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When I search Google News for "surveys," I get nearly 50,000
results. When I search for "stocks," I get about 54,000. The
media love polls and surveys.
Here are just a few headlines in the news as I write this,
generated directly from surveys:
Survey: CEOs cut expectations of economy Survey: Israelis more
depressed, anxious than Western Europeans Survey shows farmers
aware of soybean rust
As you can see, surveys are used for just about any industry.
Why not yours?
If you’re the expert on bankers, or single parents, there’s
hardly a better way to tell the media than by releasing surveys
of your market group. It’s easy to do – almost all media outlets
accept informal or online polling.
You don't have to hire a research company, you can just have
clients or colleagues check a few boxes on a photocopied form.
You don't have to release a massive book of results, you can
just send media people a press release highlighting the most
newsworthy responses.
The general media aren’t professional journals: they don’t
insist on strict statistical methodology. They just want a good
story.
That said, you should never make up a result or falsely
represent your data. Media folks aren't likely to double check
the information you give them, but you want to be able to
present accurate, truthful results if they do.
About the author:
Ned Steele works with people in professional services who want
to build their practice and accelerate their growth. The
president of Ned Steele's MediaImpact, he is the author of 102
Publicity Tips To Grow a Business or Practice. To learn more
visit http://www.MediaImpact.biz or call 212-243-8383.
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