5 tactics for successful survey research in times of uncertainty
With the shelf life for your research data getting shorter and shorter, here are some tactics to make sure your project shows results—even if journalists don’t jump at your pitch.
If you work in PR long enough, it will happen to you: Skimming the news one morning you see that the exciting finding from a research project you just wrapped up has been published by someone else first.
It’s a frustrating predicament, especially when you receive the Slack notification from your client asking what you’re going to do about all that wasted budget.
Even in the most predictable of times, it happens. But in 2020, when entire business models have become defunct overnight, PR pros are facing one of the most challenging media landscapes we’ve ever encountered. Data has a short lifespan, and no matter how solid your research strategy is, someone can always get to that newsy statistic before you.
This year we’ve seen massive swings in both consumer behavior and news cycles, but that doesn’t mean data is out and mediocre company milestones are in. The standards have just changed. Survey research can still be a solid way of getting ink—and if done right, will support multiple strategic areas of the business.
Following these five tips will help ensure your investment pays off, even if journalists don’t bite:
This has always been a given but is now more critical than ever. Relevancy fades as quickly as it comes, and data that used to stay fresh for a year or more can now be outdated within days.
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today
Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.
