Making Money with Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk)

What exactly is MTurk?

If you’ve spent any time looking for ways to earn money online, you’ve probably heard of Amazon. But most people only know Amazon for shopping. They don’t realize that Amazon also runs one of the oldest and most respected “micro-task” platforms in the world, called Mechanical Turk, or MTurk for short.

The name comes from a famous 18th-century “chess-playing machine” that was actually controlled by a human hidden inside. That’s exactly how MTurk works today. Companies have tasks that look like they are being done by a computer, but they actually need a human brain to make the final decision. This is what Amazon calls “Human Intelligence Tasks” or HITs.

Why is MTurk Different?

Unlike many “get paid to click” sites that feel a bit shady, MTurk is owned by one of the biggest companies on the planet. This means when you earn money, you actually get paid. However, because it is so legitimate, they are very picky about who they let in. They don’t just accept everyone immediately; sometimes there is a waitlist. This makes it a “premium” platform for serious workers.

How to Get Your Account Approved

The first hurdle is getting in. Here’s a bit of advice I’ve gathered from people who have been doing this for years:

• Use your real Amazon account: If you already shop on Amazon, use that same email. It shows you are a real person with a history.
• Be Honest: When they ask for your details, don’t try to pretend you are from a different country. They check your IP address and your tax information.
• The Waitlist: If you get an email saying they can’t invite you “at this time,” don’t delete it! Often, they will send you an invite a few weeks or months later when more work becomes available.

Understanding “HITs” (The Work)

Once you’re inside, you’ll see a giant list of tasks. These can be anything:

1. Data Verification: Looking at a receipt and typing in the total amount.
2. Sentiment Analysis: Reading a tweet and deciding if the person sounds happy, angry, or sad.
3. Transcribing: Listening to a 10-second audio clip and typing what you hear.
4. Surveys: Academic researchers from universities often pay MTurk workers to answer questions for their studies.

Secrets to Success: The “Approval Rate”

This is the most important thing to remember. Every time you submit a task, the “Requester” (the person paying you) has to approve it. If your approval rate drops below 98% or 95%, most of the good-paying tasks will disappear. In your first week, take it slow. Don’t try to rush to make $20. Try to make $1 with 100% accuracy. Once you have 500 or 1,000 approved tasks, you will unlock the “Masters” tasks which pay much more.

Pros and Cons: Let’s Be Real

I want to be honest with you—this isn’t easy money.

• The Pros: You can work whenever you want. You get paid in Amazon Gift Cards or direct bank transfers (depending on your country). It’s 100% legit.
• The Cons: The interface looks like it was made in 1995. It can be boring. Some tasks pay very little (like $0.01), and you have to do many of them to see real results.

The Community

There are huge communities on Reddit (like r/mturk) where people share “scripts” and tips on which tasks are worth your time. If you decide to take this seriously, I highly recommend joining those groups. Learning which tasks to avoid is just as important as learning which ones to do.

Want to try your hand at Amazon MTurk? Fill out the registration form below, and we will send you our “Approval Guide” to help you get started.