Creating an effective podcast survey to understand your audience is essential for understanding what your listeners want and how to enhance their experience.
This episode dives into the crucial steps for crafting survey questions that engage your audience and encourage participation. Dave Jackson emphasizes the importance of knowing your audience and keeping surveys concise, ideally under ten questions, to boost completion rates.
He also discusses strategies for increasing responses, such as using incentives and clear communication about the benefits of participating. By the end, you'll have actionable insights to help you design a survey that not only gathers valuable feedback but also strengthens your relationship with your listeners.
If Your Podcast Was a Restaurant
If your podcast was a restaurant, wouldn't you have people try your food before you opened your restaurant? I cone went to my favorite Pizza place in Akron, Oh (Louigi's) who not only make amazing Pizza, but delicious bread. When the bread showed up, both myself and my date dove in. Instantly we both grimaced and said “Yuk.” We called the waitress over and explained how something was off. She took a bit of bread and said, “Oh man, there is no salt in this” and went to get us a new serving. The new serving was perfect as expected.
It's a simple process: Deliver food
Get feedback: “How is everything?”
Make Adjustments: “Let me get you something different”
Happy Experience for the customer
The same is true for your audience. We are too close to our own content. The church I go to had a typo in their logo that EVERYBODY missed.
When I had Jack on from the Darknet Diaries he would ask:
- Did you listen to the full episode?
- If not, where did you stop and why?
- On a scale from 1-10, how likely are you to share this episode with a friend?
He said if he got a seven or below, he would go back and edit the episode (something was missing). Listen to that episode here.
You are In The Entertainment Business
Think about it, a musician would play their songs in front of the producer before recording them.
An author has multiple rough drafts before the final print that goes to print.
“It takes humility to seek feedback. It takes wisdom to understand it, analyze it and appropriately act on it.” ~ Stephen Covey
So many people when they ask for feedback are really saying, “Please approve of everything I've done to this point” which I fully understand but you need to stay open to feedback, and pick people who aren't listening to your show but they should.
Takeaways:
- Begin your survey with a concise opening paragraph explaining how respondents will benefit.
- Keep your survey short, ideally under 10 questions for higher completion rates.
- Incentives can increase survey participation but ensure they don’t skew honest feedback.
- Use relevant questions that engage your audience and avoid demographic questions at the start.
- Incorporate a progress bar to inform participants how far along they are in the survey.
- Make sure to remind your audience about the survey to boost responses regularly.
Links referenced in this episode:
- schoolofpodcasting.com
- schoolofpodcasting.com/contact
- schoolofpodcasting.com/survey
- podpage.com
- schoolofpodcasting.com/962
- schoolofpodcasting.com/961 (last week)
- Pointer Pro
- Survicate
- Edison Research Listener Survey Template
- PodPage.com
- Google Forms
- Jotform
- Tally
- The Audience is Listening Book by Tom Webster
Join the School of Podcasting
Are you looking to start your own podcast but don't know where to begin? Look no further than the School of Podcasting. Our comprehensive online courses and one-on-one coaching will teach you everything you need to know, from equipment and editing to marketing and monetization. With our proven methods and expert instructors, you'll create high-quality, engaging content quickly. Say goodbye to the frustration and uncertainty, and hello to a successful podcasting career with the School of Podcasting.
No Surveys For You?
If you're a person who has never done an audience survey, and don't plan on any in the future, I'd love to understand why (I'm always interested in different points of view). I'd love to hear why.
