LinkedIn can be a great platform for distributing surveys and gathering feedback from your network. With over 740 million members worldwide, it provides access to a large pool of potential survey respondents. However, when asking connections to take a survey, you need to follow certain LinkedIn etiquette to avoid coming across as spammy or salesy.
Why Conduct Surveys on LinkedIn?
There are several benefits to using LinkedIn for surveys compared to other platforms:
- You can easily target a specific demographic or industry by leveraging your existing connections.
- Many members access LinkedIn daily for business purposes, so they may be more inclined to also participate in a quick survey while there.
- The professional nature of LinkedIn means you may get more thoughtful, high-quality responses compared to more casual platforms.
- You have the ability to incentivize participation by offering access to results or other rewards.
Overall, LinkedIn provides direct access to your target respondents in a context where they are open to engaging with relevant professional content.
How to Politely Ask for Survey Participation
When reaching out to your network on LinkedIn, keep these tips in mind:
Personalize the Request
Generic survey requests are easy to ignore. Take the time to personalize your ask for each connection by:
- Addressing them directly by name.
- Reminding them how you are connected.
- Explaining why you think their specific insights would be valuable.
This makes the recipient feel special and more inclined to help you out.
Be Transparent About the Purpose
Provide upfront clarity on:
- The goals of the survey – what you intend to learn/accomplish.
- Who is conducting the survey.
- How long it will take to complete.
This helps build trust and gives the recipient context for deciding whether to participate.
Highlight the Value for Participants
What’s in it for the people taking your survey? Mention benefits like:
- Contributing to important research on [topic].
- Access to the results and insights from the full survey.
- Being entered into a drawing for a gift card or other prize.
- Discount on a related product or service.
This incentive motivates participation and shows you appreciate their help.
Make it Simple to Participate
Minimize steps required by:
- Embedding the survey directly in your message.
- Providing a 1-click link to the survey page.
- Having the survey automatically open in a new tab.
The easier you make it, the higher your response rate will be.
Follow Up Politely
If you don’t hear back after your initial request, follow up by:
- Waiting at least a week before following up to allow time to respond.
- Acknowledging you already reached out previously.
- Reiterating why their input matters.
- Making sure they still have the link/ability to access the survey easily.
This reminds busy recipients to prioritize your survey without being pushy.
Show Gratitude
Once someone participates, be sure to thank them by:
- Sending a thank you message acknowledging their time and effort.
- Sharing the promised incentive, like access to results.
- Following up to inform them how their input is being used.
Gratitude and transparency will make recipients more willing to engage next time.
Best Practices for LinkedIn Survey Messaging
Keep these best practices in mind when crafting LinkedIn messages requesting survey participation:
- Keep the initial message concise – introduce yourself, explain the purpose, and include the survey link.
- If embedding the survey, include a note upfront that a survey is embedded for ease of participation.
- Use an eye-catching, benefit-focused subject line like “Please take my 5-min survey on XYZ and get the results”.
- Adjust messaging tone to match the formality of your relationship.
- Send personalized messages one at a time to avoid seeming spammy.
- Follow up within 1-2 weeks if no response.
- Only send a maximum of 2 follow up messages.
- Thank participants and share any promised incentives.
Survey Request Message Templates
Here are some LinkedIn survey request message templates you can customize:
Initial Request to a Close Connection
Subject: Quick favor – feedback on my survey?
Hi [name],
Hope you’ve been well! As you know, I recently started [business/project focused on XYZ] and have put together a short, 5-minute survey to help me better understand [target customers/audience].
I was hoping you could take a few minutes to fill it out and provide your feedback – given your experience with [relevant experience], I think it would be incredibly helpful to get your perspective as I further develop this business.
[Insert 1-click survey link here]
Everyone who participates will get a summary of the results, which I’m happy to share once I’ve collected all responses. Please let me know if you have any other thoughts on how I could improve this survey or business idea!
Thanks so much,
[Your name]
Follow Up Request to a Less Close Connection
Subject: Following up on survey request
Hi [name],
I hope you’ve been having a great week! Last week I reached out about a survey I’m conducting to support my new business focused on [business area]. I’m hoping to get as much feedback as possible from professionals like yourself with experience in [relevant field].
The survey takes less than 5 minutes, and everyone who participates will get access to a summary of the results. I know things are busy, but I would greatly appreciate any insights you may have!
[Insert survey link again]
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any other thoughts on this project. Wishing you a wonderful rest of your week!
Best,
[Your name]
Thank You Message
Subject: Thank you for taking my survey!
Hi [name],
I just wanted to send you a quick note to thank you again for taking the time to complete my [topic] survey. Having industry experts like yourself provide feedback is invaluable for the development of my new business.
As promised, please find the summary report of the survey results attached. Let me know if you have any other questions or thoughts on the findings!
Your participation is greatly appreciated. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week!
Best,
[Your name]
Getting the Most Value from LinkedIn Surveys
To maximize the impact of conducting surveys on LinkedIn, here are some additional tips:
- Test different subject lines and messaging customizations to determine what drives the highest open and response rates.
- Offer creative incentives – free trials, discounts, or donation pledges work well.
- Keep your survey concise with 10 questions max to avoid survey fatigue.
- Send initial requests on Tuesday-Thursday when engagement tends to be higher.
- Use LinkedIn’s targeted advertising tools to promote your survey to very specific demographics.
- Analyze results carefully – look for trends and themes that should shape your decisions.
- Circle back to respondents with how you applied learnings for transparency and further engagement.
Following this approach will enable you to conduct effective yet unobtrusive surveys through your LinkedIn network. The high-quality insights gained can provide invaluable direction and validation as you develop new initiatives and businesses.
Alternatives to Surveying Direct Connections
If you prefer not to directly request survey participation from your own connections, here are some alternative options to consider:
LinkedIn Groups
Thousands of niche LinkedIn Groups centered on specific topics and industries exist. Identify relevant groups for your survey, join them, and politely post your participation request to the group feed.
LinkedIn Company Pages
If you have an established business presence on LinkedIn, leverage your Company Page to share the survey. This builds brand awareness while gathering insights.
LinkedIn Sponsored Content
You can pay to boost the visibility of your survey request posts to reach a wider, targeted audience on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn Audience Network
Place targeted ads promoting your survey across popular business news sites frequented by LinkedIn members.
freelancers
Hire freelancers to distribute your survey through their own contacts. This provides quality data at scale.
Survey Software
Tools like SurveyMonkey allow you to create surveys then purchase responses from people that match your target demographics.
Key Survey Design Tips
To get quality insights, your survey itself also needs to be well-designed. Follow these best practices:
- Keep it focused – target 5-7 specific objectives with corresponding questions.
- Ask only one question at a time.
- Use a mix of question types – multiple choice, rating scales, open-ended, etc.
- Provide definitions if needed for key terms.
- Limit open-ended questions since they require more effort.
- Order questions thoughtfully – start broad, then go deep.
- Make survey completion feel rewarding by sharing key results at the end.
Taking the time to craft a well-structured survey maximizes the quality of the insights you’ll gain.
Ethical Considerations
When contacting others on LinkedIn about participating in a survey, be sure to:
- Disclose your full name/company affiliation in all communications.
- Fully explain who the data is being collected for and for what purpose it will be used.
- Allow participants to opt-out at any time.
- Only gather data you actually plan to analyze and use.
- Implement appropriate data protections for any identifying information that is collected.
- Destroy individual data once analysis is complete.
- Honor any incentives promised for participation.
Following an ethical approach earns you trust and goodwill to support any future outreach efforts.
Alternatives to Surveys for Gathering Insights
Surveys are a standard way to gather data, but not the only option. Here are some other methods to consider:
- Interviews: Conduct one-on-one interviews by phone, video, or in person to gain in-depth insights.
- Focus Groups: Assemble a small group of 6-10 people to discuss a focused topic together.
- Observation: Gather first-hand insights by observing people using/interacting with your product/service.
- Analytics Review: Analyze usage data like website visits to identify trends and opportunities.
- User Testing: Have test users complete tasks with your product and think aloud to pinpoint issues.
Using multiple research methods yields a well-rounded understanding of your end-user and market.
Conclusion
Surveys can provide invaluable insights, but thoughtfully crafting your LinkedIn outreach message is key to driving participation. Personalize your ask, communicate transparently, highlight respondent value, and make it easy to engage. Follow ethical practices, send thoughtful reminders, and express gratitude. With strategic messaging, LinkedIn’s extensive professional network offers a goldmine of feedback to guide your business decisions.
