Done right, forms and surveys can be a dynamic conversation between you and your audience. They can be engaging, providing an opportunity to connect with prospects and customers alike. They can be the start of something substantial and lasting.
And they can also be a goldmine of in-depth, rich, and actionable zero-party customer data that can transform your marketing strategy, messaging, and overall results. It all boils down to the questions you ask, and how you ask them.
At BetterFeedback.ai, if there’s one thing we know, it’s how to craft excellent questions. This is our data-backed deep dive into how to write the kind of surveys your audience deserves. In this guide, you’ll discover:
- How to write better questions – the ones that customers and prospects will be happy to answer
- How to use logic to create a conversational journey
- How to drive action with great wrap-up CTAs
- How forms can improve your marketing results across the entire customer journey
*By surveys, we mean forms, surveys, quizzes, polls... you get the picture.
Types of Questions
When you’re writing a survey, it’s easy to overlook the many different types of questions available. Here are some useful options for your survey:
Practical Information
- Contact info – essential details like phone numbers, email addresses, or website URLs
- Meeting scheduling – preferred dates and times, or a link to a scheduling tool, to set up appointments
- Payment – yes, you can securely collect payments directly through a form
- Legal – necessary checkboxes for compliance and consent
Expressing Opinions
- Rating and ranking – allow respondents to prioritize choices, assign ratings from one to ten, or evaluate multiple items using consistent criteria
- Choices – multiple-choice options, yes/no questions, or a dropdown menu – even the ability to choose between different images
- Text – short or long text boxes to allow respondents to elaborate in their own words
10 Rules for Writing Questions People Actually Want to Answer
Good answers are built from good questions. Every single time.
Dr. Elizabeth Stokoe
What you ask matters as much as how you ask. In this section, we’ll break down how to ask the right questions to increase response rates and create a positive brand experience.
Here are our 10 research-backed guidelines for writing better questions:
Rule #1- Be Focused
Before writing your questions, understand precisely why you’re asking them. Don't just collect answers for the sake of it. Instead, focus on answering a specific question:
- Define the objectives for this form or survey
- Decide how you’ll use the data gathered from each response
Rule #2- Be Reassuring
A recent survey found that security concerns are a primary reason for form abandonment. Therefore, reassure your users that you're legitimate and will protect their data. Here’s how:
- Give them context with a great Welcome screen. Explain the purpose of the form, how you’ll use the data, and the benefit for the user.
- Include an introductory statement before each question. Provide a preamble before each question, explaining why you’re asking. Guide the experience by telling your user what is about to happen.
- Use a Progress bar Let users know how much time the form will take to complete. This can trigger a "completion bias" to encourage them to see it through.
Rule #3- Be Direct
Be direct and clear. Ask yourself, “What is the information I’m actually looking for? Could I ask for it more directly?" For instance, instead of an awkward and invasive question, a better alternative might be: “Is there anyone else you feel should be at our quote appointment?”
Rule #4- Be Empathetic
To get great answers, put yourself in your user’s shoes. Here’s how to write more empathetic questions:
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Highlight "What's in it for me." Ensure people feel like they’ll gain something valuable from completing your survey. Can you offer an incentive? Make it fun? Provide exclusive content?
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Practice recipient design Customize your tone, vocabulary, and questions to suit the person you’re talking to.
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Ask questions people can actually answer Make sure that your users can answer each question easily. For instance:
- Don’t ask for specifics when a general response will do.
- Avoid asking questions that rely on long-term memory
- Avoid asking for facts when you’re really interested in opinions
Rule #5- Be Unbiased
Leading questions can produce biased results. However, not all leading questions are problematic. You can design questions for a quick “Yes” or a quick “No” without adding unnecessary bias.
Rule #6- Be Positive
Use a happier tone of voice to get more conversions. Keep your Welcome page, descriptions, and questions upbeat.
Rule #7- Be Personable
To avoid coming off all bureaucratic, try:
- Writing like a human. Whenever possible, keep things light and chatty. Just because you’re a company doesn’t mean you need to talk like a cyborg.
- Personalize your forms with Hidden Fields As you collect data, use it to make the experience more personal and engaging. With the Recall Information feature in BetterFeedback.ai, you can modify your questions with the data you have.
Rule #8- Be Brief
Show survey participants that you respect their time by making your form as quick to complete as possible. Here are a few tips:
- Keep it under 6 questions
- Keep open-ended questions to a minimum
- Communicate your expectations
- Switch from open-ended to multiple choice
Rule #9- Be Clear
To encourage responses, you need to keep the experience fun, engaging, and effortless.
- Use the Description field to guide the user through, or give examples of how to answer. Be as precise as possible when explaining your expectations.
- Each question should relate to one idea only
- Split big questions into multiple parts, or use a question matrix to ask for people’s opinions on multiple topics
Rule #10- Be Different
If you’re hoping to get people to answer a survey or form, the worst thing you can be is bland! Nobody wants to be bored. You can be professional without being dull.
- Feel free to be funny. Use unexpected examples or ask surprising questions
- Add in an actual break
- Use entertaining visuals to reduce decision fatigue and keep people moving forward through questions more easily
Good vs. Bad Form Questions
Here’s how to take your first version of questions and polish them up until they become irresistible.
The BetterFeedback.ai ‘Good Question’ Checklist
Before you publish your form, questionnaire, or survey, here are the questions you should ask yourself about your…questions!
Is this question:
- Easy to understand?
- Easy to answer?
- Giving context (i.e., you’ve explained why you’re asking and what you’ll do with the info)?
- Likely to produce relevant answers?
- Asking about something the participant knows first-hand?
- Unbiased?
- Strictly necessary?
- Conversational?
- Asked in the briefest way possible?
- In the correct format (e.g., open-ended versus multiple choice)?
- As direct as possible?
How to Wrap Up Your Forms With a Compelling Call to Action
There’s nothing sadder than a beautiful, well-written form with a disappointing CTA page at the end. After all, this is the point of the entire exercise–you gotta make it count!
Here are a few tips for making your CTA as persuasive as your questions:
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Keep it at the end of the form
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Personalize the CTA You can use the data you’ve collected so far to give people a customized ending. Let’s say that they’ve told you that they’re a copywriter–direct them towards your e-book specifically written with copywriters in mind. Show them that you were paying attention.
You can personalize the final Submit button by adding in their name. You could even redirect them to a different URL after they hit submit, depending on their answers.
How to Create a Conversational Journey With Logic
Of course, no matter how brilliantly worded your questions, you won’t be collecting any actionable insights if you can’t get your respondents to finish their form. One of the most effective ways to guide people to the very end of your form is to use Logic.
Logic lets you create a form that behaves like a conversation. Instead of making people scroll through irrelevant questions, you can set up your form to respond to what they’ve already told you.
To Get Better Marketing Results, You Need to Ask Better Questions
I don't pretend we have all the answers. But the questions are certainly worth thinking about.
Arthur C. Clarke
If you want to get to know someone, you need to ask them questions. Great questions. Thoughtful questions. Questions that show that you are genuinely interested in them. That demonstrate empathy and curiosity. That give your brand a voice.
Writing great form questions is an art and a science. It takes time and practice to get it right, but it’s worth putting in the effort. Good questions produce valuable insights into your customers and prospects. You can use questions to:
- Create detailed, nuanced, and powerful buyer personas
- Offer targeted and relevant content
- Build long-standing relationships with your target market
- Reveal your unique brand personality
- Segment leads and create compelling user journeys
- Figure out what people love about your products (or what ticks them off)
- Understand lead or customer churn, and re-engage people before they leave you
In the end, it comes down to dropping the monologue and starting a conversation.