Custom PR Surveys

Omnibus surveys are great for short PR surveys but often a custom survey is a more effective PR tool; particularly when telling a survey-based story about specialized audiences, or when fielding more than ten questions.

For both custom and omnibus surveys, we bring our specialized PR Polling process and unique PR-specific services. Contact us now for more information on pricing, timing and capabilities.

Can't decide whether a custom survey is right for you? Below are tips from our Editorial Panel of journalists and research experts on when to use a custom PR survey.

When to Use a Custom PR Survey?

If you are considering more extensive omnibus studies or a PR survey fielded to highly targeted audiences, then a custom PR survey is likely your best, most cost-effective option. Wakefield Research regularly fields custom PR surveys to audiences such as doctors, C-level executives, IT decion-makers, small business owners, teens and tweens, parents, teachers and many other audiences.

Custom PR Survey FAQ

Below, Wakefield's Editorial Panel of former journalists, PR executives, and classically-trained researchers have answered some frequently asked questions about using custom PR polling for public relations outreach.

When should I use a custom PR survey?

There are four key factors that typically determine when a custom PR survey is your best option.

Cost-effectiveness - If you want to field a PR survey of more than ten questions, then a custom PR poll is your most cost-effective option. At this length, usually the per-question price for an omnibus survey will be more than the cost of your own custom survey.
Specialized Target Audiences - Custom PR surveys are ideal for interviewing targeted audiences that do not make up a substantial percentage of the population. Some audiences (such as doctors or small business owners) cannot be credibly reached in significant numbers using omnibus studies.
Building a News Bureau - One of the most effective PR polling tactics is to build multiple news angles into a custom PR survey. This gives your account team multiple angles to choose from when pitching the media – increasing your opportunities for coverage. It also allows you to take advantage of cost efficiencies by fielding a single, more extensive survey, instead of multiple small surveys. Wakefield's Editorial Panel will often recommend a combination of evergreen survey angles and more immediate news angles when using this approach.
Identifying Large or Complicated Trends - Identifying complicated trends requires a substantial study in order to be credible with the media. Many research firms make the mistake of pitching "studies" that are actually only one or two questions. This rarely impresses top-tier media.

Which is better - online or telephone surveys?

Each are good options, and we field both types every day of the week. However for many projects, we recommend maximizing your budget dollars by fielding your questions through an online survey. Every media organization covers online PR surveys so long as they are nationally representative. The exception is the AP, which in recent years has become hesitant to cover online studies. Unless the survey audience or the subject matter lends itself to one methodology over another (for example, we rarely interview college students by telephone and almost never interview seniors online) then we typically recommend the most cost-effective option to our PR Polling clients.

What does it mean for a custom PR survey to be "nationally representative" and why is it important?

Simply put, a nationally representative U.S. survey is one that accurately illustrates what Americans think, as a whole. In order to assert fairly that "a major of Americans agree that X is true" your custom PR survey results must be scientific and representative of US public opinion.

Wakefield Research sets quotas for vital demographics such as age, gender, region, ethnicity, income and more to ensure that our survey population scientifically mirrors the demographic make-up of the country. This is absolutely crucial for having credible, scientific and newsworthy results that the media will accept. Unfortunately, this is a step that many research firms skip in order to cut costs. Studies intended for public release should NEVER skip this vital step.

How many interviews do I need to conduct to have a survey that the media will find credible?

General population surveys must typically be conducted among 1,000 nationally representative Americans over the age of 18. This is the sample size regularly used by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and every other top-tier media organization. For more targeted audiences, we can often field fewer than 1,000 respondents. For example, the media will typically accept research findings about the opinions of US women that are based on a survey sample of 500.

How can I make sure the media will find my custom PR survey credible?

Credible, mediaworthy PR polling stems from how a survey is conducted – specifically the technical aspects of the poll. Many public relations executives incorrectly assume that a large sample size is all that's required to produce credible PR polling results. While sample size is an important factor, quality PR polling is based on many other factors too. Top-tier editors and producers need to know that the survey questions are written in a way that does not lead respondents to one answer over another. They need to know that demographic quotas were established and that a decision-grade survey sample was used. They also need to know that the recruitment and interviewing methodology was appropriate given the PR survey audience. Wakefield Research's media and market research experts will always take this into consideration when making a recommendation, and then present you with the best market research options.

How can I make sure the media will find my PR survey compelling?

It is not enough simply to have quirky or creative survey questions. While these types of tactics can make for great newshooks, they must be combined with more substantial data-points in order to garner the message-rich media impressions that brands expect. The proper combination of these different question types is often what makes difference between a quick brand mention and a feature story. Wakefield's Editorial Panel of journalists market researchers are the best in the industry at crafting questionnaires that have the proper mix of creative and compelling questions.

Additionally, public opinion surveys are particularly well-suited for problem/solution scenarios in which the survey data is used to identify a problem for which the brand is one of the key solutions. Our team of market research experts leverages their extensive knowledge of public opinion to identify these opportunities for your brand and builds them into your questionnaire.

Finally, just like a newsworthy pitch, the most compelling PR surveys are those that organically connect your brand to the news. In some cases, this means bridging through current events, or to calendar events. In other situations, it involves identifying lifestyle trends and leveraging those angles. Wakefield's Editorial Panel of journalists and market researchers are experts in utilizing PR omnibus and custom surveys to build a bridge between the media and your brand.

Online omnibus surveys
Telephone omnibus surveys
U.S. and international studies
Custom market research among select populations such as doctors, CEOs, children, and others
Strategic research such as message development, combat testing, brand equity research, corporate reputation management, crisis management, tracking research and other quantitative and qualitative methodologies