Calling all publishers, editors, journalists and freelance writers. It is time to breathe more life into your copy. Turn your articles into living pieces that spark measurable debate and that allows you to engage with your readers mind and soul - we’re talking revolution.
As it was in the beginning
Publishers have for many years relied on letters to get feedback from their readers and although email has opened up this method of communication it is still time consuming and difficult to monitor and process, and for the more popular articles, it is either a case of only a fraction of the received correspondence ever being used, or where online comments have been allowed, well written and good comments can be buried under poorly written and abusive comments.
As well as being an overhead for the publisher, it can also be an unrewarding medium in terms of the amount of effort required and response that is received, just consider the number of letters that go unread and unpublished.
As it is now
The Internet has brought new channels of communication and has opened up opportunities that allow us to challenge traditional methods. Now a mature technology, the Internet is no longer the preserve of geeks and nerds but a technology that has been embraced by the global population, the young and the old, that invites new ways of doing things. Newspapers, trade journals, magazines and ezines now have the opportunity to change the mental process.
Readers like to have the opportunity to comment and traditionally they may have composed a letter or send an email or write a comment. Emails make the process of communication easier but it still takes time to compose an email and time for the majority, is what they haven’t got.
Although interesting a letters page or a list of comments are at best a sample of views or an endless unmanaged list of comments; a letter may be well crafted and well written letter but due to the free text form it is difficult, or near impossible, to measure.
As it should be
Now consider the advantages of linking articles to online surveys where as a publisher you will have the ability to obtain valuable readership feedback in a form that can be easily measured. Just as important as you communicating with your readers is providing your readers with a channel to communicate with you; a method where they know it will count.
Do you want to deliver a snapshot of opinion? How much did they like the article? Did the sentiments expressed in the article have the support of the audience or do the readers have a different view?
Now it is easy
Historically surveys would have taken considerable effort to design and publish and altogether was a process too long winded and often reserved only for the niche and bigger topics.
However, using a hosted survey site surveys and questionnaires can be created and published via the Internet by anyone who has a pulse. Professional looking questionnaires and surveys created in minutes make the perfect complement to articles that prompt opinion and debate.
The advantage over letters, e-mails and comments are that with online surveys all the feedback gathered is managed and measured and online survey websites can provide you with surveys and real time charts that you can keep private or share with your readers.
By linking each article to an online survey it will not only extend the life of the article, as people have a channel to express their views, but it will involve your readers in the discussion and in a way where they know their opinion will be counted.
If you think they would rather send an email? - not a problem - just include the facility within the survey and get the best of both worlds.
It’s fast, low cost, and easy to do; it will engage and empower the reader, provide excellent feedback and having established a dialogue you then have the opportunity to link to other related articles.
Join the revolution and have your say about this article here:- Readership Feedback Survey