How to Understand Your Audience for Video Content

 Understanding Who They Really Are If You want to connect, engage, and inspire action, you need to go deeper than surface-level demographics. It’s not enough to know what your audience does or where they hang out. You need to understand who they are at their core. Here’s what you should dive into: 💁♀️ Personality Are they analytical thinkers? Dreamers? Practical doers? Speak their language. If they’re numbers-driven, show data. If they’re creative, paint a picture with words. 💁♀️ Hopes & Fears What’s their biggest dream? What keeps them up at night? Great messaging shows them you get it, and positions you as the guide to their desired future. 💁♀️ Beliefs What do they value? What do they stand for, or against? Align your message with their worldview, and you’ll create trust faster than you can say “authentic connection.” 💁♀️ Values Do they prioritize freedom, security, innovation, or community? Show them how your product, service, or idea supports what they care about most. When you understand these four things, your content doesn’t feel like marketing. It feels like a conversation with someone who really gets them. 💡 Pro Tip: Don’t assume ➡️ Ask questions ➡️ Engage in conversations. ➡️ Listen. Your audience will tell you everything you need to know if you’re paying attention. What’s one thing you’ve learned about your audience that changed how you connect with them?

To build emotional resonance, you need to connect with your audience on a personal level—and that starts with knowing them deeply. This goes beyond basic demographics like age, location, or income. Emotional connection happens when you understand their values, fears, and motivations. → Start by observing conversations in your niche. Look at social media comments, forums, or community spaces where your audience hangs out. → Pay attention to the language they use—what words and phrases pop up often? These conversations provide clues about their emotional triggers and concerns, which you can reflect in your messaging. → Conduct open-ended surveys that ask “why” questions rather than just “what” questions. For example, instead of asking which features they like, ask why those features matter to them. This reveals the emotions behind their preferences, helping you create messages that align with their deeper needs. → Lean into behavioral data. What content do they engage with the most? Which emails get opened and which links get clicked? Patterns in behavior tell a story—identify what topics capture their interest and shape future content around those insights. → Build personas that reflect real challenges and aspirations. Instead of general personas, create living profiles that evolve as you learn more about your audience. Use specific examples or anecdotes that help your team see the audience as individuals, not just statistics. → Most importantly, listen without assumptions. Don’t assume you know what your audience wants—stay curious, ask questions, and let their responses shape your strategy. When your audience feels understood, your content naturally becomes more engaging and emotionally resonant. Knowing your audience deeply means being present in their world. When you tap into their motivations and speak directly to their fears and aspirations, your message cuts through the noise and builds meaningful, lasting connections. #storytelling #marketing #customermarketing

Marketers succeed when they put audiences first, not products. This shift transforms your entire strategy. Start by mapping where your audience already spends their time online. Identify specific problems they're actively trying to solve right now. Pay attention to the exact language they use to describe challenges. Try defining your audience as "people struggling with X" instead of demographics. This approach will naturally improve your content relevance and channel selection. Your messages will finally connect on a deeper level. The best campaigns don't showcase product features first. They demonstrate a deep understanding of the audience's pain points. They speak directly to the real problems they face daily. When you truly know your audience, marketing decisions become clearer. Your content resonates more authentically with the right people. This audience-first mindset is what separates good marketing from great.

❌ Why 90 percent of content fails and how to fix it Most content doesn’t fail because it’s bad. It fails because it’s not aligned with the right audience. If people don’t feel “this is for me,” they scroll. Simple. Here’s how to fix that: 📌 1. Know who you’re talking to Not “entrepreneurs.” Not “creators.” Go specific. Your real audience is: - “early stage founders trying to get their first clients” - “marketers tired of outdated strategies” - “coaches who want consistent inbound leads” The clearer the target, the sharper your content becomes. 📌 2. Solve one problem at a time Most posts try to teach too much. Pick one frustration your audience had this week and talk about that. People pay attention when they feel, “That’s exactly what I’m struggling with.” 📌 3. Speak their language, not yours Your audience doesn’t want jargon, frameworks, or fancy terms. They want clarity. Swap: “conversion optimization” → “getting more people to take action” “audience segmentation” → “understanding who you’re talking to” Simple always wins. 📌 4. Repeat yourself more than you think New followers need to hear your core message. Existing followers need reminders. Repetition builds authority. 📌 5. Focus on being useful, not impressive Your content should make someone say: “I can use this today.” That’s the content people save, share, and come back for. 🎯 When your message matches your audience, your content stops getting ignored and starts working for you.

Early in my career I drove 120M views on YouTube. In fact, my strategy was so successful that Google made my case study into an ad campaign. (yes, that's me!) Here are the principles that made it work then and what I'd do differently today: #1. Be totally obsessed with your client journey. To do this, you need to understand your ideal client. My ideal client happened to be a 4-year old. I poured over popular kids TV shows, read books they loved, hung out with my ICP on the playground. You can do the same thing no matter what product you sell. -What questions they have in the buying journey?  -What goals are they solving for?  -Where do they go to get information?  -How do they consume content?  -What type of language do they use?  (Pro tip: Feed your Gong transcripts into ChatGPT.) -What motivates them?  -What scares them? -- (The best CRO I ever worked with said, “Find their pain point and stick your finger in it and rub hard.” Graphic, but unforgettable. Brad Myers) And create content that fits in with that journey. #2. Be lean and have a good mic With just me and a part-time videographer, we produced 47 videos in one year. We built a recording studio in the office and made a dolly out of PVC pipes we bought from Home Depot. People will forgive low production value. They will not forgive bad audio. If you invest in only one thing, make it a good microphone. #3. I’d break my video content into three categories: Drive Traffic: Start by turn your top 5 performing blogs into videos. Retain Clients: Build a library that teaches customers how to get more value from your product. Close Sales Faster: Address your top objections head-on in video form. Here's what I'd do differently today: #4. Invite your ideal client to create content with you. Instead of cold outreach, I’d take my top 50 target accounts and invite them onto a podcast or video series. It’s a warmer way to start a conversation and build a deeper, more meaningful relationship. From there, I’d slice the conversation into highlights and distribute them across social channels. This does three powerful things: --> Builds brand association between them and you --> Positions you as a thought leader with your audience --> Creates a flywheel of content that attracts more of the right people I’m running these exact plays with a few clients right now, helping them turn audience insights into content that drives sales. If you want to see what that might look like for your business, DM me and I’ll share a couple of examples.

What’s one winning formula—be it Reels or static ads? (Not your generic “3-second hook” masterclass post) You’ve probably heard it a hundred times…   "Hook them in the first 3 seconds." "Use curiosity." "Open with a pain point." Cool advice. But here’s what most hook gurus and ad courses never mention: If your audience doesn’t see themselves in your content, nothing else matters. Because here’s the truth: No amount of ChatGPT-generated hooks can save a post that doesn’t feel relatable. That one moment when someone says: “Wait… that’s exactly what I’m going through.” That’s what makes them stop, engage, and click. And how do you build that level of relatability? It’s not luck. It’s not just creativity. It’s RESEARCH + LIVED EXPERIENCE. Here’s the formula I’ve used across clients in 3 continents: ✅ Study your audience’s daily struggles (comments, DMs, forums, even phone calls) ✅ Pair it with your perspective—stories, client conversations, real-life moments ✅ Wrap it into content that feels like it was made for them—not for the algorithm Because when your content makes someone feel understood, everything changes.. That’s the kind of content that doesn’t just get views—it gets results. P.S. If you’re stuck in “hook writing” mode and your content still isn’t landing—maybe it’s time to rethink who you’re writing for, not what words you’re using.

Do you want a simple and actionable playbook to become more empathetic towards your audience? I got you! No one wants to see their content fall flat; disengagement is the last thing on a creator's wish list. This is why you should make empathy your content creation superpower. Here's your playbook to adopt empathy in your GTM plan: 1. Survey Your Audience [Why]: Run targeted surveys to understand your audience's pain points and preferences. [Example]: Noticed a dip in engagement? Ask your audience what topics they'd love to see—craft content based on their responses for an instant engagement boost. 2. Create Audience Persona [Why]: Create detailed personas for different audience segments to tailor content more precisely. [Example]: Develop personas like "Busy Professionals" or "Tech Enthusiasts" based on demographics and interests. Craft content that directly speaks to each persona for a more personalized connection. 3. Engagement Analytics [Why]: Analyze engagement metrics to identify what resonates and what falls flat. [Example]: Use platform analytics to track the performance of different content types. If short tutorials get more views and comments, prioritize that content style for increased engagement. 4. Active Listening on Social Media [Why]: Monitor social media conversations related to your content niche. [Example]: Engage in conversations, respond to comments, and join relevant groups. This active listening provides insights into trending topics and audience sentiments. 5. Storytelling with a Purpose [Why]: Share personal stories that align with your audience's experiences. [Example]: Narrate a personal challenge you overcame related to your niche. This not only establishes a connection but also inspires your audience. 6. Interactive Content Elements [Why]: Incorporate your content's polls, quizzes, or interactive elements. [Example]: Create a poll asking for preferences or opinions. It not only gathers valuable data but also boosts engagement through direct participation. In a nutshell, Empathy isn't just a buzzword; it's a series of actionable steps that can transform your content game. Start implementing these tactics, and watch your audience connection and engagement levels soar!

If your videos don’t perform… You probably don’t know your audience well enough. Who you help the most? If your brand is for everyone, you’re beating yourself. You need to know: 1. Their pains. People pay attention and most importantly money when someone allieviates their pains. 2. Their upbringing To become a master storyteller you need to get through the mind and hit at the center of the heart. If you know what your audience experienced in the most decisive part of their life you’re halfway there. 3. Their dreams Believe it or not, most people hope for a better day. They often dream about it. Show them that it’s possible, show them that you can help them to get there. 4. Their fears People first and foremost look for a reason NOT to buy. If you know their fears, avoid them. If you’re brave enough show them in a way which showcases your deep understanding of their situation. Video is a form of communication. No matter how engaging your story seems, if it’s a language your audience doesn’t understand, it’ll fail. P.S. From 1-10 how confident you feel with how well you know your audience? See you tomorrow 💎

STOP POSTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA (at least until you read this) Your content might be completely missing the mark. And the reason is simpler than you think. You’re creating for the wrong awareness stage. Let me break it down. There are four awareness stages your audience falls into: 1. Problem unaware: They don’t know they have a problem. 2. Problem aware: They know there’s a problem but not what to do. 3. Solution aware: They know solutions exist but haven’t chosen one. 4. Most aware: They know the solution and are ready to act. Most creators target solution-aware or most-aware audiences. But here’s the problem: That audience is tiny. The majority of your audience lives in the first two stages: • They don’t even realize they have a problem yet. • Or they know something’s wrong but feel stuck. Here’s what happens when you skip these stages: • Your content feels irrelevant to most people. • It assumes they’re ready to buy when they’re not. • You miss the chance to build real trust. What to do instead? Focus on problem unaware and problem aware: • Problem unaware: Highlight symptoms they may be feeling. ("Struggling to grow? You might be missing this...") • Problem aware: Validate their struggles and offer clarity. ("Here’s why your content strategy isn’t working.") Practical tips for creating this type of content: Start by identifying their biggest pain points. Use simple, relatable language they can connect with. Offer insights that educate, not sell—build trust first. Here’s the truth: If your content isn’t resonating, it’s likely not their fault. You’re speaking to people who aren’t ready to listen yet. Change that, and you’ll see real results. Are you ready to meet your audience where they are?

Stop guessing. Here’s how to actually know what kind of content performs best in your industry... Here’s what most people do when they have no idea what type of content they should post: → Post a company update → Look at a few competitors → Copy what’s working → Blend in with everyone else But here’s the kicker with doing that… None of those things sound like YOUR BRAND. Here’s what to do instead, if you want content that performs and stands out 🫶🏼 ✨ 1. Zoom out before you zoom in Look at brands OUTSIDE of your industry. Ask: What are they doing with content that my industry isn’t? → This is how you break the mould → This is how you stop sounding like everyone else ✨ 2. Turn comments into research sessions Your best content ideas are already sitting under top performing posts. → What are people asking about? → What’s missing? → What did they love? Mine the comments. They’re full of gold. ✨ 3. Use tools like TikTok’s Creator Search & ‘Answer The Public’ to spot content gaps. → That’s a gap you can fill Turn those questions into: → Educational carousels → Talking head videos → Eye catching images with sharp text in the caption. Position yourself as the expert by answering what they’re already searching for. ✨ 4. Study format trends, not just content trends Most people focus only on what their competitors post. But look at how it's delivered too: → Are they carousels or talking to camera videos? → Are the videos short form or long? → How’s the tone? Check what’s working STRUCTURALLY, then make it your own. ✨ 5. Prioritise saves & shares, not likes → Shares = “this was valuable” → Saves = “I want to refer back to this” That’s how you know it’s sticky content. ✨ 6. Create content around your unfair advantage → What do you know that others don’t? → What feels obvious to you, but is a breakthrough to your audience? Start there. Build consistency around it. Own your space. And remember, Posting for the sake of it isn’t the goal. Connection, trust, visibility, and action are. → Map your content pillars to the problems you solve → Know what you want each post to lead toward → Stay intentional Bottom line? Don’t copy…understand. Don’t blend in…build a brand that thinks ahead. Don’t just post…position yourself. And if you need any help with creating a strategy & content like this, you know where I am! ✨ Hey, I’m Jess 👋🏼 I share tips and advice on how to build your best social content and strategies! Hit ‘follow’ to keep up to date! ♻️ Found this post helpful? Hit that repost button to help others 😊