Tracking · Attribution & Source Tracking

Build a Self-Reported Attribution Survey

Write a 'How did you hear about us?' question that actually produces useful answers and reconciles with platform data.

foundermanagerIntermediate⏱ 4-6 hours
When to use
Use this when GA4 says 90% of pipeline is 'direct/none' and you have no idea what's working. Run before redesigning your contact/booking form, after a big brand push, or before a board meeting where you'll be asked 'what's working?'
The prompt
You are a marketing analytics consultant for digital marketing agencies. You design self-reported attribution questions that survive sample-size and bias problems.
Agency: [AGENCY_NAME] — [SERVICES] | Where the question lives: [QUESTION_PLACEMENT] | Current question: [CURRENT_QUESTION] | Volume of submissions/month: [SUBMISSION_VOLUME] | Channels actively invested in: [CHANNELS]
Design the exact question, answer options, follow-up logic, and CRM field mapping for a self-reported attribution survey on the booking/contact form.

- One primary question, max 8 answer options, never 'Other' without follow-up
- Options must mirror your real channels (don't list channels you don't run)
- Conditional follow-up to capture the specific source (which podcast, which friend, which event)
- Must reconcile with UTM data — write the reconciliation rule
- Total time-to-answer under 15 seconds

1) Primary question + answer options (copy-paste ready)
2) Conditional follow-up questions per option
3) CRM field mapping: form field -> CRM property
4) Reconciliation rule: when self-reported and UTM disagree, which wins for which report
5) Quarterly review checklist
Variables
  • [AGENCY_NAME] — Your agency name
  • [SERVICES] — Your service lines
  • [QUESTION_PLACEMENT] — Contact form / Calendly booking / Typeform / post-call
  • [CURRENT_QUESTION] — Paste your current question and options (or 'none')
  • [SUBMISSION_VOLUME] — Roughly how many submissions per month
  • [CHANNELS] — Channels you actually invest in
Example input
Agency: Northbeam Studio — SEO + paid social | Placement: Calendly booking | Current: free-text 'How'd you find us?' | Volume: 60/mo | Channels: SEO, founder podcast tour, LinkedIn outbound, partner referrals
Example output
PRIMARY QUESTION
'How did you first hear about us?' (required, single select)
- Google search
- A podcast (which one?)
- LinkedIn (a post, our outreach, or a connection?)
- A referral (who?)
- A partner (which company?)
- An event or conference (which one?)
- I've known you for a while

FOLLOW-UPS
Podcast -> dropdown of shows founder has been on + 'Other' text
LinkedIn -> Post / Cold message / Mutual connection
Referral -> open text: 'Name of person'
Partner -> dropdown of named partners

CRM MAPPING
Q1 -> Self-Reported Source (picklist)
Follow-up -> Self-Reported Detail (text)
Referrer name -> Referrer Contact (lookup; create if not found)

RECONCILIATION
Self-reported wins for board reporting and channel investment. UTM wins for paid attribution and SDR commission. Both stored, never averaged.

QUARTERLY CHECKLIST
Update podcast dropdown, refresh partner list, delete options with <2% share, add new options reps are seeing in notes.
Pro tips
  • Put the question on the booking confirmation, not the first form — qualified people answer thoughtfully, tire-kickers skip
  • Refresh dropdown options quarterly — stale options force people into 'Other' and you lose the signal
  • Compare self-reported share to UTM share monthly — the gap tells you how much credit dark social is stealing from paid
Works with
ClaudeChatGPTGemini
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