Unpacking Audience Archetypes: A Step-By-Step Guide Using ChatGPT and Open-Ended Survey Data

This guide will help you transform raw, open-ended survey data into meaningful consumer archetypes using ChatGPT.

Our step-by-step approach gives you the tools to decode consumer behaviour and build actionable audience archetypes.

What’s Inside?

Using a synthetic dataset of 100 responses to open-ended questions about digital media habits, you’ll learn how to:

  • 🧩 Extract themes
  • 📂 Group responses
  • 🎯 Construct archetypes

Plus, downloadable tools:

  • 📊 Synthetic dataset
  • 📝 Ready-made prompts
  • 📄 Survey questionnaire

Setting Up Your ChatGPT Account

If you don’t have an account yet, simply visit ChatGPT.

💡 Best Practices for Data Privacy:

➡️ Go to Settings and look for Data Controls.
➡️ Toggle ‘Improve the model for everyone’ to disable it.
➡️ Learn more about using ChatGPT safely for market research.

Download the Resources 👇

The files are hosted securely on Internext.com, no account or ads required. Prefer email? Just send me a DM!

Let’s Dive In 🚀

To get started:

  1. 📥 Download the dataset.
  2. 🗂️ Open a new ChatGPT conversation.
  3. ✍️ Attach the dataset and describe it briefly, e.g.:
    “This is a survey dataset containing questions on digital media habits.”
  4. 🔄 Copy and paste the starter and follow-up prompts provided in this guide.

💡 TIP: Copy all text located between asterisks (*) for prompts.

By the end, you’ll learn how to enrich your datasets with new columns based on ChatGPT outputs, making your data more actionable and insightful.


🔍 Step 1: Extracting Themes From Open-Ended Responses

Scenario

You want to uncover key themes to understand what drives consumer behaviour.

Starter Prompt
*Analyse the responses to Q1: What do you enjoy most about digital media? Extract key themes and summarise them into broad categories.*
ChatGPT Output

Themes such as:

  • “Access to diverse content”
  • “Entertainment value”
  • “Social connection”
Follow-Up Prompt
*Add a column called Digital_Media_Themes to categorise each respondent's answer into one of the identified themes.*

❤️ Step 2: Grouping Responses by Emotional Tones

Scenario

Explore the emotional tones behind respondents’ preferences to uncover deeper insights.

Starter Prompt
*Analyse responses to Q2: How does digital media make you feel? Identify emotional tones (e.g., Excited, Relaxed, Overwhelmed) and group responses accordingly.*
ChatGPT Output

Emotions such as:

  • “Excitement about new technology”
  • “Relaxation through entertainment”
  • “Feelings of information overload”
Follow-Up Prompt
*Add a column called Emotional_Tones to categorise respondents based on emotional tone.*

🚧 Step 3: Understanding Barriers and Challenges

Scenario

Identify consumer challenges to refine messaging or product offerings.

Starter Prompt
*Analyse responses to Q3: What frustrates you most about digital media? Extract key challenges (e.g., time management, lack of privacy) and group them into categories.*
ChatGPT Output

Challenges such as:

  • “Privacy concerns”
  • “Difficulty finding reliable content”
  • “Addictive usage patterns”
Follow-Up Prompt
*Add a column called Media_Challenges to categorise respondents based on their frustrations.*

🧠 Step 4: Building Value-Based Archetypes

Scenario

Group consumers by values they associate with digital media.

Starter Prompt
*Analyse responses to Q4: What do you value most about digital media? Group responses into value-based categories (e.g., Creativity, Learning, Connection).*
ChatGPT Output

Values such as:

  • “Learning opportunities”
  • “Creative expression”
  • “Staying connected with others”
Follow-Up Prompt
*Add a column called Media_Values to group respondents based on the values they prioritise.*

🎥 Step 5: Exploring Content Preferences

Scenario

Unearth audience content preferences.

Starter Prompt
*Analyse responses to Q5: What type of content do you consume most often? Group responses into categories (e.g., Entertainment, News, Educational).*
ChatGPT Output

Categories such as:

  • “Entertainment-focused viewers”
  • “News enthusiasts”
  • “Educational content seekers”
Follow-Up Prompt
*Add a column called Content_Preferences to categorise respondents based on their preferences.*

🎭 Step 6: Creating Final Archetypes

Scenario

Combine variables to create overarching archetypes.

Starter Prompt
*Using the following columns:

Digital_Media_Themes
Emotional_Tones
Media_Challenges
Media_Values
Content_Preferences

Create archetypes that represent key audience segments.*
ChatGPT Output

Archetypes such as:

  • “Creative Explorers”
  • “Relaxed Entertainers”
  • “Overwhelmed Consumers”
Follow-Up Prompt
*Add a column called Audience_Archetypes to summarise respondents into key archetypes.*

📊 Next Steps: Where to Go From Here?

  1. Experimentation: Add new survey questions to uncover deeper audience insights.

  2. Validation: Test your archetypes with real-world applications like targeted advertising or personalised content.

  3. Expansion: Apply this framework to other areas such as fitness habits 🏋️, environmental attitudes 🌿, or travel behaviours ✈️.

Final Thought 💡🔥

This guide shows how to decode open-ended survey data into actionable archetypes. Whether uncovering Creative Explorers, Relaxed Entertainers, or Overwhelmed Consumers, you’re now ready to unlock the hidden stories in your data.


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