When you search the phrase ‘target audience’, on the Internet, its meaning will show up as – ‘a particular group at which a product is aimed at’.

Doesn’t it sound simple? Yeah right! If only.

Actually, the true definition in today’s times is quite the opposite. Today, writers don’t create a content and then target it at a group of audience. They find a group of people, name them as target audience and create content based on the needs of the audience.

It is not as simple as one-size-fits all approach. Your target audience might be filled with people that have different needs and goals.

Defining your target audience and clearly distinguishing their key characteristics makes all the difference when creating content, whether it is for a simple blog or for K12 course development. What you write as your content will depend on who you are writing the content for.

Let’s take an example. Suppose you need a leave and have to write a leave application to your boss. What do you do? You will observe your boss throughout the day. You do not want your boss to be in a foul mood when you give the letter, only for some negative response. When you know that your boss is in a good mood, you present him with the application.

What is the similarity, you ask? The similarity is that just like you observed your boss, you need to observe your audience. You need to know every possible detail about your audience, like age, gender, prior knowledge, etc. to hit the nail and produce appropriate and effective content.

Why does analysis of audience hold so much importance? Simply put, creating content without clear understanding of your audience is like setting a boat adrift without navigational tools. Or, in our corporate world, asking an intern to present the prototype to potential clients. You are in there, creating content and taking action, but it is not achieving any specific goal. Whether it is basic courseware development in Mumbai or across the world, this is the situation that is dreaded – huge amount of time and investment, without a clear understanding of the target audience.

Also, the tone, style, wording and terminology in your content will be dependent on the needs of the final reader.

Now that we know that analysing the target audience is important, how do we do it?

To analyse the intended readers, we determine a set of questions based on which an audience profile is developed. The following list of questions, though not exhaustive, will help you understand what questions can be set.

  1. Who is my audience?
  2. How will my audience use this content?
  3. What is my audience’s cultural background?
  4. What is the qualification of my target audience?
  5. Do they have pre-requisite knowledge?

Once you have answered these questions, you can develop an audience profile that will help you when you embark on your content making journey. It will affect your planning and writing decisions. Referring to the audience profile will give you the required assistance by helping you determine:

  1. Amount of content to be conveyed
  2. Kind and level of detail to be included
  3. Concept that need more emphasis
  4. Most appropriate writing strategies
  5. How the content should be organised, and much more.

Understanding your audience may appear as a monumental task, but you can raise the success and achievement bar by simply understanding them. Knowing who will be reading your content is the key to effective writing.