Why Your Audience Matters When Hiring A Content Writer for Your Business
Imagine being told to write a speech on “chasing dreams.” You don’t know who the speech is going to be for, but you’ve been asked to write it. Do you think you could write a great speech on chasing dreams without knowing who you’re speaking to?
Could a speech written for graduating college students be effective if given to a preschool class or retirees looking to make the most of their lives after they’re done working? It could, but why risk it?
What you’re writing or saying should be based on who you’re speaking to — always! The most effective parts of your speech, elevator pitch, blog post or podcast will be the personalized pieces of information that you give, which give the listener something to act on. Without an audience in mind, there is no context. Without context, the impact you hope to have on your audience will be lost.
On multiple occasions, I’ve been asked, “Is it necessary for a business to hire an in-house writer for their website? Would it be more practical to just outsource the service?” My answer takes into account the pros and cons of both approaches. A huge component in making this decision is rooted in content needing to be FOR and ABOUT the customer, much more than it needs to be about the business (it sounds weird, but it’s the truth). If outsourcing, creating impactful content relies on finding a writer who is:
- a natural interviewer,
- experienced with web copy, and
- someone who can understand your business model.
The writer is only part of this equation. For effective content to be written, a company needs to have someone able and willing to share the information the writer needs to create great copy, make introductions if necessary, and provide feedback and edits.
Outsourcing can be a great option and a huge time saver in the ideal situation. On the other hand, hiring someone in-house most could mean that he or she doesn’t have experience writing web copy, but understands the business. This is not an ideal scenario. People in the business are likely to think similarly and are more likely to just talk about the business when writing copy than talk TO the customer. If the in-house writer understands this and is given the freedom to write FOR the customer instead of ABOUT the business, what they write has a chance at making an impact.
Remember, your customer is your audience, not your business. You know the business. Let the public know why the business will bring value to their lives or business.
Want to chat about your business content? Contact Michael Luchies at michael@treprep.com.
