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I’ve explored a lot of ‘side-hustles‘ over the years, from Fiverr to this very blog. Most have earned me a little bit here and there, but been a lot of work.
However, Prolific (not a referral link) has been a steady earner for me over the past few years.
How much do I earn on Prolific?
I earn between £20-60 a month, depending on the studies that come up and how much time I devote to it. The best is when I respond to studies that take 30 minutes+ or have multiple parts as those add up! Most studies pay the equivalent of £7.50 an hour, but generally they are only a few minutes long.
I did have a ~6 month period where I didn’t earn anything as they blocked my IP address. I definitely wouldn’t include this as reliable income in my budget, but it’s useful to dump into my fun money account!
What kind of studies are they?
I’ve been given a mix of brand and marketing research, UX research (interact with this AI chatbot), and scientific studies.
The most interesting involve games with other participants. The most boring (but often lucrative) studies involve looking at hundreds of random shapes and assessing them on some criteria or being challenged to remember them.
Tips for making the most from Prolific
My biggest tip is that studies go quickly, so you don’t want to rely on the email or browser notifications. Instead, leave the Prolific window open where you can see it, so you can respond immediately. I usually have it open to the side when working on something else that doesn’t require a lot of focus.
Otherwise, always read the instructions thoroughly–there are a lot of ‘attention check’ questions which you will need to answer correctly.
And finally, I recommend that you fill out all the ‘About You’ questions, and go back semi-regularly to answer the new ones that pop-up. These help you land targetted studies, which otherwise you wouldn’t qualify for.
Happy prolific-ing!
