If you are an entrepreneur, you have heard the term, ideal client, before. You know that it means the person that you are making your product or service for. This is who you create products, services, or freebies for. You want to attract as many of them as possible to keep your business growing.

The same applies to your blog. You want to figure out who it is you are writing for. Who do you want to read your blog? By narrowing this down, it helps you to figure out what topics to write about, blog categories to have, and what type of content they are searching for.

Defining your ideal reader can feel daunting at first. Especially if your blog is a lifestyle blog. You may have multiple different ideal readers but there is still a way for you to define who they are and how you can reach them.

DEFINING YOUR IDEAL READER

You want readers to come to your blog but not only readers. You want relevant readers to be attracted to your blog. Just getting people to your website doesn’t mean that they are meant to be there. This is why defining your ideal reader is so important. It really isn’t about numbers. It is about bringing the readers that you know need your information to your site. This doesn’t mean that you won’t have readers that come to your blog only to find out that what you offer isn’t what they were looking for. It means that you are consistently trying to focus on what a certain group of people are looking for.

1. What niche are you writing in? This is such a big first step. You need to narrow down your niche so that you know what you are writing about. Ideas for niches are lifestyle, blogging, food, personal finance, fashion, and so many more. Being clear on WHAT you are writing about will help you narrow down WHO you are writing for.

To help with this, what are you passionate about? Why are you starting your blog? What can you write about so fiercely that those who are reading it can feel your passion? Be truthful with yourself. That is the only way that your blog will succeed.

There are niches that have more competition than others but don’t let that stop you. If it is something that you are truly passionate about then you can make it happen. Don’t let a competitive niche stop you from starting your blog. There is always room for you in ANY niche that you choose. Just be yourself. There are people out there looking for you.

2. What problems are you solving? Now that you have a niche picked out or at least narrowed down, what problem can you solve for your ideal reader? What are their pain points? What do they struggle with on a daily basis? What keeps them up at night? What are they Googling?

Being able to answer these questions will help you to narrow down your readers again. Were you in their shoes at one point? Maybe your ideal reader is YOU, a few years ago. Make a list of all of these questions to help you know what you are going to blog about.

3. What are the benefits that your ideal reader will get from reading your blog posts? Now that you have them on your site, what are they going to get out of it? Remember that you are the one doing the writing but that doesn’t mean the writing is for you. You are writing your blog to help your ideal client.

They are on your site for a reason. What is that reason? List all of the benefits that they will gain from being there. What are they learning? How do they feel when they are on your site?

4. What products or services are you going to be selling to them? If you have or are wanting to start a business to go along with your blog, you are going to want to know what your offers will be. This will help you to narrow down your ideal reader.

If you already have a business, you know who your ideal client is. Your ideal reader will be the same. You want to connect with them and that is the purpose of your blog. You want to teach them about what you do and why you do it.

If you don’t have a business yet, think about what you want to offer. This will help determine your ideal reader. You want your ideal reader and your ideal client to be the same. This allows you to grow your blog as well as your business.

5. Write down the qualities of your reader. This is the fun part. Think of it as creating your blogging avatar. What do they look like? What do they do for fun? Do they own a business? Do they have children? Get personal and think about what it is that your ideal reader is doing.

This really allows you to be in their shoes. Gives you a glimpse into their life. For example, when I first started blogging, my ideal reader was who I was at that time. It was a woman who was sexually assaulted but hadn’t dealt with it yet. She was struggling with self-love and putting her needs before others. She was a mother who felt like every day was a struggle to stay afloat.

Over the years, my ideal reader has changed and that is okay. It means that my brand is evolving and who I am writing for is changing. Start where you are now and who you want to be reading your blog at this moment.

Make coming up with your ideal reader fun. Draw the person out if you are an artist. Write their qualities down if you are not an artist. This is a great place to start your blogging journey. It allows you to get super clear on your intentions for blogging and who you want to read everything that you write. Are you stuck in any of the steps mentioned above?