Writers are frequently encouraged to identify their target audience. However, we don’t always look at a target audience through the lens of ministry. In my last post I talked about defining a succinct writing ministry statement. Target audience is one of the key building blocks of that statement.
If you were starting a ministry like a food bank, you would take into account who you were trying to serve from the start. In fact, thinking about your target customer may be the whole reason you started the ministry. You identified a group with a need— families struggling financially, and a way to help them—providing affordable food.
We often don’t think in those terms when we begin writing. It can be a lot harder to narrow down who God is calling us to serve through our writing. Unfortunately, that may lead to wasting a lot of time writing pieces that few people will see, because we weren’t strategic about focusing our writing to a target audience and a well-defined message.
How do I figure out my target audience?
Let’s define target audience as the group of people who will most benefit from the core message of what you are writing. That means target audience and message are often two sides of the same coin. You may have a better idea of one side or the other. It doesn’t matter which side you start with.
So, if you are clear on exactly what your message is, your target audience includes the people who will most benefit from that message. Who needs to hear your message? What specific issues, needs, or pain does your message help readers with?
If you’re not crystal clear on your message, here are some questions you can ask to help you identify your target audience.
- Who feels a similar trauma to one that I’ve survived?
- What am I most passionate about?
- What struggles, issues, or pain do I feel called to address in my writing?
- Are there themes that keep cropping up in my writing (such as forgiveness, second chances, or overcoming fear)? What groups of people would resonate with those themes?
- When people give feedback on my writing, what specific things do they talk about?
- What message can I not help sending out to the world? Who needs to hear that message?
Who is my no-fit audience?
Sometimes it’s easier to identify who your target audience is not. For example, if I write historical mysteries with a thread of faith, my non-target audience would include the following:
- Readers who primarily read a particular genre other than mystery or historical, such as sci-fi, action thrillers, or Amish romance.
- Readers who avoid Christian fiction.
- Mystery readers who don’t enjoy the subgenre of historical, and primarily read police procedurals, paranormal, or legal thrillers.
- Historical fiction readers who prefer a strong romance plot or who only read novels based on real historical events.
At first, identifying your no-fit audience can see obvious and unhelpful, but if you look for more specific segments of your no-fit audience, you may get important insights about your target audience.
The Bottom Line
Just like a ministry or a business, the more specifically you can identify your target audience, the more intentional you can be in writing pieces that will have an impact, and the easier it will be to find the people who need to hear it.
Lisa E. Betz worked as an engineer, substitute teacher, and play director before becoming an award-winning mystery writer. She brings her analytical mind, quirky humor, and positive outlook to all she writes. She draws inspiration from thirty-five years of leading Bible studies to create entertaining mysteries set in the world of the early church, and then she fills that world with eccentric characters, independent females, and an occasional sausage-snatching cat. Her first novel, Death and a Crocodile, was recently awarded the Golden Scroll Novel of the Year.
In addition to writing novels, Lisa blogs about living with authenticity and purpose. Visit her at lisaebetz.com. Facebook LisaEBetzWriter Twitter @LisaEBetz and Pinterest Lisa E Betz Intentional Living.