Advertising Copywriting 101: Know Your Audience

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I’ve been doing advertising copywriting for over 20 years. And even though I shouldn’t be shocked when someone overlooks something so basic as “understand your audience before you write,” I still am.

Here’s a story I recently pulled out of the archives because it is still relevant today. Too many advertising copywriters and marketers still skip this important step.

Consider this scenario: Would you talk to a 20-year-old single guy living in Boston in the same way you’d talk to a 50-year-old woman with kids living in a Boston suburb?

No, of course, you wouldn’t. So imagine my shock when I got a call from a marketer who wanted me to write a headline for a print ad, the third in a series in which he’d created the other two. I asked him where the ad would be appearing, and he told me. Then I asked for demo info on the publication since this would give me a good sense of the audience we’d be speaking to.

And he said, “What do you mean ‘demo’ info? Oh, you mean demographics? I don’t think you’ll need that info once you see what I did with the first two ads.”

Um, how can I do advertising copywriting effectively if I don’t know who I’m writing the ad for? (Short answer: I can’t.) How do I know if I’m talking to the 20-year-old single male living in Boston or the 50-year-old suburban mom? (Short answer: I can only guess.)

OK, maybe you’re wondering why I cared about the publication’s audience. Shouldn’t I only be thinking of my client’s audience? 

When I work with clients, we always discuss their audience, including their ideal buyers (sometimes referred to as the “ideal client profile” or ICP). When I write print ads for clients, I’m still writing to the client’s audience. But! Publications have their own audiences, right?

By asking about the magazine’s demo, I was trying to ensure that the audiences were indeed aligned. I also wanted to know if we were zeroing in on a specific portion of the client’s audience DUE to the publication they were advertising in. (As I recall, the client was a dental practice, which tends to cater to wide swaths of people, from the single dude to the mom with kids. That’s why I wanted to understand the publication’s audience. Were we talking to the single dude or mom? Because the messaging would be different.)

My solution? I went to the publication’s website, downloaded the media kit for advertisers (which is why it exists), read it, and sent it to the marketer along with my suggestions on images and headlines based on the people who actually read the magazine.

When you write a print ad, website, direct mail campaign, sales letter, radio spot, or whatever, you must understand your audience. This is marketing and copywriting 101.

This marketing guy’s failure with advertising copywriting gets even better.

This same marketer created a print ad for another local publication and wanted me to “spruce up” the copy. After asking him for the pub’s demographics, he sent me census data on the town in which the publication appears, as if that info would tell me who reads the publication. (As Dave Barry would say, “I’m not making this up.”) I once again went to the publication’s website and downloaded the info myself.

The ad that the marketer wanted me to spruce up included the company’s “credo” and a picture of the owner and staff. (I’m not sure why he called it a credo. It’s much more common to say the company’s mission statement.) The credo was written in a “We/they” format:

We see our patients as individuals with specific needs and goals; we believe in providing our patients with the best possible care—always.

The tone was really distant despite the inclusion of the first-person plural. I suggested turning it to “you,” as all good advertising copy should ultimately be about YOU, the prospective customer:

We see you as an individual with specific needs and goals; we believe in providing you with the best possible care—always.

Still not great, but this change alone makes the copy a bit warmer. However, the marketer said he wanted it to stay in the third person because “that’s how credos are written.” 😭😭😭

Oy. Where to even begin with this marketing disaster? 

First of all, there’s no rule saying your mission statement must be written in third person. (HubSpot has an article with 34 examples of company mission statements. Some are in third person, and some are in first.)

Second, always consider your audience. Even if your mission statement is written in third person on your site, THAT DOESN’T MEAN IT NEEDS TO BE IN YOUR AD.

Finally, instead of using the mission statement, why not get a quote from a real patient that essentially encapsulates what it says?

Listen. There’s nothing special about a dentist providing “the best possible care.” I would expect that from any dentist. It’s not a differentiator, especially if you tell me that’s what you do.

But consider if a real patient was quoted in the ad with something like this: “Wow. These guys provide the best care. I was so nervous about my root canal, but they told me exactly what to expect, and it ended up being so much easier than I ever thought possible.”

Now, that would be compelling, wouldn’t it?

Bottom line: Always think about your audience first when writing advertising copy.

What matters to them? Why should they care about whatever it is you’re selling? (What’s in it for them?) What will motivate them to take action?

Answer those questions, and the copy will (almost) write itself.

Hey, are you new to advertising copywriting? 

You’re in the right place. I share free copywriting tips here and on my YouTube channel.

I also recommend these books to get started.*

Note: These are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon affiliate, I can earn commissions from qualifying purchases. It doesn’t cost you more, though.

Happy writing!