Start with the decision your message should support
Before choosing words, ask what the reader should be able to understand or do after reading. They might need to compare options, follow a process, decide whether a service is relevant, or simply know what happens next. This purpose gives you a more useful starting point than a broad label such as “the general public.” It also helps you leave out details that are interesting but do not serve the reader’s immediate task.
Write a one-sentence purpose statement for yourself: “After reading this, the audience should be able to…” Keep it separate from the message you will publish. If you cannot finish the sentence clearly, you may be trying to accomplish several things at once. In that case, decide which outcome comes first, or consider whether separate messages would serve readers better.
Identify the primary reader
A message may reach many people, but not all of them need the same explanation. Identify the person whose needs should guide the first draft. Instead of listing only demographic traits, describe their relationship to the subject. Are they encountering it for the first time? Are they responsible for carrying out a task? Are they evaluating a choice on someone else’s behalf? These distinctions often reveal more about the writing they need than age or job title alone.
You can then note secondary readers without trying to satisfy everyone in every sentence. For example, instructions for new participants may also be read by experienced staff. The participants may need a plain-language explanation of each step, while staff may need a concise way to locate specific details. Clear headings can help both groups, but the primary reader should determine the order and depth of the main explanation.
Find out what readers know and what they might ask
Consider what the audience is likely to know before they arrive. Familiar words to you may be unfamiliar to them, while a long explanation of basics they already understand can feel like an obstacle. List the terms, concepts and context required to make sense of your message. Then separate what readers must know now from what they can learn later. Define necessary terms in ordinary language and introduce background close to the point where it becomes useful.
Next, write down the questions a reader might bring: Why does this matter to me? What are my options? How long will this take? What happens if I do nothing? You do not need to answer every possible question, but the exercise exposes gaps in your draft plan. If you have access to appropriate feedback, such as common questions from colleagues or readers, use it to test your assumptions. Otherwise, treat your audience description as a working hypothesis rather than a fact.
Account for the reading situation
Audience is not just who reads; it is also the situation in which they read. Someone scanning a notice on a phone may need the main point and next step near the top. Someone studying a detailed guide may welcome definitions, examples and a fuller explanation. Time pressure, familiarity with the topic and the consequences of misunderstanding can all affect how much context the message needs.
Think about how the reader will encounter the message and what they might need afterward. Can they return to it for reference? Will they need to share it with another person? Does it ask them to act? These questions can guide practical choices: descriptive headings for a reference document, a brief summary for a long explanation, or numbered steps when order matters. Avoid assuming that a shorter message is always clearer; the right amount of detail depends on the reader’s task.
Turn your audience definition into a drafting guide
Before writing, capture your conclusions in a short note: the primary reader, their goal, their likely starting knowledge, their main questions and the action or understanding you want to support. Add any important constraints, such as a term that needs defining or a detail that must be easy to find. This note does not need to be polished. Its value is in giving you a way to judge each paragraph as you draft.
Once you have a draft, read it from the audience’s point of view. Can a newcomer tell why the message matters? Is the requested action specific? Does the explanation answer the most likely questions before introducing less essential detail? If possible, ask someone close to the intended audience what they understood and where they hesitated. Revise the message, and your audience definition, in light of what you learn. Defining an audience is not about predicting every reader perfectly; it is about making deliberate choices and checking whether those choices help.
