Why Insights Improve When Survey Respondents Pay You

Do you really trust survey responses?

We ran a study recently trying to compare all of the most popular survey tools and methodologies. What we found surprised us.

Identify Your Audience Before Your Launch

How do you gather insights about an innovative hardware product concept before the launch?

We wanted to understand who the product’s ideal customer was, how much they were willing to pay, how they would use the product, and how they would improve it. And we needed to be sure the insights we gathered were trustworthy and valuable.

Paying $5 vs Charging $5

We gave the same instructions to each survey tool, identified similar niche audiences, and asked them the same questions. 

The only difference was that while all survey platforms required us to pay respondents $5 to participate, on Prelaunch.com people paid us $5 to participate.

This $5 deposit ‘reserves’ respondents the right to purchase the product at launch and is the most reliable indicator of future purchase intent.

Valuable Responses Only Come From Those Who Understand the Value

All paid surveys followed a similar pattern. Respondents gave the bare minimum that was required of them — short, vanilla responses.

On Prelaunch.com, the opposite was true.

People had strong, varied opinions — going to great lengths to explain their needs in detail. 

And while paid respondents rarely deviated from the mean — 55% chose neutral answers, only 7% chose extreme options — those who paid were more inclined to be themselves — with over 60% choosing either ‘extremely important’ or ‘not important at all’ — indicating more direct feedback and their investment in developing a better product. 

Skin in the Game — the Prelaunch.com Framework

When respondents have skin in the game, they're incentivized to provide more detailed, personal, and insightful feedback. 

When there’s a clear link between the feedback they give and the quality of the product they’ll soon own, why not make it as valuable as possible?

Using AI to Turn Qualitative Responses into Actionable Insights

This deposit is the first step to understanding customers. It validates customer responses and is also a great way to discover new audiences that brands weren’t originally targeting. 

Brands then use Prelaunch.com’s AI to analyze and cluster thousands of responses, discovering hidden patterns and unexpected insights. And follow up with additional surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews — iterating through product development together with their customers to guarantee a successful product launch.