Relating to the Reader

Identifying and Satisfying Your Audience

There is no perfect reader; however, writers should try to produce near perfect literal work. It is the writer's job to try to identify the interest of the reader. "The audience is the group most likely interested in a the subject matter of the book." Trying to identify an audience is not an easy job. When trying to identify the audience of a paper the writer should ask themselves the following questions:

  • "Who is your audience?"
  • "What do they believe?"
  • "Where do they stand on the issue?"
  • "How are their interests involved?"
  • "What evidence is likely to be effective with them?"


By answering these questions the writer will be more efficient in satisfying the audience.

When trying to find out who is your audience, the writer should try to find the background of the audience. Majority will sometimes rule in this situation; however, the writer should not write for a certain type of person. The writer should not forget about the others in the audience. The author should try to identify with the wants and the needs of the audience. Questions that should now be ask are: Finding out who your audience is includes the following:

  • race
  • age
  • gender
  • religous background

Identifying the reader ahead of time will decrease the chance of offending the audience. If you know who your audience is going to be then you can use better words to relate to them.