Should I offer a prize to get more holiday survey answers?

To pick a winner you need a way to reach them, so the survey has to ask for an email address. That brings a privacy notice, rules for the draw and a date to delete the entries. Some countries also have rules for running a prize promotion.

It changes who answers, too. Some people answer for the prize rather than because they have something to say, and their answers can be rushed.

A long reader survey sent once a year, where you ask for ten minutes of someone's time, is where an incentive helps. Publications often run their annual reader survey this way, with a gift voucher as the prize.

If you run one, keep the entries apart from the answers. Send readers to a separate form for the draw after they finish, so their answers stay anonymous and the entries hold only what you need to reach the winner.

On a page, these do more than a prize:

• Ask one question first, answered in one tap
• Ask on the page the question is about, while the visitor is still there
• Keep free text optional and last
• Use a side tab on long pages, so the question stays in reach

Asklet answers are anonymous: the widget asks no name or email, and email addresses and phone numbers typed into a comment are removed before they are stored. There is no list of names or emails to delete after the season.