Episode 160: Figuring Out Your Ideal Reader

Notes:

Jenn is a book marketing professional and co-creator of Mixtus Media. She regularly posts marketing advice and tips on social media, provides free content creation tools, and offers services to help authors connect with readers, simplify book marketing, and sell more books.

Jenn posts regularly on Instagram @mixtusmedia and her YouTube channel Mixtusmedia. Her website is https://www.mixtusmedia.com/ which includes her blog posts, podcast episodes, marketing and social media tools, The Author Circle marketing membership, and personal book marketing coaching program.

As part of our interview Here is the link to our conversation with her:

Episode 159: Interview with Jenn Hanson-dePaula

The questions for this episode came from Your Writer Platform’s article “Finding Your Ideal Audience: A Step-by-Step Guide” by Kimberley Grabas.

Here are the questions we use from this article:

What are their demographics? Demographics refer to the outward-facing characteristics of a person—it’s the differences that the Census uses to categorize people. Think about your ideal reader’s age, gender, location, ethnic background, education level, and career.

What do they do for a living? Do they live in a big city on the East Coast or in a small town in the Midwest? Are they male or female? Married or single? Are they a cool twenty-something Spanish-speaker or an older, active grandma of five?

Demographics are the dry facts behind your ideal superfan: the who, what, and where. Next, you’ll want to figure out the “why” behind your ideal fan.

What are their psychographics? Psychographics are a person’s internal, mental qualities. Everyone has a different attitude and mindset, and psychographics look to help us understand people based on their broad responses to certain issues.

Are they laid-back or frequently stressed? Do they lie awake at night worrying? Are they open to new experiences? Are they loud or quiet? Outgoing or reserved?

Think about your ideal fan’s personal values, interests, ideals, goals, and aspirations. What makes them tick? Again, be as specific as you can.

What’s their personal style? How do they dress? What do they like to eat? Where do they shop?

What’s their budget? Do they have a lot of disposable income, or are things a little tight? Are they cash-strapped working moms? Rich, successful business people? Folks who want to move up the ladder? Are they spending $5 a day on fancy lattes, or do they make coffee at home?

Here are a few other articles we referenced for this conversation:

- Savannah Gilbo’s “How to Identify Your Story's Ideal Reader”

- Ignited Ink Writing “Who Is Your Ideal Reader and How to Identify Them” by Caitlin Berve

Books Mentioned:

- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

- Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo

- Caraval Series: Caraval, Legendary, Finale by Stephanie Garber

- Books Lovers by Emily Henry

- A Study in Scarlet Women (The Lady Sherlock Series Book 1) by Sherry Thomas

- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

- Persuasion by Jane Austen

- Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

- The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

- The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel by Jasper Fforde

- Thirst by Mary Oliver

- Red Bird by Mary Oliver

- Elements of Fiction Writing: Conflict and Suspense by James Scott Bell

- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

Music from: https://filmmusic.io
‘Friendly day’ by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
Licence: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)