Identify the true audience before writing.
If you are not clear about who is reading and what they are considering, any subsequent content choices are just guesses.
Identify the audience and decide specifically what they are considering before writing the first word. The same truth about the business must be presented differently for investors, bidding partners, or senior candidates. Write for the audience, not for yourself.
- groups reading with different decisions separate into distinct versions
- groups reading closely together maintain a single version
- clarify before writing when the internal team is not aligned
- write a version trying to please everyone
- write from the seller's perspective filled with internal jargon
Before selecting a message and arranging the flow of the page, the first question must be: who will read this document and what decision are they considering? Not the "target customer" in a general marketing sense, but the specific person who will pick up this document, skim through it in a few seconds, and then decide whether to continue reading.
The reader and their decision.
What matters most to determine is not the title but the action the reader must take after reading: invest, choose a contractor, sign a partnership, or delegate the task to subordinates for further evaluation. That decision dictates what should be prioritized on the page, what can be placed later, and what does not need to be included in this document.
In addition to the decision, you need to know two more things: their level of understanding of the industry and the concerns they bring when reading. An investment fund worries about risks and exit strategies. A technical partner worries about execution capacity and timelines. Writing for the right audience means addressing those specific concerns, not listing everything you want to showcase.
Four target audience questions
- Who are they and what specific decisions are they considering from this document?
- What is their level of understanding of this field: industry experts or outsiders needing to be introduced from the beginning?
- What do they typically scan for first when opening a document like this?
- Do they read on a device, print it out for meetings, or listen to a live presentation? Different channels require different information arrangements.
These four questions do not require extensive research. They can usually be answered in fifteen minutes if the person assigning the task and the writer sit down together before starting.
When to separate copies, when to keep one copy
Separate documents when different groups read and seek different things, for example: investment funds, trade partners, and government agencies all receive the same business introduction materials. These three groups are not concerned with the same things and do not need to see the same content on the first page. Combining them into one document will dilute all three.
Keep one version when groups read closely together regarding needs and levels of understanding, for example: two to three department heads in the same company reading the same service proposal. Splitting in this case only adds unnecessary effort without creating value.
Most common mistakes
- Write a generic document trying to please all readers, resulting in not reaching anyone because no concerns are directly addressed.
- Write from the seller's perspective: full of internal jargon, prioritizing what they are proud of instead of what the reader needs to know to make a decision.
- Confusing the audience between groups: using technical language with financial investors, or using financial language with technical partners. Both make the reader lose trust in the writer's capabilities.
- Not asking in advance, writing it out only to find that internally there is no consensus on whether this document is convincing. At that point, it has to be rewritten from scratch.
Understand the level and interests of the average reader and write accordingly. Don’t write for experts unless they are the target audience.
plainlanguage.gov, Federal Plain Language Guidelines
The viewpoint of Sinh Vũ
At Sinh Vũ, the reading audience is defined during the story workshop at the beginning of the project, before any messaging or page flow. This is the moment to clarify: is this document for one group or does it need to be separated for different decision-making groups?
Identifying the right reader helps determine which messages should be prioritized. The order of pages is not meant to tell the brand's story in your preferred sequence, but to serve how that reader makes decisions. If you cannot answer the question, "What is this reader considering?", then it is not yet time to start writing.
Start from a situation the reader already knows and agrees with, then move to the change and the questions they ask themselves.
Barbara Minto, The Pyramid Principle (SCQA)
Decision checklist
Topic: Identifying the true audience before writing. Sinh Vũ guide, sinhvu.com
Select each item you find appropriate, then print or save as PDF to take with you.
If you have marked most of the signs above, this is the time to discuss in more detail. Sinh Vũ can help you review and propose a direction.
References
plainlanguage.gov, Federal Plain Language Guidelines. Barbara Minto, The Pyramid Principle (SCQA). Nielsen Norman Group, How Users Read on the Web.
Frequently asked questions
If the document needs to be sent to multiple different groups, what should be done?
First, check if those groups have similar decisions and scan for commonalities. If they differ, creating separate versions for each group will be more effective than a single version trying to satisfy everyone. A version trying to serve multiple audiences often ends up not resonating with anyone.
I already know my customers; do I still need to do this step?
Understanding customers' purchasing behavior differs from knowing who will read this specific document and make the decisions they need to make. A CFO reads a capability statement differently than a purchasing manager reads the same document. Identifying the reader is about decisions and concerns, not job titles.
Write qualitatively or quantitatively depending on what?
Depending on the level of understanding and expectations of the reader. Financial investors need numbers and risks. Technical partners need processes and capabilities. If you are unclear about their expectations, ask directly or review similar documents they have previously approved.