Ultimate Guide to YouTube Affiliate Marketing

Did you know that more than 80 % of brands have affiliate programs, according to Mediakix? And over 65% of affiliate marketers connect with their customers on social media. While we don't have figures for affiliate marketing on YouTube, you can't ignore that over 2.6 billion people worldwide use YouTube each month. Every day, people watch over a billion hours of video. That is a huge market waiting for you to reach with your YouTube affiliate marketing.

 

Affiliate Marketing on YouTube

We have written many posts previously on affiliate marketing, including our Ultimate Guide to Affiliate Marketing. Most of the tips we've given there are just applicable to YouTube affiliate marketing as to any other type. YouTube is merely a type of marketing channel you can use to deliver your message to a target audience.

As we stated in the above article, affiliate marketing is the process of promoting and selling another company's products or services for a commission. You have a seller who creates an affiliate program and provides affiliate marketers with a unique link that each uses to promote the seller's products. Because these links are special to each affiliate marketer, the seller can track who delivered a customer to a sale. 

Sometimes there's an additional layer between sellers and affiliate marketers. These are affiliate networks that manage affiliate marketing programs on behalf of multiple sellers. They handle third-party checks and manage relationships between sellers and affiliates. Affiliate networks usually collate a catalog of products from numerous sellers, and affiliate marketers select products that interest them and feel comfortable promoting.

Where does YouTube fit into this? Affiliate marketers have to select one or more channels to promote affiliate products. For example, they may operate a blog or promote the products to their followers on their social media. However, YouTube affiliate marketers have decided to promote affiliate products using videos they make for their YouTube channels. Therefore, they have to ensure that they select affiliate products that will interest the types of people who watch their videos and subscribe to their channel.

If you're promoting affiliate products on YouTube, you will want to include affiliate links in places that your viewers will see. Luckily YouTube gives more opportunities for this than many other social and video networks, including Instagram and TikTok. For example, you can include affiliate links in your video descriptions or as a pinned comment at the top of your video comments. 

You can also place a link on the end screen of a video, although not a direct affiliate link. Instead, you will have to link to your website (if you've connected it to your YouTube account) and include affiliate links there.

Another option is to place an "i" button in the top right of a video to cross-promote another of your videos. This brings up a small card for that video and acts as a link to it. For example, affiliate guru Pat Flynn included an "i" button (technically called an icard) on a video he made about audio and video editor, Descript. 

If you click on the "i" button, the icard opens up to show another review video he has made about the product. If you were to click on this link, it would take you to that video. Flynn also has affiliate links for the software in his video descriptions.

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Why Use YouTube Affiliate Marketing?

You could ask why you would use any channel for your affiliate marketing. The reality is that you should use the media where your target audience spends their time. Therefore, if sufficient people you hope to convince to buy affiliate products hang out on YouTube, you should look at it as a viable channel for your affiliate promotions.

Nowadays, with virtually everybody owning a smartphone, it's relatively easy to create and upload videos to YouTube. We're well past the point where you needed specialist equipment and skills to make YouTube content. 

The key to success with any affiliate marketing is finding an audience and pitching products to them that could appeal to them. At the same time, you don't want your videos to look like extended TV ads. You have to add value to your videos so that people will choose to watch them. 

Pros and Cons of YouTube Affiliate Marketing

One of the greatest benefits of YouTube affiliate marketing is that nowadays, virtually anybody can set up a YouTube channel and start uploading videos. You don't need any fancy equipment to get started, although, as we saw in the Pat Flynn video above, you can benefit from adding to your kit once you can afford it.

As with all social media channels, however, you will need to build yourself an audience before you expect to have many people following your YouTube affiliate links and making a purchase. We have included some helpful tips further down this article. We have previously written about How Many YouTube Views Do You Really Need to Make Money? While we weren't focusing on affiliate marketing in that post, the fact remains that you will first need channel viewers to succeed at YouTube affiliate marketing, as with any type of YouTube monetization.

Making Money with YouTube Affiliate Marketing

The key to successful YouTube marketing is making and sharing videos that people wish to see. You can condense this into four steps:

1. Determine a target audience for your channel, who is interested in videos on a particular topic, i.e., find a consistent niche where your YouTube channel can sit
2. Make entertaining and informative videos for that target audience about that niche 
3. Find affiliate products that would interest that target audience
4. Make and upload relevant videos relating to your carefully selected affiliate products.

You don't want to fall into a trap that snares many potential affiliate marketers – trying to promote as many products as possible, regardless of their suitability for your channel's audience. There is no point in making videos that nobody wants to watch. Unlike conventional television, you don't have a captive audience on YouTube. You have to earn each viewer because they can quickly move onto somebody else's video with a click of a mouse or tap of a thumb.

If you analyze successful YouTube channels, you will notice a common trend. The videos they share all relate to some topic. They specialize in the subject matter of their videos. Successful YouTubers tend to follow an unwritten rule: only make videos about one central theme. You can vary the types of videos you upload – educational videos, brand storytelling, entertainment videos, etc. Ultimately, though, they should all relate to the same overall theme.

By the way, this isn't unique to YouTube. The same unofficial rule applies to blogs, podcasts, and indeed any social posts you make if you're targeting an audience wider than just your friends and family. You won't find influencers creating content for a general audience – they all make their name and fame targeting a specialist niche.

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Useful Types of Videos to Make That Should Interest Your Audience

As we mentioned above, although most of the videos on your channel should relate to some overarching theme, there is no reason why you can't vary the types of content you make. And that includes any affiliate marketing videos you upload. Ideally, you should mix and match a selection of video types about your affiliate products to give some variety to your audience. 

Marketers of all types on YouTube (including affiliate marketers) have found value in sharing the following video formats:

• Product Reviews

Product reviews probably make the best affiliate marketing videos, although you should mix in other types to keep your audience's interest high. You could focus a video on a single affiliate product or make a video reviewing multiple affiliate products.

It helps if you own the products in question, as it is challenging to make a video if you don't have one of the products in front of you. Of course, you could just talk about the product in your video, but that doesn't come across as truthful and honest as a video that shows you interacting with the product.

• How-To Videos

How-To videos generally work well as they usually show you using the product, demonstrating use cases, and giving tips on the best ways to utilize the product's features.

You will find quite a few channels on YouTube that specialize in showing how to use a range of tools and products relevant to their niche. Ideally, you shouldn't restrict yourself to the affiliate products you want to promote. Instead, you should, over time, make multiple how-to videos relating to your channel's topic of specialization and slip some affiliate products into the mix at regular intervals.

• Tutorials

Tutorials are effectively extended How-To Videos. Here you make a video showing how to perform a particular task or learn a specific skill. In the process, you use one or more of your affiliate products to achieve this task or skill.

Some YouTube channels group together multiple tutorials and How-to videos into a separate playlist, making it easy for people to find related videos that they can use to see how to master a process.

• Best-Of Videos

Best-of videos are the video equivalent of a round-up review blog post. You put together a video where you look at multiple products of a similar type.

Of course, you will want to ensure that your affiliate products look good in your videos compared to competing products, although avoid making any untrue statements.

For example, The Tech Buyer's Guru created a video on a very niche topic - Best 120mm CPU Radiator Fans. If you look at the video description, you will notice that it includes affiliate links to each of the fans on Amazon. Despite the video being on a very niche topic, nearly 600 people have found it valuable enough to like it.

• Unboxing Videos

Unboxing videos have been one of the surprise successes of YouTube. Many people have delighted in watching video presenters opening up a package and describing what they find "in the box."

Ten-year-old Ryan's Kaji has built a mega channel with more than 32 million subscribers by unboxing and then playing with toys. He has demonstrated that you can enjoy massive success with a simple concept.

As with several other video types, you will need to have a (boxed) version of any products you wish to show in your videos for unboxing videos to work. You can't just talk about a product you don't personally possess.

If you promote expensive products you can't afford, you might find sellers willing to send you free affiliate products once you have built your channel and have established your channel's reputation.

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Tips to Improve Your YouTube Affiliate Marketing

YouTube includes the second largest search engine on the internet, only bettered by that of its owner, Google. Therefore, if you want to succeed with YouTube affiliate marketing, you need to ensure your videos rank in YouTube searches. We have written about this in detail in YouTube SEO Guide: How to Optimize Your Videos for Search.

1. Identify the Best Keywords

Keyword research is essentially about identifying the best terms to help people find your videos on YouTube. You will find various tools on the internet that can help you with this (some free, some paid). Some of the best are TubeBuddy, VidIQ, Ahrefs' Keyword Explorer, and Google Trends.

When using these tools, you want to find keywords for your video topics that are reasonably popular without being ultra-competitive. Obviously, they have to be keywords relevant to your target audience where you feel you could make a suitable video.

Include your targeted keyword in a video's title and file name, and also include it in your video description. Don't overdo it, however. YouTube and Google don't like keyword stuffing where you use a keyword too many times (or use too many keywords on a single video), making your description read unnaturally.

2. Don't Make Your Videos Look Like Ads

Remember, YouTube users generally don't like ads, so don't make your videos look like an ad. People watch YouTube to learn or be entertained. Unless they buy YouTube Premium, they may have to sit through ads on the videos they view, but most people switch them off as quickly as possible. Therefore, you shouldn't make your videos look like an extension of the pre roll ads.

Remember, all videos you share on YouTube should provide value to your viewers – including those promoting your affiliate products.

3. Use Affiliate Links in Suitable Places

We've mentioned in this post that YouTube is receptive to you adding links around your videos, particularly in the video descriptions. In this sense, YouTube is much easier to work with than Instagram or TikTok. So, make sure you take advantage of this and add affiliate links in the relevant places when suitable.

4. Make Your Thumbnails Eye-Catching

Click-through rates have a significant impact on YouTube search rankings. People are far more likely to click through to a post that they feel will interest them. The more attractive your video thumbnail and intriguing your video title, the higher your click-thru rate is likely to be.

5. Be Open About Your Affiliate Links

If your videos are good enough, people aren't going to be concerned if they see that you are listing affiliate links. This is particularly the case for people interested in your chosen niche.

It is now a legal requirement in most jurisdictions that you disclose your affiliate links and that you may receive a commission on any money people may spend if they follow your links. And most people don't begrudge you this. On the contrary, they will happily follow through to your links if they feel tempted to buy the products.

Source: InfluenceMarketingHub

What Can You Do With a Communications Degree?

 

What is a communications major?

A communications degree is all about learning how to communicate information effectively. Good communication is essential in all industries, helping to sell products to the public, maintain strong relationships with investors, clients and customers, and to make sure everyone within and outside the business are operating on the same page.

 

Your communications degree will build awareness of how to convey information to diverse audiences effectively, with specific business goals in mind. Strong communication skills are invaluable in order to provide meaning and resonance to the companies’ aims, and to present the company and its services or products in the best (and clearest) possible way to consumers, clients and colleagues.

 

What jobs can I get with a communications degree?

Here we look at a selection of more typical jobs in communications; from HR departments to the world of advertising – these are the typical roles where your communication skills are most in need.

 

1.       Communications careers in business

With communications playing such a key role in any business or organization, a communications degree is a great way to enter the business world. Regardless of product or industry, entry-level communications roles will require you to demonstrate strong written and oral communication and presentation skills, along with knowledge of how a business functions across departments. There is also the potential for career development into executive, managerial and training roles after gaining some experience.

2.       Communications careers in human resources

A key department of any large business, human resources is vital for developing and maintaining worker ethics, performance and motivation. Your role as a communications graduate is likely to be in providing the right information at the right time to the right people within the company. You may be involved in recruiting new staff, raising awareness about training or professional development programs, or ensuring company guidelines and regulations are clearly communicated. Communications careers in this area will benefit from an aptitude for nurturing relationships and communicating well with many different types of people.

3.       Communications careers in marketing, public relations and advertising

Marketing, public relations and advertising are three more great fields you can enter with a communications degree, delivering effective written and oral communication to consumers, colleagues or clients. This could be in the form of press releases, advertising scripts, company presentations and print campaigns, as well as attendance at media events and the ongoing development of professional relationships with clients and the media.

4.       Communications careers in media

Media jobs with a communications degree are extensive – as you’d expect, since the main aims of the media sector are to communicate information and provide entertainment.  Whether you’re interested in becoming involved with TV and film production, magazine and newspaper journalism, or online and digital channels, media careers all require graduates with excellent communication skills, and the ability to curate and disseminate information in engaging and relevant ways.

 

Media is, however, a very competitive industry, and it’s unlikely (though not impossible) that you will be hired by a big media corporation such as the BBC or the Huffington Post straight after graduation. Relevant work experience is essential, so those interested in entering the media world should consider undertaking internships or getting involved in student media productions while still studying, to increase their chances of getting a related role upon graduation. Those interested in journalism may also consider building a portfolio of their own journalistic work and/or gaining a relevant postgraduate degree.

 

Less typical careers in communications

What can you do with a communications degree if you don’t want to go into the typical careers outlined above? Read on for a selection of less typical jobs with a communications degree, from film producer to legal secretary. Bear in mind that this is not an exhaustive list; communications graduates are sought-after in almost any industry you can think of!

5.       Communications careers in digital media

The digital media industry is reshaping the way society consumes media and information. Online news sites, social networks and digital technologies are all areas of the industry continuing to expand, leading to significant increases in job opportunities for those with a combination of communication skills and digital proficiency.

 

If you’re interested in a media career but concerned about the longevity of print media, digital media is the way to go! This expanding field incorporates careers in journalism, video production, web design, social media and online publishing, to name but a few – and more roles are appearing as technologies and audience behavior continue to evolve.

 

6.       Communications careers in law

Although most people entering the legal industry do so with a postgraduate qualification or specialized law degree, communications graduates may be interested in pursuing administrative and organizational roles, working for local or national civil and criminal courts or even governmental and independent legal firms. For example, legal secretary roles and paralegal roles are often held by communications graduates. An undergraduate communications degree could also be a great starting point from which to apply to law school.

 

However, if you do not wish to gain further qualifications there is a limit to your advancement in this industry, due to the requirements for roles such as a solicitor or barrister. Depending on the hiring company, however, there may be the possibility of gaining some additional qualifications while you work.

 

7.       Communications careers in education

Another option is education, where your communication skills will certainly be needed daily! To be hired within primary or secondary education, you’ll need a teaching qualification. Depending on the country you want to work in, this will take at least a year to obtain. For tertiary education, at institutions such as colleges and universities, it is more likely that you’ll need a postgraduate qualification in a related specialization in order to teach.

Use Affiliate Marketing to Create a Loyal Audience

 In the ever-competitive travel and tourism sector, and now more than ever before, companies need to supercharge marketing efforts to drive traffic and achieve a competitive edge. One method I’ve found that produces reliable results is affiliate marketing. A robust travel affiliate network engages a dynamic team of influencers who will market your brand (with commissions earned from promoting a company and/or driving a sale), while giving you the opportunity to tap into their audience. It’s a mutually beneficial partnership that’s also cost-effective: you only pay for results.

When you partner with influencers who have a large following or a significant reach in your industry, they can significantly raise brand awareness, increase traffic to your site and lead to specific results: more sales. Just as importantly, when your affiliate puts your travel brand in front of their audience, your reach multiplies and you can grow your base of new customers by leaps and bounds. And because you only pay when a sale goes through, affiliate marketing can deliver a guaranteed return on investment. Here are some proven ways of using it create a loyal following.

Choose the right affiliates

Affiliate marketing allows you to leverage the power of influence to get people to buy from you, but for that to work you’ll need to have the right affiliates. A good one for your travel brand should have:

• Great rapport with their audience.

• An audience that’s interested in your brand/services.

• A vigorous following, engagement, views, site ranking and authority.

All these qualifications are important in ensuring that your efforts aren’t wasted. For instance, an affiliate with only ten followers or unique visitors a day won’t help you grow an audience base. Likewise, if you’re in the travel industry, choosing a coupon site that offers discounts on food items won’t make sense. 

Attract sales with deals, coupons and promotions

Everyone loves a good deal, and leveraging both deals and coupons are among the best digital marketing strategies for boosting sales. Coupons do an excellent job at converting people who haven’t yet tried what you have to offer. According to 2020 research from Statista, 89% of millennial shoppers would try a new brand if they were offered a discount or coupon.  

To get the most out of your coupon affiliate marketing strategies, aim to work with a few high-quality sites, and ask your affiliate partner if they have active discount codes that are redeemable on the services you’re offering. Once you get codes to share with your audience, spread the word by:

• Sharing it on your social handles with direct affiliate links.

• Sending personalized emails that directs audience members towards the sale.

• Updating any affiliate-related website to display available deals.

Leverage the power of influencers

Travel influencers don’t have to be celebrities. Many in the top tier are regular people who’ve amassed a large following simply because of great content, which produces an authentic relationship with their community. These are great choices for engendering trust in your brand, in part because today’s consumers overwhelmingly trust recommendations from their peers. Data from influencer marketing platform MuseFind shows that 92% of consumers trust influencers more than ads and celebrity endorsements.  

Influencers will have a powerful impact if their content is genuine and presumed trustworthy: they’ll provide social proof and confirm a brand’s credibility among followers. 

Keep in touch with customers

Steady and engaging contact with customers is an essential gesture of care, and an audience will reciprocate by becoming even more loyal, especially if you post great content and offer them coupons from time to time. To that end, social media accounts should be updated regularly, as your followers need to be informed of every offer. Apart from social media, send personalized emails, SMS or push notifications with offers based on customers’ previous activities. 

Done properly, affiliate marketing can help you create brand awareness, increase conversions and grow your audience base, but you need to realize that this doesn’t happen overnight. The trick is to find the right affiliates, attract sales with coupons, leverage the power of influencer marketing and keep in touch with those who support you.

Source: https://articles.entireweb.com/affiliatemarketing/use-affiliate-marketing-to-create-a-loyal-audience/ 

How to Get Paid for Mystery Shopping

 

Advertisements for secret shopper jobs seem to be everywhere these days, from employment boards to unsolicited texts and email messages. While mystery shopping may be an easy part-time source of income, the industry has more than its share of scams and shady employers. 

Is it worth it to become a secret shopper? If you do your research and choose a fair and legitimate company, working as a mystery shopper can be an easy way to make extra money. 

What Is Mystery Shopping?

Mystery shopping began in the 1940s when companies hired people to determine if a store or bank employees were acting ethically. 

Today, businesses hire mystery shoppers to find out how customers and sales clerks (or customer service reps over the phone) interact. You may also be asked to gauge how easy-to-use websites are for clients. 

All types of businesses need people for mystery shopper jobs. They include clothing stores, fine-dining restaurants, hair salons, home improvement centers, fitness centers, amusement parks and fast-food restaurants. Business owners want to know if employees are performing their jobs correctly, and they may also want to discover how to improve work procedures. Mystery customers help companies find out how to improve their services. 

The best mystery shopping companies may hire you to do one or more of the following tasks: 

Discrimination Shopping

You provide information to determine if a store, restaurant or company discriminates against shoppers of a particular race, ethnicity, age group or religion. 

Event Tests

You attend a conference, concert or other events and provide the mystery shopping company with a critique of the overall experience. 

Online Shopping

You book an airline ticket or buy a product online and provide information about the experience. (Ease of navigation, clear instructions, website forms, email response time, etc.) 

Purchase and Return

You return an item for return or exchange and evaluate the experience. 

Telephone Shopping

You call a company or order a product or ask for information and report back on the experience. 

Questionnaire

You fill out a questionnaire about your past shopping experience. 

According to JobMonkey, the most successful shoppers have the following qualifications: 

• Objectivity
• Enjoy working with people
• Detail-oriented
• Flexible work hours
• Ability to complete reports promptly
• Excellent communication skills

You’ll also need “acting” ability to portray a shopper interested in a certain item/service.

How Much Can You Earn?

Mystery shopping earnings vary, depending on the company you work for and the type and length of the assignment. Earnings from this line of work can provide you with a decent supplemental income, but it won’t pay all your bills. 

Online or telephone secret shopping offers housebound or disabled people a great way to add to their income. 

Secret shopping assignments are quite easy, and anyone can do them. You’ll get free products or services in addition to a cash payment. The freebies range from a free restaurant meal to free gasoline from a service station. 

An assignment, or “shop” as it’s called in the industry, can pay as little as five dollars. You can earn a good supplemental income if you find accessible, consistent shops. For many people, the perks, such as free meals, oil changes or cruises, offer more of an incentive to get into this line of work than the small cash payments. 

Some people have earned as much as $14,000 a year from mystery shopping, but this is an exception, not the norm. You’d need to register with several legitimate companies and spend a lot of time traveling to and from shops to earn that much money. Few people have the time or inclination to do that. 

Secret Shopping In-Store vs. Phone

Independent callers can make calls to businesses and ask questions about services and prices. These shops pay per call, and you can earn up to $2 a call depending on the assignment. 

In-store shopping requires you to travel to and from a store, which can take a lot of time (and gas money or bus fare) depending on where you live. You can earn money by in-store shopping if you live near a shopping mall or retail district. 

Phone or online shops may be better for you if you live in a secluded area far from malls or stores. In-store shops or restaurant shops offer perks like free meals or even products in some cases. A free meal or free day at a health club may be worth the drive, even if the shop lacks a substantial cash incentive. 

Many companies reimburse you for restaurant meals, and the upfront cost, along with driving to and from the restaurant (and parking costs, if applicable) can be too pricey for some shoppers. 

You may need to spend more time documenting your experience with in-store shops. Take this into consideration if you’re the impatient type. 

Payment can be delayed on more complicated in-person shops, and this may be a factor if you need to be paid right away. 

Best Mystery Shopping Companies

Below, you’ll see a round-up of the best mystery shopping companies out there right now. 

Best Mark

Best Mark’s clients include Fortune 500 companies and Global 500 companies. They belong to the Mystery Shopper Provider Association (MSPA) and offer scam alerts on their website. The company, founded in 1986, has over 500,000 field workers. 

Reviews of Best Mark from present and former workers vary, from scathing to positive. Several people mentioned receiving a scam email purported to be from Best Mark.  Avoid scams by registering directly with the company on their website. It may be likely that some of the bad reviews are based on experiences with scammers, no the real Best Mark. 

Best Mark has been accredited with the Better Business Bureau since 2010. 

Market Force

Market Force belongs to the MSPA, Better Business Bureau, and received the MSPA North America Shoppers’ Choice Award in 2016. They serve over 350 clients and have offices in the U.S., Canada, UK, France, and Spain. 

With over 100,000 shops a month, Market Force offers plenty of work for independent contractors. The company offers retail, restaurant, hospitality, grocery, gas station and retail banking assignments. 

You can register as a theater checker or CFA (Certified Field Associate) and watch movies for free while checking the customer service offered at theaters. 

The Colorado-based company received two positive and four negative reviews from contractors on the BBB website. 

Confero

Based in Carey, North Carolina, Confero Inc. has been in business since 1986. They offer phone, web, video and in-store shops, customer exit interviews and performance consulting. 

You’ll have plenty of industries to choose from if you work for Confero. The company serves retail, banking, health/medical, automotive, restaurants, supermarkets and entertainment. 

Confero pays via PayPal or direct deposit only and does not issue paper checks. Some clients require prospective shoppers take a test to qualify for the assignment. You can register to be a Confero shopper here. 

There has been only one complaint about Confero on the Better Business Bureau website, and the company pays twice a month. Some contractors have had a problem with slow or no payment. Confero, like several other companies, has been a victim of the check in advance scam. 

A Closer Look

A Closer Look offers secret shops in restaurants, retail, hotel, health and wellness, transportation and home improvement. The company has been in business for over 20 years and prides itself on having contractors who work for an average of 8.5 years. 

This market research/ undercover shopping service tests all prospective applicants before allowing them to do their first shop. Testing ensures that contractors have excellent writing, verbal and comprehension skills. Apply for work at A Closer Look, and once your application is approved, you can do your first shop. 

Contractors lacking MSPA certification need to complete lesser assignments before becoming eligible for higher-paying shops. 

Reviewers praise ACL as one of the top-secret shopping companies. Aside from occasional late payment, contractors have no major complaints. 

Intelli-Shop

Intelli-Shop provides web, brick-and-mortar and phone mystery customers for businesses. This research company serves over 60 industries, including legal, home goods, food service, retail, museums, clothing and government agencies. Intelli-Shop can be a good fit for you if you like variety in your shops. 

Fill out the shopper application, and you can start looking for assignments on the company’s job board. You’ll get better shops if you have Gold or Silver MSPA certification, or if you have Hero Citations for shops well done. 

The Intelli-Shop website has a TalkShop blog and forum for shoppers to learn more about assignments. 

Accredited by the Better Business Bureau in 2001, Intelli-Shop has an A rating with 3.46 out of 5-star rating. 

GAPbuster

GAPbuster, also known as GBW, is headquartered in Australia with 400,000 shoppers and auditors worldwide. The company, founded in 1994, serves the automotive, retail, grocery, telecom, entertainment and banking industries. 

The GBW website has an alert regarding scammers who pose as company representatives and send emails to unsuspecting individuals. Ignore emails that come from domains other than gbwsolutions.com. 

GBW pays monthly. Apply for an independent contractor position as a shopper and completing the orientation and training modules. 

Reviews from contractors show that GBW sometimes brands completed shops invalid for no real reason (according to the reviewer) and that they pay late or not at all. Many of the negative reviews are from non-U.S. shoppers. 

Experience Exchange (In-Touch Insight)

Experience Exchange (In-Touch Insight) has been listed as one of the top-secret shopping companies on several review websites. But there is not a lot of information available online regarding the company. 

The company, founded in 1992, provides shops and research for multi-location businesses. It has offices in Chicago, Charlotte, Ottawa and Montreal. Industries covered include retail, convenience stores, and restaurants. 

Log into the company’s website after your application has been approved to look for assignments. 

The company received a B- rating from the Better Business Bureau and lacks BBB accreditation. 

Amusement Advantage

A secret shopping service in Arvada, Colorado, Amusement Advantage has been providing guest experience solutions since 1996. Clients include Celebration Station, Water World, and New England Aquarium. As the name implies, Amusement Advantage focuses on amusement parks, zoos, aquariums, bowling centers and similar establishments. 

Apply online only, and beware of scammers sending fraudulent emails and posing as company employees. The company pays via PayPal in 21-28 days and values shoppers who are MSPA-certified. 

The Better Business Bureau gives Amusement Advantage an A plus rating, with one negative review. 

GFK Mystery Shopping

GFK offers mystery shops in the U.S, U.K., and Ireland. The U.S. headquarters are located in New York City. The company performs shops and research for the retail, automotive, entertainment, health and financial services industry. 

You can sign up as a shopper here. The GFK website lacks much information about contractor qualifications, payment or other information on the general site. You need to register as a shopper to learn details about payment and work requirements. 

GFK receives mixed reviews. Some contractors enjoy the assignments but say shops may be sporadic. Others claim completed reports are labeled “Invalid” and unpaid even when done correctly. 

Secret Shopper

Offering online, onsite and over-the phone evaluations, this MSPA member company offers shopping apps and has Better Business Bureau accreditation. 

This mystery customer service organization, founded over 25 years ago, serves most industries that need employee or service evaluation. 

Possible shopping contractors can connect with the company via this link to apply for work. 

Unlike many other companies, payment is by check. Most assignments pay between $12 and $25. You may be reimbursed for a meal as pay for restaurant assignments.  You must submit all shops online. 

This legitimate Minneapolis-based company offers information on avoiding scams. Online and text scammers have sent emails and texts to unsuspecting contractors posing as company reps. 

Second to None

Second to None offers market research and mystery customers in the retail, government, education, e-commerce, restaurant, financial service and healthcare fields. Founded in 1989, Second to None provides secret customers to help clients refine the shopping or dining experience for “real” customers. The company also offers compliance audits, customer surveys, and employee feedback. 

Fill out a brief shopper application to be added to the company’s database.  

Participants on one shopping forum complained about late payments and lack of jobs near their region. Although Better Business Bureau accredited since 2009, the company’s BBB page has no reviews. 

Mystery Shopper Scams to Avoid

Unscrupulous individuals or organizations spoof legitimate companies or pose as secret shopping companies to rip off independent contractors seeking legitimate work. 

Scams come in the form of unsolicited texts or emails offering work. Many recipients fall prey to fake correspondence because they recognize the name of the company. Always check the address of the email sender to make sure it comes from a legitimate company domain, and not from a .edu or foreign email address. 

Unscrupulous promoters may use internet or newspaper ads that request a fee for information about performing as a mystery customer for companies. All the information you need is readily available for free on the web. 

No legitimate company will charge you for information about the industry, company lists or ask for an application fee. 

Other scams involve evaluating a money transfer service. You’ll receive a check, and be instructed to deposit it in a bank account and then withdraw the amount in cash. 

You’ll then be told to send the money to a third party. Any assignment of this nature is a scam. The check is a fake, and you’ll be responsible for paying back the bank.   A legitimate secret shopping business will never send you a check before you complete a shop. 

Be wary of any company that requires you to do any of the following: 

Charge a fee to apply for or access jobs

Sell lists or information on how to become a mystery shopper

Ask you to deposit a check and wire money to someone else

Guarantee a job immediately

Find a legitimate job in the field by: 

Look at online sites for tips on how to find secret shopping companies

Check review sites and forums for information about legitimate companies and scams

Real companies will never ask for fees

The MSPA website has a list of legitimate companies that belong to their organization. Check out these companies first to find work. 

The MSPA has legitimate certification programs, and you will need to pay a fee for these certificates. However, you can apply for shopping companies and complete shops without a certificate. 

Some companies will offer better assignments to you if you have an MSPA certificate, but you can also land better assignments without a certificate by completing lower-paying assignments. 

Use common sense if you receive an unsolicited email or text regarding a shopping company. Ignore the correspondence if it has grammatical and spelling errors, as many scam emails do. 

Find shops by applying on legitimate company websites. Avoid ads, even ones on job boards. Many job boards don’t have time to check for scam posts. Go directly to the source for the best shops.