Are you writing with intention for your audience or are you just writing to write? If you’re not sure of the answer or looking for a refresh it’s time for a brainstorm session. No matter what dream you’re chasing, connecting with your audience is key and understanding your ideal audience is essential to producing valuable content.
Defining Your Audience
First things first, who are you writing for? I know this may sound kind of basic, but have you really thought about whom you are writing your blog and social media posts for? To make sure you are writing impactful content it’s important that you really identify with who your ideal audience is. You know the phrase your vibe attracts your tribe? Well this also rings true to the content you write. If you’re working on refining your content it’s also important to note that sometimes your ideal audience and current audience don’t always align perfectly so we’re going to walk through identifying both.
Here’s a little exercise. Grab a piece a paper and go through the following questions. (I’m a big believer that writing things down the good old-fashioned way has a lasting impact! Plus it’s good for your brain.):
Let’s answer some questions about your ideal audience:
- What industry are you trying to reach?
- Are you writing specifically for males or females? Or both?
- Is there a specific age group you are focused on?
- Is your audience geographic specific?
- What “solutions” is your audience looking for?
- What other publications or influencers does your audience follow?
RELATED READ: Why ‘Getting Moody’ Attracts the Right Audience: The Impact of Mood Boards
Now, if you’ve been writing for a bit let’s take a peek at your current audience. Hit those analytics!
- Who are your current customers/clients or readers? Age/gender/demographic
- What is the top content on your website? How about most successful social media posts?
- Do these analytics align with who your ideal audience is or are you trying to reach a different group or expand upon your current audience?
Finding your Niche
Once you have really figured out whom you’re writing for, it’s time to narrow in on the type of content they actually care about. And pssttt, it might not be what you think. The truth is, this one takes a little time on both ends. Depending on where you’re at in your journey of chasing your dreams or your business, this one will take some refinement and it may even change over time. Sometimes it’s a little trial and error of trying new topics and seeing which receive the best traction, but at the end of the day if you keep writing posts on business trends, but they always have the lowest traffic and next to no engagement it might be time to nix the topic from your content strategy. If your content doesn’t have purpose then it’s just noise, and that isn’t doing anyone any good.
To get going, try and narrow in on a handful of topics that relate to your specialty and what you enjoy writing about – you’ll be doing a lot of it after all. It’s also important that these topics relate to your big picture! What is your end goal of writing your content? Are you trying to showcase your expertise with the hopes of signing new business? Are you putting together a mastermind group or course for other business owners? Trying to gain more readers and followers to secure brand partnerships? What are you actually trying to accomplish? This will heavily change the way you highlight your specialties.
Once you’ve really nailed your end-all goal you can zero in on the types of content that you need to provide to connect with that audience. For example, I own a social media, branding and web design collective, Bold & Pop, so we focus on topics in those fields. That brand new Instagram feature? I’m writing about it. A comparison of website platforms and why we prefer Squarespace? Done! Walking our readers through our latest logo design project and how we brought a client’s vision to life? Absolutely. As you can see, all topics line up with our business and while one of our goals is to certainly attract clients, we’re mostly focused on credibility. And spoiler… When you provide valuable content people like to share it! Which in return attracts more eyeballs, which will help your end-all goal.
[convertkit form=4915104]Writing for your Audience
Look at you, you’re making progress! You’ve really zeroed in on your ideal audience, your niche and now it’s time to chat about writing for your audience. Now that you’ve really looked into who they are, it’s time to think about what type of people they are. Do they want to read serious articles that are written in a very professional tone or do they prefer to be approached in a personable low-key manner. I truly think this is one of the most important things to consider when writing with purpose. You might know the audience you want to reach and the type of content you will write, but if you don’t nail your approach you likely won’t connect with your readers.
Get out your piece of paper again! It’s time to write out answers to a few more questions.
- What do you want to be known for? Are you the raw and honest entrepreneur who isn’t afraid to share the good, bad and ugly? How about the make-up artist who is dedicated to sharing informative posts on finding the best green products and why it’s important? Or what about the style blogger who can nail day-to- night outfits to take you from your 9-5 to 5-9?
- Now make a list of 3 words you want to define your writing personality. Are you funny, witty, professional, blunt, or bubbly? What is it about your writing that people will want to keep coming back for more?
RELATED READ: Are You Blogging for the Right Reasons?
Now that you have some tips on and exercises for nailing down your audience, focusing on strategic content, and finding your voice, it’s time to get to work! Chase those goals dreamers and doers!
PS – Enrollment for the next round of From Struggle to Shine is open! What’s FSTS you ask? It’s 12 weeks of working closely with me to style your story, build time saving social media strategies, and cultivate the supportive community you’ve been longing for! Want to know more? Email allyn@allynlewis.com!