Authors: How Do You Reach Your Target Audience? - barlowbooks

If you are writing a non-fiction book, who do you think will read it?

Do you know who your readers are?

Really?

It matters if you want to sell books to anyone other than your immediate friends and family. Yet all too often, this question is overlooked.

Oftentimes, writers are only vaguely aware of who their target audience is, and if that’s the case, the book could be in trouble from the get-go. From the very beginning, you need to know exactly who your target audience is, what they want and need, and how you, the writer, will fulfill this need. This is true of any kind of non-fiction book.

So how are you supposed to know? Kimberley Grabas, founder of YourWriterPlatform.com, can tell you. She’s written a very helpful article in the October edition of the Independent to explain how you learn who your target market really is.

Here are the key takeaways from Kimberley’s article:

Create a profile of who is most likely to benefit from your book, based on:

• Geography
• Demographics
• Their goals, habits and beliefs, including how they will feel about themselves when they buy your book
• Behaviors that would induce them to buy — like that big hockey game
• Their readiness to buy. Are they already a fan or follower?
• Where and how they read, and on what device.

To answer these questions, you should not guess, Kimberley advises. There are lots of ways to get solid data. You can:

• Survey your followers and your existing fan base
• Find comparable books and check their websites and social media. Their audience is likely similar to yours. Who are they and what are they saying?
• Check magazines your target audience reads, and google the audience demographics.

Once you have learned about your target audience, create a profile of a typical member of your target audience. Only then can you accurately pitch to him or her. You’ll know where to invest your efforts, what kind of language to use, and who might influence your target readers to buy your book. It might even help to shape your book.

Great advice from Kimberley.