Survey Roast — Drift Sleep Co.

✎ Survey Roast

Drift Sleep Co.

Prepared by Sam McNerney · McNerney Insights & Marketing

Video walkthrough · ~15 min

👋

This is a sample Roast. In a real delivery, the video above would be a recorded Loom walkthrough — typically 10–15 minutes — covering the same edits and suggestions you see below. The document that follows is what lands in your inbox alongside it.

Background

About this survey

Drift Sleep Co. is developing a dissolvable sleep supplement powder that comes in a single-serve packet. You tear open the packet, pour it into water, and drink. Each sachet contains a blend of magnesium glycinate, L-theanine, and a low-dose melatonin — designed to help frequent travelers fall asleep faster and wake up without feeling groggy.

Your goals with this survey are threefold:

Identify the target demographic most likely to need this product
Figure out current sleep aid solutions
Understand the extent of the sleep problem for the target demographic

How to read this document

✎

Edit to Existing Question — Suggested rewrite or revision to improve clarity, wording, or question-response fit.

✦

New Question Recommendation — A question worth adding to capture something the current survey is missing.

◎

Analysis Suggestion — A way to cut, cross-tab, or interpret the data once it's collected.

Section I

About You

Q1. What is your age?

Select one

18 or under
18–24
25–34
35–44
45–54
55–64
65 or older
Prefer not to say

✎ Edit to Existing Question

1. Changed "Under 18" to "17 or younger."

Why Easier scanning. The first two options both start with 18 — that's a speed bump. "Or younger" also mirrors "65 or older" at the bottom of the list.

Rewrite

Q1. What is your age?

Select one

17 or younger
18–24
25–34
35–44
45–54
55–64
65 or older
Prefer not to say

Q2. What is your gender?

Select one

Male
Female
Non-binary / Other
Prefer not to say

◎ Analysis Suggestion

Since you need a representative sample, make sure your age & gender brackets look close to this table, given a sample of 1,100 (+/− 3%).

Also worth checking out: RepData — they make quota sampling pretty easy.

Age	Male	Female	Total
18–24	72	75	147
25–34	90	94	184
35–44	85	89	174
45–54	80	83	163
55–64	75	78	153
65+	137	142	279

Section II

Your Routine

Q3. Which best describes your current fitness routine?

Select one

I don't exercise regularly
Light activity (walking, yoga, stretching) 1–2 times per week
Moderate exercise (gym, running, sports) 3–4 times per week
Intense training (weight lifting, competitive sports, endurance) 5+ times per week

✎ Edit to Existing Question

1. "Do you exercise regularly?"

Why Plainer language is easier for respondents to read and respond to. No survey voice.

2. Response options list frequency only, not type.

Why The current options combine both. That's two things. You just want one. If you need to ask about exercise type, ask it in a separate question.

Rewrite

Q3. Do you exercise regularly?

No
1–2 times per week
3–4 times per week
5+ times per week

Q4. How often do you currently consume protein supplements (shakes, bars, powders, etc.)?

Select one

Never
Rarely (a few times a month)
Sometimes (1–3 times per week)
Regularly (4–6 times per week)
Daily

✎ Edit to Existing Question

1. "Do you take protein supplements (bars, powders, shakes)?"

Why The original sounds like it was written for a research report. Plainer language is easier for respondents to read and respond to.

2. Cut frequency language in response options.

Why Numbers at the beginning are easier to scan.

Rewrite

Q4. Do you take protein supplements (bars, powders, shakes)?

Never
A few times per month or less
1–3 times per week
4–6 times per week
Once a day or more

Q5. On a typical night, what time do you go to bed?

Select one

Before 9 PM
9–10 PM
10–11 PM
11 PM–midnight
After midnight
It varies — I don't have a consistent bedtime

Q6. How would you describe your relationship with sleep?

Select one

Fall asleep faster
Stay asleep through the night
Wake up feeling more rested
Reduce anxiety or racing thoughts at bedtime
Establish a more consistent sleep schedule
I don't have a specific sleep goal

Q7. Have you ever experienced lower-quality sleep during short-term situations — even though you don't consider yourself someone with a "sleep problem?"

Select one

Yes
No
I do not consider myself someone with a sleep problem

Q8. A new sleep aid is being developed that comes in a small sachet. It's designed to help you fall asleep without the heavy, next-morning fog that stronger sleep aids can cause. It's intended for occasional use — making it especially suited for travel or short-term needs.

What's your reaction?

Select one

Very interested
Somewhat interested
Neutral
Not very interested
Not interested at all

✎ Edit to Existing Question

1. Use problem-solving language over interest-based language in response options.

Why Someone can be "interested" in many things. Fewer things solve an actual problem. Problem-solving language produces a stronger signal.

Rewrite

This solves a real problem for me — I'd genuinely need it
I like the idea, but I'd want to know more before committing
Honestly, it doesn't change much for me — my current sleep routine is fine

✦ New Question Recommendation

1. "Have you ever experienced lower-quality sleep during short-term situations...?"

Why The current survey focuses on existing sleep solutions. But it never directly asks the most important question: how many people actually experience this problem?

2. Add a framing sequence before asking this question.

Why When people hear "sleep aid," many immediately self-exclude. This product is positioned for occasional, situational use. The framing clarifies what's at stake and broadens the mental category before asking for a reaction.

Framing Sequence + Recommended Question

Framing pages → Question

Page 1

Framing

Many existing solutions — melatonin gummies, prescription sleep aids, sleep podcasts — can leave people feeling groggy the next morning.

Page 2

Framing

And most of these options are built for ongoing sleep issues. They're not designed for someone who just needs occasional help — while traveling, during a stressful week, or after a schedule disruption.

Page 3

Question

QX. Have you ever experienced lower-quality sleep during short-term situations — even though you don't consider yourself someone with a "sleep problem?"

Yes
No
I do consider myself someone with a sleep problem

Q9. How often do you typically travel?

By "travel," we mean trips by plane, train, or car that require you to sleep somewhere other than your home for at least one night.

Multiple times per month
About once a month
A few times per year
Once a year or less
I rarely or never travel

Q10. When you travel, how often does your sleep quality suffer?

Almost every time I travel
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never

◎ Analysis Suggestion

Plot travel frequency (Q9) against sleep disruption during travel (Q10) to identify distinct segments.

Looking at these questions together tells you who the product is actually for. Your core target will be "high travel + frequent sleep disruption" — the top-left cell in the heatmap below.

Q9 Travel Frequency → Q10 Sleep Disruption ↓	Multiple/month	Once/month	Few/year	Once/year	Rarely/never
Almost always	●●●	●●	●	·	–
Often	●●	●	·	–	–
Sometimes	●	·	–	–	–
Rarely / Never	·	–	–	–	–

Darker = stronger product-market fit signal. Templates available: Datawrapper visualization · Google Sheet template

Q11. What is your approximate annual household income?

Select one (optional)

Under $30,000
$30,000–$59,999
$60,000–$99,999
$100,000–$149,999
$150,000+
Prefer not to say

✎ Edit to Existing Question

1. Use income brackets that match the US Census.

Why Census brackets make external benchmarking easier if you ever want to compare your audience to national data. Census tables →

Rewrite

Q11. What is your approximate annual household income?

Select one (optional)

$24,999 or less
$25,000–$34,999
$35,000–$49,999
$50,000–$74,999
$75,000–$99,999
$100,000–$149,999
$150,000–$199,999
$200,000 or more
Prefer not to say

A few bigger-picture notes

On the "no groggy morning" claim

This is your most differentiating claim and it's worth testing directly. After Q8, consider adding: "If a product guaranteed no morning grogginess, how much more would you be willing to pay per packet compared to a product that didn't make that claim?" That's a real willingness-to-pay signal on the thing that sets you apart.

On the framing sequence

The three framing pages before QX aren't biasing the question — they're making it answerable. People who've never thought about situational sleep issues won't be able to place themselves without context. The framing gives them a map before asking them to mark their location on it.

On panel choice

For this kind of study, Prolific over Mechanical Turk. The demographic controls will matter a lot when you're trying to isolate a specific travel frequency × sleep disruption cell. Budget for 800–1,000 completes minimum to get meaningful cross-tabs.

Good survey. Strong bones. Let me know if you want to talk through any of this. — Sam McNerney