It’s tempting as a writer to think that “everyone” is your audience. But the reality is that your message is not for everyone. It’s a paradox that the more you focus on a very specific type of person, the more people will be able to relate to it.

Specifically, narrowing down your audience will give you three things:

1. Clarity. A lot of the frustration that writers feel is because of confusion. When you understand who you’re writing for, and the frustrations that you’re helping to solve, life gets a lot easier and more fun. You want your material to attract the right people and repel the wrong reader.
2. Intensity. It is very exciting to go through this process and finally get a handle on who you’re writing for. This will give you an incredible intensity because you know your audience and understand them. It also takes out all of the guesswork about your writing. When you have clarity, you will then have an intensity of focus because you know what you’re trying to accomplish.
3. Feedback. When you start to write for a particular type of person, you will get feedback from people that will help you further refine your audience’s needs and interests. If you are writing for “everyone,” your message is going to be diluted because you’re always going to be second-guessing yourself.

If you try to write for everyone, it’s like going down a wide river that has no momentum. When you write for a more focused and specific audience, it’s like going down rapids where the banks are close together and there is lots of action. You will experience a lot more excitement and get where you’re going much faster.

Daily Question: What specific audience are you writing for?