If you've ever sent out a survey and watched the responses trickle in (or not), you know the pain of low participation. Maybe you’re running customer feedback surveys, employee check-ins, or research panels—you want more answers, not more manual chasing. This guide is for anyone using Alchemer who’s tired of sending reminder emails by hand and wants a straightforward way to automate follow-ups that actually get results.
No fluff. Just clear steps, a few caveats, and some real-world advice on what’s worth your time.
Why Reminders Matter (and When to Skip Them)
Before we dive in: Automated reminders are powerful, but they’re not magic. Most people ignore surveys because they’re busy, not because they missed your email. Still, a well-timed nudge can often pull in 10–30% more responses, especially if you:
- Have a list of known contacts (not anonymous links)
- Run time-sensitive or required surveys (like employee compliance)
- Keep your reminders polite and not naggy
If your survey is totally anonymous and you don’t know who’s responded, skip the reminders. Alchemer can only remind people it can track. This guide assumes you’re distributing surveys by email using Alchemer’s built-in contact management.
Step 1: Prep Your Survey for Email Distribution
Reminders only work if Alchemer knows who’s responded. That means you need to use their Email Campaign feature, not just a public link.
What to do: - Finish building your survey (questions, logic, branding) before tackling reminders. Major changes later can mess up links. - Turn on response tracking if it’s not already. Anonymous surveys = no reminders. - Clean your contact list. Bad emails = bouncebacks and wasted reminders.
Pro tip: If you want to personalize reminders (“Hey Jane, please finish your survey!”), make sure your contact list has names, not just emails.
Step 2: Create an Email Campaign in Alchemer
Here’s where the magic happens. Go to your survey’s “Distribute” tab and choose “Email Campaign.”
How to set it up: 1. Upload your contact list (CSV or add manually). Double-check for typos. 2. Customize your invitation email. Keep it short, say why it matters, and set clear expectations (“This takes 5 minutes”). 3. Decide on authentication. If you want one response per person, keep “One response per email” turned on.
Caution: Don’t send test reminders to real contacts. Use Alchemer’s “Test” feature or a dummy address for previews.
Step 3: Schedule Your Automated Reminder(s)
Now the good part. Alchemer lets you schedule one or more reminders to go only to people who haven’t finished the survey. Here’s how:
- In your email campaign, look for the “Reminders” section (often a tab or sidebar).
- Click “Add Reminder.”
- Set the timing.
- Typical: 3–5 days after the initial invite.
- For short surveys or urgent deadlines, you might go as soon as 24 hours.
- Don’t stack reminders too close together. If you’re sending more than one, space them out.
- Edit your reminder email.
- Change the subject line (“Quick reminder: [Survey Name] closes soon”).
- Keep the body friendly, not pushy.
- Remind them of the value (“Your feedback will help us improve X”).
- (Optional) Add a second reminder.
- Most people stop at one, but two can work for longer surveys or must-have responses.
- Don’t go overboard. More than two reminders usually annoys people and can trigger spam filters.
Honest take: One well-timed reminder works better than three generic nags. And blasting everyone with the same message is a quick way to get ignored.
Step 4: Fine-Tune Who Gets Reminders
By default, Alchemer will only send reminders to people who haven’t finished the survey. That’s usually what you want. But you can get a bit fancier:
- Partial Completes: If you want to remind folks who started but didn’t finish, check your campaign settings. Alchemer can treat “partial” responses differently.
- Custom Segments: Some plans let you filter by custom data (e.g., only remind people in a certain department).
- Opt-Outs: If someone unsubscribes, Alchemer won’t send them more reminders. Don’t try to get around this.
Don’t waste time: Don’t bother with complicated rules unless you have a real reason. For most, “remind non-respondents” is all you need.
Step 5: Double-Check Everything Before You Hit Send
Mistakes here are embarrassing and hard to undo. Run through this checklist:
- Preview every email (invite and reminders) in Alchemer’s editor.
- Send test emails to yourself and a colleague.
- Check links—make sure they point to the right survey and work for recipients.
- Review your contact list for weird formatting or duplicates.
- Confirm reminder schedule—no one wants a reminder before the first invite goes out.
Pro tip: If your survey is sensitive or high-stakes, ask a third party to review your email wording. Tone matters.
Step 6: Launch and Monitor (Don’t Set It and Forget It)
Once you launch, Alchemer will handle the heavy lifting. But don’t just walk away:
- Watch your bounce and unsubscribe rates. High numbers mean your email list is out of date or your reminders are too aggressive.
- Check completion rates after each reminder. If reminders aren’t moving the needle, rethink your timing or messaging.
- Be ready to pause or tweak. If you get complaints, it’s better to adjust than double down.
Honest tip: Sometimes, the best fix for low response rates isn’t more reminders—it’s a shorter survey or a better reason to participate.
What Actually Makes a Good Reminder Email?
Automation is half the battle. The other half is not annoying people. Here’s what works:
- Brevity. Keep it to a few lines.
- Clarity. Say what the survey is for and how long it takes.
- Politeness. Thank them for considering.
- One clear link (no attachments).
- A clear deadline if there is one.
What doesn’t work: - Guilt trips (“We noticed you didn’t care enough to respond…”) - Vague threats (“Your input is required immediately or else…”) - Overly formal language
Example:
Subject: Quick Reminder: Your Feedback on Our Service
Hi [First Name],
Just a reminder—there’s still time to share your thoughts in our quick survey (about 5 minutes). Your input genuinely helps us improve.
[Survey Link]
Thank you!
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Sending reminders to everyone, even people who already responded. (Alchemer handles this for you if you use campaigns—don’t try to DIY.)
- Too many reminders. One or two is enough. More is just spam.
- Ignoring mobile users. Test your emails on a phone before sending.
- Forgetting to update contact lists. Old or wrong emails = wasted effort and deliverability issues.
- Not tracking results. If reminders don’t help, stop sending them.
Quick FAQ
Q: Can I send reminders for anonymous surveys?
A: No. If you don’t know who responded, you can’t target non-respondents.
Q: Will reminders go to people who started but didn’t finish?
A: By default, yes. Double-check your settings if you want to tweak this.
Q: Can I automate reminders for SMS or other channels?
A: Alchemer focuses on email reminders. Other channels may require extra setup or integrations.
Q: Will reminders annoy people?
A: If your survey is short, relevant, and you keep reminders to one or two, most folks are fine. If you overdo it, expect unsubscribes.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Automated reminders in Alchemer aren’t complicated, but they do require a little care. Start with the basics: one well-timed reminder to non-respondents via a clean email campaign. Don’t obsess over clever segmenting or multiple reminders until you see what actually works for your audience.
Get your survey out, watch the results, and adjust next time. Simple is better, especially if you want honest feedback—not just a checked box.