Articles > How to Commission a PR Survey
Surveys are a popular PR tool but they need to be treated with caution. Done well they can generate good media attention and provide useful insights. Done badly they become a waste of time, money and can even damage your credibility. Here are some tips on how to create a survey that delivers results:
Why use a PR survey?
Be clear from the outset why you are conducting the survey. A PR survey is typically used to generate editorial coverage. It can also be used to inform the decision-making process as with other research, but its main purpose is to generate ‘column inches’
How much will it cost?
The cost of a PR survey can vary from a few hundred to thousands of pounds. Decide whether you’re in the market for an off-the-shelf option such as an Omnibus survey or a bespoke piece of research.
Who can help?
Creating a professional questionnaire can be more difficult than you think. As with other types of research, always use a specialist. It may cost a little more than DIY but having the survey conducted by a research organisation will help to ensure the data you get will be useable. Some of the best known organisations are: YouGov, Ipsos-MORI and TickBox, but there are many others including industry specialists. The Market Research Society is a good place to start your search. Its members all operate by the industry code of practice.
Using the results
Your survey specialist will produce a summary for you, so use this to look for the news angle. Draft the press release – pulling out the main findings in the first paragraph and give it a catchy headline. Add your own company insights into what the data reveals and include links to the full research at the end of the release. Produce tailored versions where appropriate – e.g. for the regional media.
Be prepared to talk to the media about the survey and how the findings are relevant to your business or target audience. (I’ll be covering how you do this in a future article.)
Securing media attention
Plan how you will publicise the survey results right from the start. If you’re not tied to a specific event such as a launch, consider tying the release to a popular ‘calendar date’ or some issue dominating the news (e.g. the credit crunch, a sporting event, or an environmental issue). If you go down this route make sure there is a clear, relevant link to your business.
If you offer the findings on an exclusive basis to one newspaper, magazine, broadcast or online channel, make sure you stick to it. Nothing causes bad feeling quite like an exclusive that doesn’t live up to its name.
PR Survey Do’s and Don’ts
- Do plan your media strategy
- Do make it relevant to your business
- Do use a robust sample size and employ a professional research organisation
- Do make it easy for journalists to get the key data
- Do be prepared to talk to the media about the findings
- Don’t forget to make the most of the results – website, literature, future PR activity
