Message testing: Your guide to testing messaging

Think about the last time you tried to get your point across at a crowded dinner table, in a meeting with your manager, or when speaking to a toddler. If you wouldn’t tailor your message to the audience, they’d hear the words, but wouldn’t learn from it, take action.

Unfortunately, you don’t get to repeat yourself until you get it right (except with the toddler, maybe). Luckily with message testing, you can, sort of.

Message testing doesn’t start with thinking about what you want to say. It starts by getting to know your audience, what they know and what they’re doing at the time you’ll speak to them, and what they want to hear – and then your actual message. If you can find the overlap in that, your messaging will hit the mark. The best way to find that sweet spot, is by message testing. And that’s exactly what we’ll be learning about in this article.

What is message testing research?

Message testing is like doing a final rehearsal before getting on stage, except you already get feedback from the audience. Sounds scary, but in fact, it’s empowering. 

To conduct message testing research, you select small groups from your target audience and present them with different versions of your message. This could be anything from ad headlines to email subject lines or even social media posts. Their reactions show marketers beforehand whether or not their creative ideas are catching on with their target customers.

With message testing research, you find out how different segments of your audience react to various messages before you roll out a full-blown marketing campaign. Doing this first ensures that your message doesn’t just sound good in your head and looks good on paper – but that it resonates with the people you’re trying to reach and drives the action you want them to take.

Why is message testing important?

Message testing is more than just a safety check before launching your marketing campaigns. It’s vital in keeping your ROI in check, because every marketing message costs money. Getting it right, means you’re getting a return. Here’s how message testing can transform the way your creative team performs.

Enhances relevance: Testing your messages isn’t just about making sure people like what you’re saying. It’s about finding out if your message moves them to act, which is essential for driving engagement and making your campaigns work harder for you.

Reduces risks: By testing your messages, you catch potential issues before they hit the masses. Think puns that miss the mark, or cultural sensitivities. This protects your reputation and can save your team from costly mistakes that could damage your brand and waste your budget.

Optimizes spending and ROI: Knowing which messages resonate means you can direct your marketing dollars where they’ll have the most impact.

Keeps you on-brand: Continuous testing helps you stay consistent in your messaging and builds brand awareness. Are people recognizing something as ‘yours’ or is a message too far away from your identity?

Encourages learning: Every test is a chance to learn something new about your audience. These insights aren’t just useful for the campaign at hand—they help you refine your future strategies. Learn more about future-proofing your brand.

Strengthens relationships: When your message is received well, it does more than just convert—it builds trust, and makes your brand more likable. This is the foundation for long-term success.

Ready to see how your messaging ideas stack up and how they can be improved? Explore how Attest’s creative testing tools can show your team the right direction.

Which marketing messages can you test?

Even the best products that seem like no-brainers to buy rely on messaging for sales. And that’s not just ads — messaging is everywhere. With every word your brand puts out, you have a chance to convince people to buy from you. Which is exactly why it’s good practice to test different types of marketing messages. Here’s where you could be testing copywriting performance.

• Landing page copy: The words on your landing page can make or break a sale. With message testing, try out different headlines, calls to action, and layouts. Sometimes, tweaking just a few words or changing the order of your content can seriously boost conversion rates.
• Email marketing messages: Writing strong email subject lines is an art form. And art is hard to get right on the first try. In your email marketing campaigns, test various subject lines to see which ones lead to more opens, and experiment with email content to discover what drives the most clicks. Even the time and day you send emails can make a difference. Test it all.
• Ad headlines: Whether it’s for OOH or online ads, if your creative team comes up with a couple of headlines, make sure to test them with your audience — don’t make this decision based on just the taste of your team. Your headlines aren’t for them, they’re for your customers.
• Social media content: Before you post a campaign or big piece of content, you can run it through some testing to see if it resonates. This is especially helpful if it’s a type of content you haven’t posted before.
• Website copy: Your homepage, product pages, or the ‘About Us’ section — they all become better if you test different versions of it. Focus on conversions, try to identify unengaging copy, and check how tweaks impact dwell time, as well as overall opinion on the copy.
• Product descriptions: The way you describe your product matters more than you think. For instance: What works better, focusing on features or benefits? Play around with and test different lengths, tones, and angles.
• Call to action (CTA) buttons: It’s amazing what a difference a button can make. Test different texts (like “Learn More” vs. “Get Started” or something much more quirky), colors, and placements to see which copy gets the most clicks.
• Video scripts: Sure, videos are still one of the most powerful pieces of content you can produce — but only if the messaging is right. Test different opening hooks, lengths, and storylines to see what keeps viewers engaged and what drives them to take action after watching.
• Banner ads: One of the most commonly tested pieces of marketing copy is banner ads, because you’ve only got a split second to grab attention. Make sure to test different designs and messages, and see whether static or animated ads lead to more conversions.

The more you test, the more you learn about what works. And the more you learn, the better you can put together messages that turn consumers into fans and customers of your brand.

Methods of message testing market research

When it comes to figuring out how your marketing messages land, you’ve got a range of methods at your disposal. Which one to pick, largely comes down to your timeline, budget, and the format a piece of content is in.

Here’s a rundown of some go-to message testing techniques that will help you understand how your audience feels about your message:

A/B testing

The most straightforward type of testing the classic head-to-head showdown. You take two versions of a message—say, two different email subject lines—and see which one your audience clicks on more. It’s straightforward, gives you clear data, and is great for making those quick, actionable tweaks.

Impact testing

This method helps you figure out if your message achieves what you want it to achieve. Does it grab attention? Does it clearly convey your brand’s value proposition? Does it seduce people to buy? You simply think about the impact you want it to make, and then test if it does. Surveys are great for that.

Heatmaps

Having a visual map of where your users are clicking, scrolling, and spending their time on your webpage is a great way of testing how your content performs. Where are people drawn to? Where do they linger? What sections do they skip? Heatmaps provide the answers.

Testing brand recall

Want to know if your message sticks? Brand recall tests measure how well your audience remembers your message after seeing it. Do this type of testing if you’re trying to boost brand awareness.

User testing

With user testing, you put your message directly in front of your target audience in a controlled setting. You then get to observe how they interact with it, listen to their feedback, and spot any potential issues.

These methods, used alone or together, give you a comprehensive view of how your messages are performing.

Learn more about the different types of qualitative research and get inspired by our quantitative market research questions to sharpen your testing skills, and supercharge your messaging.

How to conduct message testing

Okay, so we’ve covered the methods you can use, but what do they look like in real life? We’ve gathered some practical examples of how you can conduct message testing to get the feedback you need.

1. Get straight to the point with customer feedback

Use surveys to go directly to the source. Ask your customers what they think, and more importantly, what they feel. It might be confusing to send someone a survey about a landing page or newsletter (too long, and too many elements). But it’s perfect to test what they thought of a banner ad

2. Test your video ad with focus groups

Seeing the real-time impact of your creative work is scary, but it’s a goldmine of insights. Gather a group of people who mirror your target audience. Play your video ad, and watch their faces, and have discussions. Focus groups can reveal the emotional reactions that you won’t catch from a survey.

3. Dive deep with one-on-one interviews

Sometimes, the big insights come from small conversations. Sit down with individuals and dig into their thoughts on your message. Especially for bigger campaigns, where you’re taking big risks and spending big budgets. Don’t just look at what they feel about your message, but also the reasoning behind it.

3. Spark conversation with online discussion boards

If you want to get unfiltered feedback, throw your message out into the wild of online forums. Watch how people engage with it over time. You won’t just get quick takes—you’ll see how opinions evolve and which parts of your message get the most reactions.

5. Uncover the truth with anonymous feedback

Honesty is easier when you’re anonymous. That’s why anonymous feedback can be so valuable. It’s where you get the raw, unfiltered opinions that people might not feel comfortable sharing otherwise.

7. Track reactions with social listening

Social media isn’t just for sharing—it’s for listening. Keep an ear to the ground with social listening tools to see how your message plays out in the digital space.

How to use message testing to inform your marketing communications

Message testing does more than just fine-tune your messaging—it reshapes your entire marketing strategy, and can even go beyond that.

Here’s how to gather consumer insights on your messages that you can use all throughout your business:

Sharpen your brand’s voice

Message testing reveals the tone and style that clicks with your audience. If your tests show that a casual, conversational tone gets more traction, then it’s time to roll that style out across all your marketing channels, perhaps even customer service (although it shouldn’t be style over substance there).

When your audience hears the same relatable voice across the board, your brand starts to feel like a familiar friend.

Boost your campaign content

Take the winners that are revealed by testing—those headlines, phrases, or calls to action that consistently perform—and weave them into future campaigns. This also helps brand recognition and brand awareness. Nike is sticking to Just Do It for a reason.

Tailor your audience segments

Your audience isn’t a monolith, and message testing can uncover how different segments respond to your content. Maybe one demographic prefers a straightforward approach, while another leans towards humor.

Rather than trying to find a one-size-fits-all approach, use these insights to customize your messages, and make each segment feel like you’re speaking directly to them.

Elevate user experience on digital platforms

If testing shows that certain messages resonate best when they’re front and center, adjust your digital platforms accordingly. Whether it’s reordering content on your website or tweaking the flow of your app, these small shifts can make a big difference in how users interact with your brand.

Drive product development

The insights from message testing don’t just inform your marketing—they can shape your products too. When certain features or benefits consistently resonate, it’s a clear signal that your market wants more of that.

Align your entire team

A successful marketing strategy shouldn’t be contained in just the marketing department. Share your message testing insights across departments to ensure everyone—from product development to customer service—is on the same page.

Attests creative testing for improved marketing efforts

Our approach to creative testing combines the best of both qualitative and quantitative research, giving you a well-rounded view of what truly resonates with your audience. Here’s what working with us looks like:

• Experiment with confidence: Test multiple aspects of your marketing messages—from tone and content to visuals and calls to action.
• Learn from real, relevant data: You get quick access to actionable feedback that highlights what resonates with your audience, which you can carefully pick.
• Adapt with agility: Quickly iterate on your creative assets based on real-time data, keeping your campaigns relevant and impactful.

Explore creative testing with Attest to ensure your messages are keeping up with your audience’s needs.