Take a close look at
front section of specialized magazines, and you'll often find little articles highlighting results of some study or poll conducted by some private company or other. Research data is also often cited by general-interest publications like USA Today and network newscasts. You don't need a Fortune 500 sized budget to undertake a newsworthy study, or to receive coverage for it, either to your industry or general public.The scope and rigor of a study or poll are usually not criteria governing whether or not it's considered worthy of attention. Rather, reporters and editors judge newsworthiness of research according to its pertinence for their audience, its novelty and its surprise quotient. If study results seem likely to provoke a "Wow!" or "Interesting!" in audience, then they have a good shot at earning media coverage.
Working backward, then, to how you would design a research question or poll with a promising potential for ink and air time, here are some guidelines.
* The answer to question is not obvious and not already known.
* Those interviewed would want to know how others answered question.
* It pertains to a topic that is either perennially or currently of interest to a particular audience or general public.
* It's probably a qualitative question rather than answerable with "yes" or "no."
* The answers will subtly promote you, sponsor of research, without seeming overly self-serving.
For instance, if you're a moving company, asking "What quality would you rank as #1 in importance when you're looking for a moving company?" would not be as compelling as "When you're moving, what household item are you most concerned about getting lost or damaged?" If you're a chain of Italian restaurants, a good question would be "Which Italian dish gives you greatest feeling of nostalgia?" A management consultant might profitably ask executives, "What mistakes do you see your vendors making in today's down economy?"
