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<\/a><\/p>\nA few weeks later, I ran a round of buyer interviews with customers in that same segment. Turns out, we\u2019d been speaking to the wrong pain points entirely. Their goals, decision process, and even language were different from what we\u2019d assumed. Once we rewrote the campaign based on their actual input, performance jumped.<\/p>\n
That experience changed how I approach marketing. Now, before building out messaging, launching a campaign, or creating new offers, I talk to real buyers. I don\u2019t wait until after something goes wrong.<\/p>\n
In this post, I\u2019ll walk through the exact questions I ask during persona interviews and surveys, because the better your questions, the better your strategy.<\/p>\n
Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Most marketers know who they\u2019re targeting on paper. You\u2019ve got a few demographic bullets, maybe some CRM data, and general behaviors from analytics tools. But that isn\u2019t enough to build messaging that works.<\/p>\n They give you direct insight into how people think, what motivates them, what frustrates them, and how they decide what to buy. And in my experience, that context is what turns a good strategy into a great one.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve worked on campaigns where we assumed the product was being used for one purpose, only to find out in interviews that customers were solving a completely different problem.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve sat in sales calls where the buyer\u2019s top concern never even came up in our nurture content. These are the gaps you can fix when you ask better questions.<\/p>\n Persona interviews don\u2019t replace your behavioral data or analytics \u2014 they make that data more actionable. Tools like GA4, HubSpot, and heat maps show you what people are doing. Interviews help you understand why.<\/p>\n They\u2019re also a faster path to clarity. A single 30-minute conversation with the right person can reveal more than weeks of spreadsheet analysis. You can test messaging, uncover blockers, and prioritize based on real-world language, not marketing guesswork.<\/p>\n If your campaigns feel flat or disconnected, chances are you\u2019re missing your buyer’s voice. These interviews are how I bring it back into the process.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Over the years, buyer interviews have become one of the most valuable parts of my marketing process. They don\u2019t take long, but the impact compounds. Here\u2019s what\u2019s changed for me since I started talking to real people before building campaigns.<\/p>\n I used to build lead magnets based on what I thought<\/em> prospects wanted. Sometimes, they worked, but the conversion rate was always unpredictable.<\/p>\n Then I started asking buyers what resources helped them the most. Their answers surprised me \u2014 many weren\u2019t looking for broad guides or \u201cultimate checklists.\u201d<\/p>\n Buyers told me they valued quick-start templates, decision-making frameworks, and how-to content they could bring to meetings.<\/p>\n Once I aligned our offers with that feedback, our lead gen<\/a> forms pulled more qualified submissions. In one campaign, switching the asset type and headline based on interview feedback lifted the conversion rate by 40%. Those leads also moved faster through the funnel and closed at higher rates.<\/p>\n With clearer persona data, I could confidently tailor lifecycle content and flows<\/a>. I used interview quotes and patterns to shape onboarding emails, nurture flows, and even in-app prompts.<\/p>\n I learned which pain points to address in the first email, understood what language resonated best on live chat, and built email sequences around the goals buyers actually mentioned in their interviews, not what I assumed they cared about.<\/p>\n It gave our sales team more relevant context and clarity. We rewrote email handoffs and discovery questions to match the buyer\u2019s mindset. That made the experience more consistent across channels, which builds trust and speeds up decision-making.<\/p>\n Better leads and more relevant content didn\u2019t just feel good \u2014 they showed up in the numbers. After applying persona insights across three campaigns, we saw our cost-per-lead drop by 28%. Our CAC came down, too, because sales spent less time on poor-fit leads.<\/p>\n We also saw a lift in retention<\/a>. When marketing and customer success addressed the same core goals and challenges, new customers felt more supported and stayed longer.<\/p>\n None of that happened overnight. But each interview added something we could use: sharper messaging, clearer positioning, or a more aligned offer. And over time, those small improvements stacked up.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Once I\u2019ve scheduled a persona interview, I keep the conversation relaxed and open-ended, but I always come in with a clear set of questions. These questions consistently give me useful insights that I can turn into better content, stronger messaging, and a more effective customer journey.<\/p>\n I keep conversations to 30-45 minutes, typically over Zoom. I record them (with permission) and use tools like Fireflies<\/a> or Grain<\/a> to capture highlights. If I ask a lot, I\u2019ll send a thank you gift or gift card. I show up with 5-10 key questions, but let the conversation unfold naturally.<\/p>\n My go-to first step is to speak with customers who\u2019ve seen strong success. I also talk to churned customers, closed-lost leads, or high-fit prospects who didn\u2019t convert. They offer unique insight into what\u2019s missing or unclear.<\/p>\n When starting a new project, I usually aim for five to ten interviews, but even three solid conversations can surface patterns. The key is quality \u2014 look for repeated language, consistent goals, and shared challenges. Once those start showing up, you\u2019re getting what you need.<\/p>\n These questions help build rapport and give me context on the person behind the role. I usually start here to ease into the conversation and pick up details that can later shape tone or storytelling.<\/p>\n Understanding the company context helps me match our messaging to buyers’ environments. I want to know how their business runs, who they serve, and what constraints or opportunities might shape their decisions.<\/p>\n This section is where I dig into day-to-day responsibilities, challenges, and internal priorities. I\u2019ve found that these questions often surface disconnects between how buyers talk about their work and how we typically market to them.<\/p>\n If someone gives a surface-level answer, I\u2019ll gently follow up with: \u201cCan you walk me through a recent example?\u201d or \u201cWhat made that especially challenging?\u201d A little curiosity usually opens the door to richer insights.<\/p>\n Now that I have context on their background and responsibilities, I shift into understanding what they’re aiming to achieve.<\/p>\n Understanding a buyer\u2019s goals helps me position our product or service as a direct solution, not a nice-to-have. These questions uncover what success looks like from their perspective, so I can connect the dots between what we offer and what they actually care about achieving.<\/p>\n Once I know what they\u2019re working toward, I ask how they gather information, learn new skills, and explore new tools. This helps shape content formats and distribution channels.<\/p>\n These questions give me insight into where and how buyers gather information, so I know where to show up \u2014 and how to show up \u2014 with content that resonates. The answers here often shape content format, channels, and partnerships.<\/p>\n This part helps me map out the buying journey<\/a> from their point of view\u2014what moves them forward, what causes friction, and who\u2019s involved. These answers are gold when aligning marketing with sales.<\/p>\n Once I understand how they buy, I shift the conversation to what drives those decisions: values, trust, and brand alignment.<\/p>\n Buyers’ values shape brand perception and long-term loyalty. These questions help me write messaging that aligns with what matters to them, beyond just product features.<\/p>\n This is where the best messaging comes from. Buyers are more motivated to fix pain than pursue gains, so these questions help surface the friction they\u2019re feeling right now and what they\u2019ve already tried to solve it.<\/p>\n To round out the picture, I ask about the broader environment they\u2019re working in \u2014 things like tools, systems, and organizational shifts that shape their daily work.<\/p>\n I use these questions to understand what\u2019s happening around the buyer that might influence their decisions \u2014 team changes, tech stack limitations, budget cycles, or industry trends.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n When I collect buyer insights from interviews or surveys<\/a>, I organize those insights into a clean, usable profile my entire team can work from \u2014 whether it\u2019s for content, product, or sales.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for a fast, intuitive way to do this, try HubSpot\u2019s Make My Persona tool<\/a>. It walks you through each step and outputs a customizable persona you can share across your org.<\/p>\n You can also download free Buyer Persona Templates<\/a> to get started, as well.<\/p>\n\n
Why conduct buyer persona interviews?<\/h2>\n
Buyer interviews help fill in the blanks.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n3 Key Benefits I\u2019ve Seen from Real Buyer Persona Conversations<\/h2>\n
I captured more high-quality leads.<\/h3>\n
I personalized the customer experience.<\/h3>\n
I improved my bottom line.<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nBuyer Persona Questions I Ask in Interviews<\/h2>\n
How I Run Interviews<\/h3>\n
Questions About Their Personal Background<\/h3>\n
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Questions About Their Company<\/h3>\n
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Questions About Their Role<\/h3>\n
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Questions About Buyer Goals<\/h3>\n
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Questions About How Buyers Learn<\/h3>\n
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Questions About Their Shopping Preferences<\/h3>\n
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Questions About Values<\/h3>\n
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Questions About Pains and Challenges<\/h3>\n
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Questions About Their Environment<\/h3>\n
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How I Turn Interviews Into Actionable Persona Templates<\/h2>\n
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