Thinking about audiences
They're on my mind this week, and so are you
Is it surprising to note that as a writer I spend almost as much time time thinking about who I'm writing for as what I’m writing? The question of audience is on my mind daily, and this week it's also come into conversation more than usual. Without knowing who you're writing for, and I’m not just talking their age and interests, but their values, the language they use and respond to, and the platforms they pay attention to, and myriad other elements, your efforts are sunk. Let me share some moments from the week where audience came into play:
Make it about them
Discussing past and potential website projects, a colleague and I remarked on the fact that so often clients are interested in putting themselves out there, describing who they are and how they differentiate from the competition. Equally, why not talk about who your ideal visitor is and what their needs might be? When someone recognizes themselves, they feel like you do too.
Find out where they hang out
It's an exciting time to be in media with all the social platforms and new channels to explore, but none of it works if your audience doesn't hang out there. While some progressive elders are getting on TikTok, it's still known as a young person's channel. And LinkedIn may not the first place to sell your yoga class, unless you're holding it at workplaces. While every platform has a range of users, choosing the one where the majority of your demographic hangs out can save so much time. And since we have so little of that, it makes sense to be strategic.
Get to know your audience even better
In speaking with a potential new client, it was great to here a clear and immediate answer when I asked them about their audience. She was even able to segment them down in terms of different needs. These days, with so many tools to help us understand our audience, from generic profiling by generation (X, Y, Z) but also analytics tools that can help us figure out our own specific visitor base based on how they engage with our content, it’s a great time to resist settling on a superficial knowledge and try to get to know them even better.
Audience is something I never tire of thinking about, and of course in building one with this new newsletter, I'm keen to hear about what topics you’d like to see covered here at Feisty headquarters. Always feel free to comment below or message me.