All About Your Target Audience

We all want our writing to be seen and appreciated, but this is impossible to achieve without a target audience. However, building an audience from scratch and turning your readers into loyal followers is hard. If you want to build a strong follower base, here are 5 ways how to get it done.

1) Get to know your target audience 

The first thing you need to do to is ask yourself who the target audience of your writing is. One way to answer this question is to create the persona of your ‘ideal audience member’. (Iconic veteran novelist John Steinbeck did this!)

This will help you identify whether they would be interested in your content. How old are they? Where do they live? What are their interests and lifestyles?

Answering all these questions will create some space for you to aim for a specific reader. The key to success is to make sure you is tailored to the interests of a particular group of readers. This way you can get a better understanding of how to reach out to thi audiences. MORE: Writers, Everybody Hates Us On Social Media … Here’s Why (And What To Do About It)

2) Reach your audience via social media

One of the most effective and easiest ways to find your readers and turn them into followers is to use social media. While having a multi-platform strategy can be beneficial for experienced writers, newcomers should probably start with small things. For instance, you could establish your presence on Facebook and work from there. Facebook has around 3 billion monthly active users across all age groups.

Alternatively, you could take advantage of visual content on Instagram as a means of connecting readers who celebrate their love of all things literary. Video content on TikTok also works well, especially via hashtags like #BookTok.

Regardless of your choice, using a social media platform is a great way to reach out to readers and build a following. Share photo and video content, run social media challenges, and join groups where people discuss subjects you write about. This will encourage readers to connect with you.

3) Read and watch as much as you can

Another way to engage with the community is to become an avid reader and watcher. Read and watch work on topics and subjects you are passionate about. This will help you build a relationship with others who are likely to engage with your writing and become loyal followers.

You could use various engagement methods while reading stories on social media platforms and other websites. For example, you could leave or respond to a comment, like or share a post, become a group member, or follow another user.

Take your time to read established authors’ articles and books that would be in the same genre, category, or niche as your writing. By doing so, you will get a better understanding of why people like these writers’ work.

You could also use this knowledge to improve your own writing and make it more interesting and engaging to your target audience. Alternatively, you could take an online course that will help you further, like B2W’s Online Confidential.

 4) Take advantage of data analytics

You could also take advantage of analytics instruments to make sure your content strategy is done right in terms of search engine optimisation (SEO). This is a great way to make your content visible not only to social media users.

Content optimisation can also attract a broader audience of readers who might be interested in your writing. For instance, Google Search Console Queries can help you understand which keywords resonate most with your website’s visitors (if you have one).

You could also use Google Analytics to create a demographic profile of your followers and validate your readership assumptions. In turn, Google Analytics Behaviour Reports allow you to see how followers react to your activity and what content is most popular. By using this tool, you can identify trends in format and topic preferences and adjust your content to these changes to keep your followers engaged.

5) Engage your audience

By the way, it is not enough to ‘just’ post any old content on social media or a website. You need to give them a reason to come back every time you post something new.

You will need to give your followers something that they cannot find anywhere else, so your content must be unique. On top of that, it must be interesting and engaging to your target audience.

One way to engage your readers is to post unique content that carries over the flavour of your novel, film script, or short story. You could also share some insights into your writing process or tell your followers what has inspired you to write your latest piece of content. Even posting a joke or entertaining comment can give your followers a reason to stick around.

Just remember to keep your feed balanced by posting all kinds of content that relate to the interests of your readership. MORE: ‘Nobody Reads My Blog!’ 7 Top Tips To Fix Yours 

Good luck!

BIO: Ellie Richards is an online Marketing Manager for Original PhD, specialising in PhD thesis writing. She is passionate about researching and writing on various topics, including Education, Marketing, and Technology