Is User Interviews Legit Or A Scam? – How I Made $65 With One Study

User Interviews, a platform with over 3 million members, is a perfect example. It says you can earn hundreds of dollars by participating in different studies and research tasks, and it's one of the most popular companies in this space.

But is User Interviews legit? And how easy is it to actually make money with this focus group website?

I signed up for User Interviews as a participant, qualified for a study, and actually got paid. And my User Interviews review is sharing how it works, its pros and cons, and testimonials from other members so you can decide if it's worth using.

What Is User Interviews?

User Interviews is a focus group and market research company that helps connect researchers and brands with consumers to get their feedback. The company has over 3 million participants and has helped launch over 100,000 studies since its inception.

If you're familiar with sites like Respondent.io and Apex Focus Group, then User Interviews should be quite easy to understand. And my video above shares how it works and how I made $65 with my first study on it.

For brands and researchers, the platform helps make finding study participants fast and easy. And for participants, the platform is a nice way to make money online and to get paid for answering questions.

Here are just some of the ways to make money with User Interviews:

• Focus groups (online and in-person)
• Surveys
• Interviews
• Product reviews
• Diary studies
• App testing

Is User Interviews Legit?

Yes, User Interviews is legit, and you can make money by participating in a variety of focus groups and studies. The company also works with reputable partners like Amazon, Adobe, Spotify, and other massive brands and pays study participants on time.

I was also able to sign up for User Interviews very easily, and the platform is beginner-friendly. And after applying to about eight studies, I finally qualified for one, completed it, and got paid a $65 USD gift card.

So, based on my experience, I can confirm that it pays and is legitimate. I also got paid right after completing the 45-minute interview, which was pretty nice.

However, the main downside of User Interviews is that it can take a long time to actually qualify for studies. So, it's not a consistent online job or steady source of income.

Ultimately, it's one of the highest-paying sites in this side hustle category. But don't expect regular income, and know that applying to studies takes time and is unpaid.

How Does User Interviews Work?

I signed up for User Interviews to learn how this side hustle works before writing my review. Overall, it's very easy to use, and the entire process takes four steps:

1. Sign up and complete your profile
2. Apply to studies
3. Participate in eligible studies
4. Get paid

1. Sign Up

The first step to make money with User Interviews is to sign up. You can sign up with your email address, Facebook account, or LinkedIn account. You also provide a phone number and verify it when signing up.

At the time of writing, User Interviews is available to participants who are 16 or older. You must also live in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, South Africa, or the United States.

Once you register, you complete your profile by sharing information about your work and demographics. This helps User Interviews recommend more relevant studies.

Some of the information you enter includes your:

• Age
• Ethnicity
• Gender
• Household income
• Occupation and employment status
• Household composition (married, single, with children etc.)
• Skills
• Technical details like the type of computer and browser you use

It took me about three minutes to sign up and complete my profile. And you can connect your LinkedIn to automatically get a lot of this data and qualify for more studies, so I suggest doing this.

2. Apply To Studies

Once you complete your profile, you can apply to User Interviews' studies to try and qualify for a study.

User Interviews has dozens of studies available at any given time. Studies can also be in-person, over the phone, or done online via webcam. Most are one-on-one in my experience, but some involve groups as well.

Studies also have a brief description about what researchers are looking for and also say how much they pay and how long they take. The four studies I've applied to include:

• A $150 study about investing
• A $200 study that wants to interview entrepreneurs
• A $150 study that wants participants to try an online shopping experience
• An $80 study looking for people who make video content

I applied to all these studies in about ten minutes. Most of them ask some basic pre-screener questions, and researchers get back to you if they want you for the study.

It took me about two months and applying to 8 studies to finally qualify for one. It was a 45-minute study with Vistaprint where I got to test out a new design feature they're working on.

I've read online that User Interviews has about a 5% acceptance rate for studies. But this really depends on who you are and the studies you apply to.

Ultimately, I have high hopes for this platform and will keep applying to studies that I think I'm a good fit for. And I'll update this post if I make more money than my $65 payout.

3. Complete Studies

If you qualify for a study, the researchers will email you to let you know. From there, you receive more instructions about what to do on the date of the interview.

Since most studies are conducted remotely, this usually involves connecting to an online meeting or a phone call. Most of the studies I applied to use Zoom or Microsoft Teams to connect everyone. Studies say if they're in-person or online and what date they need to interview participants on, so there's no surprises.

Many User Interviews' studies are also 1 to 1.5 hours long. You can find shorter studies, but these generally pay less than ones that are more involved. When you qualify for a study, you get to pick from available timeslots so it's quite flexible.

The one I took part in was only 45 minutes. The researcher was very friendly and it was pretty fun to take part in. I found that the instructions were clear, and I even had to reschedule and push my interview back a day and the researcher was very understanding.

Studies also tell you if they pay you with PayPal money or free gift cards, which I like.

4. Get Paid

After you complete a study, researchers have time to review everything before marking the session complete. You usually get paid within two to three business days after a study, but payments can take up to 10 days to process.

Personally, I got paid my $65 gift card right after completing the study which was nice. This is also a great hourly rate since I earned $65 for about 45 minutes of playing around with a new design tool.

From what I've seen, most User Interviews studies pay participants with electronic gift cards. Options usually include major brands like Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, Starbucks, Target, and Uber Eats but can vary.

However, free PayPal cash is also on the table, which I love. And I like that studies tell you exactly how much they pay and how long they are so you know what you're getting into.

How Much Does User Interviews Pay?

How much User Interviews pays largely depends on how many studies you qualify for. Some months, you might make $0, while other months you might make $100 to $200 or even more if you qualify for enough studies.

This is the nature of making money with focus groups. You might make $200 fast for an hour or two of your time, but it's not consistent income. Plus, applying to studies is unpaid work. For me, it took 8 studies and two months of applying to earn $65.

That said, here are some User Interviews' opportunities I can apply to so you get a sense of the earning potential:

• A user-research study that pays $30 for a 30 minute interview
• An oral care questionnaire that pays $50 for a one hour interview
• An interview with someone who works in insurance that pays $90 for a one hour interview
• An interview with someone who lives in Kansas that pays $150 for a three hour interview
• A truck naming survey that pays $10 for a five minute questionnaire

As you can see, pay and study requirements vary greatly, as does User Interviews' pay.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• No minimum payout amount
• Higher pay than traditional cash survey sites
• Excellent variety of studies, including online and in-person ones
• High-paying studies
• Numerous payment options including PayPal and free gift cards for major retailers
• You can earn referral bonuses by inviting people to join studies
• The platform is easy to use
• Available in several countries

Cons:

• Some studies can be time consuming
• Low study qualification rate
• Applying to studies is unpaid work

Other User Interviews Reviews

After signing up for User Interviews and applying to a few studies, I think the platform is legitimate. And I also think it's a great way to make money online for beginners, and I like how high-paying many studies are.

However, it's always good to hear feedback from other people. And, thankfully, there are numerous User Interviews reviews on forums like Reddit where other study participants share their experiences:

• raiboki says: “I have done two so far. They were very easy and paid well. I also use Dscout, Facebook groups have been amazing as well to find and apply for focus groups and feedback assignments, and for me, User Testing has been AMAZING.”
• pinktoes4life says: “Studies in general are looking for very specific demographics. I’ve had success with User Interviews, but I don’t get accepted to every one I apply for.”
• anxiousmush says: “I have done one so far, but I guess it's really hard to qualify.”
• JustTheFishGirl says: “I had a lot of success when I first signed up but not much recently.”

As you can see, these users seem happy with User Interviews and report getting paid. But the main complaint is that it takes a long time to qualify for studies, and income isn't very consistent.

Overall, I think User Interviews is an excellent opportunity to make a fast $50 to $200 or so every once in a while. But you have to put in some unpaid work and get a bit lucky, so keep this in mind.

The Best Sites Like User Interviews

If you want to maximize your income, using several paid focus group sites is a good call. This is because it lets you apply to more studies so you increase the odds you qualify.

Some of my favorite sites like User Interviews include:

• Respondent.io: Another excellent way to get paid for market research studies.
• Trial Search: One of the best ways to find local, high-paying studies to take part in.
• Userlytics: A popular website testing gig that pays you with PayPal:
• UserTesting: Another way to test websites and get paid for your feedback.
• Amazon MTurk: A leading microtask site that pays you for completing a range of tasks.
• TestingTime: Another site like UserTesting that pays you to test websites and apps.
• PlaytestCloud: This gig pays you with PayPal cash for testing apps.
• Prolific: A high-paying survey site that connects participants with researchers.

You can also try out microtask gigs like Appen and Clickworker alongside using User Interviews.

Extra Reading – The Best Work From Phone Jobs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does User Interviews Take To Pay?

User Interviews usually takes two to three business days to pay after you complete a study. However, it can take up to 10 days for payments to process depending on when researchers mark the study as being complete.

When I completed my first study, I got paid right away which was a nice way to get quick money.

Is User Interviews Safe?

Yes, User Interviews is safe. I signed up as a participant and didn't have to give any sensitive financial or personal information. However, you have to be comfortable sharing information about your demographics, income, education, and employment status to qualify for studies.

The researcher I worked with was very nice to work with. Instructions were clear, and he asked for consent to record the Zoom meeting before doing so. Overall, nothing felt invasive or unsafe.

User Interviews vs UserTesting – Which Gig Is Best?

User Interviews pays more than UserTesting and has more variety in terms of studies. In contrast, UserTesting can provide slightly steadier income but only has website testing gigs.

I prefer User Interviews and am going to keep applying to studies until I get paid. But you can always create a side hustle stack and use several websites to make more money.

Final Thoughts

I hope my User Interviews review helps you understand how this side hustle works and what its earning potential is.

As mentioned, I've only made $65 with this platform in my testing so far. But I'm going to keep applying to studies to see if I can make a few hundred dollars a year.

Ultimately, I like how high-paying the opportunities are on User Interviews. If you can qualify for a study, it's going to pay way more than any gpt site or survey app can.

That said, you have to be willing to do some unpaid work. Because of this, I only suggest applying to studies that actually seem like a good fit and aren't a long shot.

Thanks for reading, and best of luck in qualifying for some studies!

Want even more ideas to make money? Checkout:

• The Best Websites Like Prolific.
• How To Get Paid To Give Advice.