Do you desire to earn an income while working remotely from home? Are you interested in becoming a digital nomad, allowing you to travel while working from any location around the world? Alternatively, perhaps you aren’t seeking a permanent or part-time occupation, but are interested in making money on the internet during your free time.
The freelance gig economy is becoming more popular, and there are numerous reasons for this. It is still growing and has no indication of slowing down. However, the question remains: How can one find a job that is both consistent and flexible?
If you’re interested in learning more about the platform, keep reading, as we are delving into Amazon Mechanical Turk, or MTurk for short, which is one of the many online freelance job platforms available. Also, if you’re thinking about looking for a job with MTurk, this information is relevant to you.
Amazon MTurk
MTurk is essentially a freelance job platform where businesses seeking certain services can connect with freelance workers. When you visit the MTurk website, you may find their self-description a bit confusing.
You can start working immediately as long as you can handle the simple tasks by creating an MTurk account and enrolling in the platform, giving you access to numerous jobs from various companies.
Types of Jobs on MTurk
The jobs on MTurk are referred to as HITS, which stands for human intelligence tasks. Generally speaking, HITS are small digital tasks that can be done by almost anyone. These jobs cannot be done by computers but also do not typically require any special set of skills.
On Amazon MTurk, the available tasks encompass various activities such as participating in online surveys and sharing opinions about websites. Occasionally, there is a demand for individuals who can transcribe. Additionally, you may come across opportunities related to data entry, reviewing images and videos, and choosing the most suitable product representations.
There are various tasks that involve conducting data verification and clean-up work. One of these tasks might entail recognizing and eliminating duplicate content from a website. Alternatively, one may be required to confirm restaurant information such as phone numbers and operating hours.
If you have strong research skills, you can easily respond to basic inquiries on different subjects or search for relevant data in extensive legal papers. Alternatively, if you excel in language proficiency, you can engage in jobs involving the translation of content from one language to another.
You can also look for tasks that involve creating content for websites. These particular tasks offer slightly higher payment, so if you can produce articles at a fast pace, you can earn a decent amount of money. However, if you consider yourself to be a skilled writer, it is advisable to attempt more competitive platforms.
How to make $50 a day on MTurk
Now that you have an understanding of MTurk, let’s discuss the steps to begin earning a substantial income on this platform.
1. Employ browser extensions and scripts for the purpose of enhancing efficiency.
By utilizing appropriate browser extensions and scripts, you can enhance your efficiency when searching for tasks on MTurk. This will enable you to locate and finish the most favorable tasks more quickly, resulting in increased earnings within a shorter period.
The MTurk Suite Chrome extension is a well-liked extension that consists of multiple tools designed to enhance your productivity on MTurk. Additionally, you might find Panda Crazy Max useful as it gathers HITs for you based on a specific time setting.
MTurk scripts are snippets of code that you can install on your computer in order to enhance productivity. They offer extra features or modify the MTurk default settings. If you need useful scripts, visit MTurkGuide.com, or simply search “MTurk scripts” on Google.
It is important to be cautious when selecting scripts to use. Avoid using any script that automates your tasks, as this is not allowed by MTurk’s terms of service and can result in being removed from the platform. Always personally complete the tasks you agree to.
2. Use forums to stay informed and updated
To stay informed of the best HITs to accept on MTurk, it is recommended for Turkers to develop a habit of checking out the forums where other Turkers share their experiences and insights. Since MTurk is a platform that undergoes frequent changes, regularly visiting these forums will help you stay updated.
Forums like MTurk Crowd and Turker Nation provide a wealth of information and tips that can assist you in boosting your earnings. The daily updates found in these threads will save you time and effort when it comes to selecting and finishing HITs.
3. Decide your minimum hourly payout
Considering that time is equivalent to money, it is imperative to determine the value of your time prior to engaging in numerous low-paying HITs on MTurk.
If you opt for tasks that pay less than $8 an hour, it is advisable to disregard them. Please note that these tasks do not require an hour for completion, but rather take only seconds or minutes. To determine your potential earnings, calculate how many of the same tasks you could finish in an hour and the corresponding payout.
When deciding on tasks to work on, choose ones that you find interesting and can complete quickly. Before starting a task, you can review the details of the HIT to determine if it’s worth your time. Keep in mind that high-paying HITs will likely be taken quickly.
As time goes by, you will become more efficient in selecting tasks that will contribute to reaching your hourly objective.
4. Qualify for higher-paying HITs
By completing sample tests and participating in quick surveys, you can qualify for higher-paying HITs. It typically only takes a few minutes to meet these qualifications, but it will grant you access to a broader range of tasks offered by a specific provider.
Increasing your qualifications can be achieved by building a strong profile that showcases a high number of completed HITs and good approval rates.
5. Build trust with a strong Amazon MTurk profile
Turkers have a profile displaying the total HITs completed and approval rate, which can impact the decision of requesters when selecting individuals for tasks.
In most cases, the Turker who has completed more HITs and has a higher approval rate will be prioritized over others. It is therefore essential to develop your profile in order to establish trustworthiness and credibility. Although it may take time, your hard work will be rewarded in the future.
To expedite your results, you can accomplish numerous simple tasks rapidly and build up your numbers. Although you will initially earn less income, you will gain access to superior opportunities more swiftly.
After completing 500 to 1,000 HITs, you will become eligible for additional tasks. Furthermore, upon reaching the milestone of 5,000 completed HITs and gaining the “master qualification,” your acceptance rate will significantly increase.
When completing a HIT, it is important to remember that it needs to be approved after submission. It is beneficial to aim for a HIT approval rate of at least 95%, although having a rate of 99% would be even better. By achieving these percentages, you will be able to earn $50 per day on MTurk effortlessly.
6. Take advantage of batch HITs
Batch HITs are jobs that enable you to choose multiple tasks and simultaneously work on them. Regardless of the size, whether it’s a small batch of 20 or a larger one with hundreds of tasks, the purpose is to assist you in finishing more tasks within a shorter timeframe.
You can quickly improve your qualifications by completing batch HITs, which are available in your search results. These batch HITs typically indicate the number of tasks available and the average time required to complete them, offering a faster method to accumulate the required numbers.
The most effective method for discovering batch HITs is through the utilization of Turkopticon, which provides a compilation of providers offering them, along with evaluations from fellow workers. Additionally, you can utilize MTurk Crowd to conduct a search for batch HITs, ensuring the ones with “Batch” in the title are chosen.
Despite the low payout number attached, many people tend to overlook batches; however, once you delve deeper, you’ll realize that these jobs can be a lucrative opportunity.
7. Set specific goals you can reach
If your goal is to earn $50 a day on MTurk, you can start by setting daily goals to assist you in achieving this. As you continue to complete HITs, you will soon identify which tasks yield the highest hourly earnings. This will enable you to calculate the number of HITs you need to complete each day to reach your $50 goal.
To ensure a systematic approach, make sure to record all the HITs you finish, including their duration, payment, and hourly rate. Additionally, tallying your earnings on a daily basis will enable you to monitor the growth of your income over time.
Tips to Increase MTurk Earnings
If you’re interested in working with MTurk, it is likely that you would find it advantageous to learn a few tips and tricks to boost your earnings.
1. Be Selective with your HITS
To ensure you earn reasonable pay, it is crucial to identify HITS that can be completed rapidly. If you are seeking current recommendations on HITS that require just a minute or two of your time, refer to this subreddit dedicated to MTurk workers.
2. Avoid Penny Tasks
If you come across a task that pays only a penny, skip it because it is not worth your time. Even if you can finish it within a minute and continue doing one every minute for an hour, you will only earn a measly $0.60 in that hour.
To earn $10 per hour, you would have to finish 1,000 tasks within one hour. The tasks that offer less than 40 cents are not valuable. Instead, focus on tasks that pay at least 40 cents and consider the time they require. If a task pays 40 cents and takes 10 minutes to complete, it’s not worth pursuing.
If the amount of time required to complete a task is minimal, such as only 2 minutes, it may be worth considering to invest your time in it.
3. Reach a High HIT Number
Certain jobs, including higher paying ones, require a minimum number of completed HITS for application. In certain instances, a minimum of 5,000 HITS is required, while for other HITS, you need to have completed at least 10,000.
If you complete more HITS and gain more experience with MTurk, you will have improved access to higher paying tasks. Despite this, we do not believe it is worthwhile for new workers to complete low-paying tasks in order to meet the minimum requirements.
4. Maintain a High Approval Rating
In order to have any success on MTurk, it is essential to possess a high approval rating. To ensure success, it is necessary to uphold an approval rating that exceeds 98%.
However, the explanation for this is as follows:
Each task has its own set of directions, although they are simple. It is crucial to follow these directions as failure to do so will result in a significant decline in your approval rating.
5. Increase Qualifications
In order to apply for certain HITS, it is necessary to demonstrate that you meet the requirements. Therefore, you may need to fulfill specific qualifications for the respective HITS. It is important to ensure that you complete all qualifications, as this will facilitate the identification of higher paying HITS in the future.
6. Filter Requesters
It is in your best interest to steer clear of requesters (employers) with low ratings. A low rating could indicate a track record of withholding payment from workers. To effectively identify and avoid these undesirable requesters, consider utilizing a tool such as Turkopticon.
By using Turkopticon, you have the ability to report untrustworthy employers who fail to compensate workers and also view the reports of other workers to steer clear of them completely. To increase your earnings substantially, consider creating an account on a platform such as Upwork, where clients usually offer higher pay. In general, tasks on MTurk are diverse, and there are numerous HITS available for anyone interested in performing them.
