We’ve heard this question come up often: “What’s the difference between using the Basic Section and the Hire Group Section on Microworkers?”

When launching a campaign, one of the first and important decisions Employers must make is whether to use the Basic Section or the Hire Group Section. While both options allow tasks to be distributed to workers, they differ in terms of control, flexibility, and overall campaign outcomes.

This article explains the key differences and helps you determine which option best fits your task requirements.

Understanding Basic Campaigns

Campaigns created under the Basic Section are open to the general Microworkers workforce. Any worker who meets the eligibility requirements set by the Employer (such as target country or device type) may access and complete the task.

When to Use the Basic Section

Basic campaigns are best suited for:

• Simple and clearly defined tasks
• One-time or short-term campaigns
• Tasks that do not require prior experience
• Campaigns that require fast completion

Common campaign task examples include website visits, keyword searches, short surveys, and device application tasks.

 Advantages of Basic Campaigns

• Quick and easy campaign setup
• High visibility across the platform
• Faster task completion due to a larger worker pool
• No need to create or manage worker groups

Points to Consider

Because Basic campaigns are open to a broad audience, submission quality may vary. Clear instructions and detailed proof requirements are essential to ensure workers submit accurate and complete results.

Understanding Hire Group Campaigns

Campaigns created under the Hire Group Section are restricted to a specific group of workers selected by the Employer. These groups are typically formed based on worker performance, experience, or successful participation in previous campaigns.

When to Use the Hire Group Section

Hire Group campaigns are recommended for:

• Tasks that require higher accuracy or consistency
  Examples include data validation tasks, product categorization, transcription verification, or tasks that require workers to follow strict formatting rules. Using a Hire Group helps ensure that submissions follow the same standards across all positions.
• Ongoing or recurring campaigns
  Examples include weekly website checks, recurring app testing tasks, regular content monitoring, or repeated survey distributions. Hire Groups allow Employers to reuse the same trusted workers across multiple campaigns, ensuring continuity and reducing onboarding time.
• Data collection or research-based tasks
  Examples include collecting structured data from websites, gathering specific information, extracting text from images (OCR-related tasks), market research surveys, or compiling lists based on predefined criteria. Restricting these tasks to experienced workers improves data reliability.
• Multi-step tasks with strict compliance requirements
  Examples include tasks that require completing several steps across different platforms, uploading multiple proof files, or following exact submission sequences. Hire Groups are ideal for these campaigns because workers are already familiar with detailed instructions and compliance expectations.

By limiting access to a trusted group of workers, Employers can better control task execution and improve result reliability.

Advantages of Hire Group Campaigns

• Greater control over who can participate in the task
• More consistent and reliable submissions
• Reduced need for revisions or clarification requests
• Suitable for long-term and repeat campaigns

Points to Consider

Hire Group campaigns require additional preparation, as worker groups must be created and managed in advance. For new Employers, this setup may take more time compared to using the Basic Section. However, Employers can simplify this process by selecting from Microworkers’ default worker groups, which are already configured and allow campaigns to be launched more efficiently without the need to build a group from scratch.

Comparing Basic and Hire Group Campaigns

To help visualize the differences, here’s a detailed comparison:

How to Choose the Right Campaign Setup

When deciding between the Basic and Hire Group sections, consider these factors:

Task Complexity

• Simple, straightforward tasks → Basic Section
• Detailed or multi-step tasks → Hire Group Section

Campaign Priority

• Speed and volume → Basic Section
• Accuracy and consistency → Hire Group Section

Campaign Frequency

• One-time campaigns → Basic Section
• Recurring campaigns → Hire Group Section

Worker Reuse

• No need to reuse workers → Basic Section
• Plan to work with the same workers → Hire Group Section

Monitoring Requirements

• Basic Section → May require more time for reviewing submissions
• Hire Group Section → Less review required due to experienced workers

Using Both Approaches Effectively

Many experienced Employers use a combined approach. A task may first be launched under the Basic Section to test instructions, proof requirements, and workflow. Once reliable workers are identified, future campaigns can be moved to the Hire Group Section to achieve better control, consistency, and efficiency.

Key Takeaways

Both the Basic Section and the Hire Group Section play important roles on Microworkers. Selecting the right setup depends on your task objectives, the level of control required, and your long-term campaign strategy.

• Use the Basic Section for simple, fast, and high-visibility tasks.
• Use the Hire Group Section when quality, consistency, and worker selection are priorities.

Choosing the appropriate campaign setup from the start can help streamline task execution and improve overall campaign performance. 😉