High quality PR surveys for thought leadership typically take several months and thousands of dollars to execute. Ideally they start with dream headlines, then move into survey design, stakeholder input, legal approval, development of lengthy questionnaires to ensure depth, field time execution, data exploration, report layout, production of PR materials, and so on.

Can these types of surveys for thought leadership be done faster and cheaper without becoming junk? To find out, we experimented with an approach using DIY survey and sampling tools, real-time development of content, and rapid development of narrative findings for reporting and visualization.

Each survey was published within one day of data collection. The direct costs were just $255.

We launched ten extremely fast snapshot surveys about how Americans were responding to COVID-19. Each used census-matched sampling and took just five days from ideation to public release. In all, we sampled over 3,300 U.S. adults over four weeks. Each survey was published within one day of data collection. The direct costs were just $255.

The results of this effort were presented two weeks ago at the July 2020 Quirk’s Event. Here is a full video of that presentation that shows you how to execute surveys like this for your own company, using your own team, leveraging internal skills and resources. It outlines:

1. Tips for developing survey questions that stand out from what competitors are doing;
2. Strategies for using a DIY tool like Google Surveys (there are some surprising challenges); and
3. A storytelling approach to highlight single nuggets of insight that can be shared in visually compelling formats.

Enjoy the video!

(If you are looking something specific, scroll past the video. We show all ten snapshot findings along with highlights of what we discuss in the video.)

The Snapshot Findings & Highlights

Topics discussed in “Helping Each Other” (video at 3:20):
* Get data nobody else has
* Find a positive spin
* Solicit an outside review before publishing

Topics discussed in “Corporations” (video at 5:36):
* Do not trust overnight surveys; 3 days is feasible (but difficult)
* Timing from design to publication was 5 days
* When (and when not) to use a “not sure” option

Topics discussed in “American Sign Language” (video at 8:20):
* Fast and agile lets you respond to unfolding events
* Think of ways to “give back” with content

Topics discussed in “Tense Conversations” (video at 10:05):
* You must keep the focus broad and general
* The challenge of a 100% incidence survey
* If you filter or screen, costs go up by at least 10x

Topics discussed in “Planning” (video at 12:29):
* Be creative to ask a complex question
* DIY tools have severe limitations

Topics discussed in “Weight” (video at 14:35):
* Don’t display data; tell a story
* Use charts and graphs sparingly
* If you use a chart, it must tell a story

Topics discussed in “Mental Health” (video at 16:44):
* DIY tools use Artificial Intelligence
* Design, launch and then pause so AI robots do not block you

Topics discussed in “Summer Worries” (video at 19:10):
* Ask just one question at a time
* Getting a story from just one question is hard
* If you ask more than one, costs go up by at least 10x
* If you want to ask two questions, split them onto two surveys
* The tool we used gives a 50% discount for your second survey

Topics discussed in “Time to Recovery” (video at 21:36):
* Keep things personal
* Do not ask people to predict world events
* Set context to connect with larger macro events
* Word questions so they apply to everyone

Topics discussed in “Impact on the Environment” (video at 23:39):
* If things are changing rapidly, focus on the future
* This is an example of when to use a chart