They turn your email list into a source of direct, high-quality insight for your business. In the end, what your customers think about your product matters most.
The problem is most firms don’t know how to get customers to take surveys. Whenever they ask, there’s no response.
This article explains how to get customers to fully complete surveys and respond with quality answers. You’ll also see outstanding survey message samples along the way.
Surveys are a useful tool for gathering valuable insights from a target audience. However, getting people to actually take the time to fill out your survey can be a challenge You need an effective strategy for motivating participation.
One of the most common ways to distribute surveys is through email invites But how exactly do you write an email that will get people to click through and complete your questionnaire? Here are some tips for crafting compelling survey invitation emails that generate a strong response rate
Make Your Subject Line Interesting
The subject line is your first and possibly only chance to capture attention You want recipients to instantly understand what the email is about and be intrigued enough to open it Some good strategies for survey email subject lines include
- Asking a compelling question
- Being benefit-driven, explaining how their input will be used
- Using urgency cues like “time-sensitive” or “quick request”
- Keeping it short, clear and descriptive
For example:
- “Can you spare 5 minutes to help us improve?”
- “Your input requested: Shape the future of our products”
- “Time-sensitive: Your feedback needed!”
Greet the Recipient
Personalization goes a long way in making people feel valued. Open your email with a warm greeting like “Hi [First Name]” or “Dear [First Name]”. Avoid generic greetings like “To whom it may concern”, which feel impersonal.
If you don’t have their name, try “Hello” or “Greetings”. The tone should be friendly yet professional.
Explain Your Invite
Briefly explain the purpose of the survey and why their contribution is important. Provide just enough context on the survey topic without giving away too many specifics.
For example, “We are conducting a survey to better understand how we can improve our customer service. Your participation will be invaluable in shaping our customer experience standards.”
Offer an Incentive
Consider offering an incentive for taking the time to complete the survey. This could be:
- Entry into a sweepstakes
- A coupon or discount code
- Early access to an upcoming product/service
- A donation to charity made on their behalf
Clearly state the incentive and any conditions around it.
Inform Recipients of the Survey’s Length
Set proper expectations by indicating approximately how long the survey will take to complete. Be honest about the time commitment.
For short surveys, state it explicitly, for example: “This is a quick 5 minute survey with 10 questions.”
For longer ones, give a time range: “The survey takes 15-20 minutes to complete.”
Thank the Recipient
Express gratitude to the recipient for considering your request, reinforcing that their perspectives are highly valued.
For example: “Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your invaluable insights with us.”
Send a Reminder
Not everyone will get to your survey right away. Follow up a week later with a friendly reminder to participate if they haven’t already.
Make it easy for them to pick up where they left off by including the original survey link again.
Share Feedback
Let participants know what you plan to do with the survey results. Assure them that their perspectives will actively inform business decisions and improvements.
Send a summary of key findings and action plans based on the survey response. They’ll appreciate seeing how their input was put to use.
Other Tips for Effective Survey Emails
- Keep the email concise yet warm in tone
- Ensure the survey link is clearly visible and easy to access
- Mention if responses will be anonymous
- Provide an option to opt-out of future survey invites
- Use a professional email signature with contact information
Sample Survey Invitation Email
Here is an example email incorporating the key tips:
Subject line: Can you spare 5 minutes to help us improve?
Dear [First Name],
Hope you’re doing well! We are currently conducting a survey to better understand how we can enhance our product features. Since you are a valued customer, we would greatly appreciate your participation.
This is a quick 5 minute survey with 10 questions about your experience using [product name] and ideas for improvement. As a token of thanks, you will receive a 10% off coupon code good for your next purchase!
Your perspectives will be incredibly helpful in shaping the future of our product. Please click below to take the short survey:
[Insert link to survey]
Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your invaluable insights with us. If you have any other feedback, feel free to reach out anytime. We look forward to hearing from you!
Best regards,
[Your name]
[Company name]
The key is to make it as easy and appealing as possible for people to complete your survey. A well-crafted invitation focused on value and transparency can garner a solid response, ultimately providing you with the insights you need. Give these tips a try for your next survey email campaign.
Embed Your Survey
Survey invitations normally include a link to open the survey on its own page. This extra step creates friction in the user’s journey to the survey, resulting in fewer responses. But embedded surveys let you ask questions directly inside an email. This leads to 22% more full completions versus the usual separate-page surveys.
While our experience echoed these findings, we believed embedded surveys still weren’t being used to their full potential. That’s why we created the most robust survey system on the market.
Our embedded system collects answers for:
- Net Promoter Scores (NPS)
- Post-resolution surveys
- Customer satisfaction surveys
- Customer Effort Scores (CES)
- And more
All Nicereply email surveys are mobile-optimized and work with your own email templates too!
Write a Brief and Engaging Invite Message
Customer survey emails have one goal: get customers to complete them. Considering 66% of surveys get ignored, that’s easier said than done.
Even if your customers love your company, survey emails don’t excite them. You’re asking them to donate their time to a private enterprise. That’s why you need to communicate value fast. Using a third-grade level vocabulary, explain to recipients:
- Purpose. Why do you need their feedback? Improving a product? Research? Social proof for your landing page?
- Length. How long does it take to finish the survey?
- Selection. Why did you choose them for the survey? Are they top customers? Bought a certain product?
- Benefit. What do they get out of it?
- Gratitude. Provide a heartfelt “thank you” for donating their time.
Readers quickly see the value of Chubbies’ survey email:
- “Need help determining what [to] make next” explains the purpose.
- “10-minute survey” so the reader knows what to expect.
- The “30% off discount code” shows how the reader benefits.
Their text is also short, so people won’t get that “too long; didn’t read” feeling.
One study found emails with 50-75 words get the most responses. Brevity is crucial, especially for topics customers see as dull.
How to Ask Someone to Fill Out a Survey
FAQ
How do you say “please fill the survey”?
How do you ask to fill out a survey example?
How do you ask someone to take a survey?
Greet the recipient When asking someone to take your survey, consider beginning your message with a personalized greeting. Try to maintain your company’s brand and voice with your greeting. For instance, if you have a more relaxed company culture, consider using a greeting such as “Hey, Madeline!”
How do I ask employees to take a survey?
When asking employees to take a survey, you want to make sure your survey invitation email clearly states your survey goals and outlines the scope of the survey. You can see this in our various survey email templates we have available for free download.
How do I Use Survey email samples?
You can quickly copy, paste, and use the survey email samples below in any email to accelerate and streamline your survey rollout. If you’d like to save even more time, use ContactMonkey to instantly access these internal email templates and sample emails to increase survey participation.
How do you write a survey?
Here is how to shape it. Step 1: Start with a greeting: Personalize the email with the recipient’s name if possible. Hello [name] or Dear [name] are both excellent for this. Step 2: Introduce the purpose: Explain why the survey is essential, not just for you but for the recipient as well. Step 3: Highlight value proposition: What’s in it for them?
