Composing a good reminder is crucial for the success of your survey. As with the invitation, the subject line, the text and the design of the reminder will determine the click-through rate – that is, how many of your contacts actually click the link. At CheckMarket we use two types of survey reminders: no response and partial response.

‘No response’ survey reminders

This is the reminder for contacts that did not respond to the original invitation. Add the word ‘reminder’ to the subject line to spur the reader to open the mail. In the mail, explain why it is important that the contact responds, why it is relevant to them and what they will get out of it; better service, an incentive, etc.

Here is an example of how you might start the mail:

Recently we invited you to participate in a survey. We noticed that you have not yet responded. We kindly ask that you spend just a few minutes filling out the survey.

‘Partial response’ survey reminders

In this case, the respondent already started the survey but stopped before finishing. Maybe they were interrupted or maybe they thought the survey was too long. This reminder requires even more consideration to be successful.

First off, make it clear that this is not, in fact, a no response reminder or the respondent in question won’t be bothered. Make sure you send the reminder shortly after the respondent’s drop out – one day is best practice. And most importantly, thank them for their time and effort they already put into the survey. Tell them upfront and in bold that they don’t have to start over but they can pick up just where they left off. Here is a sample text, you might use for your survey reminders:

Recently, you started to fill in our survey, but you did not finish it. Would you please take the time to complete the rest of the survey. By following the link below you will return to the survey where you stopped.

Using the above tips can easily result in a ten-fold increase in the click-through rate.