I was chatting with a publishing coach recently—a smart, no-nonsense, author and publisher who has a very clear sense of “her people.” She knows, for example, who she loves working with. She loves working with professionals who have spent years honing their craft and want to write a book that captures their knowledge and experience so that others can benefit from it. They genuinely want to help others by sharing what they know.
She also knows who she dislikes working with: People in it for the ego boost. People who want to become famous authors … fast. “Anyone,” she says, laughing, “who asks about using AI to write a book.”
So when I told her about our agency approach to identifying audience personas—which includes getting crystal clear about who you don’t want to serve with your content—she said something that really stuck.
“Yes,” she said, nodding. “I want my content to absolutely repel people I don’t want in my world.”
I love it. And I get it.
In publishing as in marketing, the author needs to attract, engage, and build trust among your ideal audience—the people who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer—in order to drive an action, whether that’s signing up for a company newsletter, or buying a book.
It’s equally important, however, to have clarity about who you don’t want to attract, so those folks can quickly self-select out of your world—and so you don’t have to waste your energy creating content for them. As the old adage goes, by trying to say something to everyone, you end up communicating with no one.
It’s a lesson that stuck with me from my days in magazine publishing. A former mentor of mine, Steve Osborne, would always remind me that while it’s important to attract people to your magazine (or brand), you ultimately sharpen your brand identity–and community–by getting clear on who shouldn’t be there, and for whom you absolutely don’t want to be writing or creating content … or having show up to your wrap parties.
He was right, and this principle is just as critical in today’s brand and content marketing.
Why It’s Essential to Define Who You Do and Don’t Want to Serve
Creating content without a clear sense of your audience is like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping it sticks. But knowing who your audience is—really getting into their heads and hearts—enables you to create content that speaks directly to them, solves their problems, and connects on a meaningful level.
This is where the difference between demographic and empathetic understanding comes in. Knowing the demographics of your audience is important: age, gender, location, education level, job title, and so on. These details help you segment your audience and target them effectively. But that’s only part of the picture.
Empathetic understanding means knowing your audience on a deeper level—what they care about, what they’re struggling with, and what they hope to achieve. It’s about tapping into their emotional world and speaking to the things that matter most to them.
But just as important is defining who you don’t want to attract. There’s no sense in casting a wide net and trying to appeal to everyone. Some people are simply not your people, and that’s OK.
But the clearer you are about who doesn’t belong in your audience, the more you can focus your efforts on the people who do. And here’s the thing: content that repels the wrong audience will do the opposite for the right one. It will make them feel like you’re speaking directly to them—and they’ll stick around for more.
Tips for Defining Your Target Audience
Here are some steps to help you zero in on the people you want to attract, and those you want to repel—or, for the less aggressive, gently steer away.
1. Start with Demographics, But Don’t Stop There
Demographics are the basic building blocks of your audience persona. These are facts you can gather from data:
- Age range
- Location
- Job title or industry
- Income level
- Education level
This information helps you paint a broad picture, and it sure helps with creating good advertising for platforms like LinkedIn and social media. But to truly connect, you need to go further.
2. Dig Into Their Emotional World
Once you’ve defined the basics, think about your audience on a more personal level:
- What are their biggest challenges or pain points?
- In the context of your services or offerings, what emotional or task-based outcome are they looking for?
- What are their goals, hopes, and dreams?
- What do they value most in life and work?
- What attitudes or mindsets do they bring to your content? Consider what they love, hate, trust, and won’t even consider reading or engaging with.
Understanding and speaking to these emotional drivers, aspirations and frustrations will help them feel like you “get” them, and that’s a powerful connection.
3. Define the Problems You Solve
Think about what problems your product or service solves for your ideal customer. Is it saving them time? Helping them grow their business? Reducing stress or making their life easier? This helps to further refine your message and ensures that you’re talking about the things your audience really cares about.
4. Create Audience Personas
Personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers. They help you visualize who you’re speaking to and ensure that all of your content is created with those people in mind. Give your personas names, jobs, family situations, and goals. Lay out their jobs to be done, their pain points and challenges, their mindset and values, and the kinds of content they would be most likely to engage with. Then, write content as if you were speaking directly to them.
Tips for Defining Who You Don’t Want to Reach
Defining who you don’t want in your audience can feel uncomfortable at first, but it’s a necessary part of the process. Just as my book coach doesn’t want to attract people who are writing for fame or money, you need to be clear about who your content isn’t for. Here’s how:
1. Identify Mismatched Goals
Think about the types of people who would be a poor fit for what you offer. Do they have unrealistic expectations? Are they more focused on price than quality? You don’t want to spend your time trying to convince these people to see things your way—they’re not a good match for your brand, and that’s OK.
2. Be Honest in Your Content
Be upfront about who your product or service is not for. This can be done in a respectful, clear way that helps people self-select out. For example, a luxury brand might say, “We’re not the cheapest option, but we’re committed to quality and craftsmanship.” That signals to price-sensitive customers that they may want to look elsewhere, while reinforcing your values to your ideal audience.
3. Use Language That Speaks to Your Ideal Audience
The tone, style, and words you use will naturally attract the right people and repel the wrong ones. If you want to reach professionals with years of experience, use language that reflects similar expertise and confidence. If you want to attract first-time entrepreneurs, be more approachable and educational. Your tone will either draw the right people in or send the wrong ones away.
Audience Clarity is Key
In content marketing, your audience is your north star. You need to know who they are, what they care about, and how to speak to them in a way that resonates emotionally. But just as important is knowing who isn’t your audience. By defining who you don’t want to attract, you engage the right people and repel the rest—leaving you free to focus on building meaningful connections with the audience that matters most.
And trust me, that’s the audience you’ll want to keep around.
Could you use some help with carving out your audience and creating strategy to reach them, based on deep understanding and empathy? If so, let’s talk.