Editor’s note: Angela McCue is senior manager of field operations at Applied Marketing Science, Waltham, Mass. 

As researchers, we face many challenges, from framing our hypotheses and crafting the right questions to data analysis and storytelling. But recruiting is often overlooked. Finding the right respondents can make or break the success of any study. Recruiting niche audiences or B2B groups can be especially challenging. Many choose to outsource this phase of the research. However, that doesn’t mean you should step away completely and let the recruiters handle it all on their own. Here are four ways that you can help ensure the success of your recruit.

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1. Invest time in making sure you’re speaking with the right people.

As a research client, you know your target audience best. While a screener should be well thought out to ensure you reach exactly who you are looking for, this can be hard, especially when you are looking to speak with a new audience or learn about one you have less experience with. For example, maybe you don’t have the right terms or titles to find the right respondents. When this happens, be honest with your internal team and the fieldwork partners and inform them that there will be a pilot period. This period could last a week or two and helps to overcome the learning curve. The first few interviews may not be with the exact people you need and that’s OK because you’re learning about who isn’t the right fit for your study and how to narrow in on who is. 

Be sure to include the pilot period in your budget. If you need to speed up this process, speak to as many people as possible internally, especially those who may have expertise with the group you are looking for or work directly with them. Let them review the screener and provide feedback on the language used and the questions asked that will deem a respondent qualified or not for the research.

2. Be available to consult with your recruiters.

It is important to be available to your recruiter or internal project manager who is handling the recruiting phase for you. Always remember that while they are the recruiting expert, you are the product and/or industry expert. You have the best chance for a successful recruit when you work together. I recommend having weekly check-in or status meetings – more often if it is an especially difficult audience to recruit or if you have an accelerated timeline. You may not always know going in what to discuss on this call but going over the progress of the recruit to date and understanding the effort that has been made thus far can open an opportunity for collaboration and ideation on how to improve the recruit. 

3. Give examples and share lists.

Throughout the project, be prepared to help the recruiting partners in whatever way you can. This may mean providing examples of specific people who match the criteria you’re looking for or sharing internal lists. Just be sure to set clear expectations in what situations the list(s) can be used. Non-disclosure agreements can always be signed to protect this information. Even if you don’t want an outside recruiter interacting with those particular people, they can do some online research to find others like them and get a better understanding of exactly who you want to speak with. For even harder to reach groups or tighter timelines, you may have to engage more than one recruiting partner and have them use multiple resources available to them. This could mean hiring and managing multiple recruiting companies, using an online DIY recruiting platform or hiring a project manager.

4. Keep a running list of ideas that can be explored to enhance a recruit.

Each recruiting project will bring on its own set of obstacles and, while many of these tips seem obvious, they can easily be overlooked during the field phase. Sometimes we simply get busy and forgetful or enough time wasn’t budgeted in the schedule to explore them. I recommend developing a template or checklist to remind both recruiting partners and market research project managers to go through these ideas to have a comprehensive strategy for even the most challenging studies. For clients, build in extra time whenever possible to allow these strategies to be implemented. 

Here is a list of the types of creative solutions:

  • Program screener on DIY recruiting platform
  • Call, e-mail, fax and/or mail recruiting letters and invitations (this is especially effective if it comes from a contact person they already have a relationship with such as an account manager)
  • Post information about study opportunity online (blogs, social media) or on bulletin boards at places respondents visit
  • Network with key opinion leaders and organizations that have access to the types of respondents you need
  • Pay a publication to e-mail its audience or post an ad 
  • Buy additional sample from leading list providers or relevant associations and publications
  • Go door-to-door and visit businesses that employ your target audience
  • Screen respondents on an online panel and call those who qualify and show interest in the study
  • Offer referral incentives
  • Conduct extensive desk research
  • Combine recruiting partners and resources for access to more networks and databases (but be sure these efforts don’t overlap)

Make or break 

Finding the right respondents can make or break the success of any research engagement. You significantly increase your chances for success when you can successfully partner with your recruiters and project managers.