What questions should a local newsletter ask new subscribers?

On one of my lists, 83 people out of 5,600 said they weren't interested in local deals. That means about 98.5% of subscribers told me they want deals. That one question is worth more than a dozen "what should we cover" questions.

What's on my survey?

1. Where do you live? City or zip code, always first. It tells people this really is local, not some random thing.
2. Which local deals and giveaways interest you? We work with businesses on deals, so this sets that up.
3. Age.
4. Do you own or rent?
5. Do you have kids?
6. Do you have pets?
7. Do you own or run a local business? Usually 15% to 20% say yes.
8. Are you thinking about buying or selling a home in the next 12 months?
9. Phone number, optional.
10. Write-ins, optional, at the end.

Why ask about deals?

Two reasons. First, it's a subtle sales pitch: you told us you want deals, so when we send deals you can't complain.

Second, it's psychological. The page before already mentioned deals, and now we're asking which ones you want. You start expecting something, and you get excited to finish the form. I haven't A/B tested that, but it's why the question stays.

Which questions should you cut?

Anything you can't segment or sell on. I used to ask "what's your favorite local restaurant?" It's free-form, I couldn't do anything with it, so it's gone from my newer surveys.

I also ask "what do you care about most?" Spoiler: the answer is always events. Readers still care about everything else.

"The way I think about it is what can you use?"

What do the answers actually do?

• Business owners get segmented emails about advertising or digital marketing.
• Home buyers and sellers can be routed to a real estate partner. On one brand I launched with a real estate agent, a yes on buying or selling in the next 12 months surfaces the agent's card and sends the lead straight to them.
• Kids, pets, own or rent decide which offers someone sees and which segments they land in.
• Everything sets you up for more personalized newsletters later. You can't go back and collect it from people who already subscribed.

For senior audiences, the questions get more pointed: are you considering downsizing in the next two years, thinking about senior living, wanting hearing aids. They answer at around 80%, and every one of those answers is a lead.

How did I write mine?

I described the brand and my goals to ChatGPT and asked it for the best 10 questions. Then I cut anything I couldn't use. Something like this works:

I run a free local newsletter called [name] covering [area].
I make money from [local ads / deals / lead partners / donations].
Write the 10 best signup survey questions for new subscribers.
For each question, tell me how I'd segment or sell on the answer.
Put a location question first. Keep answer options to six or fewer.

Plan the questions carefully before you launch. In Beehiiv's built-in survey, you can't edit a survey after you create it, which is why my older brands are missing the business-owner question.