In the world of remote work and online side hustles, Amazon Mechanical Turk, or MTurk, has been a long-standing platform. Amazon launched this program in 2005. It works as a crowdsourcing marketplace where researchers and businesses, known as “Requesters,” can post small and repeatable tasks that require human intelligence. These tasks, called “HITs,” or “Human Intelligence Tasks,” are then completed by a distributed workforce of “Workers” like you and me.

But is this an authentic way to earn money today? And if so, how can you start and make money from this program? In this article, I have described the complete process from registration to earning your first dollar and beyond.

What is MTurk and How Does It Work?

Computers can do a lot of things, but they still struggle with tasks that are simple for humans, such as:

• Image and Video Processing: Selecting the best product image, moderating user-uploaded content, or identifying objects in a photo.
• Data Verification and Clean-up: Verifying business details like phone numbers, cleaning up messy data, or removing duplicate entries from a directory.
• Information Gathering and Survey: Filling out surveys, finding specific information on the web, or answering market research questions.

Requesters submit these tasks on the platform of MTurk, and they also set the price for each HIT. Workers browse the available HITs according to their profiles, select the ones they want to complete, and submit their work for approval and payment.

Getting Started: The First Steps

Ready to give it a try? Here’s what you need to do:

• Request a Worker Account: Navigate to the website of MTukr and click “Get Started with Amazon Mechanical Turk”. You will be asked to provide your name, email address, and agree to the participation agreement. Fill the form and wait a few days for your application to be reviewed and approved.
• Understand Your First Week: Initial days could be slow. MTurk has a learning curve. The limit for your daily HITs will be low, and you will see only a few low-paying tasks. This is normal, so no need to worry. Your goal should be to build up your reputation and rate of approval.
• Focus on Your Approval Rate: This is the most important part of MTurk. Your approval rate is the percentage of HITs you submit that are approved by Requesters. A high approval rate (99% or above is ideal) is mandatory for unlocking qualifications and better-paying tasks. Avoid tasks from low-rated and unknown Requesters, as a single rejection can significantly decrease your rate when you have a low HIT count.

Tips for Maximizing Your Earnings

Once you have cleared the above-mentioned initial hurdles, it’s the perfect time to increase your earnings by optimizing your workflow.

• Aim for Milestones: The number of HITs you have completed is a key factor. Reaching milestones like 500, 1000, and especially 5,000 HITS can open up access to a wider range of HITs, including lucrative “closed qualifications” and “Master” HITs.
• Master the Art of Qualifications: Highest-paying tasks can be unlocked after some qualifications. These are batches of work or tests that you complete to prove your expertise and proficiency. Even if they don’t pay much, you should not skip them. They are your ticket to higher-earning opportunities.
• Use Third-Party Tools and Scripts: Many professional and experienced Turkers use scripts and browser extensions to improve their efficiency. Tools like HIT Scraper, Turkopticon, and HIT Catcher can help you filter and find better tasks and catch high-paying tasks.
• Work During Peak Times: The number of tasks can fluctuate, even though MTurk is a 24/7 marketplace. According to the report of some users, weekdays between 9 AM and 5 PM (U.S. time zones) are the best times to find a high volume of work, particularly from academic researchers.
• Diversity Your Workload: Don’t get stuck doing only one type of task. Instead of this, you should search for various tasks, including transcriptions, surveys, and data entry.

The Reality of Earning on MTurk

It’s mandatory to set realistic expectations. MTurk is not a get-rich-quick scheme. The average hourly salary or income for a new user can be quite low, often a few dollars per hour. However, with patience, hard work, a commitment to increasing your HIT count and approval rate, and the use of the right tools, it is possible to significantly increase your hourly wage. Some dedicated workers earn a few hundred dollars a month, with top performers earning much more, especially if they gain access to high-paying closed qualifications or AI-related batches.