Surveys & Product Testing For Free Stuff

One of the methods of getting market research freebies is product testing for free stuff. Businesses who are conducting market research will offer free products as incentives so that people will participate in the research and be motivated to follow instructions. The information that they gain through market research will help them improve their products, improve their marketing message, and make more sales.

Market research is one of three different categories of commercial freebies. Another category is when the freebie is part of a marketing promotion to increase sales. Another is when you can offer marketing services in exchange for freebies, such as blogging for freebies. Taking surveys and product testing are part of market research. It is important to identify the motivation behind the freebie, because sometimes the company providing the freebie will want completely opposite services in return. For example, if you’re blogging for freebies the company will want you to promote their product as much as possible on your blog and social media. However, if you’re product testing for free stuff, they likely want you to keep your review of the product completely quiet. They want to use the information they gain from product testing to improve the product before it’s released on the market. That means that if you become a product tester and share any information publicly, they’ll terminate your agreement.

Is Free Stuff From Product Testing Actually Free?

The company will send you the products for free, and there is no monetary requirement to participate. You will not have to give them your credit card information. If the site requires that you do, it’s a fake. By accepting free products for testing you are agreeing to actually test it, which might take some of your time. The company sending the product to you might also request that you return the product, in which case it was free to borrow, but not free to keep. In some cases you can keep the product indefinitely.

How Do I Become a Product Tester for Free Stuff?

There are no special requirements to become a product tester. In most cases you can’t just say you want to do it and start doing it. Each company will be looking for a specific set of criteria when selecting their guinea pigs. They may currently only be testing males or females, or a certain age group, or people that live within a certain area. They’ll select the individuals for whom the product serves and possibly in the markets where the product will be sold. Sometimes you will sign up to become a product tester and they’ll never respond. Other times you’ll be selected quickly. Since they they’re trying to get as close as they can to their target market, it’s important to fill out the application accurately.

To become a product tester, select the company or third-party research company, go their website and fill out the application. If you are selected, they’ll give you specific instructions to follow. Follow them to the best of your ability. They’re more likely to keep using you as a product tester if you’re cooperative and diligent in getting them the information that they need. After testing the product you’ll likely be asked to fill out a survey online or you’ll speak with someone directly on the phone (or in person) to give them the information they ask for. At least one product testing opportunity will want you to have a House Party with friends and family to collect opinions and data from multiple people.

(Perhaps) Do Not Sell Product Testing Freebies

Other freebie strategies mentioned on this site could suggest that you take things a step further than simply receiving the freebie. You can possibly profit from selling some freebies that you receive. But this may not be the case with product testing. Some product testing agreements state that even though you are in possession of the product they still own it and that you cannot sell it. Some will let you keep the product indefinitely and they won’t state what you can do with it. Some will let you keep it and but say you can’t sell it. Others will want you to return the product after you’re done testing it. Be sure to read the fine print

Where Do I Find Product Testing Programs?

The Product Testing Directory will list product testing programs whenever they are discovered. Some of these will be tested by Actually Free, others will be clearly labeled as not tested. If you are aware of legitimate programs that are not in our directory, please let us know. Many of the product testing websites are also survey sites. Additional programs may be available at Get Paid To Take Surveys.

If you want to search for testing programs on your own, you can try searching Google for the name of a brand or manufacturer of products that you like and include “product testing”, “testing program”, “beta testing”, or “advisory panel” as part of the search. For example, if you like Nike, then try searching for “Nike product testing” and you’ll find the Nike Product Testing Program. This applies to any and all consumer products, such as electronics, kitchen, clothing, shoes, food and pharmaceuticals. If the product can be delivered in sample-size packaging, you might have more luck requesting Free Samples, which doesn’t require any follow up compared to product testing.

How To Avoid Product Testing Scams

If you come across third-party sites that are not the manufacturer then do some follow up searches to see if the site is legitimate. The first step is to make sure your computer antivirus program is up to date, and test the link on Norton Safe Web (don’t follow the link, just copy and paste it into Norton Safe Web). Then, if the site is safe to visit you can see if they have a terms of service page, and a company address. If they have a company address then go to their state’s Better Business Bureau to see if they have any information on the company. Search for the name of the site and “review” or “scam”.

For example, doing searches for product testing sites might lead you to discover ProductTestingUSA.com. You’d search for “producttestingusa.com review”.  There’s not too much that is revealed in that search when we performed it. One product tester who tested the site would not proceed past giving them a phone number since it went into a series of “yes-no” survey questions before he even selected a product. It has one review on scamguard, which isn’t really a lot to go on. That one reviewer might have just encountered a glitch. Actually Free has not tested this site, but it seems to be more of a “get a free gadget” scheme than a legitimate product testing site. Read more on “Get A Free Gadget“, which includes additional safety tips.

More scams are associated with consumer electronics than any other product (TVs, cell phones, etc.). If the same site offers mystery shopping and it pays more than $30 then I’d be suspicious. If you discover a site that is made to look like a brand or manufacturer and it’s possibly fake, then go to the brand’s main website directly and notify them. They’ll reply to tell you if it’s legitimate. If it isn’t, then they’ll have the technical and legal resources to get it taken down. They don’t want their brand to be associated with any scams. You can also look at the domain name. Most big brands have done a good job of acquiring all domain names related to their brand. If the site’s root domain is related to their brand, then it is more likely that it’s real. For example, Nike’s product testing domain is https://voiceoftheathlete.nike.com/; you see at the end of the domain it has “nike.com” and Nike is the most likely owner of that domain. If it said “producttestingshoes.com” and claimed to be a representative of Nike, then there is more cause to be suspicious.

Read more on Safety Testing Freebie Sites.

Do you have more information about Product Testing, including inside information or additional resources? Please let us know so we can share with others who are interested.

See also:

• House Party
• Get Paid To Take Surveys
• Get Paid To Test Websites