How to Utilize Surveys in Procuring Maximum PR Value

In today’s media landscape, data analysis proves necessary for journalists aiming to produce relevant and desired content for readers and viewers. For brands looking to elevate their overall awareness, an understanding of the press that intrigues readers and promises new clients shines through with survey data.

Demand for powerful stories boosted by data and analytics insight continues to increase, and brands are investing in modern technologies to conduct this research. Easily accessible polling technologies allow brands to reach a multitude of consumers with the direction of a single click. Brands can conduct additional research with team members by utilizing proprietary-built technologies that further enable research-driven communications.

While gleaning data through surveys has become notably mainstream, writing meaningful questions is no simple task. To create a valuable survey, inquiring in the right way is paramount. Paired with a massive audience, brands can obtain valuable data. Below are crucial steps in ensuring a maximum PR impact through survey results.

Figure Out the End Message

The first step to marketing your research is conveying it in a practical yet powerful fashion. Writing a blog post featuring your brand’s findings can help produce a source page. Other marketing efforts that follow can link back to the page. The page will then get an increasingly large number of views, especially when it is shared across social channels and bolstered by SEO efforts.

Publish an Article to an Online Service

Leveraging PR and thought leadership by publishing articles is an effective way to reach consumer traffic and other information. Sites such as LinkedIn and Medium allow for the broadening of your audience. Articles on branded sites may be beneficial, but to reach a massive audience post to an alternate site. For example, once an article is posted to LinkedIn the reader will have exposure to the brand in addition to the actual story. The more sites an article is posted to, the higher chance your brand has to gain clients and, ultimately, people willing to take surveys. It is critical to include a link to the website and the website’s blog so that readers can get additional information, then the content will surely increase your brand’s viral capacity.

Make the Survey Aesthetically Pleasing

A simple infographic attached to your questions can transform the appearance of not only the survey but also the brand as a whole. Visual content allows participants to understand questions more easily, and investing in an eye-catching graphic proves worthwhile for brands looking to engage consumers in surveys. Infographics are no strangers to PR, as press flaunting beautiful graphics attract more views than text alone. Additionally, an infographic can be a clever way of including the brand’s social media handles without blatantly asking for followers. Adding an infographic to your survey allows for an increasingly positive experience for participants.

Get Behind the Camera (and In Front of It)

As previously noted, bolstering the marketing of your brand with visual content allows for more digestible information and higher audience engagement. Creating a short clip that features your brand’s findings will encourage viewers to visit the published blog post on your site. This persuades viewers to learn more about the company and research. Don’t forget captions though! Users tend to scroll through feeds without audio.

Reach Out

Next, begin your media outreach. Reach out to your industry’s primary reporters from all backgrounds. Searching relevant headlines for your desired topic will reveal countless reporters who might be interested in connecting and learning more for future reporting. Once the reporters are identified, you’ll need to produce a pitch with a powerful title and single sentence summary of the topic. Then, provide the reporter context about your study along with sources of credibility for your brand. Connecting to individuals rather than larger news mediums allows for personal connections and direct correspondence.

A growing field in media is podcasts, so reaching out to targeted influencers on specific topics can give your research another element of coverage. Podcast producers may link your work to their sites after talking about your brand. Connecting with the most popular podcasts in your industry through manual searching or scrolling through iTunes or Stitcher can help you reach an entirely new crowd.

Write a Contributor Post

Now, your work is published and available to the public. It might seem like your job is complete, but contributing to media sites can aid the continuing evolution and awareness of your research, and this may lead either to an interview or for a request of a contributed opinion column. Your opinion can provide valuable insight, and editors are always looking for new pieces to include in publications.

Using surveys to help your PR campaign is a worthwhile way to use data to promote your brand. Maximize your reach by utilizing these tips and see your brand awareness grow. For more information or to see how a research program can benefit your business, schedule a consultative session with a Merit Mile research associate.