Want Better Engagement? Start by Finding Your Real Audience

TL;DR

If you want your content to make a bigger impact, the first step is understanding who it’s really speaking to. This guide breaks down how to read your data, listen to your audience, and use those insights to create content that feels aligned, intentional, and easy for the right people to connect with.

If you’ve ever posted on social media and wondered why the right people aren’t responding, trust me … we’ve been there! 

Most owner-led businesses struggle at the beginning because they start posting before they really know who they’re talking to. That’s what we did too. When you don’t have real data, you kind of have to wing it.

It took us two years in business to get the clarity we needed to target the right people with the right offers. Not because we didn’t know what we wanted, but because we needed time to learn the real pain points, patterns, and motivations of the clients we were attracting (and the ones we actually wanted to attract).

Your “real audience” is the group of people who consistently engage with, relate to, and see themselves in your content. You only find them by paying attention to real conversations, real clients, and real patterns in your insights. AI can help you brainstorm, but it can only give you half the picture.

If you want your future content to feel easier, more aligned, and more effective, this is where you start. 

1.    Analyze your Audience Using Social Media Insights

Your current audience gives you more clues than you think.

Use your built-in analytics.  Every platform gives you data about the people following you:

• age ranges

• locations

• interests

• job roles

• when they are active

Pay attention to who is engaging most often.  Those patterns tell you who is actually paying attention.

We noticed early on that most of our engaged audience were owner-led businesses, but too many were still stuck in DIY mode. The people we wanted to reach were those outgrowing DIY—businesses ready to grow, hire support, and invest in clarity.  The analytics confirmed it, and then we knew exactly how to tailor our content and the direction to take it.

Also, look at your best-performing posts.  Your content leaves a trail.  When something performs well, it means your audience saw themselves in it.  Look at:

• comments

• saves

• shares

• what people said in their replies

This will show you what they value most.

2.    Study Your Competitors’ Audiences

Sometimes your competitors’ comment sections tell you more than their content.  See who follows and engages with them.  This will help you understand:

• what people consistently ask about

• what they struggle with

• what motivates them

• what they expect from businesses like yours

Look for repeated themes.  People show you what they care about when they don’t feel like what they say is going to be analyzed. 

3.    Pay Attention to Industry Conversations

Your ideal audience is already talking somewhere.  You just have to listen. Use social listening tools or simple observation to watch conversations that happen around:

• your niche

• your services

• the problems you solve

• trends that impact your clients

We still watch how people interact with other content agencies. We never really see owner-led businesses who want to grow asking how to navigate a platform.  They’re past the “How do I post?” questions and looking for clarity, alignment, and strategy.

The questions we’ve collected and now build our content around:

How do we make sure our content actually attracts the right audience?

They aren’t just signing anyone who will hire them anymore.  They want alignment between their mission, message, and the people they want to work with.

How do we communicate what we want to be known for?

They want clarity on pillars, themes, and the unique perspective that sets them apart.

What system should we use to show up consistently without losing our voice or burning out?

They aren’t looking for DIY templates.  They looking for something sustainable that keeps their messaging consistent across every channel.

What is the best platform for our business model and audience?

They know what platforms exist.  They know they don’t need to be on all of them.  They want to understand where their ideal audience spends time and what content makes the biggest impact there.

How do we maximize our ROI?

They’re not looking at vanity metrics. They care about insights and KPIs that help them see what’s working so their investment keeps paying off.

4.    Ask Your Audience Directly

The easiest way to know what your and most underutilized step.  If you want to know what your audience wants, ASK THEM!  Use polls, Q&A boxes, or simple questions in posts.  Ask things like:

• “What do you want to understand better?”

• “What stops you from taking the next step?”

• “What do you wish companies in our industry did better?”

People will tell you more than you expect.  Surveys are a great tool too.  Send surveys to your email list or clients to uncover deeper insights like:

• fears

• goals

• frustrations

• what they value most about working with you

When people get the chance to share what matters to them, they feel heard and they feel like the content was created with them, not just for them.

When they see their own input reflected in what you create, they feel invested. They want to show up. Some might even feel a sense of ownership or obligation to attend because they were part of shaping it.  And that’s half the battle … just getting them there! 

5.    Engage in Communities Where Your Audience Spends Time

Your ideal clients are already in conversations online.  Join those spaces:

• Facebook groups

• LinkedIn communities

• industry events

• webinars

• comment sections on relevant content

You learn the most when you listen without trying to sell.

6.    Create Buyer Personas Based on Real Data

I can’t stress this enough.  Use your actual data to understand the people engaging with you so you can create a simple persona:

• who they are

• what they care about

• what they struggle with

• how they make decisions

• what they expect from people in your industry

If you’re not sure where to start, we created a FREE Buyer Persona Guide with the exact questions we ask during our Authentic Voice Process.

A lot of business owners worry that if they write for one person, they’ll lose everyone else. But the opposite happens. When you try to speak to everyone at once, your message gets watered down and people scroll past because nothing feels specific to them. Personas help you focus on one clear person so your content feels personal, consistent, and intentional. It becomes easier for people to see themselves in your message, which builds trust faster.

You’re not limiting your audience by doing this.  You’re helping the right people recognize themselves and choose you.

7.    Experiment & Adjust and What to Measure

Your business, your team, and your audience will evolve. Your content should too. Try different:

• formats

• topics

• stories

• perspectives

Then check the data.  

• What did people save?

• What did they share?

• What sparked comments?

• What started conversations?

These metrics show you what’s working.  Stay open to modifying or letting go of what is not working.  The brands that grow the fastest are the ones that listen the closest.  A good rule we follow: if something performs well more than twice, it’s not an accident. It’s a direction.

Want help with your mission, audience or messaging? 

Book your free no obligation discovery call today!