Quick lunchtime reading – Creating surveys; Don’t write questions write headlines!

There are several procedures when it comes to planning a survey. Some can say the most important part of getting your survey right is to nail the topic. Others might disagree and say that it’s always about the results you actually get out of your poll.

Let’s say it’s about all of this, and more…

Here at Tecmark we learned that when you start planning the topics and types of questions you want to ask, you should be also thinking of all potential headlines you want to get out of your research.

For example, if you want to find out how many people are planning to buy Christmas presents online, you may think of questions like:

Are you planning to buy Christmas presents online?
Yes, some of them
Yes, I’ll do all Christmas shopping online
No, I’ll shop offline, as I want to see the presents ‘live’ before purchasing

Or maybe:

How are you going to purchase Christmas presents this year?
Online
In the shop
Both

There is nothing wrong with these questions, you will find out how many people will shop online this Christmas, and that’s what you wanted. But what about making sure you get as much information as possible out of your question?

Are you planning to buy Christmas presents:
In a shop
On Amazon
On eBay
On Etsy 
On retailers websites
Gift websites
Online as long as I can claim cashback
Online (no specific sites)
Christmas markets
Some online and some in the shop depending on what I am purchasing

In this case, you are already creating headlines, such as:

XX of Brits will do their Christmas shopping online, of those xx will shop on Amazon

We are nation of savvy shoppers; xx of Brits will shop online this Christmas to ensure they receive cash back

When you see results of your survey you can discover not only how many people will shop online this Christmas, but also where on the Internet they’ll purchase their gifts. And that is the great insight all journalists are after!

Here at Tecmark we will be covering more and more topics related to creating the right headlines and getting your story in the press, so watch this space.

Related articles

Using data to create newsworthy stories
Six ways to make your press release catch a journalist’s eye

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