The first research campaign I ran for a client was… disappointing. A third-party vendor designed the survey and submitted it to their panels. We knew exactly who we wanted to reach. We couldn’t afford to target them precisely. We received responses and leads, but they didn’t convert.
The following year we tried something different. Two organizations we had worked with throughout the year agreed to co-author our research. Their members represented exactly the audience we were looking for. Their subject matter experts helped us identify industry challenges worth investigating, based on conversations at their events and on their Slack channels. We responded to our list and theirs.
We received double the number of responses and closed leads. The difference was not methodology or budget, but the willingness of organizations to put their name to the research.
Supplier panels solve a logistical problem. A co-author of research solves two different problems: scope and credibility. This is what determines whether the right people respond and whether they trust what you have found.
Research partners build reach and credibility
Brands that conduct research programs drive greater engagement by partnering with industry associations, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations.
This year, the James Beard Foundation and Deloitte teamed up to produce an independent report on the restaurant industry to highlight the challenges facing restaurant professionals.
The Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs have been following this playbook for 16 years. A corporate sponsor funds their annual content marketing survey, and the two co-conduct and co-publish the survey, slicing the data into multiple reports for their respective members.
The right industry partner gives you access to audiences you don’t have, credibility you can’t manufacture, and a shared investment that demonstrates mutual trust and intent. But what makes a good partner?
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Audience fit: can they reach the right people?
Not all willing partners are good ones. Your assessment should start with one key question: Do they own the audience you are trying to reach?
Audience fit carries more weight than any other factor in a research partnership, because access to the right respondents is the entire problem you’re trying to solve.
Do the math Goldilocks: large, poorly connected communities will disappoint you. Too small and audience responses will not be statistically significant. The sweet spot is a medium-sized, highly engaged community.
Credibility of partners: do they have the relationships and respect?
Reputable partners do something you can’t do alone: they show respondents that your research is worthwhile. Partners do not need to be household names to add credibility. They just need to be respected within your industry.
Equally important is whether you’ve worked with them before or are receiving strong enough trust signals. An organization with an impressive brand and a slow team will slow down your timeline. What you are looking for is a partner who is responsive and treats the project as a priority and not as a favor.
Distribution commitment: will they put real effort into it?
Distribution is where partnerships quietly fall apart. A marketing association we worked with assigned a junior contact to the project – someone with no authority or connections to make an internal impact. Responses to their list have been minimal. (A few months later, they launched their own research project.)
Another partner offered a completely different experience: an education-focused membership organization mentioned the survey in its newsletter, posted it on LinkedIn, sent personal DMs to members, and discussed it in its private Slack community. They represented the largest share of responses across the entire project.
Enthusiasm is not the problem. Both partners seemed excited at the signing stage. The difference lies in organizational commitment.
When evaluating a potential partner, ask them to be specific: what channels they will use, how many mailings they will commit to, and what list size they can achieve. They may have great intentions, but there are too many competing priorities and making prior agreements ensures the project’s success.
Subject Matter Expertise: Who will they put in the room?
The best research partners improve the quality of your survey with their expertise. An association manager who reviews your questions before answering them can point out terms that practitioners don’t actually use — the kind of feedback that keeps you from publishing findings that no one trusts. A member who is truly invested in the topic will go further than expected, for example by bringing together a group of colleagues for a webinar to analyze the results.
None of this happens without people who care about the subject. When evaluating partners, look for subject matter experts who are willing to be quoted, appear on camera, and share their work on their own channels. The partnership must extend beyond the logo to reach shared interests.
Event Launch Potential: How will the results come about?
A research report downloaded in PDF format is a missed opportunity. Partnering with existing events, podcasts or media platforms gives you a natural stage for results and an already attentive built-in audience.
A co-hosted webinar to launch the findings extends the life of the research and gives your data a human voice. A partner whose experts are willing to appear on a live panel or recorded AMA turns a static report into a conversation.
One brand we know worked with a partner who hosted a panel of experts at its annual fall conference, turning the research into a live industry conversation.
Content Amplification: Will they build with you or just share a link?
The research report is just the beginning. Partners open to co-branding signal that they are invested in the outcome, not just the process. Look for organizations with a dedicated channel where results can endure beyond launch and are treated as a recurring asset.
A client’s research report is hosted on their partner’s content center. The partner presents it as an important benefit for its community, and members still download it several times a week, more than 18 months after its publication.
Engaged social followers matter more than big ones: a partner whose audience actually responds is worth more than a partner with impressive numbers and low interaction.
The most valuable signal of all: are they interested in making this an annual program? A partner who sees long-term value in the collaboration will protect the integrity of the research, because their reputation is also tied to it.
Partners share work and rewards
The James Beard Foundation is learning what MarketingProfs and Content Marketing Institute discovered more than a decade ago: original research is one of the most powerful thought leadership programs you can invest in. Working with a co-author broadens the credibility and reach of your research and brings your brand into spaces it previously didn’t have access to and into conversations it might never have been a part of.
The right partner also gains something meaningful. They walk away with co-branded content assets, thought leadership positioning, and shared leads – not leads that compete with yours, but leads that serve their community in ways yours never would. The same report download is pipeline for you and member value for them. This is why the model works.
Partner-led research succeeds when both parties are committed to serving the industry first, and their own marketing goals second. This mindset is what makes the research credible and what makes the partnership last.
