How To Increase Survey Response Rates?

What you'll learn

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to:

• Understand key strategies to improve the response rates of your survey.
• Learn to keep surveys short and use simple language.
• Learn sending periodic reminders, using social proof, and more.

1. The restaurant party example

Imagine you're planning a big party in a restaurant. You're excited about it, but a bit worried too. Will everyone come? Will they have fun? Making a survey is similar. You build it, then you wonder whether anyone will actually respond.

A few time-tested methods, applied while you design the survey, make more people want to take it. These are the ideas that help your surveys get noticed and get filled out.

Make people want to take your surveys. Find the ways that make a survey interesting to answer. The result is more respondents.

And to stretch the analogy, more people show up to your party.

2. Keep your surveys short

Long surveys, usually more than 5 minutes, can bore the respondents. Keep your surveys short, and go longer only when the topic really needs it.

When a survey is short, more people finish it. It's like a student with less homework, who gets through it with more eagerness.

Here are a few things you can do to keep a survey short.

• Keep your surveys simple and easy to understand.
• List only key questions you want respondents to answer.
• When you already know the answer, don't ask that question.
• Do not lengthen surveys, especially if there is no incentive.

3. Use simple language

When you use clear, simple English (or any language), respondents fill it in more easily. It's like giving clear instructions to a student so the homework goes faster. Do not bury the audience in complex jargon.

Here are a few advantages of using simple language in surveys.

• Straightforward questions are faster to complete.
• Clear language reduces the chances of confusion.
• Clear questions ensure accurate answers.

4. Create a user-friendly design

A good-looking survey makes it more fun for people to answer.

You can make your surveys more appealing by keeping them consistent with your branding.

The points below help respondents recognize who the survey is from and trust it more. BlockSurvey lets you do all of them.

• Add your own logo
• Add your themes
• Add your fonts
• Use a custom domain

Choose a simple, user-friendly design that is easy on the eyes. Your colors should be pleasant, not too bright or too dull.

A neat, attractive design can really make a difference in how people feel about answering your questions.

5. Personalize your survey

Personalizing your survey helps a lot. It can increase response rates dramatically by up to 50%.

When you send out your survey invitations, use the person's name. This makes the survey feel like a special invitation just for them and adds a warm, human touch.

An example might be:

'Hello Cyrus, we hope you're loving our restaurant visit. May we ask some questions about your dining experience with us today?'

Also, tell them why their answers matter. Explain how you'll use their feedback. This shows their thoughts really count and are not just another response.

By personalizing your survey, you make respondents feel more special.

Respondents are more likely to take part because they feel their opinion is valued.

6. Send periodic reminders

When people don't take your survey, a friendly reminder can help them remember to complete it. It's a humble way to encourage them to participate.

Be careful not to send too many. People get annoyed by a pile of reminders. Usually 1 to 3 are enough.

Make sure the content is not identical in every reminder. Refresh what you say each time.

Keep reminders gentle instead of turning them into spam.

The challenge is to remind the audience without becoming a nuisance. Aim to increase your responses while keeping a good relationship with your audience.

7. Choose your timing

You can pick the right time to send survey invitations and reminders.

Avoid sending invitations on Monday mornings and Friday evenings, when people tend to be busy. They will not be in a position to respond at those times.

The middle of the week, like Tuesday or Wednesday, is often best for getting answers. People are more likely to engage on those days.

Every group of people is different, so try sending and testing your surveys at various times.

That way, you can determine when your audience is most likely to respond.

One more thing to consider: send your invitation right away when you need feedback on a purchased product. In that case, surveys sent after 24 hours have a very low response rate.

8. Use social proof

Social proof works like a friend's recommendation.

It encourages people to take part in your survey. If popular people or big organizations support your survey, mention it in your invite. That can make respondents more interested in taking it.

Talk about your past successful surveys too. Share how the feedback people gave before was helpful.

Knowing that others, especially people they trust or admire, have taken your surveys makes new people more likely to join in.

Put simply, it lets them see that their opinions make a difference. It's like others noticing the restaurant party and deciding to join as well.

9. Assure respondent privacy

A lot of people worry about their private information being shared. Whatever they tell you in the survey needs to be kept secret and safe.

Here are a few steps you can take to protect respondent privacy.

• Use a secure and encrypted survey platform.
• Comply with the local privacy laws and regulations.
• Be transparent with respondents about any risks.
• Avoid collecting personally identifiable data.
• Provide opt-out options at any point in the survey.

When their information is protected, people feel more comfortable answering your questions honestly and in detail.

10. Optimize for mobile

These days, more people use phones and tablets. So your survey needs to work well on those devices.

For a survey, a mobile responsive design means it displays well on phones without anyone having to zoom in or out to take it.

When your survey is mobile responsive, people can take it anywhere and anytime.

A mobile-friendly design does the following.

• Improves survey experience.
• Increases response rates.
• Improves brand reputation.

Respondents can take surveys quickly and comfortably, which increases engagement rates.

11. Incentivize your respondents

Giving people a small reward for filling out your survey can really help you get more answers.

The reward could be a small discount, a chance to win something, or content made just for them.

According to Greenbook, a consumer research company:

"⅓ of all respondents cite a desire to earn rewards or prizes as their primary reason for participating"

Pick a reward that the people you're asking will actually want. That way, they'll feel more excited about taking part.

Even a small reward can significantly affect how many responses you get.

Test your knowledge

Key takeaways

• Keep your surveys short to increase response rates.
• Send reminders to encourage respondents to complete the survey.
• Assure respondent privacy by complying with local laws.
• Optimize your survey for mobile devices.

Continue learning: discover how to create engaging surveys, start and end surveys on a high, and share a survey template.

Congratulations! You have completed this lesson.