What questions should I ask in a content marketing survey?

Focus on topics, formats, and habits. Ask which subjects your audience wants covered, which formats they prefer (article, video, podcast), how often they want to hear from you, and which sources they already trust. Add one open-ended question on the topic you have not covered that they would find most useful. Keep the total to 10 questions or fewer, since completion holds at 98.0% in that range.

How do I use a content marketing survey to improve my strategy?

Cross-reference stated topic preferences with your existing analytics. When survey data and traffic data agree, that is your highest-confidence content bet; when they diverge, the survey often reveals topics your audience wants but cannot find yet. Run sentiment analysis on the open-ended answers to group themes quickly, then feed those themes straight into the editorial calendar.

How do I reach the right audience for a content marketing survey?

With an existing list, send to subscribers or customers by email or web link. For a target market you do not yet serve, use the Audience panel and filter by demographics, job title, or industry. For content decisions, reaching the right respondents matters more than raw sample size, since a focused audience tells you exactly which topics to commission.

How often should I run a content marketing survey?

A quarterly pulse of five to eight questions suits most content teams. It catches seasonal shifts without wearing out your list. Layer a deeper annual survey when you plan a major editorial refresh or a new channel. Between scheduled runs, a two- or three-question embed in a newsletter surfaces emerging topics fast while keeping completion high.

How long should a content marketing survey be?

Aim for 10 questions or fewer. Templates here average 7.8 questions, and completion reaches 98.0% in that band, against just 58.7% past 21. If your draft runs longer, prioritize ruthlessly or split it into two shorter surveys for different audience segments rather than risk losing respondents partway through.

Content Marketing Survey Templates (7 Surveys)

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Content marketing survey templates

Customer Satisfaction Survey Template For Advertising Agencies

Used 634,000+ times

Measure agency success with the Customer Satisfaction Survey Template for Advertising Agencies from SurveyMonkey. Collect feedback to enhance services and exceed client expectations!

Customer Comments Survey Template

Used 9,000+ times

Trusted by many, our expert-certified Customer Comments survey template has been used over 1,000 times, offering sample questions and powerful analytics.

Online Shopping Attitudes Survey Template

Used 1,000+ times

Explore online shopping habits and privacy concerns with our expert-certified survey template, used over 1,000 times for gaining reliable insights.

Online Content Strategy Survey Template

Used 1,000+ times

Check out our expert-certified Online Content Strategy survey template. From sample questions to powerful analytics, we make it easy to get feedback.

Podcast Survey Template

Enhance your podcast with feedback from the Podcast Survey Template from SurveyMonkey. Collect listener insights to refine content and grow your audience.

Customer Experience Survey Template

Use our expert-approved survey template to understand if your product/service is meeting customers’ needs, pinpoint how responsive customers think your team is, and more! You can also edit/add questions to make our customer experience survey your own.

Blogging Survey Template

Check out our expert-certified Blogging survey template. From sample questions to powerful analytics, we make it easy to get feedback.

Content marketing survey templates at a glance

Stat	Figure
Total content marketing templates	7
Most-used template	Customer experience survey
Short survey completion rate (1-10 questions)	98.0%
Medium survey completion rate (11-20 questions)	90.1%
Long survey completion rate (21+ questions)	58.7%
Overall completion rate	94.3%
Average question count	7.8

What are content marketing surveys?

What topic does your audience want next? Analytics tell you what they clicked, but not what they wish you had published. A content marketing survey closes that gap by asking directly, so your editorial calendar follows demand rather than guesswork. A content marketing survey captures what your audience wants to read, watch, or listen to, so you invest production time in topics and formats they have already asked for. These seven templates give you a tested start for audience research, format studies, and the original research reports content teams publish as thought leadership.

You build from multiple-choice, ranking, rating, and open-ended questions, capturing both the preference and the reasoning behind it. Survey your own subscribers and customers, or use the SurveyMonkey Audience panel to reach a target audience you have not connected with yet, which helps when you are entering a new market or testing a new channel. A built-in survey score predicts completion before launch and flags questions likely to slow respondents down.

Templates in this category complete at a 94.3% average rate across about eight questions. Completion holds at 98.0% for surveys of 1-10 questions, slips to 90.1% through 20, then falls to 58.7% past 21. That nearly 40-point drop is the sharpest reason to keep an audience survey short.

For turning survey findings into original research and content reports, see the ultimate guide to surveys for content marketing.

How to create a content marketing survey

Start from one of the seven templates here, or open the customer experience survey template as a base.
Add your core question on the topics, formats, or channels your audience prefers, using multiple-choice or ranking questions.
Add one open-ended follow-up asking respondents to explain their top choice, since that is where the editorial insight sits.
Apply your brand colors and logo so the survey reads as yours.
Choose distribution: email your subscriber list, share a web link, or use the Audience panel to reach a target demographic.
Launch, then review results with sentiment analysis on the open-ended answers and dashboards that track how preferences shift over time.

When to use content marketing surveys

Planning the editorial calendar: Ask which topics your audience wants more of before you commit production time, so you validate ideas instead of discovering low interest after publishing.
Producing original research: Survey your target market and publish the findings as a report. Data-backed content earns credibility and links, and the marketing survey software page shows how marketing teams structure that research.
Launching a new channel: Before you start a podcast, video series, or newsletter, survey your existing audience to confirm interest and preferred format.
Measuring content performance: Ask readers how useful your content is, whether it helps them do their jobs, and what is missing, then pair scores with comments for direction.
Understanding an unfamiliar audience: Use the Audience panel to reach a demographic you do not yet serve and learn what they read and trust.

Who runs content marketing surveys

Content marketing managers: They own the editorial calendar and need audience data to prioritize topics and formats with evidence rather than instinct.
Marketing managers and directors: They allocate budget across content channels and want data showing which formats and topics tie to audience demand.
Brand and editorial teams: They set tone, messaging, and content pillars, and use audience surveys to check whether their assumptions about reader interest hold.
Agencies and consultants: They run original research for clients, turning the results into reports that double as lead magnets and media pitches.
Podcast hosts and newsletter editors: They poll subscribers on topics, guests, and frequency to keep their audience engaged.

Tips for creating a content marketing survey

Cap it at 10 questions: Completion reaches 98.0% in the 1-10 range and collapses to 58.7% past 21, so a focused survey of seven or eight questions beats a long one every time.
Add one open-ended question: Preference ratings tell you what your audience likes; the open-ended follow-up tells you why, which is the part you can act on.
Use the Audience panel for net-new reach: When you need an audience you do not know yet, the panel taps more than 1 million US respondents, targetable by demographics, industry, or job role.
Check the survey score before sending: It predicts your completion rate and flags questions that may cause drop-off, so you can fix them before launch.

Frequently asked questions about content marketing surveys

What questions should I ask in a content marketing survey?
How do I use a content marketing survey to improve my strategy?
How do I reach the right audience for a content marketing survey?
How often should I run a content marketing survey?
How long should a content marketing survey be?

Related categories

Market research surveys · Consumer behavior surveys · Brand tracking surveys · Customer feedback surveys · Voice of the customer surveys