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How to Write a Customer Feedback Survey Invitation

Customer feedback can give you valuable intel on what you should and shouldn’t change about your business or website. To get that information first hand from your customers, you need to get them to accept your survey invitation.

Spending time on filling the feedback survey isn’t a dream come true for consumers. Therefore, you need to entice them to take part in the survey with the invitation.

So, how to get customers on board with the survey? Make the invitation engaging, appealing, and simple.

The typical survey response range is in the 5% to 30% range. To get that response rate over 30%, you need to step up your game.

Here are some tips that will help you craft a survey invitation that customers will say yes to.

Pick Your Topic

Filling the survey with endless questions on different aspects of your business will tire the participants. Instead, segment the survey into categories and create suitable, targeted questions.

It will be easier for subscribers if the questions are directed towards one aspect of your business. Moreover, writing surveys with a certain topic in mind will help you send more personalized survey invitations. 

For example, Sleeknote sends targeted email surveys to their blog subscribers.

Sleeknote survey email example

You can send targeted surveys to new subscribers, to loyal customers, to customers who unsubscribe, etc. 

Come Up with Attractive Headline

The headline makes the first impression, and you need that first impression to be good. Therefore, do your best to come up with attention-grabbing headlines.

Headspace gives us a great example of how to captivate the users with an interesting invitation headline:

headspace survey email example

Whether you send an email invitation or use a form on your web, you’ll need a great headline to make an impression. 

If you are embedding the form on the website, make sure that it is done right with the help of FormKeep, a web form integration service. You don’t want to invest your time in creating an amazing headline and engaging invitation just to end up with distorted content. 

Draw the Subscribers In

The first line or two can be determining. If you manage to hook the readers with the very first line, you’ve got them. But if they find it boring, they’ll probably exist the email instantly.

One of the best techniques for grabbing people’s attention is with a question. 

Dorian Martin, a content writing specialist who works for websites that write papers for you, explained why. “Asking a question subconsciously leads people to keep on reading. It’s the innate reaction to the curiosity that questions evoke,” said David. 

Here are some examples to help you get a better idea of what kind of questions you can use:

  • Got a minute to help us out?
  • Do you want to help us improve your experience?

Make the questions user-oriented. If users feel important and appreciated, they’ll be more willing to spend a chunk of their time on your survey.

You can also draw subscribers in with incentives. Incentives are generally a good way to boost subscribers’ interest in surveys. 

However, if you do plan to provide an incentive, mention it right away. For example:

  • You can get 30% off by sharing your thoughts on our products.
  • Share your insight and get 25% off.

Kate Spade‘s survey invitation doubled its power with both a question and incentive. They started with a noticeable “Can we ask you something?” and followed it with a promise of 25% off for subscribers who take the survey. 

Clarify the Goal

Explain in simple language what the purpose of the survey is. Why are you sending that survey to users?

Shopify, for example, explained that they need customer feedback “to help us decide which features to build, and what improvements should be made to our platform.”

shopify survey email example

Express your goal in a manner that shows that you care about the customers. Direct it towards improving customer experience. If customers can see a personal gain from taking that survey, they’ll have a solid reason to take part in it. 

Specify the Time

The thought of taking a survey can signal a time-consuming activity to customers. Break their presumptions. Write in the invitation how long the survey will take. 

To provide customers with an honest prediction, take the survey yourself. Test out how much time you need to complete it. Then, simply write it down in the body of the invitation.

“Giving time estimation is your chance to prove to customers that your survey won’t take much of their time. That can be the prevailing factor for them,” explains a copywriter and contributor writer for best paper writing services, Estelle Liotard.

Really Good Emails invitation is a great example of how to specify the time. Their invitation clearly states that the survey will take only 5 minutes. 

Really Good Emails survey email example

Get Creative

Spark up your invitation with some originality. Instead of imagining it as a boring process, customers can look at the survey as a fun and beneficial experience. That is if you manage to step back from generic invites.

THINX knows how to make survey invites creative. They can provoke a smile on a customer’s face even with the very first sentence (~*First official digital hug*~ Yeah, we just made it a thing).

Don’t be intimidated to follow THINX’s example. If it aligns with your brand’s personality, get creative, and show your authenticity. 

Keep It Simple

Simple and short – that’s what customers want from surveys. Even if you can’t promise the second one, at least make it simple.

Do you wonder how you can simplify the invitation? Then, follow these guidelines:

  • Be direct
  • Use plain language
  • Eliminate empty talk
  • State only necessary information (goals, time, etc.)
  • Avoid jargon and technical terms

Make sure that you provide a clear CTA (call-to-action). Moreover, adding some graphics can make your simple invite more inviting. Here’s an example of the perfect simplicity and graphics combination. 

Diamond Candles survey invitation email examples

Diamond Candles’ invitation has a beautiful image followed by an enticing headline. They stated their goal (reminding customers of important dates) as well as the needed time to complete the survey. The invitation ends with a noticeable CTA. What more could you need?

Final Thoughts

With an effective customer feedback survey invitation, you’ll be on the right path towards improving your business. Motivate customers to take the survey and start collecting valuable feedback. Apply these tips and surprise your customers with a new and improved survey invitation. 


Author bio: Donald Fomby is a professional writer. He’s a freelancer working for various writing services, and his articles mostly focus on marketing and helping businesses do successful brand development.