Are you sex-positive and on the lookout to make money on the side without having to resort to doing things you don’t like? We offer you the next best thing: a sex toy tester.

Product testers are some of the most coveted jobs in the market, but having to test sex toys? We’re jealous just thinking about it! You don’t need to be a famous influencer or a sex expert to land yourself a job in this niche, either. Gone are the days you did pro-bono work.

However, there is a need to temper your expectations. No one works full-time testing out sex toys, so this is a side hustle more than anything, a way to make extra cash. Not every hobby should be a side hustle, but if you can do it, why not?

Job Description

For starters, here’s a pro-tip: the more brands you know, the wider your opportunities get, so it’s worth Googling “sex toy testing jobs” “test sex toys” “review sex toys” “sex toy testers wanted” and other alternatives every now and then. Learn which companies have offered similar roles in the past and are likely to do so again in the future. Afterward, run more Google searches to increase your chances of spotting a brand you’d like to commit your orgasms to. You can also be bold and email them directly asking for an opening—just be polite about it!

If you’re not offered monetary compensation immediately, don’t fret. Opening yourself up to these opportunities allows you to get your foot in the industry, which could even lead to them tapping you for a full-time position at a later time. But let’s be realistic, too. Testing sex toys is a dream job for many, but that’s exactly why it stays as a dream job—it can be difficult to get into and be sustained with. Don’t quit your day job once presented with an opportunity to review sex toys. In most cases, brands will only seek testers for every new product, which is more periodic than continual.

In addition, working as a sex toy tester isn’t always as pleasurable as it seems, and it’s in no way considered easy money. The nature of the job is still being a tester, which means it comes with certain risks. Some beta toys might be uncomfortable to use, if not completely unsafe. You’d also have to test it out even when you’re not exactly in the mood to do so. Sex toy blogger Epiphora, who has been testing products for well over a decade, details how the job necessitates testing out toys she hated, saying “I don’t get paid per orgasm and I don’t get compensated for shitty orgasms. I wish.”

If you’re still interested, great! Read on. Before we delve into the hows of the job, it’s important to distinguish the different types of testing work. There are customer reviews, and then there are promotions and collaborations. Let’s dig in.

Product Testing

Most sex toy companies will send out free sex toys (especially new and untested ones) in exchange for an honest review. That way, the brand can build the product’s credential even before the beta version is released for sale on the website—a common business practice with other e-commerce platforms. Everyone’s a winner. It isn’t just limited to sex toys, either. Brands will give away just about everything they offer from lubricants to lingerie.

There are brands like Ricky who offer a more-than-respectable pay of $137 per sex toy tested, but there are also others who only give away free sex toys with no monetary compensation. WOW Tech Group, the company behind WeVibe and Womanizer, is serious about its pool of testers called MasturbaTEAM, soliciting more people to make up a team of one thousand. They even have a dedicated website just to lure testers in. Just sign up and see how it goes.

Another favorite is Lovehoney, you should already have a Lovehoney community account and a product of your own to sample review. Think of it as a skill exam you’re asked to do as part of the job application. This will hit two birds in one stone for Lovehoney—that you’re a loyal customer of the brand and that you know what you want and why you want it. It lets them know you’re not just in it for the freebies, but to actually help them sell more products and grow.

Other brands that will gladly take in more testers are Treediride, SexShop 365, Bondara, and Orgasmic.

Affiliate Marketing

Making money out of testing sex toys isn’t limited to customer reviews—it can also expand to affiliate marketing. Some testers are more influencers and marketers than actual testers, bringing the reviews to life on other social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and even their own blog as opposed to just leaving a comment on the official website.

You don’t have to have a big name in the field for people to believe you’re knowledgeable about sex. The pro is that anyone can end up selling, but you have to market yourself as a sex expert, one that readers can listen to and trust when it comes to their sexual health. Think of affiliate marketing as you endorsing a product you genuinely admire to a friend.

Some companies will offer a fixed commission per purchase regardless of the item, while others leave it up to a certain percentage of total sales through a unique referral code. Lovense, Hot Octopuss, Tantus are some of the best affiliate programs around.

However, being tied to one or a few brands might signal a clear intent to favor them over another or worse—write good reviews for bad toys. Your readers might catch on with the soft sells. This is why it’s super important to disclose that there’s something in it for you, otherwise people will think they’re being tricked. It’s better to be upfront from the start than risk losing reader trust down the line. Hyping up a terrible product to trick some people into buying it for the commission isn’t the way to go, either. You’ll come crashing down before you can even reach your next orgasm.

Another quick fix is to recommend other brands that you genuinely like and you aren’t paid to promote for the sake of fairness and credibility. Who knows—the brand might stumble upon your review and turn you into an affiliate partner!

Monetizing

Aside from affiliate marketing, the very act of blogging and vlogging is another effective way to earn money. Not only can you review compensation from the brand, but you can also monetize the amount of reach your post has. For instance, YouTube pays $3 to $5 for every 1,000 views—and this doesn’t even count what you can get from ads. Here’s the catch: creators must have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours from past videos. You’d need to put in the time and effort to cement yourself as a credible name in the industry, especially when you’re competing with other big names. However, newbies always have the edge of time. Promoting a new product is a race against time, where you have the chance to skyrocket your statistics as long as you’re the first one out there.

You must build your reputation as a sex toy guru from the ground up before viewers can go beyond just trusting your judgment and actively seek it, too. Once you’ve established yourself and have an online following, brands will come running after you. It will be easier to bargain or negotiate the exact terms you want moving forward.

Key Experience and Qualifications

As with all jobs, you’ll need to have a specific set of skills to excel in this role. We’re sorry to say that simply loving sex toys isn’t enough to land yourself a job in this niche. Keep in mind, you’re competing with others who are just as enthusiastic as you are, so come prepared to impress.

Good articulation

More often than not, each customer review will have a character limit, so you need to be able to verbalize everything you mean to say in a few brief sentences. You want to be both useful and comprehensive. Translating your experience into words can be more difficult than expected, especially when you’re dealing with a number of sex toys per month. Beyond commenting on colors, prices, and features, you’ll also have to take angles, materials, textures, and ergonomic considerations into account. And no, a single line of “this made me cum faster than I expected” isn’t a review worth exchanging a free sex toy for.

Something a lot of reviewers miss out on is the chance to review everything else surrounding the product. You can also talk about how convenient/inconvenient it is to order through the website or how fast/slow the customer service is in answering inquiries. Was it discreetly shipped as you requested? Did it come with an instruction manual on which batteries to use for the product? Things like that matter for a potential buyer shifting through the customer reviews in search of answers.

Familiar with the industry

We cannot stress this enough. How can you accurately compare and contrast your experience if it’s your first time? Think of it this way: if you’ve got the world’s best dildo on your hands, you wouldn’t have the knowledge and experience to acknowledge it as such. Now, this doesn’t mean those who have limited exposure to sex and sex toys are immediately excluded from the role, but they would have to work a little harder to catch up. Even if you’re a sex expert, it’ll help to do some proactive research about the features of the sex toy, the branding of the company, and the niche market it is intended for.

Take the time to learn what works and what doesn’t work from veteran testers. To take it even further, learn why it works or doesn’t work. Browse through comment sections, review articles, and other fountains of knowledge. Soon enough, you’ll be equipped with enough confidence and knowledge to be able to fully trust your own judgment.

Open to experimenting

You don’t get to be choosy with the items you receive, so it’s crucial to enter this role with an open mind and body. There are a variety of sex toys on the market that even some of the most sexually-charged person hasn’t tried. You might have to experiment with anal toys, BDSM accessories, sex dolls, cock rings, and other unusual sex paraphernalia. Some sex toys might even necessitate the need for a partner, so having an active sex life is a plus!

Ability to know what is important

Although it might be nice to know that a sex toy is waterproof, there’s no need to reiterate that feature because it’s likely already mentioned in the product description. Unless instructed, there’s no need to spoonfeed readers. Weed out technicalities and plunge straight into the information that matters. Focus on what isn’t on the pictures—the sensation, the fit, the noise, the texture. Is this better-used solo or with a partner? Where does it fit in the human anatomy? It can also be beneficial to write down your thoughts before, during, and after the session as this can guide a potential customer into changing his or her mind.

Ultimately, write a balanced review to the best of your ability. Include pros and cons while acknowledging that your assessment is subjective. Even if you’re affiliated with a brand, not every sex toy they put out will be the best one you’ve ever tried. Readers will understand this, and if the brand you’re partnered with is honest with themselves, they will, too.

Decent technological skills

This is non-negotiable, of course. How are you even reading this right now if you don’t have some form of technological skill? We bring this up because some reviews don’t come in written form. Others prefer to show the product’s best bits through pictures or videos, so don’t stray away from trying out other mediums! That said, taking pictures is a must to bring the review to life. Plus, sex toy companies will thank you for the exposure and might even compensate you to grab one of your photographs!

Some bloggers also make use of search engine optimizations to increase the likelihood of their articles being clicked on. The more technical skills you have, the bigger your edge already.

Increase Your Chances to Be a Sex Toy Tester With These Best Practices

There’s no one way to succeed, but remembering these tips will help you along the way. Here’s a short summary of what we’ve talked about so far.

Do:

  • Be proactive in research.
  • Check if the company you’re applying to is a safe and trusted brand.
  • Show your enthusiasm for the brand, not just the role itself.
  • Be patient with the process—treat it like a job hunt that could take time.
  • Follow your favorite brand’s social media pages for future postings.
  • Write your review within a month of receiving the item.
  • Keep the written review professional but engaging.
  • Take note of the service too—order, delivery, returns.
  • Read what other sex toys reviews have said only after you’ve written the review.
  • Say something new about the product.
  • Be honest at all times.
  • Bring up the possibility of affiliate marketing.

Don’t:

  • Expect to earn a steady income.
  • Rush the company to make a quick decision.
  • Repeat technical information that’s already in the product description.
  • Let your review be influenced by what other sex toy testers have said.