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How to identify your target audience

target audience in essay

When we write, we write about something (the topic) in a certain format (the document type) for a reader or group of readers (the audience). Deciding what we are writing about and what type of document to prepare is usually straightforward for most writers. However, deciding who we are writing for is not always thoroughly considered. To a large degree, the audience of a document is determined by the type of document and the subject matter but unless researchers and other science writers have a background in marketing, the concept of identifying and catering to a target audience might not be a high priority.

DOWNLOAD THE INFOGRAPHIC ' 6 ways to identify and cater to your target audience '

target audience in essay

Unless catering to a target audience is a central objective, your document may lack some of the fundamentals of good document design. Spending the time deciding exactly what you want to do for your audience, rather than simply delivering information, will help you fine-tune the content and the design of your document.

Problems caused by not understanding your target audience

Common writing problems often reflect that a writer has not thoroughly considered who their audience is or what they need. This can cause the following problems:

- providing too much (or not enough) detail or background information

- providing too much detail on unrelated sub-topics or on a well-known topic

- using the wrong language or unfamiliar terminology

- assuming the audience’s level of interest in, or understanding of, the topic

One common mistake in science and academic writing is assuming your audience will know your topic nearly as well as you do. The problem with this assumption is that crucial background information and explanation of fundamental concepts may be omitted. Authors of research papers will often make this assumption deliberately if they are writing about a specialised topic. Yet even in these cases, it is not a good habit to omit important background information and project details that are necessary for the reader to understand the context of the research.

Get feedback

target audience in essay

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that writing is simply delivering information if you are a solo writer, if you are inexperienced or if you don’t get regular feedback on your writing. If you do get regular feedback, it might not be enough if you only get feedback from people who know your topic well as you do; your colleagues or supervisors may ensure you write a scientifically-accurate document but anyone overly-familiar with your topic may not realise that what you’ve written is not clearly written or easy to read.

There are three different types of audiences to consider

An audience is a collective group of readers and for most purposes we need to think about our readers as a group and generalise about what qualities they have. I define three types of audience for most documents: the target audience , the secondary audience and the tertiary audience . For an example of this definition, refer to the diagram below that outlines the hypothetical audiences for an ecological research paper.

target audience in essay

Your target audience is your intended audience. They are the group of readers that you want to read your document or you expect will read your document. These are the people you are designing your document for. Your target audience should understand everything you write. Some examples are research scientists writing peer-reviewed papers for their peers, students writing assignments for their lecturers or consultants writing reports for clients.

Your secondary audience are those people who still want, or need, to read your document but may have different education backgrounds or work within a different discipline to your target audience. For example, the secondary audience of an ecological research paper might be scientists from other disciplines, or other people interested in your topic or your project outcomes; for example, land managers, farmers, conservationists, journalists, science educators or students. Your secondary audience may not be thoroughly familiar with your topic but still has a strong or vested interest in your projects’ outcomes. However, it is not possible to cater to both your target audience and your secondary audience with the same document. You cannot cater to the secondary audience as you would need to provide too much detail or instruction, making it tiring for the target audience to read, or worse make the target audience feel the document is not designed for them.

You cannot explain everything for your secondary audience but you can help them navigate your document by defining your key terms and ensuring your main aim and findings are abundantly clear.

Your tertiary audience are people who will directly or indirectly benefit or be affected by your work in some way but will not read your document themselves; they will learn about your work either through the secondary or target audience of your document. Because your tertiary audience won’t be reading your document, it is crucial for you to ensure your key messages are abundantly clear so they are not mis-interpreted or mis-represented.

Key ways to identify and cater for your target audience

target audience in essay

  • Think about who your readers are and whether they fit into either of the three audience categories, then focus on how to cater for the target audience. Some factors to consider:
  • Who will want or need to read your document? What reasons do they have for reading your document?
  • Who will be interested in your topic and key findings? Why will they be interested in reading your document? If they are not already interested, how do you attract them?
  • What is their occupation, expertise, background or level of education?
  • Will they be able to understand all parts of your document? If not, include sufficient detail and explanation to ensure that they do or assign them to your secondary audience.
  • What people need to read your document
  • What task(s) will your document perform for them?
  • How they will find out about your document?
  • How will they access your document?

           DOWNLOAD THE INFOGRAPHIC: 6 ways to identify and cater for your target audience

Once you have clearly mapped out who you are writing to and how you will cater to them. If appropriate, ask someone from your target audience to give you feedback on a late draft of your document. You might find there are some important aspects you still need to consider.

target audience in essay

  • Do not assume your readers know everything you do.
  • Understand there are different types of audiences who may read your document.
  • Always define your key terms and explain your key concepts.
  • If appropriate, ask someone from your target audience for feedback on a late draft of you rdocument.

© Dr Marina Hurley 2020 www.writingclearscience.com.au

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Learn how to identify your audience and craft your writing to meet their needs.

Imagine that you recently had a car accident and you were partially responsible. If you had to write and tell your family about the accident, what might you say? Imagine how you might tell the story differently if you were telling your friends about what happened. How might this version be different from the one you tell the insurance company? What details would you emphasize? Are there some details you might tell your friends that you might not emphasize or even mention at all in your letter to your family or the insurance company? Would the order in which you told the various details be different? As you can see, this illustrates the way that we customize our writing to appeal to a specific audience.

Assignments are often designed with a particular audience in mind. For example, if you are writing a business or legal memo, your intended audience is probably people with whom you work, perhaps your boss or your co-workers. If you are writing a proposal of some sort, the intended audience may be a professional but not someone with whom you are intimately acquainted. Just as what you say to your family and friends might be different than what you say to the insurance company, what and how you report information may vary depending on the audience.

Why is My Audience Important?

Knowing your audience helps you to make decisions about what information you should include, how you should arrange that information, and what kind of supporting details will be necessary for the reader to understand what you are presenting. It also influences the tone and structure of the document. To develop and present an effective argument, you need to be able to appeal to and address your audience. 

When writing an academic paper, try to remember that your instructor is not the only member of your audience. Although the instructor is often the only person who will read the finished product, customizing a paper to his or her level of knowledge can run the risk of leaving out important information, since many instructors know far more about your topic than the average reader would. In addition, omitting information that your instructor already knows can result in a weak or unbalanced paper. 

However, if you assume that your reader is less knowledgeable than you, you are likely to provide more details and better explanations, which usually results in a much stronger paper. While it is important to consider your instructor's needs when writing your papers, especially if he or she specifies particular requirements that you must meet, you should consider whether there is a specific intended audience for your assignment. 

To effectively plan your assignment, you need to figure out who your audience is and what specific needs they might have. The best place to begin is your assignment description. Look to see if your instructor specified an intended audience. If not, you might ask your instructor if there is a particular intended reader for the assignment. Common audiences include the following:

Generalized Group of Readers: Sometimes your audience is just a generalized group of readers. For example, your assignment might specify something like this: "Assume that your classmates are your audience." Generally, this means that your readers are college educated and know about as much (or as little) as you do on the subject. These readers will need you to provide some background information, as well as examples and illustrations to help them understand what you are presenting.

Professionals in the field: Sometimes your assignment might require you to address people within a particular field or profession. For example, a business assignment might specify the audience as other business professionals in the field. Likewise, for a legal memo, your readers might be a group of legal experts. If your readers are professional peers, you can assume they know the jargon and terminology common to that field. These readers may also expect you to write in the style and vocabulary that is common to the field or discipline. If your writing is designed for people with whom you work, you might be able to assume that they are also knowledgeable about the particular project or topic you are writing about.

The larger academic community: If you are writing an academic research paper, chances are you are writing for an academic community, similar to the readers of professional, peer-reviewed journals in your field. These readers will expect that your writing will conform to the conventions of this particular field. It's often helpful to look at the language and style that experts in the field use when writing for these kinds of journals, so pay special attention to this as you research. These readers will expect you to cite known experts in the field (this shows that you are well-read and have done your homework) and to contribute something new to the established body of knowledge.

Once you know who you are writing to or for, you can begin to consider the best way to address your audience and customize the paper meet their needs. Below are some things to consider:

What is the relationship between the writer and the reader? If you are in a position of authority over your readers, as might be the case if you are writing some sort of employment memo, your tone might be more instructive and authoritative. However, if you are writing to someone with more power than you, such as your boss, your tone should be more formal and polite. You would make suggestions rather than issue directives, for example. Always be polite and respectful to a reader!

How much does the reader know? Does the reader have more knowledge or less knowledge than you? Are they familiar with the jargon or terminology of this specific discipline, or will you need to define terms? Do they have the background knowledge (including the history of the topic or issue) necessary to understand your topic, or will you need to provide background information? You might also consider what information you can leave out. You want to make sure you provide all the information the reader needs, but you don't want to bog down the reader with information he or she already knows.

  • Is the audience likely to agree or disagree with you? It's important to think about this before you begin writing, so you can write in a way that appeals to your audience. Sometimes you will be addressing an audience that agrees with you, so you'll be emphasizing why their point of view is a productive or beneficial one, and perhaps arguing in favor of a course of action or particular outcome. You'll want to reinforce their opinion, but try to avoid flattery or excessive compliments, since this can make you sound insincere.
  • On other assignments, you will be writing to an audience that already has a particular opinion or stance on your topic, and your goal will be to change their minds or alter their points of view. You might be required to write to an audience that is opposed or even hostile to your ideas. Avoid telling an audience that their opinion is wrong or incorrect; instead, try to communicate why a change of opinion would be beneficial to them.

What will the reader do with the information? Will the reader be making a decision or taking a course of action based on the information you provide? If so, have you included all the information necessary for that person to make an intelligent decision or take action? Have you anticipated questions the reader might have and provided answers for them?

Once you've identified your audience and thought about the best way to appeal to them in your writing, it's often helpful to make a very informal list of what your audience already knows, what they need to know, why they need to know it, and how you can help them. Keep this close by so you can easily refer to it as you write, since it will be useful if you get stuck or aren't sure how to proceed.

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VIDEO

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  2. Here’s why it works so well:1️⃣ Understanding your target audience deeply allows you to tap into their thoughts and concerns.2️⃣ When you address a common thought or objection in a Reel, acknowledging what your audience is thinking and offering a new perspective, they think:👉 “How does she know exactly what I’m thinking?!”This not only challenges them but also positions you as a leader. You’re not just educating them; you’re encouraging a mindset shift.When people feel challenged, they take act from facebook.com · uploaded on 2 days ago · Click to play.

  3. Did you know that understanding your audience can be the key to your business's success? Defining your target market is essential for your business to stand out. Knowing your ideal customer allows you to create products and services that truly solve their problems. Research, listen, and adapt your offerings to your audience's specific needs. Have you defined your target market? Share in the comments. #SuccessfulEntrepreneurship #DefineYourNiche #KnowYourAudience #ProfitableBusiness #marketstrate from TikTok · Duration: 34 seconds · 436 views · uploaded on 2 months ago · uploaded by cecilia_bazan_scamarone · Click to play.

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