you, whatever makes you happy.

Some reviewers tend to charge anywhere between 25 cents and $1 per item reviewed. But since we aim to help you maximize profits here, we recommend finding out exactly how much you'll get paid next time you accept a particular assignment. This varies depending on the platform, but generally ranges from 50 cents to $2 per item.

One thing to note is that you may get rejected from certain assignments due to lack of availability. As such, you should plan ahead and look for open slots whenever you can. That said, there are plenty of things to review even during off-peak times, especially when used creatively. Consider looking into niche areas that interest you and seeing how you can expand upon them.

What about shoppers? Since you already know how to search for deals and compare prices, why not combine both passions together and turn shopping into part-time income? Simply browse online stores for potential purchases, mark down relevant details, and send them to Review Me or WalmartMoms.

Can you make money by reviewing products?

Yes, absolutely. Whether you're a writer, editor, researcher, photographer, videographer, or anything else, chances are that you contribute your talents towards multiple projects throughout the year. One of the ways you can monetize your passion is by taking pictures of products, editing photos, filming videos, creating infographics, transcribing audio recordings, summarizing documents, writing articles, drawing illustrations, designing logos, proofreading, web design, graphic design, photography, and more.

In fact, according to PayScale.com, the average annual salary for a freelance writer was nearly $70K last year. What does this tell us? It means there's definitely room for writers to make money independently. All you have to do is put yourself out there and show the world what you got.

And speaking of which...

How do you become a reviewer?

Since freelancing is pretty competitive nowadays, it helps to create a solid portfolio of past experiences. Start small by volunteering to write reviews for friends' blogs and social media accounts, gain useful knowledge about the industry, connect with influencers, ask family members, co-workers, teachers, professors, mentors, former employers, colleagues, neighbors, acquaintances, professionals, entrepreneurs, fellow students, random strangers, etc., via LinkedIn groups, forums, websites, social networks, and word of mouth. Then build up from there.

Remember though, in order to land clients, you still need to prove your expertise. Create high-quality content and pitch prospective clients with informative blog posts, press releases, eBooks, whitepapers, case studies, presentations, etc. Don't forget to include links to your website and social profiles. Also, stay active within communities and participate in discussions. People follow experts they trust and respect.

Keep track of opportunities that arise and grab them with gusto. Remember that sometimes it really comes down to luck, so be ready to adapt to situations and change plans accordingly.

Have you tried any of the above-mentioned services? Would you recommend them to your peers? Share your thoughts with us below.

Alexandra Levit is a contributing columnist for MUO. She writes mostly about tech issues, including software development life hacks, app suggestions, and DIY tech support solutions. Alexandra lives in New York City, studied literature & theater at NYU, and loves food. Follow her on Twitter @alex_levit. 

If you've ever read a book, watched TV or movie, looked at a restaurant menu, played with an app, shopped, bought something from Amazon—or even used Uber—you might have considered sharing your thoughts about it via review.

While some people may not be comfortable doing so publicly (and we respect this), many others love the idea and would gladly share their opinions online. If you're one of those who loves to review things, then you definitely know how much time it takes to keep up these posts regularly. What if someone could help you monetize all that effort automatically by simply posting them for you? That's what we'll explore today!

We'll cover the best ways to get paid for reviewing products while also exploring how to post your work directly onto popular websites like Yelp, Facebook Marketplace and more. We'll also talk about why you should consider getting started as a writer-in-residence (WIR) on a site before becoming an affiliate marketer.

How do you get paid for writing reviews?

The easiest way is through affiliate marketing. In order to sign up as an affiliate marketer, you need to first become a member of any website offering "affiliate programs." These programs offer different types of incentives for signing up affiliates, but they usually include a percentage cut of sales generated by your referrals — depending upon the program details. For example, ClickBank offers 50% commission split between multiple tiers depending on the amount of sales made by your referrals, whereas Commission Junction splits commissions evenly among its members. You must apply to each individual company separately for approval, though.

Once you’ve signed up for an affiliate program, just start recommending relevant products and services within your niche. This means creating content around topics related to the product(s) offered in exchange for compensation. It sounds easy enough, right? But here are a few tips to ensure success:

Write unique blog articles: Since most companies look for original material when accepting new WIR affiliates, you want to come across as truly knowledgeable about the topic without copying other sources. Write fresh, quality pieces with a personal touch. Don't forget to use proper grammar, spelling, capitalization, etc. And don't worry too much about using industry jargon, because nobody wants to see it written down verbatim anyway. The main thing is to stay true to yourself and convey information clearly.

Include links back to the merchant's page: Always remember that you're supposed to provide useful, educational information rather than blatant advertising. So whenever possible, try including a link back to the business' own webpage where users can purchase the item you reviewed.

Try to avoid promoting only one particular brand/product or service: Again, you want readers to think of you as unbiased. They shouldn't expect you to sing praises exclusively to one single entity. When choosing which items to promote, choose ones that appeal to everyone. As long as you remain honest and fair when writing your reviews, no customers will complain, regardless of whether they ultimately buy whatever it was you were talking about.

Also, take note that you aren't allowed to lie or mislead potential buyers. Anything else goes, however, including exaggerating facts slightly to draw attention to certain features. Also, never sacrifice integrity for profit since that's exactly what you'd be selling your audience short.

It's important to mention that while this method does allow you to earn a passive income, it isn't really ideal for writers looking to build a career off their books. With that said, many high earners swear by it, especially considering the fact that you won't need to manage customer support, handle refunds, ship orders, process credit card payments, create newsletters, etc., all of which require extra hours spent away from your day job. Instead, you can focus solely on writing.

Another option is to join a network marketing organization instead. Many such groups exist, both offline and online (like Wealth Masters International). However, joining a MLM requires significant upfront investment (usually several thousand dollars), which makes it less appealing for most beginners. While the returns are often better in comparison to traditional methods, the risks are higher as well.

Finally, another big perk of working as a WIR is that you typically receive free samples or merchandise in return for positive feedback. Companies frequently send promotional materials to reviewers who give good ratings in hopes of generating repeat customers. On occasion, they’ll even throw in gifts ranging from t-shirts to electronics.

How do I get paid for writing reviews?

Most major retailers now accept user reviews posted to platforms like Yelp and TripAdvisor, although they rarely pay anything close to minimum wage. Depending on the size of your local area, you can potentially find dozens of opportunities per week, even if you live outside of a metropolitan city. Just search for "[your town] +review" in Google Maps to discover nearby businesses that cater specifically to locals. Be sure to check out our guide on how to negotiate your salary during interviews to learn more about negotiating effectively.

You can also opt to set up shop on freelance marketplace websites like Fiverr, People Per Hour, Toptal, Scriptlance, Elance, Freelancer, Vworker, etc., where sellers bid against each other to attract clients willing to hire them. Some of these gigs involve simple copywriting, technical editing, proofreading, data entry, translation, design, development, programming, social media management, SEO consulting, virtual assistant, voiceover artist, and web research.

If you already have experience in one of these areas, you can skip over this section entirely. Otherwise, the next step is to pick two or three niches you feel you can excel in. Then, head straight to Fiverr or Toptal and type in phrases relating to your skillset, e.g., “data analysis freelancer,” “copywriter,” “social media manager,” etc. Check out our list of the best places to sell art online to boost your portfolio and hopefully land your first gig.

How can I post my writing in Google?

One of the biggest advantages of being accepted as a WIR is that many of the merchants involved in these arrangements offer exclusive listings on various third party websites. Typically, the terms of such agreements state that the reviewer receives either 25%-50% of the sale price or a flat fee based on total revenue earned.

For instance, Best Buy recently launched a partnership with ReviewMe whereby shoppers who found themselves searching for products under the retailer’s category page on Google Chrome received special promotions that included discounts and cashback rewards. To qualify, you had to click on a link displayed beneath every listing and fill out a form stating you’d like to participate. Once enrolled, you could visit the store whenever you wanted to buy a product and scan your smartphone screen to instantly access additional savings.

ReviewMe also works with merchants like JCPenney, Macy’s, Office Depot, Sephora, Victoria’s Secret, and Target. Meanwhile, Booking.com has teamed up with hundreds of hotels worldwide to enable consumers to rate and rank accommodations easily from anywhere in the world. All guests receive perks like discounted rooms, Wi-Fi, breakfast vouchers, early check-ins, late checkout rates, lounge access, airport transfers, parking options, and more.

And lastly, Facebook Marketplace allows regular folks to sell almost everything imaginable. Users can browse thousands of categories, photos, videos, text ads, events, cars, real estate, jobs, and yes, even homemade crafts, alongside millions of active advertisers who seek to reach targeted audiences. Simply upload pictures of your item, add a catchy description, select a preferred shipping destination, and wait for interested parties to contact you.

Do you get paid to write reviews on Google?

Not yet. At least not unless you go ahead and enroll as a partner with one of the aforementioned companies. Currently, Google doesn't let anyone advertise directly on its platform. By partnering with brands, publishers, and advertisers, however, you can eventually gain visibility on Google Search Results Page 1 (SERP1). Being listed as a sponsored result gives you instant credibility and helps increase conversions. Plus, you never have to worry about competing with scammers, spammers, and fake reviews again.

This strategy also lets you leverage the traffic coming from Google itself, plus the power of organic searches by optimizing your titles, descriptions, tags, images, and video embedding URLs.

When you finally land a position as a WIR on a specific website, you’re entitled to receive a portion of the profits as payment. This amount depends on the arrangement between the buyer and seller, but generally speaking, it ranges from $5-$25 per hour.

As mentioned earlier, the bulk of these earnings depend on how much your client decides to spend on the advertised product. Although small amounts tend to net lower fees, larger purchases lead to bigger checks.

However, what happens after you complete a project varies greatly from site to site. Most partnerships end once the deal closes, meaning you’ll have to continue referring visitors to the vendor until your contract expires. Others, such as Amazon Associates, retain your account indefinitely. Still others, like eBay Partner Network, offer residual income streams that reward you month after month for sending leads to vendors.

I've been collecting books off the shelf, pouring over websites, and even leafing through magazines in search of good reads lately.  But when I'm done with all my reading, what am I going to do with them? How can I share my thoughts on those great books so others have access to their own opinions? And how can I earn some extra cash while doing it? Well, one option is getting paid to review books—and not just by Amazon or Goodreads either. There's an entire network of sites out there that'll give you money for sharing your opinions. It might take time to find the right site for you (or it may already be one of these), but if you're looking to start earning more than your grocery budget this year, we recommend checking out these five sources that reward people who share their opinions about new titles.

Does Google pay for posting?

If you post something on Facebook or Twitter, chances are someone else has posted that same thing within minutes. But what about posts made specifically for an audience via sites like Google+ or Reddit? If you want to know whether or not any platform pays to post content, check out Google's Help Center page on "Paid Content." The company says it doesn't currently offer such a program. So as long as you don't violate other policies on the service, feel free to keep blogging away without worrying too much about it. However, many users report seeing ads related to topics they recently searched for pop up after they log into various services using their accounts. This could indicate that Google does pay certain publishers to promote specific products or brands. That said, unless you're really popular, you probably won't see enough traffic from product-related searches to make a decent living.

Another way to potentially earn revenue is selling advertising space directly on your blog. While most bloggers aren't interested in running ads on their personal pages, some larger publications have started offering ad space on blogs associated with their brand names. For example, Conde Nast runs an ad network called BlogAds that allows readers to buy ad space on articles featuring images and links provided by Condé Nast publications including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Allure, Elle and Men’s Health.

How do I become a reviewer and get paid?

The easiest way to sign up to test drive a book is to join an affiliate marketing program. These programs typically offer a wide range of options for both authors and reviewers. Authors benefit because they receive compensation before anyone purchases the title whereas reviewers often end up receiving a percentage of sales generated after a reader buys the book. You can also choose to work as a regular freelancer where you set your rate per piece based on the type of review and the website involved. Other companies only compensate you once the customer makes a purchase, which isn't ideal if you plan on reviewing multiple books in a short amount of time.

While it seems simple to sign up as a reviewer, things get complicated quickly when trying to figure out exactly how to get compensated. In general, you should expect to receive anywhere between $0-$75 per item depending on the following factors:

Your experience level: A novice writer shouldn't need any training to begin writing reviews, but experienced writers might require additional instruction. Similarly, professional editors often need guidance on editing reviews.

Review length: Reviews ranging from 500 words to 3,000 words tend to garner higher rates. Short reviews under 300 words usually earn less.

Number of items reviewed: Companies prefer to use multiple reviewers rather than one lone voice. As a result, reviewers with several thousand pieces of literature in their library generally receive better compensation than first timers.

Peer group: Reviewers at major publishing houses tend to earn more than newcomers due to a greater familiarity with current best practices. Peer groups such as BookExchange, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus, etc., also command higher fees since they operate with fewer expenses and overhead compared to smaller review networks.

Book genre: Most sites charge lower prices for nonfiction works versus fiction titles. Also, horror novels generally sell for less than romance novels.

Author connections: Generally speaking, well known writers and celebrities attract more attention from potential buyers. Some sites also provide a flat fee for reviews regardless of how famous the author happens to be. Others still request an exclusive commission if you happen to mention another publisher during your review.

Website popularity: Sites that rank high on Google return higher profits than lesser trafficked ones. Unfortunately, social media followers play no role whatsoever in determining payment amounts.

Sites that focus solely on providing monetary reimbursement often include stipulations regarding promotional materials included with each order (for instance, you must send back copies of the book). Before signing up for a particular program, always read the fine print carefully.

It takes some research to determine which platforms will pay you, and which ones won't. We scoured the web for the best ways to get paid to write reviews, and here are our favorite picks.

Amazon Associates

As part of its Kindle Direct Publishing initiative, Amazon offers customers the opportunity to earn commissions on qualifying purchases. To qualify, you must meet three requirements:

You must be 18 years old or older.

You must live in the US or Canada.

You must have purchased six books or more from the Amazon store in the past 12 months.

Once qualified, you simply need to create an account on Amazon Associates then link your existing Amazon account to the program. Once linked, whenever a customer clicks through from a third party source to buy a book on Amazon, you'll receive 5 percent of the sale price. Keep in mind that you won't receive a cut until the customer completes checkout, however. If the customer cancels, refunds, returns or exchanges the book, you never actually see the money.

In addition to the standard payout, you'll also earn special perks for completing your profile. After meeting all required criteria, you can join Amazon Associate Elite. Those memberships come with benefits including bonus payments, discounts on future orders and priority shipping.

Goodreads

A unique feature of Goodreads is how easy it is to generate income. By joining the Affiliate Program, every single person who signs up under you gets credit towards your earnings. Simply go to the My Books tab on your Account Settings screen and click "Set Up Your Own Commission" next to "My Earnings". Then enter the codes given to you by Goodreads and add your preferred percentages. When a user buys a book from Amazon under your recommendation, you get 70% of the total sale, which means you'd get half of whatever the purchaser earns from the transaction. Be sure to note that you'll need to manually approve each individual order submitted by a member, though.

Payments vary according to the number of recommendations submitted, but Goodreads states that its affiliates earned approximately $1 million dollars last year alone. Members also enjoy discounted pricing on eBooks and physical goods sold on the retailer's marketplace. Plus, you can now refer friends to Goodreads' affiliate program if you wish.

Kobo Genesis Lending Library

LendMe by Kobo is similar to GoodReads in that it lets you earn money for referring other patrons. Unlike the previous two, however, you won't receive payment until a patron actually borrows and finishes a book. Additionally, you must complete a brief survey upon lending a book, which requires you to input information such as the date borrowed, rating, returning date and reasons why the borrower chose not to finish. Finally, you'll receive payment directly via PayPal for borrowing a book and returning it in full. Payments range from $3-$5 per loan depending on the reason behind the failure to return the book.

Bibliofaction

Like Kobo, Bibliofaction gives you the ability to lend books you haven't finished yourself. Like GoodReads, however, borrowers must fill out a survey prior to picking up a copy. Upon completion, you'll submit feedback on the quality of the novel, along with the date it was picked up, ratings, notes, and comments. Payment varies greatly depending on how many loans you submit each month, but averages around $10 per month.

iTunes

Apple iTunes partners with numerous retailers in order to help distribute digital downloads. Many of these partnerships involve generating referrals for Apple Music subscribers. To participate, open iTunes Preferences & Store & Referral Options then select "Referral Partner" followed by "Send me Orders," located under "Other." Next, scroll down and select "Get Paid for Suggestions." Select "Add Product Details" and follow the prompts. Each time a subscriber adds a song to their playlist, you'll earn 25 cents.

Beanstalk

Beanstalk provides a straightforward referral system whereby you earn 50 percent of each completed sale minus a small processing fee. Users simply need to register with Beanstalk, connect to their bank account, and let Beanstalk automatically send payments to whichever merchant they decide to partner with.

For more details on how Beanstalk works, visit beanstalkswebsite [No Longer Available].

Peepit

Peepit operates similarly to Amazon Associates in terms of compensation structure, except instead of recommending products, Peepit asks visitors to rate titles. Visitors can opt-in to receive alerts when new titles arrive in their area then rate them immediately once downloaded.