Get Maximum Survey Responses – Do This

To increase the response rate of an online survey, five techniques prove particularly effective. Optimize your invitation email with polite phrases like “Thank you in advance.” Offer financial incentives: 94% of respondents remain honest even with a reward. Clearly explain why you’re conducting this survey by using the word “because.” Follow up with non-respondents using a multi-channel strategy. Personalize each interaction with the recipient’s name, which can increase responses by up to 48%.

Getting responses to an online questionnaire represents a major challenge. Without sufficient participation, your survey has no statistical value. Response rates vary depending on context: 10 to 15% for external surveys, 30% for internal surveys, up to 50% for engaged communities. A good rate generally exceeds 30%.

>> Create your Online Survey with Drag’n Survey, click here

Technique	Impact on Participation	Ease of Implementation	Cost	Best Context for Use
Optimized Email	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Strong	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Easy	Free	All email surveys
Financial Incentives	⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong	⭐⭐⭐ Medium	Variable (€50-500)	Customer surveys, market research
“Because” Justification	⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Easy	Free	Internal surveys, HR polls
Multi-channel Follow-ups	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Strong	⭐⭐⭐ Medium	Free to Low	Panels, established communities
Advanced Personalization	⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong	⭐⭐⭐⭐ Easy	Free	B2B client relationships, VIP surveys

1. The First Message To Get Respondents

When you first send a message to your audience asking them to complete your survey, you need to show appreciation for their time and make them feel special. Two simple lines can help you achieve this. The first is “we want to know what you think” and the second is “please take five minutes to complete our survey”.

By including these two lines you are demonstrating that your respondents’ views are particularly important to your business and that what they say will count. You’re also showing that you appreciate it will take their time to complete the questionnaire.

Saying please and thank you can also help with improving response rate. Research in 2017 showed that saying “thanks in advance” within your email can give you a response rate of close to 60%.

2. Provide Incentives To Improve Survey Adoption

You can’t always rely on goodwill to get audiences to complete surveys. Sometimes, you have to give something to get responses to your survey emails. There are many incentives that you can use and they don’t all have to cost you money.

For one, you can offer to release the results of the questionnaire to audiences once you’ve collected enough data. This can sometimes be a great way to get people to answer your survey as it intrigues them. This can be especially good if you’ve got a competitive group of people completing the survey and they want to know how they compare to peers.

Or you could try offer a reward for completing the survey. A common option is the discount code or an entry into a prize draw. However, there are concerns that people might rush through a set of questions to just get to the end and win the prize. This shouldn’t really be too much of a concern as research has demonstrated that 94% of respondents will still give honest answers, even if they are trying to win a prize or claim a reward.

3. Give A Reason For The Survey

One of the main reasons why people complete a task is because someone has given them a logical reason why they wanted the task to be completed. The ‘because’ factor is an important psychological factor and research has proven people are more responsive even if you just use the word ‘because’ in your request.

Therefore, when you are setting out your first, and subsequent, messages to your audience about the survey, remember to tell them why you’re doing it. This will help people understand why their time is so important and they’ll be more inclined to respond. You can use incentives in this part, but if you combine the reason for you to ask for the survey and then add benefits, you’ll have a much better uptake.

4. Follow Up On Those Who Didn’t Give Responses

When you set out to gather respondents, you’re going to have people who want to give you their opinion but forgot, or were too busy the first time you asked. This doesn’t mean it is a failure, you should always seek to offer audiences several chances to give their answers.

This can be done via a reminder email that direct them to the original survey. You should reduce the negative emotions of those that don’t want to answer the questions by apologizing to people for contacting them again.

Of course you should remind them of the reasons why they should complete the questionnaire including your reasons for collecting the information and any incentives you’re offering. Don’t be afraid to also promote your survey on social media for example. Sometimes it takes nudges on other platforms to get people to respond to your survey request.

5. Be Conversational And Personal

When it comes to responses on email, the best content includes some personalization (i.e. name) and a conversational tone. You must do your best to match those trends to get people to believe you’re specifically writing to them and not sending out hundreds of generic emails to all your past customers.

You can also include information about their visit to you; to add that personal touch include the date of their visit and who served them.

Our Recommendations for Improving Participation by Survey Profile

Increasing the response rate of your online surveys relies on an intelligent combination of these five techniques adapted to your context. For companies launching their first customer satisfaction survey, start by optimizing your invitation email with polite phrases and duration mention, then add a clear justification with the word “because.” These two free actions can double your participation rate without any investment. If you have a marketing budget, financial incentives like 10% discount codes radically transform results by achieving rates of 40 to 60%. For established panels and communities, focus on multi-channel follow-ups by combining email, SMS, and social media to reach non-respondents through different means. Finally, personalization remains the most powerful technique for B2B relationships and VIP client surveys where every response counts.

FAQ

What is the average response rate for an online survey?

The average response rate for an online survey ranges between 10 and 15% for surveys sent via email to a cold audience. For existing customers or members of an engaged community, this rate climbs between 20 and 30%. Internal company surveys generally show higher rates between 30 and 50% because respondents have a direct connection with the organization. Factors that influence these rates include questionnaire length, sending time, contact database quality, industry sector, and the presence or absence of incentives. A well-designed customer satisfaction questionnaire sent at the right time can achieve exceptional rates of 60 to 70%.

How many follow-ups should be sent to maximize questionnaire responses?

To maximize response rate without annoying your recipients, the ideal is to send two to three follow-ups spaced 3 to 7 days apart. The first follow-up should occur 3 to 4 days after the initial email and generally recovers 30 to 40% of additional responses. A second follow-up 5 to 7 days after the first brings another 15 to 20% of additional responses. A third and final follow-up can be sent but generally generates less than 10% of additional responses. Each follow-up should remind recipients of the survey’s purpose, estimated duration, and include an unsubscribe link to respect communication preferences. Vary channels by combining email, SMS, or social media to reach non-respondents differently.

What reward should be offered to encourage survey participation?

The most effective rewards for encouraging participation are discount codes between 5 and 20% for customer surveys, prize draws with attractive prizes between €50 and €500 for market research, exclusive access to premium content or study results for professionals, and charitable donations in the respondent’s name for audiences sensitive to social causes. The reward amount should be proportional to the questionnaire duration: plan approximately €1 to €2 value per 5-minute segment. Amazon gift cards or multi-retailer vouchers work very well because they offer freedom of choice. For B2B surveys, prioritize sharing study insights or exclusive industry reports that have high professional value.

How to write an effective invitation email for a survey?

An effective invitation email must include six essential elements in this precise order. The subject line should be short, personalized, and mention the duration, such as “Sophie, 5 minutes to help us improve our services.” The introduction should immediately thank the recipient and use phrases like “Thank you in advance” which increase participation by 60%. The email body should explain why you’re conducting this survey using the word “because” and specify how the results will be used. Clearly mention the estimated duration, which should never exceed 10 minutes to maintain engagement. Add a visible action button with a direct call-to-action like “Share my feedback now.” End with GDPR legal mentions including response anonymity and the ability to unsubscribe from future communications.

Read the article:
French – avoir un maximum de réponses à un sondage en ligne, click here
German – mehr Antworten auf eine Online-Umfrage zu erhalten, click here
Portuguese – obter o máximo de respostas em uma pesquisa online, click here
Polish – jak uzyskać maksymalną liczbę odpowiedzi w ankiecie online, click here