customer research interview questions
customer research interview questions
Siobhán James
·
min read
Preparing for customer research interviews
Who to interview
Paying customers
These are your best interviewees—people who have already paid for the course.
They’ve proven they’re part of your audience by actually spending money, not just saying they would.
Their insights are the most reliable because they’re real buyers.
Free or beta customers
If you can’t interview paying customers, those who went through a free or beta version are next best.
They’ve invested time into your course, which still shows some level of commitment.
While they didn’t pay in cash, they’re engaged enough to provide useful feedback.
Waitlist members
People on your course waitlist have shown they’re interested, even if they haven’t enrolled yet.
They’re more likely to be your target audience than a random group in your niche.
Their feedback can help refine your messaging or remove barriers that kept them from purchasing.
Subscribers and followers
Subscribers and social media followers are familiar with your brand, but haven’t committed yet.
They might offer some useful insight, but remember their feedback could be less reliable since they haven’t made a purchase.
Strangers
Interviewing strangers in your niche should be a last resort.
Even if they seem like your target audience, the fact that they haven’t engaged with your course means their feedback is speculative.
Be careful not to treat their opinions as fully representative of your actual buyers.
How to approach interviewees
Direct outreach is key
Avoid mass messaging even with an engaged audience.
Reach out personally to individuals—this increases response rates.
Tailor your invitation to make it feel specific to them, not a generic request.
Use incentives carefully
If you’re struggling to book calls, offer a discount or bonus content related to your course.
These types of incentives attract people genuinely interested in your topic, not just those seeking a reward.
Cash incentives can lead to lower-quality responses, as participants may rush through the interview for the payout.
Frame the interview with focus
Avoid terms like "feedback" or "testimonial" to prevent interviewees from focusing on the product.
Emphasize that the interview is about getting to know them and their experiences.
This helps keep the conversation centered on their personal journey and challenges rather than your course.
Structuring the interview
Introduction
Introduce yourself - Keep it brief but personal to build rapport.
State the purpose - Let them know you're trying to understand their experience, not just collect product feedback.
Explain the structure - Outline the flow of the interview so they know what to expect.
Encourage open conversation - Emphasize that the more they talk, the better, and there are no right or wrong answers.
Get permission to record - Mention that the recording won’t be shared; it's just for you to create a transcript and will be deleted afterward.
Main interview questions
Before finding the course - Get a full picture of what challenges or problems they were facing before discovering your course.
Experiences during the course - Ask about their experience as they began implementing the lessons or strategies taught in the course.
After completing the course - Explore how their life or work has changed since completing the course.
Product feedback - Ask what they loved about the course and what they wish had been different.
Conclusion
Testimonial release - Ask if you can draft a testimonial or case study based on the interview and send it to them for review.
Follow-up consent - Get permission to follow up in the future for more insights or clarifications.
Suggested customer research interview questions
Before finding the course:
What was the main problem you were facing before you found my course? How long had you been living with it?
How were you trying to solve this problem before? What other approaches had you tried in the past?
Why do you think those other approaches didn't work?
How did you feel about your progress (or lack of it) before you found my course? What was your emotional state?
What moment or experience finally made you realise you need to address this problem?
Discovering the course:
How did you first hear about my course?
What made you stop and pay attention to it?
What stood out to you about my course compared to other solutions you were aware of at the time?
Deciding to enroll in the course:
What doubts or concerns did you have before signing up, and how did you work through them?
What made you feel confident that this course was the right choice for you?
Which parts of the course appealed most to you, and why?
What were you expecting to get from the course when you signed up? What outcomes were you hoping for?
Experience during the course:
What was your experience like when you first started the course? Did anything surprise you?
What parts of the course did you find most helpful or enjoyable?
What challenges did you face while going through the course, and how did you handle them?
How did you feel as you began applying the lessons from the course in real life?
Was there anything about the course that you struggled with or thought could be improved?
After completing the course:
How has your life changed since finishing the course?
What specific results have you seen after applying what you learned from the course?
How did the course meet or differ from your expectations?
What was your biggest takeaway or aha moment from the course, and how did it impact your life?
Would you recommend this course? Why or why not?