Self-Reported Attribution Is Your AI Signal
“The smartest marketers do something radical: they just ask.” – Demand Gen expert
The Play:
Marketers chase attribution software and ignore the simplest path:
Ask your buyers, “How’d you hear about us?”
It’s qualitative gold — and when scaled with AI, it’s a signal source that trains better targeting.
The Framework:
Self-Reported → Categorized by AI → Activation
Collect It: Add a free-text field to your demo forms: “How’d you hear about us?”
Cluster with AI: Use Claude to categorize open-ended replies into themes: podcast, Slack, LinkedIn, referral.
Train Your Targeting: Feed the themes back into ad, SEO, and content plays.
Use Case:
A SaaS team collected 200+ free-text responses.
GPT grouped them into 6 primary channels.
They shifted spend to top 2 — CPL dropped by 38%.
Tools + Prompts:
Tools: Typeform, Claude, Google Sheets
Prompt:
“Group these 100 responses into source categories. Highlight most common, and suggest top 3 channels to double down on.”
CTA:
Reply “ATTRIBUTION” and I’ll send my self-reported attribution prompt stack.
PS – Attribution software chases accuracy. Self-reports deliver truth.