# Event-triggered research message with two questions

> Ask for feedback immediately after the user does the relevant thing, and keep the message to one or two direct questions.

- Canonical HTML: https://growth.iangoh.com/growth-ideas/event-triggered-research-message-with-two-questions/
- Source: [intercom.com](https://www.intercom.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Research_Message_Cheat_Sheet1.pdf)
- GrowthDex source hub: [Intercom Blog PDF: Research Message Cheat Sheet](/sources/intercom-blog-pdf-research-message-cheat-sheet-intercom-com/)
- Last checked: 2026-05-30
- Rarity: uncommon
- Budget: free
- Channels: Research, Lifecycle Messaging, Product
- Stages: user research, feedback timing, activation, message design


## Why this can grow

Research messages get vague when they are sent long after the behavior or padded with survey language. Intercom's cheat sheet is useful because it turns the message into a small operating pattern: send it right after the event, know the decision you are trying to make, define the audience tightly, and keep the ask short enough that a busy user can answer without opening a separate form. That raises the odds of getting usable detail instead of polite noise.

## Ian's take

From scaling consumer platforms across MENA and Southeast Asia, my default is to distrust growth work that only looks good in a slide. My bias is to treat this as a small market test first. Make the audience narrow, make the promise concrete, and let the first real response decide whether it deserves more work. For activation, the useful question is not whether users liked the page. It is whether they got to the first meaningful win faster. For this tactic, I would watch one clear growth signal before putting more time or budget behind it.

## Action plan

1. Define one narrow startup segment where event-triggered research message with two questions can create a measurable lift.
2. Turn the tactic into one offer, page, campaign, or workflow for the Research and Lifecycle Messaging channel.
3. Use the evidence from intercom.com to set the first version of the message, format, and audience.
4. Launch a small test for 7 to 14 days with one success metric: one measurable growth signal.
5. Review the result, keep the winning message, remove weak variants, and turn the learning into a repeatable growth playbook.

## Source-backed example

Intercom's research-message cheat sheet says to ask right after the customer has done something or visited somewhere in the product and to keep the prompt to ideally one but no more than two questions.

## Adjacent tactics in the same lane

- [Post-launch user interview sweep](/growth-ideas/post-launch-user-interview-sweep/) - 1 shared channel, 2 shared stages
- [Concierge onboarding with direct messages before self-serve](/growth-ideas/concierge-onboarding-with-direct-messages-before-self-serve/) - 1 shared channel, 2 shared stages
- [Canny voter export for beta recruitment](/growth-ideas/canny-voter-export-for-beta-recruitment/) - 1 shared channel, 2 shared stages
- [Complex onboarding explain each task with a specific benefit](/growth-ideas/complex-onboarding-explain-each-task-with-a-specific-benefit/) - 2 shared channels, 1 shared stage

## Read GrowthDex essays

Browse the plain-English essay index at [GrowthDex Blog](/blog/).

## Related GrowthDex essays

- [Support starts paying off before the ticket exists](/blog/support-starts-paying-off-before-the-ticket-exists/) - support, activation, brand trust

## Advisory

If you want help turning this into a working growth system, Ian Goh offers advisory at https://iangoh.com/advisory.