Why Do We Need to Write for a Specific Reader?

When we’re writing for the purpose of putting our words out into the world and serving others with with, there’s a foundational aspect that many writers miss. We need to decide who we are writing for and what specifically we have to offer that reader.

Why is it so important to know this?

When I am teaching and coaching writers on this topic, I sometimes get some push back. I hear objections such as:

“But everyone needs to hear what I have to say!”

“I don’t want to leave anyone out!”

“If I’m too specific I won’t be able to grow my audience - I won’t get enough readers.”

I get it. Especially when we’re just getting started, who wants to turn people away! We want anyone and everyone to read our work. Why be particular?

There are a few problems with that thinking.

“Everyone needs to read what I have to say!”

Everyone MIGHT need to hear what you have to say. If you’re talking about spending more time in prayer and Bible study, or eating healthier, well then yes - everyone probably needs to hear that. But you’re not writing to everyone. You are writing to those who REALIZE that they need to spend more time in prayer and Bible study or need to eat healthier. I may have awful eating habits, but until I decide that those habits need to change, I’m not going to do a single Google search for healthy recipes.

So even if you write about something that is indeed universally needed, your reader is more specific. Maybe it’s middle-aged women who are frustrated with their weight. Or it’s young moms who are struggling to figure out how to find time to spend with God while caring for their little ones.

But why don’t we just throw our message out there and not aim it at anyone specific? What’s wrong with talking about an assortment of topics - recipes, travel, devotions, parenting… What’s the advantage to having a specific message and reader in mind? For example, I hear from many authors who want to write devotions - that’s great! What kind of devotions? Around which topic? What ties those devotions together? Who will read them?

Why be specific?

1. Being specific helps you write

One reason to be specific is simply so you know what you’re writing about and who you’re writing for. Have you ever sat down to write and simply had no idea where to start? When we have a clear idea of the person we write for, we can picture him or her in our heads. Because we know what she needs and what she’s struggling with, it gives us a much better idea of how to serve her. Having some boundaries on what we’re writing is actually very helpful for coming up with ideas.

2. Readers will know what to expect when they find you.

When you go to Best Buy, you generally know what you’re going to find there - electronics and appliances. If I need to buy shoes, I’m not going to Best Buy, because I know I won’t find them there. I don’t go to a sporting goods store to buy steak. When we write about something specific to someone specific, readers know exactly what they’re going to find.

When I was planning on starting a podcast and blog for writers, I knew I needed to be specific in who it was for and what I would be talking about. I was specific in saying that I would be approaching the topics from a Christian perspective. Anyone of any faith can listen or watch, but at least you know what to expect. If one week I talked about how to outline a novel and the next week I shared my favorite recipe for brownies or my thoughts on parenting according to Buddhist philosophies, how would you ever decide whether or not to listen? (I know nothing about Buddhist parenting philosophies, by the way.) Maybe you’re interested in brownies but you’re not writing a fiction novel. Back to the store analogy, what if I had to walk into 5 different stores just to find out which one carried shoes?

3. Readers search for the solutions to specific problems.

If we want anyone to find us at all, we need to meet a need or solve a problem. People search online for answers to specific questions. If you aren’t offering an answer to what they’re looking for, no one will find you. Think about your own time online. You Google something specific, such as how to fix your toilet or where to find middle school science fair project ideas. Your readers do the same thing. We need to have something specific as the answer to what they’re searching for.

Once you decide on your specific message and reader, where will you put that information to use? (Other than in what you write…)

Here’s a list of 6 different places and ways to use that information (but there are probably more).

1. Your website title and tagline and the front page of your site

Visitors to your website will want to know what to expect. The top of your front page is the place to let them know what’s in it for them! Your title and the information on your front page should be talking directly to your reader and be based on the message you offer them. Readers want to know what’s in it for them if they’re going to read more.

2. Your social media bios

In your social media bios (your public ones for your writing), your readers don’t want to know who you are. They’re not wondering if you like cats and coffee. They want to know what you have to offer them and why they should follow you.

3. Book transformation tale

If you are writing a nonfiction book proposal, one portion of that proposal is the transformation tale. Publishers want to know who exactly your book is for and what you have to offer that reader. They know that in order to sell your book, it needs to be aimed at someone specific and fill a specific need.

4. Your author brand

When you design your website (or hire someone else to design it) and choose the colors and fonts for your social media posts, you need to have your reader in mind. If you’re writing for middle-aged men, for example, you’re not going to use pink and purple colors and images of flowers and makeup. Rather, you’re going to choose a look and a feel that will be attractive to your reader and fit the message of what you’re trying to communicate.

5. In deciding what types of things to offer to your reader

Will a community serve them and their needs? A podcast? A course? A book? A guided journal? What kind of lead magnet or free offer would be helpful for them and attract them to your email list? What content do you share with them once they subscribe to your email list?

6. In knowing where to find them

Knowing who your reader is will help you know where they “hang out”, both online and in person. Do they spend time on social media? If so, which platforms? Do they listen to podcasts? Read blogs? Read books? Listen to speakers at conferences? Attend support groups at church or elsewhere?

As you can see, deciding what you have to offer and who you are offering it to is so foundational to our writing for others. There is absolutely nothing wrong with journaling and writing on your own for yourself about anything and everything. It’s so theraputic and healing! However, if you want to write in a way that serves others, the first step is to figure out who your reader is and what you are helping them with.

This post was inspired by episode #2 of the Purposeful Pen Podcast. You can find that here if you’d like to listen.

Do you need to narrow down who you are writing for and what you offer them? Download these 10 questions to help you get started.

Need more help? Check out one-on-one coaching sessions here.