When planning newsmaker surveys, many companies instinctively focus on their ideal customer profile (ICP) for respondent targeting. While this laser-focused approach makes sense for product development and sales enablement research, in many cases it can actually work against you for media-worthy studies.
Here’s why casting a wider net often works better for press coverage:
- Journalists want the big picture– Reporters are looking for trends that appeal to their general readership. A study of “usage of generative AI in IT, healthcare, and retail firms with 1,000 to 4,999 employees” is far less compelling than research covering “usage of generative AI in enterprises.”
- Get a bigger sample size– Narrowly targeted samples require more screening questions and higher costs per complete to reach qualified respondents. With the same budget, you could survey a much larger general population sample, giving your results more statistical weight and credibility with media. For instance, for $10K, you can survey 100 industry execs, 250 industry workers, 1,000 small business owners, or 2,000 consumers.
- Comparative insights create better stories– When you survey beyond your ICP, you can analyze how your target audience differs from the broader population. These contrasts often generate the most interesting headlines and coverage angles. For instance, one client was targeting Millennials, but by surveying all ages they were able to pitch generational differences to the media.
The takeaway? Save your ICP targeting for research that directly informs product and sales decisions. For newsmaker surveys, think bigger. Embrace broader audience definitions that give journalists the comprehensive trends and statistics they need to tell compelling stories.
Want the best of both worlds? You can cross-tabulate your ICP against the other groups in your survey to see what they thought, and how they differ. Perhaps a modest oversample won’t break the bank, while weighting can bring the topline results back in sync with the general audience you’re researching.
A wider lens not only generates better media coverage—it’s also more economical. That’s the kind of ROI any marketing team can appreciate.
Author Notes:
Jeffrey Henning
