Alert questions that show which alerts are worth the interruption
Ask readers how many alerts feel right, which kinds they want and why some turned them off. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What news alert survey questions tell you
News alert survey questions ask readers how many alerts feel right, which kinds are worth an interruption, when alerts should stay quiet and why some readers turned them off. Open rates show which alerts were tapped. These answers show which ones readers wish you had never sent.
Ask a day after a big story for usefulness and writing, and every few months for volume and quiet hours. Usertick runs on the website and in web apps, and a phone app can open the survey's link, so put the link in the app's settings, the newsletter or the end of an article, and pick three to five questions.
Each written answer gets a theme and a sentiment, so complaints about one kind of alert gather in one place. Give each response an owner in the inbox, and post answers to the news desk in Slack or Microsoft Teams with a workflow.
- Questions
- 13
- Best asked
- A day after a big alert, or every few months
- Industry
- Media
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 13 news alerts questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
How many alerts and when
Volume and quiet hours, asked every few months so you can compare periods as your alert policy changes.
- 02Multiple choice
How many alerts do you get?
The reader's verdict on volume: too few, about right or too many. Results shows a donut with each share; ask it monthly and watch the share who said too many after a busy news week.
- 08Ruler
How many alerts a day feel right?
The number of alerts a day that feels right, on a ruler up to twelve. Results shows the median and the middle half, a fair daily limit for the desk to hold.
- 09Dropdown
When should we hold alerts back?
When alerts should wait, from overnight to the weekend. Results shows each share and count; use the leading answer to set default quiet hours.
- 06Date
What time should alerts stop at night?
Asks when alerts should stop at night, though a date question gives readers a calendar of days. Change the answer type to Dropdown with a few times before you use it.
Which alerts are worth it
Ask these a day after a big story, while readers remember what landed on their screen.
- 03Multiple choice
Which alerts are worth sending you?
Readers pick every kind of alert worth sending, from breaking news to weather. Results shows a bar per kind, a guide for which alert topics to offer as a choice.
- 04Big scale
How useful was the last alert you got?
How useful the last alert was, from one to ten. Results shows the average and a column per step; ask it within a day of a big alert so readers remember it.
- 13Text
What would make an alert worth interrupting your day?
An open question on what earns an interruption. Each answer gets a theme, and the themes give the desk a working rule for what goes out as an alert.
- 05Text
Which alert should never have been sent?
An open question for the alert that should have stayed unsent. Each answer gets a theme and a sentiment, and repeated complaints about one alert type are worth raising with the desk.
Readers who turned alerts off
Start with whether alerts are on, then ask those who switched them off what went wrong.
- 01Yes / No
Do you have our alerts turned on?
Splits readers with alerts on from those who turned them off or never had them. Select No in Results to read why those readers stay away.
- 07Multiple choice
What made you turn alerts off?
The reason a reader turned alerts off, with an option for those who still have them. Results shows each share; bad timing points to quiet hours, too many alerts to a lower daily limit.
Speed and writing
How the alerts themselves read and how fast they arrive, for the desk that writes them.
- 10Stars
How well written are the alerts?
A five star rating for how alerts are written. Results shows the average and the share who gave four or more; a low score points to vague or teasing wording.
- 12Multiple choice
How fast are we with breaking news?
Whether you beat other outlets to breaking news, in three answers. Read it with the usefulness score, since speed matters less when the alert says little.
- 11Number
How many alerts did you open this week?
How many alerts the reader opened this week, typed as a number. Results shows the median and the middle half, which you can set next to the number you sent.
Tips for asking about news alerts
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask a day after a big story
Run the usefulness and volume questions within a day of a major alert, while readers remember it.
- 02
Reach readers outside the app
A phone app can open the survey's link, and the same survey can run on the website. Add the link to your newsletter and the end of an article as well.
- 03
Ask readers who turned alerts off
Readers with alerts off can still answer on the site, and their reasons point to what the desk should change.
- 04
Fix the night time question first
Change the stop time question to a Dropdown with a few times before you add it, so readers pick an hour.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about news alerts
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
Usertick runs on websites and web apps, and a phone app can open the survey's link. Put the link in your app's settings, in the newsletter or at the end of an article, or run the survey on the website.
Three to five: whether alerts are on, how many feel right, which kinds are worth sending and an open question about the last alert.
A day after a big story for usefulness and writing, and every few months for volume and quiet hours, so you can compare periods in Results.
Yes. Run the survey on the website or in the newsletter, where readers without alerts still see it, and start with whether their alerts are on.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
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