You wrote three taglines and you love the wrong one. A messaging and claims testing survey shows each message to your target audience and scores it, so the line you launch is the one that drives action rather than the one you happen to like. These five templates cover the pre-launch work: market research, ad copy, messaging and claims, and competitor comparison.
On SurveyMonkey, message and claims testing uses a monadic method, where each respondent sees one message in isolation, which removes order bias. Every message is rated on the same attributes: appeal, uniqueness, clarity, believability, and purchase intent. The platform scores each one with Top 2 Box, the share choosing one of the two most positive options, and flags which differences are statistically significant. AI auto-insights then surface the winning message and explain why.
You can test up to 10 concepts in one study, plus up to five benchmarks for a 15-column result set. To screen a larger pool, idea screening handles up to 20 stimuli with 15 attributes each. Respondents come from the SurveyMonkey Audience panel, which reaches more than 1 million active US panelists and 19 million globally through partner panels.
How to create a messaging and claims testing survey
Pick one of the five templates on this page, or start from the messaging and claims testing template.
Enter your messages as text. Add two to 10 taglines, value props, or claims using the rich-text input.
Choose the attributes to measure. The five defaults fit most messaging decisions: appeal, uniqueness, clarity, believability, and purchase intent.
Add up to five benchmarks if you want to compare against past winners or category norms.
Set your audience through the Audience panel and target by demographics like age, location, and income.
Launch and read results. Each respondent rates one message, then the dashboard ranks Top 2 Box scores, flags significant gaps, and names the winner.
When to use messaging and claims testing surveys
Tagline and slogan selection: Put your finalist lines in front of buyers and let the scores choose, not the room.
Value-proposition testing: Find which way of describing the product moves purchase intent the most.
Product claim validation: Check that a claim reads as clear and believable before it goes on the pack or the page.
Ad copy testing: Score written ad and paid-search copy with the ad copy testing template before you buy the clicks.
Competitor message comparison: See how your message performs next to the alternatives in your category.
Who runs messaging and claims testing surveys
Marketing and brand managers: They lock the message before a campaign launches and need a scored winner to back the call.
Product marketers: They test value propositions and positioning lines ahead of a release.
Market research and insights leads: They validate messaging with significance-tested data their stakeholders will trust.
Tips for creating a messaging and claims testing survey
Keep each respondent on one message: Monadic testing removes order bias, so one rater equals one clean read on a single concept.
Measure only the attributes that decide it: Appeal, clarity, and purchase intent usually carry the call, so trim the rest to protect the 99.6% short-survey completion rate.
Screen wide before you test deep: Use idea screening to narrow up to 20 early ideas, then run the survivors through a full monadic test.
Read significance, not just rank: Act on gaps the platform flags as statistically significant so you launch on signal rather than noise.
Frequently asked questions about messaging and claims testing surveys
How many messages or claims can I test at once?
A single study holds up to 10 concepts, plus up to five benchmarks for a 15-column result set. Each respondent still sees only one message, so the comparison stays monadic and order-bias-free. When you need to narrow a larger pool first, idea screening handles up to 20 stimuli with 15 attributes each, so you screen wide and then test your finalists in depth.
How does SurveyMonkey decide which message wins?
Every message is scored with Top 2 Box, the percentage of respondents choosing one of the two most positive answer options. The platform flags which gaps between messages are statistically significant, so you do not act on noise. AI auto-insights then surface the winning message and explain why it pulled ahead, turning a stack of ratings into a decision you can defend.
What is the difference between message testing and ad testing?
Message testing evaluates text: taglines, claims, and value propositions entered as rich-text. Ad testing evaluates finished visual or video creative. Both run the same monadic method and rate the same core attributes, including appeal, believability, and purchase intent. Choose message testing when you are deciding what to say, and ad testing when you are deciding how it looks.
How many respondents do I need to test a message?
Reach your target market through the Audience panel, more than 1 million active US panelists and 19 million globally through partner panels. The platform flags statistical significance automatically, so you know when a winner is real rather than a coin flip. Size up if you plan to break results out by subgroup, since each cut you present needs enough responses to read cleanly on its own.
Can I compare a new message against past campaigns?
Yes. Add up to five benchmarks alongside your live concepts, so a new tagline is scored against prior winners or category norms in the same study. Benchmarking controls for how your audience tends to use the rating scale, which makes a Top 2 Box gain more meaningful than an absolute number on its own.
