5 Qualitative Research Event [QRE] Recruiting Tips

Guest post by: Linda Mui

Recruiting for a Qualitative Research Event (QRE) can be tricky. There are lots of moving parts and you want to make sure that the right respondents show up at the right place (whether an online QRE or in-person). Below are 5 tips to make the recruiting process more seamless.

1. Rather than simply scheduling someone for a QRE and hope that they show up (either in-person or virtually), it would be wise to have a phone call or a meeting using the same platform as the QRE (if the session is held virtually) with the respondent first. That way, you can get a sense of the respondent’s personality, how they respond to questions, and see if they have any questions about what their participation entails. If the session is being held virtually, it also helps to see how familiar the respondent is with the technology being used.
   
2. It is important to send confirmation emails so that respondents have everything in writing and can refer to the details when needed. Some basic details that should be included in a confirmation email:
   • Date of QRE
   • Time of QRE with the time zone specified. This is especially important for virtual groups where respondents may not all be in the same time zone.
   • Address of the facility (if in-person) or meeting link
   • Directions to the facility or login instructions for the meeting platform
   • How much the respondents will be getting paid and when they will be paid
     
3. It would be wise to ask respondents to confirm that they’ve received the confirmation email. One tip is to highlight your request in yellow and put it right at the top of your email so that it can be easily seen. If it is hidden in the body of the email, some people may not see it and know to respond.
   
4. Confirmation calls are important as well, especially if someone has not responded to their confirmation email. During this call, you can follow up to your email just to make sure that it didn’t land in the respondent’s spam email. This call also further reminds the respondent that they are scheduled to participate in a QRE and if they can no longer participate, this gives them a chance to let you know and you can replace them in a timely manner.
   
5. Ask for referrals! People will be happy to tell their friends or family members about an opportunity to participate in a QRE, especially if they’ve had a great experience with you. Some of our best recruits have been referrals, and we would have never crossed paths if someone else did not refer them over to us.

Linda is the Senior Training & Research Coordinator at RIVA Market Research and Training Institute and is responsible for the enrollment process for RIVA students. Along with those duties, she also oversees the recruiting process for the experiential portion of RIVA classes.