35 Questions to Ask When

Creating Buyer Personas

Buyer personas are a critical component of successful inbound marketing. But before you
create these detailed personas, you need to identify their needs, goals and behaviors. By asking
the questions below, you’ll gain a better understanding of your ideal customers and be better-
positioned to develop comprehensive personas for each customer segment.
 NOTE: To read the original article on our website that launched this list of questions,
please click here: https://www.clariantcreative.com/blog/creating-personas-interview-
questions-to-get-you-started
A word of caution, though: Please don’t feel you have to ask all 35 questions! Pick and choose
the questions that feel most relevant to what your company does and that will give you the
most helpful insight into the persona.

Personal Background
1. How old are you?
2. Tell us about your family life. Are you a spouse, parent, grandparent, sibling, etc.?
3. What city do you live in? What city do you work in?
4. What is your educational background (schools you attended, highest level of education,
area(s) of study, etc.)?
5. What do you like to do in your free time?

Industry and Business

6. What industry is your business in?
7. What is the size of your company (revenue, employees, etc.)?
8. What are the most common challenges in your industry?
9. What are the most common objections to your product or service?

Role
10. What is your job title?
11. What are your responsibilities?
 12. What does a typical workday look like for you?
13. How many years of experience do you have?
14. What is your professional background (previous positions, other industries you’ve
worked in, etc.)?
15. How do you measure success in your position?
16. What specialized skills or tools are required in your position?
17. To whom do you report? If you’re in a supervisory role, who reports to you?
18. What frustrates you the most about your job?
19. What do you enjoy most?

Goals
20. What are the primary and secondary goals your company is trying to achieve?
21. Why are these goals important? What’s at stake?
22. What steps are you taking to achieve these goals?

Challenges
23. What are the biggest challenges that prevent you from achieving these goals?
24. What have you done in the past to conquer these challenges? Did it work?
25. If it didn’t, what would you try differently next time?

Decision Making
26. Who is involved in the buying process for products/services like ours?
27. Who do you consult with and trust for advice and information?

Objections
28. What are your biggest complaints about our product or service?
29. What must happen for you to overcome these complaints?

Information Sources
30. What publications, blogs or social media networks do you pay attention to?
31. Do you belong to any social, professional or networking groups?
32. Do you attend any industry events, conferences or trade shows?
33. What information formats do you engage with the most (mobile, online, print, etc.)?
34. How do you do your research on new products and/or services for your business
(internet, word-of-mouth, etc.)?
35. How did you find out about our company?