I used to pshaw all of the usual blogging advice, especially when it came to defining a niche and an audience. I naively thought that I could attract multiple audiences for the different kinds of posts that I was writing. What I should have done from the start is take advice from a favorite motto of mine…
Jack of all trades, master of none.
Yes, it is possible to attract a few different kinds of readers by writing a wide variety of posts. But, chances are, those readers will get turned off by your other posts that don’t have anything to do with them. Plus, how can you truly be at your best when you’re stretching yourself thin between dozens of different topics and voices? Enter the ideal reader persona.
She is the IT girl when you think of your ideal person that you would want to read your blog. Or, I suppose, they could be the it guy if you’re writing towards mostly males. Nonetheless, they’re the go-to person who you should pretend you’re talking to when you are writing your posts. Blog posts should have a conversational style, and when you have a person in mind that you’re talking to, it helps the words flow naturally.
It overwhelmed me to try to come up with this imaginary person out of thin air, that is until I found this incredible post How to Create an Ideal Reader Profile by Regina. With the help of her questionnaire, I was able to come up with my imaginary ideal reader quite easily. I gave her the name “Brooke”, only because I’ve always liked the name. Let me introduce you to Brooke…
BASIC DEMOGRAPHICS
Name: Brooke
Gender: Female
Age: 30 Something
Location: Upper Midwest
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Education level: College/technical school graduate
Income level: $50,000
Industry/job: Former or current hair stylist
PREFERENCES AND HABITS
Interests: crafts and DIY, music, home decor, fitness,
Hobbies: crafting, DIY projects, collecting vinyl records, thrift store shopping
Passions: being creative, healthy, and spending time with her daughter and husband
Personality: quirky and intellectual introvert with a touch of humor
Types of blogs she is likely to read: A Beautiful Mess, Paper & Stitch, Free People Blog, A Pair & a Spare
Which magazines does she read? Real Simple, Clean Eating
What would make her trust a new source/blog/brand? Authentic voice
Which social issues are likely to affect her? Food safety
Does her job satisfy her? Y/N Yes, for the most part, but it doesn’t define her
What is her primary need/concern in life? To create
What’s her general disposition? How does she view the world? She’s a realist who does her best to look at the sunny side of things.
Favorite book: The Happiness Project
Favorite TV show: Mad Men
Favorite movie genre: Documentary
Favorite type of restaurant/food: Italian, pasta
If she had a completely free day, what would she spend it doing? Bettering herself: a pedicure, a run, then time working on her side business (her creative blog)
Does she enjoy traveling? Where is she most likely to go in the next year? She enjoys roadtripping. Seeing more of her home state and places her family can easily drive to.
What type of computer does she use? What type of device will she likely first access your brand on? She’s a mac fanatic. She reads on her iPhone or MacBook.
SOCIAL HABITS
Pinterest: Loves it, always on it “pinning” daily.
Twitter: Intrigued by it, uses it a few times a week (but is getting into live tweeting TV events!)
Google+: Doesn’t use it, besides for Google hangouts.
Facebook: Sees it as a necessary evil, likes to use it to share with family.
LinkedIn: Doesn’t use it at all.
Instagram: LOVES it, and is in to learning how to take better Insta photos.
YouTube: Could waste hours watching, wonders if she should get into it?
Other social networks: Vine, only for wasting time, Snapchat, sees it as an up and comer!
Email: First thing she checks in the morning, last thing she checks at night.
On which network(s) or email platform is she most likely to share information or recommendations with her friends? Gmail and facebook
Does she have a smartphone? Y/N Of course! Her iphone.
How often does she “go out” in her city? Wishes she could have more date nights with her husband, does it about once a month.
MONEY HABITS
What’s her biggest expense each month? House payment
Second biggest? Car payment
What does she enjoy spending money on that she can afford? beauty products, thrift store finds/antiques
What is she likely to splurge on? technology, photo equipment
From which stores would she like to receive a gift card? Joann’s, Caribou Coffee, Target
If she buys your product, reads your blog, or enlists your services, how will she feel about your content? Likes to read it because she can relate to it, it gives her some everyday inspiration that she can use for her own life. Makes her feel like someone else out there is having similar experiences, she is not alone!
GOOD TO KNOW
List the top three reasons she might “follow you” or read your content regularly:
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Wants to have her own blog that is similar in style/content as mine
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I give her good advice that she can apply to her everyday (whether it’s beauty related, DIY related, parenting related, etc.)
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She likes the vibe: photos, voice, feel
What would make her share your blog with others?
Articles that she found helpful and eye-catching, funny stories that she can relate to in being a parent of a little girl, crafty/diy tutorial that she thought was genius
List five questions she is most likely to have about you or your blog:
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Who am I? As in, what do I do outside of the blog?
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Why do I have my blog? What is the purpose of it?
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Why do I consider myself an expert on DIY and creating?
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Who is Bean? What kind of child is she and is she like my daugher?
- How do I blog? What are my systems/practices/advice?
If this sounds like you, you go Glen Coco. You’re basically me. Which, I’ve come to find, makes a lot of sense. I started blogging for personal reasons so it’s obvious that my ideal reader be a lot like me. If this doesn’t exactly sound like you, I hope you relate to the majority of topics I write about: crafting/DIYing, parenting, being awesome… 😉
Who do you think is your ideal reader persona? Are they at all like you or totally opposite?
