Back to the Basics - Conducting a Successful Readership Survey, by Lewis Copulsky, Lewis&Clark
A version of this article appeared in Signature magazine, March 2010

There is an old proverb that goes “if you do not know about a problem or a misdeed, you will not be able to make yourself unhappy by worrying about it." In the world of publishing though, if you do not know about a problem, you will be unable to fix it and may well lose readers and advertisers as a result.

Uncovering problems before they get out of hand is just one reason to conduct a readership survey. You might want to gather demographic information for prospective advertisers or evaluate readers’ needs and interests to better shape content. You might also be contemplating a change in areas such as format (e.g. print to digital), pricing, or frequency and want to solicit reader input before making a decision.

While the Internet may have made it easier to conduct a readership survey, conducting one that provides the information you need is still a challenge. By paying attention to just a handful of basics, though, you can help ensure reliable, actionable results:

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