How Did You Hear About Us Options: Full List

Recommended Answer Options

Only include options for channels you’re advertising on now or plan to soon. Use the wording in bold, and add the follow-up when you need the specific source.

Search

• Search engine (e.g. Google). Optional follow-up: “What did you search to find us?” (open text). Run it periodically. It gets fewer responses, but it tells you which keywords to buy.

Social Media

List only the platforms you run.

• Instagram. Follow-up: “Where on Instagram?” Instagram ad, our Instagram account, an Instagram creator.

• Facebook. Follow-up: “Where on Facebook?” Facebook ad, our Facebook page.

• TikTok. Follow-up: “Where on TikTok?” TikTok ad, our TikTok account, a TikTok creator.

• YouTube. Follow-up: “Where on YouTube?” YouTube ad, our YouTube channel, a YouTube creator.

• Pinterest. Follow-up: “Where on Pinterest?” A promoted Pin, a Pin from someone I follow, a Pin I searched for.

• Reddit. Follow-up: “Which subreddit?” (open text).

• Snapchat. Follow-up: “Where on Snapchat?” Snap ad, Discover feed.

• Twitter/X. Follow-up: “Where on Twitter/X?” Twitter/X ad, a post from someone I follow.

Podcasts

• Podcast. Follow-up: “Which podcast?” Use auto-suggest, pre-filled with the shows you advertise on.

TV, Streaming and Audio

• Streaming TV (e.g. Netflix, Hulu). Follow-up: “Which streaming platform?” Use auto-suggest, pre-filled with the platforms you buy.

• Cable TV (e.g. NBC, ABC, ESPN). Follow-up: “Which channel?” Use auto-suggest, pre-filled with the networks you buy.

• Radio (e.g. SiriusXM, AM/FM). Follow-up: “Which station or program?” Use auto-suggest.

Influencers and Creators

• Influencer. Follow-up: “Which influencer?” Use auto-suggest, pre-filled with the creators you work with.

Word of Mouth

• Friend or Family. No follow-up needed.

• Received as a Gift. No follow-up needed.

• Previous Customer. No follow-up needed. This separates returning buyers from new discovery.

AI Assistants

• AI Recommendation (e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini). Optional follow-up: “What did you ask to find us?” (open text). Run it periodically to see which questions bring buyers to you.

Retail, Events and Out-of-Home

• In-Store. Follow-up: “Which store?” The locations that carry your product.

• In-Person Event. Follow-up: “Which event?” Events you’ve run in the last 6 months.

• Billboard/Poster. Follow-up: “Where did you see it?” Your billboard and poster locations.

Other Owned and Earned Channels

• Email, Text or Mail Flyer. Follow-up: “Which one?” Email, text message, physical mail (flyer, postcard or catalog).

• Online Article/Blog. Follow-up: “Which publication?” Publications that have covered you.

• Referral Site. Follow-up: “Which website or app?” Your affiliate partners.

Other

• Other (please specify). Open text. Keep it as the last option and review the answers every month.

How to Use Follow-Up Questions

• Fixed options first, specifics second. The first question is a single choice from short, fixed options, which keeps response rates high. Get the specific show, creator or platform in a follow-up, not by making the first question open text. Open-ended questions have lower response rates.

• Use auto-suggest when the list of possible answers is long. For podcasts, influencers and TV networks, auto-suggest shows names as the buyer types. That gives clean, show-level data without a huge dropdown. As Mando put it: “We only get so far with ‘podcast’ as a response. Auto suggest has been huge, it gives us show-level insights we just couldn’t get before.”

• Split vague labels with a follow-up rather than adding more top-level options. “Instagram” could mean paid, organic or influencer. Top-level choices are fine, but use follow-ups to clarify.

• Watch your Other rate. If more than 10% of responses fall under “Other,” your answer options need refinement.

• Randomize the order of options (keep Other last) so position doesn’t bias answers.

• Let Fairing do the follow-ups. Advanced Attribution uses an adaptive follow-up to resolve the channel, the format and the exact source for every order.

Want the full channel list with question types? Download the full wording guide (Google Sheet).

FAQ

How many answer options should a “How did you hear about us?” question have?

Only as many as you need to cover the channels you’re spending on now or plan to soon. Long lists cause decision fatigue and push people to “Other.” If more than 10% of answers land in Other, add or reword options.

Should “How did you hear about us?” be multiple choice or open text?

Make the first question single choice with fixed options, then ask follow-ups. Open-text first questions get fewer responses and messier data. When Smalls moved from an in-house dropdown to Fairing’s survey design, its response rate rose to 90%, up from 50 to 60%.

How do I add ChatGPT and other AI assistants as an option?

Add “AI Recommendation (e.g. ChatGPT, Gemini).” Fairing analyzed more than 80 thousand write-in answers and found that buyers describe AI tools as recommenders, so this wording matches how they think about it. Fairing’s data showed more than a 5x increase in LLM mentions between January and June 2025.

Should I include an “Other” option?

Yes, as the last option, with a text box. Review the write-ins every month. They show you new channels and wording to add. Mando reclassified its “Other” responses, cut them by 3.12%, and improved its podcast CPA by 9.7%.

When should I ask “How did you hear about us?”

Right after purchase, on the order confirmation page. In-moment surveys get response rates 10 times higher than delayed email or SMS surveys. Avoid email or SMS follow-ups sent more than 24 hours after purchase because of recency bias.

Should I list “Instagram ad” and “Instagram influencer” as separate options?

Usually not. Keep one “Instagram” option and ask a follow-up: Instagram ad, our Instagram account, or an Instagram creator. This keeps the first list short and still separates paid from organic.

Related: What is self-reported attribution? · HDYHAU survey best practices