How to Send a Questionnaire by Email​

To email a questionnaire, start by building it in an online survey tool such as Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, or SurveyMonkey. Publish the form, copy its unique link, and paste that link into a regular email. Add a strong subject line and a brief explanation of the survey’s purpose, then send the message to your intended recipients.

Sending a questionnaire by email sounds simple: write some questions, hit “send”, and wait for answers. But anyone who’s actually tried knows it’s rarely that easy. Inboxes are noisy, people are busy, and surveys often get deleted before they’re even opened.

The good news? With the right approach, email questionnaires can deliver high-quality insights quickly and at scale. They’re affordable, accessible, and incredibly versatile — whether you’re measuring customer satisfaction, running employee feedback loops, or conducting academic research.

Here’s how to do it right.

Key Takeaways

• Email questionnaires are only effective when they’re short, clear, and easy to complete.
• The distribution method matters: web-based forms outperform attachments every time.
• Subject lines and incentives can make or break your response rate.
• Testing your questionnaire before launch avoids costly mistakes (like broken links or anonymity errors).
• The right software (Google Forms, Typeform, SurveyMonkey, etc.) saves time and improves data quality.
• Case studies show that simple changes — like removing attachments and personalising emails — can boost responses by up to 40%.

What is an Email Questionnaire?

An email questionnaire is a set of questions sent via email to collect information from a defined audience. The delivery method matters just as much as the questions themselves:

• Embedded in the email body → Best for 1–2 quick questions (“How was your last purchase? 👍 👎”). Great for micro-feedback.
• Linked to a web-based form (Google Forms, Typeform, SurveyMonkey, etc.) → The most common and effective method. Clean data, easy analysis, and more flexibility.
• As an attachment (Word, PDF) → Technically possible, but expect dismal response rates. Few people bother downloading, filling in, and re-attaching.

Pro tip: If you care about response volume, avoid attachments. One extra click can cut participation in half.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Email Questionnaires

Expert note: Use email questionnaires for breadth. For depth, pair them with interviews or focus groups.

How to Send a Questionnaire by Email (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Define Your Objectives

Be crystal clear about your purpose.

Bad goal: “Get feedback.”

Good goal: “Measure customer satisfaction with our new onboarding process in order to identify drop-off points”.

Pro tip: Write your goal as if you’re briefing a colleague. If it’s vague, your questionnaire will be too.

Step 2: Design Your Questionnaire

A well-designed survey respects the respondent’s time.

• Keep it under 10 questions. More than that and completion rates plummet.
• Start with easy, engaging questions.
• Use clear, neutral language.
• Mix multiple-choice, scale, and open-ended questions (sparingly).
• Group related questions into sections for better flow.

Bad question: “Don’t you agree our customer service is excellent?”
Good question: “On a scale of 1–5, how would you rate our customer service?”

Real-world example: According to SurveyMonkey benchmarks, surveys with more than 10 questions see completion rates drop sharply, with shorter surveys (under 7 questions) performing significantly better. This shows that brevity directly influences response rates.

Step 3: Choose Your Distribution Method

Most of the time, a web-based form is your best option.

Example: A 2022 academic study on student course evaluations found that moving from emailed PDF forms to an online tool increased response rates by over 20%. The lesson? Every extra step (like downloading an attachment) adds friction that discourages participation.

Step 4: Craft the Email Invitation

This is where most surveys succeed or fail. Your email isn’t admin — it’s marketing.

Bad invite:
Subject: “Survey”
Body: “Dear customer, please fill out the attached survey. Thank you.”

Good invite:
Subject: “Got 2 minutes? Help us improve your delivery experience 🚚”
Body:
“Hi Sarah,
We’re always looking for ways to make your orders smoother. Could you share your experience in our 3-question survey? 👉 [Take the Survey]

As a thank-you, you’ll get $5 off your next order.
Thanks for your help,
— The [Company Name] Team”

Industry insight: Research by Campaign Monitor shows personalised subject lines can improve open rates by 26%. That’s why naming the recipient and being specific (“3-question survey,” “2 minutes”) works far better than vague requests.

Step 5: Test Before Sending

Always run a test with colleagues or friends.

Checklist:

• Any typos or confusing phrasing?
• Does the link work on mobile?
• Is completion time what you promised?
• Are anonymous settings (if needed) switched on?

Example: In employee engagement research, SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) highlights the importance of anonymity. Staff are more likely to give honest feedback if they know their responses can’t be traced back. Forgetting to enable anonymous mode is one of the most common mistakes organisations make when testing surveys internally.

Step 6: Send and Monitor

Timing matters.

Example: Mailchimp’s email marketing benchmarks show that engagement rates often peak mid-week, especially Tuesday–Thursday mornings. That aligns with industry surveys reporting higher questionnaire response rates when distributed outside of Mondays and Fridays.

If responses lag, send a polite reminder after a week.

Best Email Questionnaire Software

While you can technically send a questionnaire with nothing more than Gmail and a spreadsheet, dedicated tools make the process smoother, more professional, and far easier to analyse. Here are some of the most popular options:

Expert tip:

• If you’re running a small business or startup, Google Forms or Typeform is often enough.
• If you’re in HR or academia, SurveyMonkey and Microsoft Forms balance functionality and ease of use.
• For large enterprises or complex research, Qualtrics is the gold standard.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Making it too long. Nobody owes you 20 minutes.
• Leading questions. Bias skews your data.
• Forgetting mobile users. At least half your respondents will open on a phone.
• Using “no-reply” emails. Cold, impersonal, and discourages engagement.

How to Send a Questionnaire by Email​: Your Path to Better Insights

Email questionnaires aren’t magic, but when thoughtfully planned, they’re one of the most efficient ways to get valuable feedback at scale.

Remember: you’re not just asking questions — you’re competing for attention in a crowded inbox. Respect your respondents’ time, make it easy, and communicate with warmth. Do that, and the answers you get won’t just be numbers on a spreadsheet. They’ll be insights you can act on.