Identifying your target audience/reader

Hello readers! It's a been a while, and for that, I'm deeply sorry. I've been toying with post ideas and wanted to bring you all something of substance, not filler. And on that note, today I'll be tackling how to identify your target audience (and why you should).

"Writers write first for themselves, and edit for their reader." -UNK

I can't remember who said that, but it's true. Every one of us writes for our own reasons, usually ourselves, and then edit our work with a clear goal in mind. For some of us, it's to entertain, for others, it's to drive a message home to our readers. But many of us (myself included) struggle to realize who exactly it is that we struggle to write for. Now, I know some of you are thinking, it doesn't matter who you're writing for, and for some of us that is certainly true, but there are a few of us who have a goal to publish and entertain. This post is for all of us who fit into that latter category.

Knowing who you're writing for is more than just knowing what genre you hope to write in. If you know who you want to write for, it can help tailor your story, and later even your marketing/business strategies. As an Indie Author being able to focus your business and marketing can be a huge benefit, especially if you're still struggling to build social media platforms. In my case, I hope to appeal to a broad base of Urban Fantasy readers.

Given that I know I want to target these people, you may be thinking, ok you're set. But I'm not. Simply knowing I need to target UF readers isn't enough. It doesn't give me the information I need to be able to connect with people in a way that will help me build a platform (your platform is another way of saying your audience). If I took this information now and tried to apply or use it, it would be like tossing a twig into a lake, it would float, or sink, but I wouldn't make much of a ripple on the water.

So, what do I do in order to really find a target audience?

Well, first I had to realize what kind of people I need to be looking for. When building a platform, you want to find diehard fans. If you're familiar with Firefly, these people are called Browncoats. Every fandom has their own versions. These are the people who spread the word about their fandoms and become so engrossed in the worlds they love that they go to cons, and have every piece of merchandising known to man related to their fandom. Imagine if you had 100 of these people. What could that do for your platform? Your sales?

We can all agree that we realize the importance of superfans. But how do you find these people? How do you engage them in a way that will help you with your writerly goals of world domination?

Brace yourself reader.

You join Facebook groups, you interact with them on forums, and in feeds or blogs. I know, you're thinking, what? All this and you're going to tell me to talk to them? Befriend them? Yep. That's it.

You interact and study them. Why? So that they seek out your opinion and interactions. Think about this forum, how many writers here do you actively look forward to interacting with? I can think of several members who make this forum that much more fun. We go to each other for advice, read and comment on each other's blogs, in a way we study each others writing journies hoping to learn from each other in a way that will aid us in our own paths.

Identifying and interacting with your audience is exactly the same. But whatever you do, while you're building that trust, don't make the newbie mistake that so many of us make. Don't go into these places and automatically post about your work. Don't brag, boast, and throw up meaningless pieces that nobody will relate to because they don't know you. Take the time to make connections. Your platform will thank you for it.


As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog. If you feel like there is something you’d like to see me cover, or I haven’t covered correctly, please leave a comment below.

Also, my next world domination plot is coming along so nicely that I've decided to open up applications for minions. Should you decide to apply, please know that I cannot guarantee health or safety. I offer no insurance or 401k incentives, but I do have some pretty kick a$$ cookies. Come to the dark side, you won't regret it.

Thank you for reading, and above all— Happy writing!

-Corbyn