Reader survey template
Seven questions that take two minutes to answer and tell you what to write next.
A reader survey works when it is short, specific and sent at a moment readers are paying attention. Send it as the main item of a normal issue, not as a separate email.
The seven questions
- How long have you been reading? Less than a month / up to six months / longer.
- Which recent issue was most useful to you, and why? Free text.
- What do you wish we wrote about? Free text.
- How do you usually read? Phone / desktop / printed / read later.
- How much of a typical issue do you read? All / most / skim / headline only.
- Would you pay for a deeper version? Yes / maybe / no, plus "what would make it worth it?"
- Anything else? Free text.
How to send it
- Put the survey link near the top of the issue with a one-line reason: "Two minutes, seven questions, and it decides what we write in the spring."
- Leave it open for one week.
- Share a summary of the results two issues later. Readers who see their answers used are more likely to answer next time.
Reading the results
Count the free-text answers into rough themes. The themes that appear in question two (what helped) and question three (what is missing) at the same time are your strongest ideas.
