Writing for an Audience

Here’s some advice that English instructors repeat all the time: “Write for your audience.” I heard it from my my own instructors many times over the years, and I always nodded and tried to look as if I understood what it meant.

The truth is that I didn’t fully understand – and I think many writers are as befuddled about writing for an audience as I was. Audience is a big, heavy, static word…what do you do with it? Of course you should state your ideas clearly, and edit your sentences carefully, and make sure your ideas are strong and coherent. But you don’t need the concept of an audience to do those things.

So how do you write for an audience? You keep real people in mind – your readers – as you’re writing. It’s not easy to do when you’re already juggling a multitude of writing skills and principles as you work on your piece.

But help is on the way. Here are some tricks that professional writers use to forge a connection with their audience. Despite their simplicity, these strategies really work!

Put yourself in your readers’ shoes.
Think about your readers before you start writing.
Decide what experiences you want your writers to have: surprised? touched? motivated? angry? impressed?
Think about a living person you know who’s similar to your imaginary audience. Write for that person.
Figure out what your audience already knows about your topic. Be prepared to fill in the rest of the background they’ll need, and do it early.
When you get to the editing stage, reread your piece slowly, looking for any words your readers might not understand. Delete them (or insert clues to their meaning).
Ask a friend or family member outside your field to read your piece and give you feedback.

If you’re sitting there smugly and congratulating yourself that you already do these things, beware. I’m pretty smart, and I have years of experience with professional writing – and yet I’ve botched up #5 numerous times.

It’s always a good idea to go over the strategies again just to make sure you’re reaching your audience effectively!

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Instant Quiz ANSWER

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In the US, periods (and commas) always go inside quotation marks. There are no exceptions if you’re writing in the United States.

If you remember hearing an English teacher say that a period (or comma) can go outside the quotation marks, either you misunderstood, or your teacher made a mistake. There are NO EXCEPTIONS in the US. (The United Kingdom does it differently.)

“I can’t believe,” gasped Melanie, “that all of you planned this surprise party, and I never suspected a thing.”  CORRECT

Jean Reynolds’ book What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You can be purchased from Amazon.com and other online booksellers. Jean Reynolds’ book What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You can be purchased from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.

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“A useful resource for both students and professionals” – Jena L. Hawk, Ph.D., Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

“Personable and readable…Jean knows her subject forwards and backwards.” – Adair Lara, author of Hold Me Close, Let Me Go