Case Study: The Power of Questions & Data

Most ocean startups are building products based on guesses.

Here’s how one brand turned those guesses into data and real customer insights.

A few months ago I started working with Cold Current Kelp, a skincare company based in Maine (US). Their hero ingredient is kelp, sourced directly from their own ocean farm.

They make a brilliant product, but like most founders, they faced a big challenge: how to grow their brand and scale their positive impact.

How do you stand out and become more visible?

How do you reach your ideal customers – the ones who truly understand and value your product, philosophy, and mission?

When we sat down to figure out the best positioning strategy, two questions kept coming up:

1️⃣ What do your customers really want?

2️⃣ Why do they buy from you?

We had some good guesses, but nothing certain…

The obvious solution was to ask the customers directly. However, to consistently gather data from a lot of people over time, we needed to give them something valuable in return.

Then I remembered a book from Daniel Priestley, Scorecard Marketing, and a workshop I had recently attended on the subject. I had an idea:

We could invite anyone visiting the website to complete a quiz. The quiz would take them through a few simple questions, providing them with a personalised skincare routine at the end.

We called it the Skincare Routine Builder.

Cold Current Kelp now gets valuable data about their customers’ needs, wants, and habits – along with their email addresses.

Their customers would get a step-by-step morning and evening skincare ritual, with customised guidance based on their specific concerns and goals.

A win-win.

💡 You can try the quiz here: coldcurrentkelp.com/#quiz

And here’s the bigger insight: this isn’t just for skincare brands. The same principle works anywhere, both for direct-to-consumer brands and B2B companies.

👉 You offer something valuable → your customer answers a few questions in return.

First thing, you’ve got to nail the concept for your lead magnet. Here are six ideas:

1. Assessment or Diagnostic Tool

   Customers answer a short series of questions and get a score or benchmarked result (e.g. “Your sustainability score is 72/100”). Great for showing people where they stand.

   
   

2. Profile Quiz

   Similar to Cold Current Kelp’s Skincare Routine Builder. Customers share details, and in return, they get a personalised profile, routine, or recommendation.
   

3. Email or Video Mini-Course

   Access to a short, structured set of videos or emails — unlocked after answering a few questions. Works well for educating customers while qualifying leads.
   

4. Webinar Sign-Up

   A short set of questions during the webinar registration, which give you information about the audience. I’m using this for my own upcoming webinar (see below).
   

5. Waitlist

   Before launching a new product or service, let people join a waitlist by filling in a few questions. You learn about demand, while they get early access.
   

6. Document

   The classic lead magnet. People give their input in exchange for something small but valuable (a guide, a report, white paper, in-depth article).
   

Each one follows the same logic: you provide immediate value, and in return, you get insights and connection with your customers.

Increase the reward (i.e. what people get from taking your quiz) to increase the conversion rate. If the pain is well communicated and the reward is strong enough, you should see at least 30-40% conversion from people visiting your lead magnet landing page.

If you want to see how this works in practice, ScoreApp is a great tool for building these quizzes and assessments. Alternatively, RevenueHunt could also work well if you need something integrated with your Shopify website.

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🗓️ FYI - Ocean Entrepreneurs: I'm hosting a free, live workshop on Thursday 9th October at 3pm UK time (BST) / 10am US Eastern (ET).

You’ll learn a simple 5-step process to consistently attract customers who “get it” and are excited about what you have to offer.

There will also be a Q&A session at the end.

📌 If you're interested, learn more and reserve your spot.👇

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