Businesses hold Ask Me Anything campaigns to answer the public’s questions about what they do and how they do it. The hosts usually hold these sessions online because they are cheaper, much easier to handle, and more accessible to participants. In this article, we explain different aspects of such campaigns and provide useful tips.
What Does “Ask Me Anything Campaigns” Mean?
Ask Me Anything campaigns have become popular over the past decade. Before that, only some major brands had the courage to face the public and answer their questions about the quality of products or how they are created. Thanks to social media, we see more AMA sessions on different platforms. Let’s learn more about AMA.
What happens at an AMA session? “Ask Me Anything” is a Q&A session held by celebrities, influencers, business owners, support or marketing teams, and experts in a field.
What’s its purpose? AMA is a great opportunity to engage with customers/audience, gain their trust, answer their FAQs, and show them your honesty and transparency.
What platforms are used for Ask Me Anything? There are a variety of Ask Me Anything websites that you can use for your campaigns, like Reddit, Quora, Answers, Twitter (X), Facebook, LinkedIn, and many more. Also, some businesses and individuals prefer holding AMA sessions via Telegram, YouTube (live), Instagram (live), and Discord.
Ask Me Anything Ideas for Businesses and Influencers
If you want to host a Q&A session and run out of ideas, this section is for you.
1) “Meet the Captain/Crew”
If your business is not developing, it’s probably because you are standing in the shadows. As a boss, it’s your duty to face the customers or audience and answer their questions. In cases where the boss cannot show a face, the marketing team or a representative does it.
2) “Things You Don’t See”
Take a tour around the company and show what happens behind the scenes. Let the public ask their questions or offer their suggestions about each section.
3) “A Minute with the Team”
Have team members introduce themselves in 2 minutes. Then the audience asks them questions.
4) “The Future Is Here”
If you are about to launch a new product or add a service to your business, an AMA campaign will help you start strong. Talk about what you intend to offer, get feedback from the audience, and let them ask their questions. By doing this, customers will be familiar with the product before it’s on the market.
5) “A Word from a Happy Customer”
Find a happy customer who is willing to cooperate in your Ask Me Anything campaigns. They can share their story with the audience and answer people’s questions about your brand and products.
6) “Ask the Support Team”
This type of AMA session is advised after launching a product or releasing an update. The public can share their problems with the support team or get tips from the manufacturers.
7) “Duo-Talk with …”
Ask an influencer or another business to join you on a live chat. The best platform for holding duo-talk is Instagram because the followers of both parties can join and share their concerns (questions).
8) “Behind the Price Tags”
If the customers are complaining about your prices, show them why you charge them that much. Let them ask detailed questions until their concerns are resolved. This technique is like a miracle! It increases your loyal customers, and you will never hear complaints.
Tips for Better Ask Me Anything Campaigns
Those trying to run Ask Me Anything campaigns should consider these 9 tips.
Find the proper platform.
Do some research and find the platform that your audience mostly uses. For example, crypto traders and Forex experts usually use Telegram to receive signals and hints, while the NFT collectors and pro-gamers hang out on Discord.
Let people know at least a week ahead.
Notify people 7 days, 3 days, and 1 day before the AMA starts. Create an image and write the time, date, topic, and host name/photo on it. Then, share the same banner in social media posts and stories, countdowns, or even paid ads.
Specify the subject to avoid off-topic questions.
When promoting the Ask Me Anything campaigns, emphasize their subjects or themes. For instance, if your goal is only to answer the price-related questions, use proper headlines (like “The Truth About Our Prices”), pictures, and references. This prevents off-topic questions and wasting your time.
Use different tools for better performance.
Some platforms, like Telegram and YouTube, allow you to use tools and plugins to achieve better results. As an example, SmartBotsLand has a subscription bot for managing Telegram conversations and receiving fees from the members.
Collect the questions days before the AMA session starts.
Ask the audience to submit their questions days before the AMA session starts. It helps you choose useful questions and prepare the best answers. Also, it saves your time, and you can address more problems.
Be honest and do not confuse people.
Honesty brings loyalty. Don’t use fake numbers and testimonials because people will notice them eventually. Also, explain both the benefits and downsides of your product/services in your Ask Me Anything campaigns to gain customers’ trust.
Offer giveaways to attract more participants.
Draw lots among the participants and reward one or two of them. The reward can be a sample of your product, early access to an update, cash or a discount code, access to a VIP group, and many more.
Share key takeaways from the AMA.
Prepare a summary of the AMA and share it as a blog post, social media post, or Twitter thread. Don’t forget to highlight important answers, points, and references.
Real-World Examples of Ask Me Anything Campaigns
Running a successful AMA campaign is not easy, but possible. Here are 5 living proofs of this statement.
- Barack Obama’s AMA session on Reddit.
In 2012, President Obama hosted an AMA on Reddit and answered public questions. The questions were mainly about political issues, but he also answered some personal questions.
- Elon Musk’s AMA on Twitter.
Elon Musk is a true fan of Ask Me Anything campaigns. He frequently hosts AMAs to answer people’s questions about Tesla, SpaceX, new technologies, cryptocurrencies, etc.
- Bill Gates’s AMA on Reddit.
Bill Gates also runs frequent AMAs to answer public questions about Microsoft, his philanthropy plans, and major global issues.
- Spotify’s AMA on Instagram and YouTube.
Spotify sometimes hosts AMA sessions where its employees answer questions from musicians, producers, and managers about how to grow and succeed on Spotify. These sessions usually happen on Instagram and YouTube Live, but you probably see them on Reddit and Twitter too.
- Polygon and Binance AMA on Telegram and Binance Square.
Sometimes, Polygon and Binance hold duo AMA sessions to share updates about scaling, gas fees, and future crypto integrations.
Ask Me Anything Campaign Strategy
There is no fixed template for Ask Me Anything Campaigns, but you can follow these steps for maximum effect.
- A) Pick a popular topic and the best platform for your AMA.
- B) Promote the AMA a week ahead and remind the users 3 and 1 day before the meeting.
- C) Collect people’s questions a few days earlier and prepare good answers for them.
- D) Start the meeting at the exact time announced. Begin with greetings and a short intro of yourself/the business/the team.
- E) Answer the questions one by one. If possible, encourage people to ask questions live.
- F) Reward several participants for their presence and helpful questions.
- G) Prepare a summary of what has been discussed during the session.
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FAQs
1. What are the best Ask Me Anything questions?
If you want to ask questions of a business, here are some good ones:
* What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
* What are your future plans?
* Tell us a fun fact about your team?
* What advice would you give someone starting a business?
2. Who in my business should host the AMA?
It depends on the purpose of your meeting. If you’d like to clarify the price plans, ask the finance or marketing team to host it. But if your goal is to answer tech-related questions, the tech support team should run it.
3. Is AMA a good idea?
Generally, yes, especially when your company shares too many updates or products, receives frequent complaints, or is struggling to gain customers’ trust.
4. What are the downsides of Ask Me Anything?
It’s time-consuming, people might ask difficult questions, the host may receive harsh criticism live, some people might be aggressive in their questions, and the host must be extra careful not to expose sensitive information.
