5 things to do

You think you know why.

You may be right, but should you take the chance?

“When done well, surveys provide hard numbers on people’s opinions and behaviors that can be used to make important decisions,” writes online survey provider Survey Monkey.

Survey results can help you learn not only more about your audience but they can help your audience learn more about themselves, their peers, and the topic of your content tilt.

We do an annual survey about content creators (if you haven’t taken it yet, we’d love to include your input). Based on what we’ve learned from it and years in the business, here are five things you can do with surveys:

1. Assess your market: In the early days, you don’t have a built-in audience to survey. But asking questions of people who could be interested in your content products is a must. It can help you understand the level of interest in what you’re creating.

Publish and promote a short survey (five or fewer questions) to find out what you want to know the most. Do you want to know the topics they want to consume? Should you learn about the content formats they prefer? Or maybe you want to assess the level of interest in your tilt? Perhaps you want to know if they already have go-to content sources for your topic.

Go to where your audience is and share the link. Ask peers with similar audiences if they will share the survey link on their social or other channels.

2. Evaluate THE market: The Tilt uses this approach with our annual research. Now in its third year, the Content Entrepreneur Benchmark Research is a professionally created survey to understand the wider market (not just The Tilt readers). These surveys are usually lengthier and cover multiple categories.

You can use the results of market-wide surveys as a public relations tool. Reach out to the media who cover your industry to share the results – and don’t forget your fellow content entrepreneurs since they’re in the media business too. (It helps to focus your outreach on one or two key takeaways rather than all the findings.)

3. Test on platforms: Social media and some newsletter formats are ripe for easy, non-scientific surveys. You can ask visitors to vote on topics, visuals, etc., using the poll feature available on most social platforms. Some newsletter templates include an option to post an emoji or star rating at the end of the newsletter (or after each entry).

While most of the audience probably won’t take the survey, it may give a glimpse into what your most interested/dedicated readers think.

4. Conclude with a survey: Online courses, e-books, webinars, and other content products require an investment of your audience’s time. At their conclusion, serve up a survey. Ask questions to elicit their feedback about the product they just consumed and what they see as their next need/step for which you can create content.

5. Ask as they depart: While the unsubscribe process should be easy, you can add an optional step. Include a one-question survey with a list of reasons for the unsubscribe. (Don’t forget to include “other” with a fill-in blank as an option.) As you review the collective results, you may see a pattern or trend for your unsubscribes, such as frequency or topics, that can be addressed to thwart future unsubscribes.

– Ann Gynn

Resources:

Survey Monkey’s Survey 101 Series

Creator Whitney Lauritsen conducted a session about research and TikTok at Creator Economy Expo. Catch her free on-demand video.

Be part of the third annual Content Entrepreneur Benchmark Research from The Tilt. Take the survey today!

Get sung! The Tilt announces the first-ever Content Entrepreneur Awards for the unsung heroes of the creator economy. Nominate your favorite creator (including yourself) today.

5 things from the tilt

Popularity doesn’t necessarily mean bigger rates. Hashtag Pay Me’s new research found sponsorships for Instagram creations on the upswing and for TikTok on the downswing.
Level up your office small talk with the #1 visual newsletter from our friends at Chartr. Join 300,000+ who love snackable charts and easy-to-remember data insights on business, tech and society. Sign-up for free today!*
This week Joe talks about making the best editorial decisions for your content. [Content Inc. podcast]
Joe and Robert discuss if AI content is a race to the bottom. [This Old Marketing podcast]
ICYMI: 4 Personal Finance Questions Every Content Entrepreneur Should Ask Now

*The Tilt receives a small commission if readers subscribe using this link.

5 things to know

Money

Music money: YouTube partners can now use Creator Music for their videos. Pay upfront and keep all the video revenue, or share a percentage of revenue with the music rights holders. (YouTube)
Tilt Take: Good news to add music partners to the creative process, and everybody gets a pecuniary interest.
Time to pay: TikTok may soon let creators put their content behind a paywall and set the price for viewing. (The Verge)
Tilt Take: Great news for creators who want to take control of their business and not rely on the benevolent platform to dictate the financials.

Audiences

Here I am: YouTube is rolling out the option for Shorts creators to post clips as comments in others’ feeds. (Social Media Today)
Tilt Take: Always good to have another marketing option. Just make sure the clip is relevant to the content and conversation.

Tech and Tools

Don’t stuff it: Creators who opt for domain names rich with keywords may find that’s not a good move in the long term, says Google’s John Mueller. They could end up being associated with spam. (Search Engine Journal)
Tilt Take: Attempts to game the systems rarely work. Focus on the quality content your audience wants first and foremost.

And Finally

Fewer ads: More than 60% of marketers say their influencer budgets will increase this year, even though companies also indicate their overall ad budgets are dropping. (Observer)
Tilt Take: Creators deliver a more personalized, authentic connection that brands know is more likely to pay off than mass marketing ads.

Please Help Spread The Tilt Message!

Refer a fellow content creator to The Tilt and earn exclusive swag!

*Please note the rewards program is only available to US readers at this time. The Tilt reserves the right to reject referrals at their discretion.

the tilt team

Your team for this issue: Joe Pulizzi, Pam Pulizzi, Ann Gynn, Laura Kozak, Marc Maxhimer, and Dave Anthony.

Never Assume – February 17, 2023