Enter your search term

Search by title or post keyword

Is Focus Insite Legit? [Everything You Need to Know]

Are you looking for an easy side gig that doesn’t require much time and effort but pays decent cash?

Why not try joining market research groups? You can instantly earn from surveys or focus groups by merely participating in a study you qualify for.

And among the focus group platforms available online, you’ve likely seen or heard of Focus Insite.

Focus Insite offers one of the most actively recruiting companies for qualitative market research. They cater to various businesses and brands, from the consumer to the technical field.

But is Focus Insite legit?

After researching the platform and reading user and customer reviews, this article will answer your questions about Focus Insite’s process, reliability, safety, and more.

What Is Focus Insite?

Founded in 2015, Focus Insite helps companies recruit for market research studies related to technical, medical, consumer, and B2B fields.

Some of their clients include Google, Facebook, Pfizer, Coca-Cola, and more. These brands usually need a set of individuals for online surveys or a focus group.

screenshot of the Focus Insite homepage - cover photo for the is Focus Insite legit post on Gigworker.com

The company prides itself in conducting a tailored recruitment process to fill studies with qualified and dependable participants. Besides domestic and international recruitment, they offer translation, moderation, and transcription services.

Note that proprietary brands under Focus Insite represent these services. These include Opinion Chimp for consumer and B2B market research, Get Paid Medical for medical studies, and Transcription Café for transcription and translation services.

Their site offers various opportunities for students and professionals to earn cash through their studies. Ultimately, Focus Insite serves as the key contact for clients and participants.

How Does Focus Insite Work?

Focus Insite makes it easy for businesses and participants to conduct or join market research studies.

For businesses and organizations conducting studies, you may request a proposal on their website or email them via [email protected].

Meanwhile, interested participants must sign up on the site to receive relevant paid study opportunities. However, note that you’ll only undergo studies you qualify for.

To sign up, fill out all the required information.

Note that the form will require your personal information, such as full name, address, birth date, employment, ethnicity, and more. However, it won’t ask for any financial details like your bank or credit card.

We encourage interested participants to complete the form for better online surveys, focus groups, telephone interviews, in-depth in-person interviews, and Internet interviews.

Examples of past studies include a remote interview for a law professional and an online focus group about everyday essentials.

Common Questions to Understand

Learn the basics about the business and better understand a paid focus group.

How Does Focus Insite Pay?

Focus Insite offers a convenient way to receive your pay after completing a study. After completing one, you should receive your incentive via email.

The email includes a link to access a platform for selecting your payment method. It only includes digital payment options, such as a gift card or a prepaid digital card for Visa and Mastercard.

The payment options also allow you to donate your incentive to any charity listed on the site.

Note that some studies take weeks to finish, and participants may receive payments after every respondent completes the study. You may ask your project manager for more payment details.

Who Can Join Focus Insite?

The site accepts participants from various ages and professions since Focus Insite works with businesses in every industry.

Common participants include professionals in the business, tech, and medical fields and consumers of products and services.

Anyone can participate in a focus group, online and offline interviews, and online surveys if they meet the target demographic.

When signing up on the site, complete the required information on the application form and choose the studies you’d like to join to get relevant paid study opportunities.

Are Paid Focus Groups Legit?

Paid focus groups can definitely be legit. Many students and full-time workers engage in a paid focus group side hustle to earn extra money.

Major brands and businesses conduct paid focus groups and pay an average of $4,000 to $12,000 per project. Focus groups offer an effective market research method, making it popular for brands and organizations.

However, businesses must compensate market research recruitment agencies like Focus Insite to gather quality respondents. The data gathered will help gain insight into target customers and develop effective business strategies.

Overall, most focus group agencies offer legitimate services and pay good money. Just make sure to do a thorough background check before you participate.

Is Focus Insite Legit?

Based on research and user comments, we consider Focus Insite a legit company that offers actual services and pays real money.

A credible company usually has signs of authenticity, from having clear and complete information to a good user experience on the website. Specifically, the following factors support Focus Insite’s legitimate services:

1. Complete and Consistent Company Information

After looking at Focus Insite’s website, we realized it offered all the information you need about the company and its market research services.

Key information on the site includes available opportunities, past case studies, services, company history, main team members with photos, the company address, and contact details.

You can also find their details consistent on the following sites: FlexJobs, GreenBook, and QRCA.

2. Transparent Opportunities

When browsing for current studies on their website, they indicate the topic or field, the study format (remote focus group, online board, or in-person), the dates for the study, the required hours of commitment, and the location.

You can also see details of their past opportunities to give you an idea about the kind of studies they offer and how much they compensate.

3. Decent Website and User Experience

Although their website design could be better, Focus Insite generally has a professional user interface and user experience.

Spammy or illegal sites usually have suspicious or irrelevant ads and pop-ups on their pages, but the website has none.

Overall, they have a decent website that’s easy to navigate.

4. Generally Good Reviews

Most user reviews on Google and Facebook affirm you can get paid to take surveys, focus groups, or interviews. Other platforms like Indeed and Bark have generally good reviews about Focus Insite.

These reviews span several years, resulting in consistent positive comments.

Is Focus Insite Reliable?

Focus Insite offers legit services and opportunities to businesses and participants. However, reviews posted on some platforms indicate poor coordination.

For example, a review from Bark.com says that the person confirmed for a study but didn’t receive the Zoom link for it. Then, an hour before the study, the staff informed the person they didn’t need them anymore for the study.

Unfortunately, the reviewer had to take time off from work to attend the study, only to be told they had dropped her.

Another review shares an instance of overbooking, resulting in the participant leaving the study at short notice.

Despite Focus Insite’s legitimacy, the website has mixed reviews regarding its reliability, with some reviewers expressing poor communication.

Is Focus Insite Safe?

After checking signs of a secure website, Focus Insite ticked the box for being a safe and secure website.

For one, the website URL has a lock icon before it, and the URL starts with “HTTPS”. It’s a sign that the site has an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate, a digital authentication indicating that the connection between your browser and the website server has encryption or protection against cyber threats.

Also, after checking the website pages and links, the browser’s McAfee WebAdvisor extension didn’t flag any page as suspicious.

Overall, it appears safe to browse and join the website, but still be mindful not to share personal information online.

What Are Users Saying About Focus Insite?

Before trying this side job, consider what participants have to say about the website.

What Google Reviewers Liked About Focus Insite

google reviews for focus insite

These points summarize the reviews found on Focus Insite’s Google Reviews.

  • Prompt Payment: Many comments shared they received their money fairly fast, with one reviewer saying it came quicker than estimated. One user even said they never had to wait long for their money.
  • Kind and Professional Team: Most reviews commended the staff’s professionalism, friendliness, and kindness. One reviewer shares that despite multiple reschedules, she had pleasant interactions with the coordinators and interviewer.
  • Interesting and Fun Studies: Some reviews also said the website offered interesting focus groups and survey opportunities. One person shared that the focus group she experienced had unusual questions and feedback but was easy to complete.

What Social Media Users Liked About Focus Insite

Why should you join Focus Insite? Check out the platform’s perks based on the reviews on their Facebook page. 

  • Good Side Hustle: Some users recommend the website since they received good compensation for completing the study. A user says she made $75 for giving a small amount of her time. Another user says they received their check totaling $150.
  • Quick Payments: Generally, reviews on their Facebook page say that the company provides fast and legit payments. One user says that they did two studies and received payments promptly. Meanwhile, another user says they received a check within two weeks instead of the initially promised six weeks of waiting time.
  • Interesting Studies: Users say that the focus groups and online surveys included diverse topics. One reviewer says they talked about their shopping experience, while another talked about her experience with cancer.

Why Are People Worried About Using Focus Insite?

Every side job and platform has a downside. Consider the following cons from the participants and clients themselves.

What Google Reviewers Worried About Focus Insite

As of writing, Focus Insite only received five one-star reviews and three four-star reviews out of 65 reviews on Google Reviews. Check out the concerns and complaints of these users.

  • Overbooking: One participant experienced being overbooked in a study they confirmed immediately. Unfortunately, the staff told him and others they would still receive payment. However, they have yet to receive their money, prompting the user to say not to trust the website.
  • No-show or Fake Recruits: One reviewer claiming to be a client expressed disappointment when no participant showed up for their study. The user speculates that the website uses fraudulent users to fill a study since the recruited participants didn’t respond via call, text, or email, despite staff saying the respondents confirmed.
  • Unpaid Studies: A user says they completed a focus group for the company last February but have yet to receive payment. 

What Social Media Users Worried About Focus Insite

Check out some concerns users left on Focus Insite’s Facebook page. But note that some reviews on their Facebook page talk about crypto trading, which may mean there’s another platform with the same name as Focus Insite, and these users mistook it for this page.

1. Platform’s Legitimacy

Some users comment on the reviews questioning the platform’s legitimacy.

One user comments on a review and says the reviewer probably received payment to share a good review. The user responds, disproving the comment.

Meanwhile, another user on this review questions the review’s legitimacy and shares she hasn’t received her money for a study she completed. Eventually, the user shares there’s a mix-up, and she will receive her payment.

2. No Opportunities

One user says they have never done a study despite being on the website for so long.

Meanwhile, another user says they always sign up for studies and follow instructions carefully but never hear back. As a result, some users speculate it’s a scam.

3. Last-minute Cancellation

One reviewer made it through the selection process and visited the website on schedule. But Focus Insite called him upon arriving, saying the study won’t push through. However, the company paid him to correct the situation.

Focus Insite Quality & Guarantees

Focus Insite provides its Privacy Policy and Respondent Bill of Rights on its website.

Their Privacy Policy shares how they collect and use data on their website. According to the policy, they only use data from members and participants to send invitations to activities.

The website also guarantees they don’t sell data to anyone and only share it with necessary parties or under the participant’s permission.

The policy also shares that you may contact their internal data protection officer via [email protected] for any concerns.

Meanwhile, the Respondent Bill of Rights outlines the participant’s rights during the process, such as the confidentiality of their personal information, being informed beforehand for audio and video recordings, and others.

Does Focus Insite Offer Customer Service?

Focus Insite offers customer service for its clients and participants.

Based on reviews, their team generally responds to various questions, even on compensation. Most reviews commend Focus Insite’s responsiveness. As a result, feel free to contact them whenever for any questions or concerns.

What Customer Service Options Are Available?

Focus Insite includes their office address, telephone number, and email on their website. You can also contact them via their online contact form.

They also have social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.

You may try to contact Focus Insite through these channels, but they may be unresponsive as they don’t seem to be regularly active on these platforms.

Check out their contact information below:

Conclusion: Is Focus Insite Legit?

Focus Insite shows signs of legitimacy.

The website offers transparency with its history and opportunities, generally has good reviews, uses a secure website, implements a privacy policy, and adheres to the Respondent Bill of Rights.

However, regarding reliability, a few users claim they didn’t receive compensation, experienced last-minute notices on canceled studies, and never had an opportunity to join a study.

Given all the information gathered, Focus Insite provides a legitimate website but may experience minor problems regarding communication, affecting its reliability.

Nonetheless, it appears to be a secure site worth trying for those looking for a side job.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Is the CEO of Focus Insite?

Jim Jacobs founded the company in 2015. He also currently acts as the company’s CEO.

Can You Make a Living With Focus Groups?

Definitely! Though it’s a fairly uncommon side hustle, joining a focus group helps you earn money through online or onsite focus groups.

Those making a living by joining focus groups earn an average of $25 hourly or $4,384 monthly in the U.S.

Similar Gigs to Check Out

If you’re unsure about joining a focus group or Focus Insite, how about trying these alternative gigs?

  • Is Adler Weiner Research Legit?: Learn more about Adler Weiner Research, and see if it’s worth joining their market research opportunities.
  • Is Nelson Recruiting Legit?: Consider reading this article before joining Nelson Recruiting to see if it’s legit and the best market research website for you.
  • Is AcurianHealth Legit?: If you want to participate in health-related market research, check out AcurianHealth’s legitimacy and reliability.

Wrapping Up

Given all the information gathered, we consider Focus Insite a legitimate website. You can be confident in joining the platform and receiving payment.

However, remember that it’s not a perfect platform, and you may not receive many studies to try and have miscommunication with staff.

Ultimately, consider this website and gig carefully, and see if it fits you.

What do you think of Focus Insite? Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments!

And if this article helped you decide whether to join Focus Insite, feel free to share it with others who may need to read this, too.

Leave a Comment

screenshot for the post "is apex focus group legit" post on gigworker.com
  • Company Resources

Is Apex Focus Group Legit?

September 14, 2023
10 min read
screenshot of the Curion homepage - header graphic for the is Curion legit post on gigworker.com
  • Company Resources

Is Curion Legit? Unveiling the Truth

August 17, 2023
12 min read
screenshot of the InboxDollars homepage - header graphic for the is InboxDollars legit post on gigworker.com
  • Company Resources

Is InboxDollars Legit? Unveiling the Truth

August 17, 2023
11 min read

Explore More within Gigworker

Other App-Based Gigs
Get to work faster with jobs in the gig worker industry.
post explore

Browse Our Gig Headquarters

The gig economy is booming, and thanks to COVID-19, more people than ever are getting involved. But what is this new sharing economy and how does it work?

Important Gig Economy #Fundamentals to Understand

gigworker logo icon
What is the Gig Economy?

Member’s Area

Unlock access to forums, groups, downloadable content, exclusive courses, and more – just for members.

Create an Account

Side Hustle Ideas

Get inspired with our list of 750+ side hustles. Sort by category, rating, and other custom taxonomies.

Browse Side Hustles

Gig Companies

Browse our complete list of gig economy companies, and the gigs they’re hiring for.

Helpful Content

Read thousands of informative posts, written specifically to help you excel in your favorite gigs.