Posts Tagged ‘Public Relations’
Thursday, October 14th, 2010
Should you state a survey’s margin of error in your press release when pitching a story to the media? In our view, the answer is no. Why not? Because margins of error refer to sampling error only, not about the overall accuracy or error of the survey itself.
But how many readers of your news story understand what sampling error is? For that matter, how many researchers understand what sampling error is? It was only after four college semesters of advanced mathematical statistics that I finally “got it.” More importantly, how many readers understand that there are many other potential sources of survey error? Most undoubtedly assume that all error is somehow accounted for when you confidently proclaim the margin of error being ±4%. (Or, more absurdly, ±3.6% or even ±3.57% — examples of phony accuracy like this are all too easy to find.)
In short, margins of error are misleading because they deal with only one source of error. They convey a false sense of accuracy. And they should not be used. This idea is not always popular among colleagues and clients. But take comfort: One of the giants of public polling, Harris Interactive, refuses to report margins of error in its work, for precisely the reasons outlined above. Here we quote their methodological statement that accompanies every press release and report they issue: (more…)
Tags: ethics, media, Public Polls, Public Relations, Sampling, statistics
Posted in Presenting Research, Public Polls, Public Relations | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
We are strong advocates of using surveys for public relations outreach. Commissioning surveys that answer interesting questions to help drive news stories and other types of communication can build a credible foundation so that journalists and other audiences take note and listen. But we are not fans of silly surveys that rely on outlandish, sexy, or clever comparisons designed primarily to get quick flashes of attention and media hits.
There are three tiers of survey research common in public relations, only two of which can truly optimize your PR: (more…)
Tags: journalism, media, news, omnibus, Public Relations, research, trust
Posted in Public Relations | No Comments »
Thursday, July 15th, 2010
Clients tell us that one of the biggest challenges they face is writing great research reports. There is the overwhelming difficulty of turning data into stories — making sense of volumes of data without losing the big picture or the details. And there is the difficulty of truly communicating research so that it is heard, understood, believed, and ultimately used.
We were reminded of the importance of communication and writing research for multiple audiences from Eric Zorn’s recent column in the Chicago Tribune, from which we quote: (more…)
Tags: communication, journalism, media, Public Relations, qualitative research, research reports, stories
Posted in Presenting Research, Public Relations, Turning Data into Stories | No Comments »
Friday, May 14th, 2010
Choosing an omnibus survey can be a simple approach to getting survey data, because it is usually inexpensive and fast, and involves asking just a few questions. But there is sometimes a downside to simplicity: You have just a few questions to get that nugget of data you’re hoping to use as a news hook or to provide insight to your client. If your key questions are off target, you can’t turn to other content in your survey to find something usable.
Here are four tips for writing omnibus survey questions to ensure that your effort is successful: (more…)
Tags: omnibus, Public Relations, Survey Design
Posted in Omnibus Surveys, Public Polls, Public Relations, Survey Design, Survey Tips | No Comments »
Thursday, December 31st, 2009
As an industry driven by data and information, market research and public opinion polling has seen dramatic changes in the last ten years and will no doubt change quickly and in big ways during the next ten.
Looking back, here are what we consider to be the five biggest changes that shaped current challenges faced by market research and opinion polling: (more…)
Tags: communication, data, Data Collection, data quality, Market Research, mathematics, media, online, Online Surveys, public opinion, Public Polls, Public Relations, research, Sampling, statistics, stories, survey, survey respondents, survey technology
Posted in Data Collection, Future Trends, Market Research, Methods & Tools, Online Surveys, Presenting Research, Public Polls, Public Relations, Sampling, Turning Data into Stories, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, November 20th, 2009
Five of Chicago’s PR leaders gathered at a PRSA forum this week to discuss current trends and the future of public relations. The discussion was striking in how fully it echoed the trends and challenges facing the polling and research industry, and what we need to do to keep our eye on the ball. Here are a few take-away ideas from that forum that apply to both PR professionals and their research partners: (more…)
Tags: communication, data, insight, journalism, media, Public Polls, Public Relations, research, stories, survey, value
Posted in Future Trends, Presenting Research, Public Relations, Turning Data into Stories, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Thursday, November 5th, 2009
In a recent blog post entitled Data-Driven Journalism, Walker Sands, a Chicago PR agency, outlined two ways to get media placement for your company or your client with research. The premise is that journalists and readers are hungry for interesting stories, and in today’s data-driven world some of the most interesting stories come from – of all places – statistics. Ken Gaebler, founder of the agency, notes that there are two effective approaches. In his words, “You can mine data or you can make data.” (more…)
Tags: data, journalism, media, news, public opinion, Public Polls, Public Relations, research, statistics, stories, survey
Posted in Public Polls, Public Relations, Turning Data into Stories | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
A public relations client early in my career gave this assessment of my work: “Joe is strong at highlighting problems, but what I really care about is solutions.” That was many years ago, after I left university teaching and started doing client work full time. Her words have stayed with me and deeply shaped the work that Versta does.
I was reminded of it when I came across this survey about fear of needles. It reports statistics on how many are fearful of needles and avoiding medical care as a result. But it’s a story begging for a conclusion, which the press release authors and survey designers forgot to include. It is a good example of highlighting problems, but not offering solutions. If you’re a motivated reader of that story, you can fill in the conclusion by reading the paragraph at the bottom about the sponsoring healthcare company’s business, but how many people read that, and how often does such information make it into a story picked up by the press? (more…)
Tags: Public Relations, statistics, stories, survey, Survey Design
Posted in Public Relations, Survey Design, Survey Tips, Turning Data into Stories, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
Mistakes to Avoid when Conducting a Public Relations Survey
Surveys and polls can be powerful tools to understand what people are thinking and doing, and they can provide good data for public relations efforts and community outreach. Unfortunately they can also be gimmicks, which erodes trust in polling and in the organizations sponsoring them.
(more…)
Tags: bias, census, population, public opinion, Public Polls, Public Relations, Sampling, trust
Posted in Public Polls, Public Relations, Sampling | 1 Comment »