Can surveys get media coverage?

There was a time when every brand and their neighbour seemed to be commissioning surveys. Headlines like “One in five people admit to eating toast in the shower!” might have been a story once. But is this tactic still worth using if you’re planning your next PR campaign?

So the short answer is yes, but only if you do it properly. Surveys can be a brilliant way to generate coverage because journalists love numbers and new research. Statistics give a story weight and credibility, and data can lift an otherwise ordinary story or campaign into something newsworthy. It gives your pitch to a journalist that hook they are always looking for.

That said, the days of lazy or obviously promotional surveys are over. Journalists can spot flimsy research a mile off. If you’re going to invest in a survey, make sure you use a reputable polling company, and the data sample size is from at the very least 1,000 or 2,000 people and is ideally a nationwide sample too.

The best surveys are robust and relevant, and reveal something interesting about people’s behaviour, opinions or habits that naturally connect to what your business does but without being too commercial or salesy.

It also pays to think about timing and tone. Commission a survey too close to a competitor’s similar story or a big national news story, and you’ll struggle for coverage. Go too niche, and no one outside your sector will care. Strike the balance, though, and you’ll have a media friendly story that works across multiple media outlets, from trade magazines to national newspapers.

Summary
In summary, surveys aren’t dead; they just need a little more thought and creativity than they used to. Get the idea, the data and the story right, and you might just have tomorrow’s headline on your hands.