Note: this post was originally written as an Atomic Essay as part of Ship 30 for 30 and posted on Twitter. I’ve copied the essay content here so it isn’t just lost in the endlessness of the Twitter feed. Enjoy!
Have you ever landed on someone’s socials or website and felt like they were speaking directly to you? Like they’re in your head and they just get you?
This is because they’ve taken the time to get to know your pain points, fears, desires, and goals. Feels a little like magic, right?
Today I’m sharing some questions/prompts that can help you figure this out for yourself and make people feel like YOU’RE the one reading minds 🥳
Use the niche questions I shared to help you find WHAT to write about and then use this exercise to figure out the FOR WHO/SO THAT. Let’s dive in!
🥸 Demographics, Identity & Values
- Age
- Gender (or gender identity)
- Location (where in the world PLUS city vs rural)
- Family Structure (relationship status, kiddos, pets, etc)
- Social Identity (race, ability, ethnicity, sexual orientation – these are helpful if your writing is specifically targeted to a minority group)
- Job Title, Industry & Income Bracket
- Level of Education
- Where do they get their information? (books, socials, blogs/websites, influencers/personalities, conferences, etc)
- What are their core values? What is most important to them?
🧐 Desires, Goals, Pain Points & Fears
- What achievements do they desire? What does success mean to them?
- What are they working towards? What is their big, audacious goal?
- What are the challenges they face? What are their top 3 pain points? What problem(s) are they desperate to solve?
- What is their biggest fear? What keeps them up at night?
- What are their objections to solving the problem? What holds them back? What keeps them from going after their goals?
- What does their life look like if they solve the problem(s)? What about if they don’t solve it or leave it to fester?
One note: Obviously not every human is exactly the same, but getting clear on these things will help you speak directly to people with similar interests, goals, values, and fears. Think of it more as an art than a perfect science 🎨
