Playing to the Crowd

Growing up, I would often hear teachers say that newspapers were written to read at a sixth grade level of literacy. I used to think, "Jeeze, are people that dumb?" Were newspaper companies really bringing down their writing to compensate for the illiteracy of America? Maybe.

What I failed to grasp then was that newspapers are written at that level because they aim to reach the widest audience possible. Writing at a higher level would only alienate part of this audience, which would be counteractive to their intentions. In hindsight, it makes perfect sense.

Just like newspapers, our primary motivation for writing is to get a targeted audience to read our work. Whether we write the best pieces on the planet, or the worst garbage ever composed, our success usually lies within our ability to cater towards that audience. Our failure to do so can often lead to the alienation of our target audience.

So how can we avoid alienating our audience?

The only way to do so is by getting to know them. We can read articles written for them, communicate with them directly, and even put ourselves in their own shoes. The more we try and understand them, the more successful our writing will be.