Enhancing survey engagement: 20 tips for appealing to respondents

Surveys serve one primary purpose: to gain the insight of respondents. Without a proper strategy in place, there is a risk of creating a boring survey that leads to a low response rate. An engaging online survey, on the other hand, will not only provide better answers because respondents will be more willing to participate. The following 14 tips on how to make surveys more engaging will help you easily create an online survey with SurveyPlanet.

1. For better survey engagement, use a catchy title to entice respondents

The first step in creating an engaging online survey is its title. Instead of “customer satisfaction survey,” make the title more specific—“How was your experience?” or “Tell us what you think and earn 25% off your next purchase” or “Respond now and win!” Give respondents an idea of what the survey is about and make them want to click on it.

2. Give respondents an incentive to take—and finish—the survey

One of the best ways to encourage people to take and finish a survey is by giving them an incentive to do so. Offer a coupon for 25 percent off their next order, a gift card, or even a free product. Everybody likes free stuff. If the incentive is good enough, more people will participate.

With distractions everywhere, it’s normal for people to start surveys and not finish them. To ensure participants complete surveys, add reminders about the gift awaiting them once they finish. Little notes can be included after each question, like “Just four more questions until you get a free makeup kit.” This is motivation to actually finish. More respondents mean better results and more valuable information.

3. Use question branching to personalize a survey

One unique SurveyPlanet Pro feature is question branching, which allows participants to answer certain questions based on how they answered previous ones. Ask participants a particular question that leads them into a new line of questioning.

Question branching makes online surveys more personalized than simple generic questions. Use it to make a unique survey experience that is relevant to respondents. The condition logic feature with question branching also provides the skipping of certain questions based on previous answers. To keep participants engaged, it’s important to enquire about things they want to answer. Question branching makes it easy to ensure questions are relevant to the participant.

4. Add images to create more engaging surveys

In the social media age, visual information conveys a great deal. Like a rich Instagram feed, surveys should include pictures, with images to help break up large chunks of text. This will make surveys more enjoyable. SurveyPlanet Pro provides the option of adding images to each question—and even using images as answers. Using such features, a survey with minimal text is possible. Judiciously using imagery increases engagement rates.

When asking questions about something with a visual element—such as a recently purchased product—including a photo will help rekindle a participant’s memory. Respondents might not remember the product’s name but, when they see a picture, will remember it. Images are also a great way to help participants answer questions better. The purpose of a survey is to gain valuable insight, so why not give respondents more tools to answer questions?

5. Stay relevant in order to improve survey engagement

To develop an engaging online survey, it’s important to stay relevant. Ever received a survey for something that didn’t apply to you? For example, from a favorite local coffee shop about your last experience there, and … all the questions are about tea, which you never order. This would probably cause you to close the survey immediately—potentially even unsubscribe from the coffee shop’s emails altogether.

To save respondents from a potentially bad experience, make sure each survey is relevant. The survey participant list needs to be sorted or question branching used to ensure that each respondent only sees relevant questions. The more applicable questions are to a participant, the more likely that person is to complete the survey because they find it more engaging. To help find the perfect participants to take a survey, SurveyPlanet Audiences can help ascertain who makes up the right audience.

6. Send surveys at the correct time

Time sensitivity is also essential to creating engaging online surveys. Who wants to take a survey about their customer experience three months after making a purchase? They likely don’t remember it by that time—or have anything worthy to say. It’s important to send surveys when they are relevant.

If seeking information about customer satisfaction, send a survey soon after the customer makes a purchase. If the survey is about a product, send it after they’ve had some time to use the product. But the longer you wait to send a survey, the more likely a respondent either won’t complete it or provide mediocre answers.

Wonder what’s the best time to send a survey email? We’ve done the research. This includes the optimal part of the week and the best time of day to send one—read more about it in our blog.

7. Showcase progress and impact for more engaging surveys

If applicable, showcase how previous survey responses have led to positive changes or improvements. Demonstrating the tangible impact of respondents’ input can encourage enthusiastic participation in future surveys, whether customer satisfaction surveys or broader market research efforts.

8. Keep it short and to the point

Less is more. People have limited attention spans. We recommend keeping surveys as short as possible. Focus on the most critical questions and avoid irrelevant questions.

People are more likely to complete a shorter survey. On the other hand, respondents may lose interest, get bored, or feel overwhelmed if a survey is longer, leading to dropouts and incomplete responses.

Read our blog about how long a survey should be if this isn’t clear. Also, SurveyPlanet Pro users can ​​enjoy the benefits of our Survey Length Estimator feature, which helps gauge the amount of time participants will need to take a survey.

9. Make a mobile-friendly survey

In 2018, 67 percent of website visits were on mobile devices—it only makes sense to create mobile-friendly surveys. If you don’t, there’s a good chance participants will get frustrated and close the survey before finishing it. This means less feedback, maybe even a few upset customers. To prevent such frustration, use SurveyPlanet to ensure that customers always have a mobile-friendly experience.

10. Use the first-person

Creating an engaging online survey takes more than adding pictures and incentives. The writing of a survey is just as important. We suggest using the first-person voice, which gives participants the sense that you’re talking directly to them. This makes the survey feel more personal, and therefore more engaging. By using the first person and question branching, participants might feel the survey has been written especially for them.

11. Engage emotionally

Engaging respondents emotionally in a survey can lead to more authentic and insightful responses. Emotional engagement taps into personal experiences, feelings, and connections, making the survey experience more meaningful. Here’s how you can create emotional engagement in your surveys:

  1. Use storytelling: Incorporate a brief narrative or scenario that relates to the survey’s topic. Storytelling can draw respondents in and help them relate to the subject matter on a personal level.
  2. Relate to real-life experiences: Frame questions in a way that connects to respondents’ real-life experiences. This allows participants to reflect on their personal situations and provide responses that are emotionally resonant.

12. Customize a survey’s theme

As already stated, humans are visual beings. The more visual a survey, the better. With customizable theme options from SurveyPlanet Pro, a survey can encompass any unique visual branding and thus set the tone of a survey. If your company has devoted customers, they will particularly enjoy taking a survey that resembles your brand rather than something generic. It will also help a survey feel more trustworthy. SurveyPlanet Pro not only provides the option to customize a survey’s theme but also white label it so it can be hosted on your website with brand logos.

13. Use progress indicator

Include progress indicators to show respondents how far they’ve come in the survey. This simple feature can boost motivation by conveying a sense of accomplishment and encouraging them to complete the survey.

14. Use emojis

Brands that aren’t afraid to make surveys less formal should include emojis throughout the questions—and possibly even the answers. Ask participants to answer a question by using an emoji. This not only creates a fun and memorable experience but also makes a survey more engaging for some audiences.

15. Use clear and simple language

Use language that is easy to understand. Avoid jargon or technical terms that may confuse respondents. When questions are easy to understand, respondents are more likely to answer accurately and truthfully. On the other hand, if respondents are unsure of what a question is asking, they may provide an inaccurate or incomplete answer that will lead to response bias.

16. Personalize the introduction

Create a warm and inviting introduction for a survey. Explain its purpose and whether it’s a customer satisfaction survey or a broader market research endeavor. Emphasize how respondents’ opinions matter and how their feedback will contribute to improvements.

17. Ask the right questions

To produce an engaging online survey, it’s important to ask the right questions. Don’t waste respondents’ time by asking questions that don’t actually matter. Work to determine what answers are really needed from respondents and then create questions based on this. Every question should serve a purpose.

Still not sure if your questions are perfect as is to meet your survey goals? We’ve got you covered. The SurveyPlanet online tool offers hundreds of pre-written questions that are useful when writing a survey, while our blogs have plenty of tips if you are writing questions, including tips on writing good survey questions and avoiding common survey question mistakes.

18. Define a clear purpose

Before designing a survey, define a clear and specific purpose. What insights are being sought with the market research survey? Whether it’s understanding customer satisfaction or measuring Net Promoter Score, a well-defined objective will guide a survey’s structure and its questions, ensuring relevancy and focus.

19. Be mindful of question order

Last but not least, be mindful of the order questions are presented. This can impact how respondents answer. Start with simple and easy questions and gradually progress to more complex and detailed ones.

20. Seek feedback on the survey itself

At the end of the survey, provide an opportunity for respondents to provide feedback about the survey’s design, length, and overall experience. This not only shows that you value their input but also helps you refine future surveys and find ways to make surveys even more engaging.

Make an engaging online survey with SurveyPlanet

Expect more respondents, higher completion rates, and better answers with a more engaging survey. With numerous tools to customize and personalize surveys, SurveyPlanet Pro makes creating an engaging online survey easy. Browse a complete list of SurveyPlanet Pro features And try our unique features to create more engaging surveys with a SurveyPlanet Pro plan. If you already have a Pro account, log in and get started today.

Photo by Sam Truong Dan on Unsplash