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Who You Are Writing For?

I don’t care what you are writing: articles, non-fiction books or a novel. You need to know who your audience is and what he or she is looking for before you start writing. I have, for instance, been working on a book called Hiking after 50. Who is my audience? As I break it down, the aging baby boomer and seniors from about 60 into their 70s. One of the things I know is that this age group is hiking in record numbers and belong to hiking groups nationwide. Many live in retirement villages around the nation. Most are hiking to enjoy the outdoors and stay fit.

The aging baby boomers are almost defiant about this. They vow to never grow old and to keep challenging life. They also say today’s 60 is like the older generations 30. I know enough to never call them seniors. As you can see when writing a book you need to keep this is mind all the way through.

How does this work for articles? Same thing. I picked up a copy of the weekend newspaper insert, USA Weekend If I want to write an article for them I ask who am I writing for and how do I slant my query.

The issue I looked at had a health article titled “The 10 most exciting New Developments to Help Your Parents Live Longer, Healthier Lives” So? What does this mean? Think about it. This is a magazine for 30 somethings who are starting to worry about their parents. They have young children. Live in fairly nice houses and make a good income. In short they are generation Xers.

If I want to write an article for this magazine I must write for this audience.

In thinking about this remember that people have different vocabularies, value systems and levels of understanding.

So before you start, always ask yourself these questions.

What kind of a job does my reader have?

How old is he or she?

How much does this reader make?

Did he or she graduate from high school? College?

How many children are in the family?

Is the reader married, single or divorced?

What does this reader do for fun?

What political party does he or she belong to?

What kinds of magazines or books do they generally read?

What else do I need to know to write for this reader?

Once you answer these questions, you then write directly for that reader. If there is anything that will help insure a sale this is it because your book or article will talk directly to your reader.

Who You Are Writing For?

The aging baby boomers are almost defiant about this. They vow to never grow old and to keep challenging life. They also say today’s 60 is like the older generations 30. I know enough to never call them seniors. As you can see when writing a book you need to keep this is mind all the way through.

How does this work for articles? Same thing. I picked up a copy of the weekend newspaper insert, USA Weekend If I want to write an article for them I ask who am I writing for and how do I slant my query.

If I want to write an article for this magazine I must write for this audience.

In thinking about this remember that people have different vocabularies, value systems and levels of understanding.

So before you start, always ask yourself these questions.

What kind of a job does my reader have?

How old is he or she?

How much does this reader make?

Did he or she graduate from high school? College?

How many children are in the family?

Is the reader married, single or divorced?

What does this reader do for fun?

What political party does he or she belong to?

What kinds of magazines or books do they generally read?

What else do I need to know to write for this reader?

Once you answer these questions, you then write directly for that reader. If there is anything that will help insure a sale this is it because your book or article will talk directly to your reader.