Who is Your Ideal Reader?

During my time working in public relations, one thing was paramount: the target audience.

Whether it was a health message, a consumer message, or a public affairs message, I needed to know exactly who the target of the campaign was to help craft the message and determine the best means of delivery.

The options were endless. For a health message on the availability of a new vaccine, it might be women over the age of 50 with pre-existing conditions. For a consumer message on propane safety it might be grill users. For an environmental public affairs message, it might be legislators on certain committees who can enact change or business leaders who can make adjustments to how they manager their supply chain.

Regardless of the options, campaigns are typically designed to reach specific people in order to inspire a behavioral change, a purchasing decision, or to take action. Targeting all consumers with a propane safety message might fall flat, but using a chef famous for his grilling recipes to present information about new recipes and grill safety tips for summer will reach grilling enthusiasts, many of whom use propane grills.

Writing is similar. Writing to the masses is too generic. It’s important to understand who your story’s ideal reader is.

I write women’s fiction, but my ideal reader is not just any woman over the age of 30.

It’s important to be specific about your ideal reader. Ask yourself:

• What keeps your ideal reader up at night? What are they worried about?
• What struggles does your ideal reader have?
• Why does your ideal reader love reading?
• What kinds of books do they normally seek out? Why?
• What about your book will address what your reader struggles with?
• What do you want your ideal reader to say or feel when finishing your book?

Looking through that lens, my ideal reader for my current project is women in midlife caught between caring for kids and aging parents who is analyzing her space in the world and how she contributes to it. She reads to escape her day-to-day life. She wants a satisfying story that allows her to walk in another’s woman’s shoes. She wants to come away from the story feeling entertained and perhaps with a bit more insight into her own journey.

Now, I am a big believer in writing for yourself without the gaze of an audience. No one needs a critic–internal or external–when drafting.

HOWEVER…

I eventually want my book to find its way into a reader’s hands. When I’m revising, imagining this ideal reader allows me to craft a book that will make it to the top of this ideal reader’s TBR (to be read) pile.

Just like a PR or ad campaign, it’s important to know your audience. Before you revise, make sure you understand who you are speaking to. Then edit to ensure your book is saying what you want it to to that person.

Use the questions I listed above. You can create an avatar, if you wish, name your ideal reader. Or simply know who she is. Chances are, she’s a lot like you in many ways. Or a version of you, anyway.

And also like a PR or ad campaign, your book has a message and a meaning, something you want your ideal reader to walk away thinking about differently or to take action on. Get specific early in the process identifying your message and your audience, and it will tie your writing together with purpose.

Who is your ideal reader?

Featured title photo by Nguyen Thu Hoai on Unsplash