The Ins and Outs of Your Ideal Reader
In business, we’re told over and over again to know who our ICA is—that is, our Ideal Customer Avatar. In every business training I’ve attended (and I’ve been a part of many, many trainings), the coach or teacher tells us to know our customer.
The same is true for writing. For you to have focused and intentional writing sessions, you have to know who you’re writing for—your IRA, Ideal Reader Avatar. When you know who your reader is, then you’ll have a better idea of what to write and how to write it. Knowing your IRA is a key touchpoint for all parts of the writing and editing process. When you submit book queries or book proposals, agents want to know who you’re writing for. Book marketers need to know who they’re marketing to. Booksellers need to know where to shelve the books and how to sell that book to customers.
It all starts with your IRA, your ideal reader.
3 questions to ask your ideal reader
You may know right now who your IRA is, even if you haven’t articulated it before. Or you may have zero idea about where to even start when identifying your ideal reader. Whichever camp you’re in, you’ll do well to ask yourself (or your IRA) these three questions:
What are their frustrations?
Why do they read? (Aka, what are their needs as a reader?)
How can your book help them or meet their needs?
Just like business owners need to know their ideal customer, you must know your ideal reader. Your IRA might change with each book you write, or you might keep the same ideal reader for every single writing project. Sit down with a sheet of paper, and pretend to have a chat with your ideal reader. Spend some time answering those questions for your IRA, and see where you end up as a writer.
How to know when you’ve identified your ideal reader
Your IRA may surprise you (or your writing idea that comes from “interviewing” your IRA may surprise you). One of two things may happen once you identify your IRA:
You may feel motivated and energized! Your idea is exactly what your reader needs right now. You are thinking in italics for everything. You want to run around your house high-fiving everyone because of the clarity you feel around your idea and your reader. Your reader and your idea are aligned, and it feels good.
You might feel stumped. Your IRA and the writing project that is either in progress or up next on the docket isn’t a good fit for the IRA you developed. So what then? You have two choices:
Identify a story that your ideal reader does need (even if that means shelving your current idea) or kindly put aside the IRA you just developed and save them for a future writing project.
Or start over and seek out the IRA for your current writing project. You’ll find them.
When you find identify the IRA you’re meant to write for right now, your body will know. You’ll feel it. As with so much in writing, it’s a gut thing.
Why knowing your ideal reader is so important
You might be asking yourself, Wait, if I write only for this one person, won’t that narrow my readership? The short answer: nope. Knowing your ideal reader will only focus your writing and ideas—and that’s a good thing. Your book will attract many types of readers, most of whom might not fit exactly within your IRA parameters. But most importantly, your ideal reader will find you. There will be a small set of readers who will resonate with your story in a deep and powerful way. And guess what happens when readers love a book? They tell other readers about it. They talk about it—extensively. Your ideal reader is your best marketing tool.
Knowing your IRA will allow you to reach more readers and reach the readers who will love your story. And isn’t that what we as writers want? To find our people? Knowing your IRA will get you there.
Extra credit
Once you’ve asked your IRA those three questions from earlier, you will be good to go. But you could go a step further. In fact, in business, you’re encouraged to really create a person for your ideal client. Knowing your reader’s frustrations and needs is essential, and knowing them as a “person” is even better.
What is their name?
How old are they?
What do they do for fun?
What do they do for work?
What does their family life look like?
Do they have pets?
What was their childhood like?
What type of education do they have?
Where do they live?
Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. I know of writers who even find a stock photo they assign to their ideal reader to give them a face. You really can’t go too deep on this exercise.
