Hi, I’m Sam. I help agencies and brands run better quant research. There are two things you can do here:
1) Subscribe to the newsletter
Once a week, I share a short story about asking better survey questions—plus original data projects with links to data visualizations, datasets, and survey templates.
2) Book a Survey Roast.
If you’re drafting a survey—or just thinking about one—send it over. For $145, you’ll get a 15-minute Loom with clear, practical suggestions, plus a Google Doc with every edit.
I run original surveys on topics nobody asked about — then visualize the results.
Browse past projects.
Get a new data project in your inbox every week.
“This is fantastic. I just forwarded this to the whole agency.”
Dave Burg
Co-Founder, Shepherd
Join world-class marketers, researchers, and founders
Nir Eyal
WSJ Bestselling author
Matt Bahr
Founder, Fairing
“Easily the best email I get all week”
Sam Waters
VP of Retention Marketing Alen®
Charlotte Blank
CMO, Jaguar Land Rover
Join and get three guides on survey design
Searchable, bookmarkable, and updated regularly.
Recruiting Respondents
A vendor-by-vendor breakdown of panel providers, when to use each, and what to watch out for.
Questions That Work
12 design principles for writing survey questions that get honest, usable answers.
Decode
10 techniques for visualizing and presenting survey data. Includes templates.
Some of the most methodologically clean survey work I've ever seen.
Subscribe and then get a Roast. The value of the tips and insights you'll get will feel like a steal.
As an academic, I find Sam extremely annoying. He gets to do great work without having to submit for grants or fight with Reviewer 2 (though, Sam would win with Reviewer 2 every time).
Goldmine for marketers and researchers. Sam's brilliant at breaking down the nuanced design elements that make a good survey question work.
Sam's a deadly combination. A research wizard with the strategic and operational chops to create value without draining the war chest.
My #1 resource recommendation for anyone who needs a fresh take on quant, from junior analyst to a senior marketer.
About the author
Hi, I'm Sam
I'm a research consultant and the publisher of this newsletter, which I created to share insights from my experience designing surveys for brands, agencies, and Fortune 500s.
Every week, I distill lessons from real projects into advice you can use immediately—whether you're running DIY surveys or working with vendors. Brooklyn-based. Minnesota native ❄️.
— Sam McNerney
Founder, McNerney Insights & Marketing
