Who are you writing this post for? Here’s how I find out

A few weeks ago, I talked to a group of women in our town about AI. It was a group of women in their sixties, all college graduates and retirees, and we were doing this as part of a local charity drive.

No one in the audience knew what AI actually was. While they had heard the term “artificial intelligence”, they didn’t fully grasp what it meant. So, I explained about machine learning and told them about AI algorithms employed in everyday technologies, from their cars to their phones.

I then moved on to talk about generative AI and demonstrate its capabilities. They were stunned when I showed them how I could generate an image of a cat on the fly. To me, this was a pretty basic generic AI image, but to them, it was like a small miracle.

When I let ChatGPT join the conversation, their jaws dropped. The whole room went silent every time the AI spoke. Granted, the new voice mode is very impressive. It can hold its own in a group conversation, which is amazing.

They asked ChatGPT if it had feelings. And if it had opinions. And whether it could help a student with their homework.

But here’s the thing.

For me, ChatGPT’s responses were standard fair. I know what it can do, and I’m used to it, so hearing it talk about its emotions (or lack of) didn’t impress me much.

For these ladies, it was a revelation. A computer that talks like a human being! In the first person! Who would have thought that was possible?

By the way, I was holding a large Bluetooth speaker with colorful lights during the talk. At the end of the session, someone asked me where I got the gadget that contained the AI.

The point I’m trying to make isn’t actually about AI. It’s about the difference and potential gap between the speaker and the audience.

It’s the same with our websites

I have websites in various niches, including pets, home care, and travel.

My audience includes a broad spectrum of the general population. If I were to assume that their interests are the same as mine and that their level of expertise is akin to mine, I’d be doing them a disservice.

I’m sure all of these people have a lot they know that I don’t. The point is, I can’t assume that they know what I know – or vice versa.

If I focus solely on my own preferences, I might miss the mark for a broader audience. Instead, I aim to create content that resonates with a wide range of readers.

As experienced web publishers, our perspective is unique compared to the diverse background of our online audience.

Here’s another interesting point.

Given that much of our content is shared on Facebook, I also need to consider the mindset of my audience during their idle browsing. It’s important to match their expectations and needs. For example, by avoiding overly technical or complex language.

Don’t get me wrong. Creating content isn’t about dumbing down concepts or lowering quality.

It’s about meeting your audience where they are and crafting content that speaks to their interests, not yours.

This is how we make sure that the content is engaging enough and captures their attention. An article may not be my own personal cup of tea, but I’m not writing for myself. I’m writing for my audience.

Picturing Your Reader

Here’s a quick tip for figuring out who your readers are and what they want to read about.

Ask your favorite LLM (ChatGPT, Claude or even Gemini):

This is the topic of my article: [INSERT TOPIC]. Who do you think our reader is, and what are their pain points?

I also give the AI context. There’s a big difference if the question is asked by someone asking Google for an answer or by someone who’s just idly browsing on Facebook and comes across our title.

The AI’s answer helps me better understand my audience and tailor content to their needs. As always, I never take the answer at face value. AI sometimes misses the mark, and human monitoring is always important. But AI can provide a helpful sounding board for exploring these questions.

How about you? Do you have any tips for understanding your audience’s needs? If you do, I’d love to hear them! Just add a comment here!