Lesson 5: Your Writing 'Graphics

Lesson 5:
Decide the ‘Graphics

In Lesson 5, you learned:

 How to write content that resonates with your ideal reader (not your mom).
 How to hone in on your ideal reader’s wants and needs
 How to write in a manner that appeals to your ideal reader.

This worksheet will help you put your new knowledge into practice. Print it out and use it
immediately for tangible results.

You'll also want to print a copy of this worksheet and keep it handy in a folder, as you may
need it later in the course.

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 Lesson 5: Your Writing 'Graphics

Discover Your Ideal Reader

K
nowing exactly who you're writing content for and fixing an image of that person in your
mind can really help you see this reader or potential client as an individual person who
needs and wants your help. That's far better than writing to some vague, faceless
image of "people" or "potential clients"!

Think of it as the difference between having coffee and a conversation with someone at your
kitchen table and standing alone on stage in the spotlight while looking out at a crowd of
people you don't know. The second puts you squarely under pressure to perform for strangers,
but a kitchen-table conversation is easy – you have natural chats like that all the time!

Having a natural chat, in writing, with a reader or potential client is crucial to engagement.

Demographics and psychographics help. They let you learn about that ideal reader, be specific
when you write, and assist you in building a clear image of the person you want to reach with
your content.

Demographics involve statistical data and facts about a group of people, like typical age,
marital status, gender, race, income, and education.

Psychographics involve traits and attributes that relate to personality, values, attitudes,
interests, preferences and lifestyle.

Psychographics might differ in detail between individuals – John might like dogs while Jane
likes cats, for example. But there are always common threads between these people, such as
that John and Jane like owning a pet, spend a lot of money on them and treat them like
members of the family.

Think of your ideal reader: the type of client or customer you'd like to work with all the time, or
the type of person who should definitely hire or buy from you.

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 Lesson 5: Your Writing 'Graphics

If you've been in business a while, you probably already have a good idea of who this ideal
reader might be, because you've likely dealt with them before. Perhaps you've had a client in
the past that made you think, "Boy, I wish I had more clients like these!"

If you're new to business, think of someone you haven't yet helped but know you could or wish
you could have as a client. For example, I'll cheer the day a certain lawyer I know finally gets in
touch about a new website – I know he needs one, and I'd be thrilled to change his life!

Get a firm mental image of that person in your mind, and answer these questions:

 What does your ideal reader look like, specifically?

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 How old is your ideal reader? ______________________________________________

 What height and weight is this person? ______________________________________

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 What hair and eye color does he or she have? ________________________________

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 What type of clothing is your ideal reader wearing? _____________________________

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 Lesson 5: Your Writing 'Graphics

 Where does he or she work, and what type of job does he or she have?

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 Does your ideal reader use public transport or own a car (and if so, what kind of car

does he or she own?) ____________________________________________________

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 Does your ideal reader own a house or rent an apartment? ______________________

 Is your ideal reader married or living with a partner? Single? ______________________

 Any kids? _____________________________________________________________

 What about pets? _______________________________________________________

 How or where was your ideal reader educated?

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 What type of stores does he or she like to shop in?

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 Which restaurant would he or she choose? ___________________________________

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 Lesson 5: Your Writing 'Graphics

 What kind of a personality does he or she have (list 5 adjectives)? _________________

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 What does your ideal reader like to do in his or her spare time?

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Ask yourself all sorts of questions about your ideal reader and let your mind answer them until
you can visualize the person clearly in your mind. Even if your ideal reader is fictional,
visualization helps you write in a way that speaks to the right audience, engage them and draw
them closer.

Here's an example of what this exercise might look like when you're finished:

"My ideal reader is a 30-something male with brown hair and blue eyes. He’s fairly fit, with a
type A personality, and enjoys wearing tailored suits. He likes Apple computers and mobile
devices, distinguished coffee shops and competitive sports. He has a university degree and is
well educated.

He’s a self-made entrepreneur who owns a company he built from scratch. It generates 5
million in revenue per year and has 10 staff. His life is hectic and busy – he loves it, though,
because all the hustling fuels his energy, and every success feels like victory.

He has a wife he's been married to for 8 years (whom he loves deeply; she's an artist), two
young children (aged 6 and 8) who attend private school, a purebred dog (German Pointer)
and two cars – an SUV for the family and a sports car for himself."

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 Lesson 5: Your Writing 'Graphics

The Devil is in the Details

Once you’ve got a solid, clear description and have visualized your ideal reader, it’s time to
pick the details apart.

Start asking yourself why.

Why does your ideal reader do what you've listed? Why does he work where he does? Why
that activity? Why this type of car? Does your ideal reader love or hate the model – and why?

Most importantly, think about what your ideal reader believes – and why he or she believes it.
Does he like this store because he thinks it's a status symbol, or does he make that purchase
because he believes being eco-friendly is important?

Your ideal reader lives by his or her beliefs, both consciously and subconsciously – and these
beliefs drive decisions and actions.

Here’s an example of questions I might ask myself about my ideal reader:

Why does he like Apple products? Because he likes owning the latest technology and sees
Apple as a status symbol.

Why does he like tailored suits? Because they convey his success and create a first
impression that earns respect.

Why does he like distinguished coffee shops? He's found that other entrepreneurs hang out
there, and being seen with this group of peers helps convey the relaxed, elite successful
lifestyle he enjoys.

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 Lesson 5: Your Writing 'Graphics

And so on and so forth. Knowing that my ideal client likes status symbols, the feeling of
success and making an elite first impression helps me write in a way that… ahem… strokes
his ego. I can write content that engages his beliefs, responds to them and conveys that
working with me will make him look even more successful to his peers.

This type of insight for your ideal reader lets you craft content with the right tone and style to
reach out and pull that person closer. Get to know your ideal reader intimately – your business
will thank you for it.

But what if you realize you might have more than one ideal reader? Keep reading.

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 Lesson 5: Your Writing 'Graphics

More Than One Ideal Reader?

What happens when you determine your ideal reader… and realize you seem to have two of
them? Or possibly three? You might feel confused. Should you narrow down to one specific
ideal reader or target different ideal readers?

The answer is both.

Narrowing down is a good idea. The more you can target a single type of individual with a
specific pain point, desire or need, the better.

By digging a little deeper, you might actually see that the extra ideal reader that came to mind
isn't a good one to target and decide to eliminate that person completely. Or you might realize
that the two ideal readers you came up with actually have many threads in common and are
just variations of the same sort of person. You can integrate them into one.

But let's say you do have several distinct ideal readers, all equally important to your business.
What then?

Write to all of them individually - and yet, as a whole.

Seek out the common denominators and the shared threads between your ideal readers, such
as pain points, desires or needs that are the same, or similar problems or concerns. Speak to
those, and ignore differences.

For example, let's say you have homemaker Suzy who has cats and company CEO Jack who
hates pets. They seem very different ideal readers – but both Suzy and Jack feel there aren't
enough hours in a day, and they'd both love a time-management program.

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 Lesson 5: Your Writing 'Graphics

If you write about that similar need – finding more time, managing the time you have, and
freeing up a busy schedule – then your content can reach those different ideal readers
because it speaks to a common pain between both.

Build demographic and psychographic profiles for each of your ideal readers. Print them out,
and lay them side by side on your desk. Then look at each of them separately, and then as a
group. Ask yourself these questions:

What challenges do each of these ideal readers face?

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What types of questions would each of these ideal readers ask me?

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What problem does each of these ideal readers need help with?

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 Lesson 5: Your Writing 'Graphics

What worry would each of these ideal readers love to have go away?

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Can you find any common threads that you can speak to in your content? Write them down
here:

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