Copywriters & Content Writers: These are the 3 “People” We are Writing For

Make sure you keep this in mind when writing any type of copy

7.5 million blog posts are published online every single day.

With that kind of competition, writers need to know who they are writing for and how they can get the most out of their content.

When we sit down to impart knowledge, information, and our point of view, we can help our work receive more readership by keeping the following three audience members in mind.

Organize and sculpt your content to hit the sweet spot of the following “people.”

1. The Skimmer

Our attention spans suck these days.

If you’ve made it this far, you are ahead of most folks!

Sometimes, we just need some quick info.

The skimmer is the guy or gal who wants the bullet points and the quick instructions.

Notice how these sentences are not long or complex, but they keep you reading because you’re not overwhelmed.

That is the skimmer — they don’t need a paragraph when a sentence will do.

Write for them too and make sure you include headings, short and descriptive sentences, bolding and italics to catch their eye and make it clear what they need to do next.

We’ve all been the skimmer at one time or another.

2. The Digger

These are the folks who want all the details.

They long to read about the flowery trek up the mountain or get lost in a string of technical details about the next computer they are looking to buy.

This is the reader who wants the in-depth how-tos and the step-by-step tutorials.

They are consumption junkies and your words fill their addiction.

So, dig in and give them what they want while also remembering about the skimmer.

Include the details (digger) and bold the ones that are super important (skimmer). Describe the vacation (digger), but also sum it up at the end in a sentence or two (skimmer).

We’ve all been the digger at one time or another.

3. Google

If you want more eyes on your work, you have to get into the Google game.

Resistance is futile, my friends. I resisted learning about SEO for years and I wish I could go back and change that.

Now that I am armed with SEO knowledge, I could never and would never go back.

Google’s main goal is an amazing user experience. They want to match you with the most relevant and authoritative content when you do a search.

The websites listed on the first page of Google’s search results have satisfied the algorithm in terms of quality content and appropriate keywords which gives the user the most useful information for their search.

This goes for you as well when you search for a good restaurant or want to know how long fish live.

Here are some tips for writing for Google

First off, figure out what keywords you want to use. There are several services for this or you can go to Google, start typing the subject and see what phrases and questions pop up. Start there.

For example, if you want to write about the characteristics of elephants, hop on Google and see what comes up when you start typing about elephants. Answer those questions in your article and use the keywords and phrases (aka long-tail keywords) throughout in a way that sounds natural. Google is getting smarter and can tell when you are “keyword stuffing.”

Google looks for websites that have authority (quality content that people keep returning to and staying on, therefore Google starts to “recommend” that site when that subject is searched for) and relevance (specificity when something is searched for, especially location-based searches).

Your blog or article will do much better with SEO if it is 1000–1200 words. This tells Google that your content is meaty and will give the user more information. Longer content also means more keyword usage, but remember, avoid “keyword stuffing” which Google will pick up on.

Your keywords should be used organically throughout your piece. Don’t manipulate a sentence or paragraph just to include a keyword — this will hurt you more than it will help. Find the flow and trust your instincts — you’ve got this!

Use links that have relevance and authority. This is another way Google “decides” whether or not your copy has the quality it is looking for when recommending your page.

There is a lot more to know, but this should get you started!

And if you read this far, woo-hoo! Pat yourself on the back for being a more informed and armed writer. You are now ahead of 95% of the people out there.

Knowledge isn’t power unless it is used and put into action.

So, get to it! Write your next article, blog, or website copy with these three audience members in mind. Stretch yourself and take some risks. Have a friend read your work through the eyes of a skimmer and digger and get feedback on where you can improve.

Learn SEO and make yourself a more valuable creator. Not only will you improve your views, but you can also charge way more for your work with SEO knowledge on your belt.

What are your favorite writing and SEO tips? I’d love to know in the comments!