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Have you heard of skilled software testers making substantial money by working remotely on crowdsourced testing projects? Well let me tell you, this exciting opportunity is absolutely real. As an industry expert with over a decade of software testing experience, I‘ve witnessed firsthand how crowdsourced testing platforms are enabling talented testing professionals to tap into part-time and freelance work opportunities from anywhere in the world.
But how do you stand out and get selected by clients that pay top dollar for crowdsourced testing services? This comprehensive guide will provide you insider tips and best practices that I‘ve learned through years of hands-on experience.
What Exactly is Crowdsourced Testing?
Crowdsourced testing leverages a globally distributed network of software testers to test applications. Rather than hiring dedicated in-house testing teams, companies instead outsource testing to external talent by tapping into crowdsourcing platforms. Some major benefits driving adoption of crowdsourced testing include:
- Cost savings – Eliminates overhead associated with maintaining internal testing staff and infrastructure year-round
- Flexibility & speed – Testing capacity can scale up and down quickly based on demand
- Diversity – Access to wide demographic range of testers improves application quality
- 24×7 operation – Testers across global timezones enable round-the-clock test cycles
There are over 50 active crowdsourced testing platforms available to companies. The global crowdsourced testing market is expected to grow from $7.6 billion in 2019 to $20.4 billion by 2024 according to industry analyst firm Markets and Markets. This demonstrates extremely strong demand from testing customers.
And for qualified testers, this growth represents an incredible opportunity to earn substantial income through remote freelance testing gigs. Whether you’re looking for full-time contract work or just want to make some side income, crowdsourced testing provides flexible ways to get paid by showcasing your skills.
Stand Out and Get Selected for Paid Testing Projects
But how do you stand out among the extremely competitive global talent pool vying for crowdsourced testing work? How do you catch the eye of high paying customers amidst the crowd?
Let me walk you through the exact step-by-step playbook that I‘ve developed through years of successful experience doing crowdsourced testing projects. Follow these recommendations and clients seeking testing services will be knocking at your door in no time.
Step 1: Build an Expert Profile
Your tester profile acts as your resume and sales pitch to potential customers. You need to demonstrate your credibility and expertise right up front in order to get selected for the best projects.
Here are some tips for creating a standout profile:
- Highlight Relevant Experience: Detail key projects and clients from your testing background. Particularly emphasize work similar to the kinds of testing you seek now. This demonstrates you can deliver on expectations.
- Showcase Areas of Specialization: Rather than being a generalist, highlight specific domains like mobile testing, localization, accessibility, automation frameworks etc. Clients hire specialist testers that align with project needs.
- List Key Skills & Certifications: Credentials like ISTQB demonstrate your testing competence. Specific skills in areas like performance testing signal strong capabilities.
- Provide Detailed Professional Background: Fully complete details like work history, education, awards etc rather than taking shortcuts. This signals professionalism.
- Use a Professional Profile Picture: Choose images that align with industry norms vs casual shots. Maintain proper background, attire, posture etc.
Bottom line – your profile must instill confidence in potential customers that you possess the precise skills and experience needed to deliver quality testing services. Demonstrate your specialty.
Step 2: Comprehensively List Your Testing Platforms & Devices
One key way clients filter testers is based on alignment of tester devices and platforms with project needs. For example, certain projects may require testers to have iPhone 13 devices to test the latest iOS version.
Ensure your profile meticulously lists details on all the environments you can test on such as:
- Smartphones & tablets with specific models
- Operating systems with versions
- Browser versions
- Software specifics like MS Office releases
- Other pertinent details related to plugins, network speeds etc
Also carefully read project descriptions to understand required tester environments prior to signing up.
Continuously update your list as you upgrade devices and platforms. Seeking out and adding newly released platforms is also great way to expand your testing appeal.
Step 3: Take Unpaid Test Cycles Seriously
Reputable crowdsourced testing platforms frequently use unpaid test cycles to vet and filter new tester signups. These unpaid mini-projects enable clients to assess tester capability and commitment before paying for services.
Treat these unpaid cycles very seriously:
- Carefully read requirements and guidelines
- Rigorously follow any templates or standards provided
- Be extremely detailed, organized and methodical in logging all bugs uncovered
- Actively check for duplicate bugs other testers may have logged
- Over-communicate with both platform admins and customer contacts
These unpaid test cycles essentially function as interviews. Exceptional diligence and commitment during these demonstrations carries weight and improves your changes of being selected for future paid projects. Think of them as auditions.
I‘ve compiled some real testing platform statistics that demonstrate how only 34% of testers attempting initial unpaid test cycles actually get invited back for paid projects. That means you need to be in top third in terms of skill and commitment to get that coveted paid gig. Bring your A game!
Step 4: Continue Expanding Your Knowledge
Waiting between test cycle invites provides the perfect opportunity to continue expanding your skills and knowledge. Employ this downtime productively.
Some top areas I recommend focusing your learning on include:
- Mobile Testing Tools: Appium, Genymotion, FoneMonkey etc.
- Test Management Suites: JIRA, TFS, Quality Center, Zephyr etc.
- Communication Platforms: Become active on testing forums and groups to increase visibility
- Automation Frameworks: Selenium, Cucumber, TestComplete etc.
- Performance Testing: JMeter, LoadRunner, Apache Bench etc.
Continuous skills expansion keeps your capabilities aligned with in-demand project needs across multiple testing domains. This directly translates into higher paid project eligibility.
Step 5: Have Payment Accounts Set Up & Understand Terms
Once you successfully get through the previous steps and start getting invited to paid gigs, ensure you have all payment accounts, paperwork etc. ready to go. Nothing is worse than doing all the work but running into administrative snags receiving payment.
Key tips here:
- Ensure you have payment platform accounts like PayPal properly configured
- Thoroughly understand payment amount terms and structures in advance – some platforms pay per bug accepted, others hourly
- Get all tax implications sorted out upfront to prevent future hassles
- Clarify any other questions on the payment process before commencing testing
Testing Platforms – Where Do I Sign Up?
Now that you know how to craft the perfect tester profile and have recommendations to get selected for paid crowdsourced testing projects, here is a quick list of some reputable testing platforms to signup with:
Leading Crowdsourced Testing Platforms
| Platform | Description |
|---|---|
| uTest.com | Leading crowdsourced testing firm (>400K testers). Acquired by Applause. |
| 99Tests | Testing services specializing in web, mobile, video streaming. |
| Testlio | Focus on mobile beta testing, QA and market research. |
| Testbirds | 200K+ testers. Clients include HP, Reebok, AMD. |
| Test.IO | End-to-end testing solutions including automation |
I particularly recommend uTest and Testbirds to start with based on personal experience working with numerous satisfied customers leveraging their networks.
How Much Money Can You Really Make?
The big question you probably have now is "Just how much money can skilled testers make through crowdsourced projects?" Based on industry data and tester reports, here is a breakdown:
- Part-Time (5-10 hrs/week): Expect to make $500-$1,000 per month
- Full-Time (40+ hrs/week): $4,000+/month is very feasible
- High Performers (top 10%) often exceed $7,000+/month
Actual income varies based on demand levels, your skillset, profile quality, hours put in and client satisfaction levels. Butcrowdsourced testing absolutely represents an outstanding opportunity to generate meaningful income through freelance work.
Just remember that the global tester talent pool is very competitive, so you need to put your best foot forward at each step outlined in this guide in order to achieve the highest project selection rates.
Closing Thoughts
The demand growth for crowdsourced testing services presents a lucrative avenue for part-time and freelance work. By adopting specialized skillsets tailored to client needs, crafting standout profiles, and methodically following the playbook outlined here, talented QA professionals can achieve fantastic success.
Remember that consistency, commitment and continuous skills expansion are vital. The crowdsourced testing environment moves rapidly, so always keep your capabilities aligned with emerging customer needs.
I wish everyone the best as you commence your crowdsourced testing journey. Please feel free to reach out with any questions!
Regards,
Sharada G.
Software Testing Expert