‘I can usually complete them quicker’: Side hustle expert reveals how much she makes from Prolific and Focus online—and how you can get started
Taking surveys online might sound like a boring and low-paying activity, but not if you know where to look.
One side hustle expert who shares her financial tips and tricks on TikTok has recently come out with a video ranking all of the services she’s tried from best to worst with two websites coming out on top: Prolific and FocusGroup.
The video, posted this week by TikToker Jackie Mitchell (@jaclynmitchelll) has quickly gone viral on the platform, racking up over 2.7 million views.
In her "big recap" video, Mitchell addresses the question she often receives from her followers: "What side hustles do you recommend?" Taking viewers through a tiered ranking system—from loved to wish-I-tried—she unveils her preferred money-making methods.
At the top of Mitchell's list in the "loved" category is Prolific, a survey site that caters to researchers and grad students. She praises the platform for its short yet well-paying surveys, typically ranging “anywhere from like $15 to $20 an hour.”
"I can usually complete them a little bit quicker than the actual timeframe that they say they will take. So I usually, if I sit down and do prolific studies and there are studies available, can get like anywhere from 10 to 20 done in an hour. And I've made a lot of money doing that," Mitchell shares in her video.
She acknowledges the hurdle of a potential waitlist on Prolific but encourages viewers to try it, citing her own experience of spending eight-months on the waitlist. "So it's worth at least applying and getting on the waitlist," she advises.
On TrustPilot, the website has a 4.4 star rating with mostly positive reviews praising its consistency with surveys and payouts. However, a couple of reviewers claim the website has closed their accounts without providing any explanation.
Second on Mitchell’s list of best side hustles are focus groups. “Survey groups and focus groups pay really well per hour, I think some of them pay like $100 an hour for like an hour-long study. These are really good,” she says. “I use focusgroups.com… they just email you when you might kind of like qualify for a focus group. I really liked them, but they don’t pop up often.”
“I only did two or three. But they're my favorite to do because they just give you a product to talk about, either it's like an unreleased product or they show you like branding for a possible new product. And then you just talk about your opinions for an hour or so," she shares.
Mitchell continues to list other side hustle options like Swagbucks, doing brand deals or data annotation before concluding, “I don't work for these companies. I'm just a girl trying to make 100 extra dollars a day.”
The video received positive feedback from other TikTokers, with many opting to share their own success stories with some of these side hustles.
@jaclynmitchelll the big recap video is finally here!! let me know what else youre curious about! #budgeting #savingmoney #challenge #100dollarsaday ♬ original sound - jackie mitchell
“Yesss I love prolific! I made $1,500 so far,” one user commented.
“I love data annotation because the pay is so good. It’s absolutely tedious but I’ve gotten tasks up to $30/hr,” another user wrote.
“Thank you to everyone participating in research via surveys and focus groups from a researcher! You make my work possible!” a third user said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Jackie Mitchell via her email for comment.
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