Crafting compelling content for complex audiences

To really know your audience, you need to do your research. Deep dive into their world and familiarise yourself with their challenges and priorities by conducting thorough research and directly engaging with key stakeholders. For more guidance on this, check out our blog on why audience research is important.

Just because your audience is complex, it doesn’t mean your messaging should be. Jargon can alienate and confuse people so keep your language clear, concise and accessible so that it resonates with diverse groups. Your audience will likely be made up of a variety of literacy levels, cultural backgrounds and language preferences so consider each of these to make sure your message can be understood by as many people as possible.

Humans are hard-wired to connect with stories, so use narratives, case studies and real-life examples to breathe life into your content. Whether you’re highlighting success stories in an impact report or crafting messaging for a behaviour-change campaign, storytelling essentially humanises your content and fosters empathy. A good example of this is our Fostering Unfiltered campaign for Greater Manchester Combined Authority.    

Whether you’re sharing information or promoting initiatives, you should always offer value to your audience. This can be in the form of things like actionable insights, practical tips or relevant resources that address their needs and interests. By offering value to your audience, you build trust and credibility with them and encourage them to engage with your content.

Complex audiences require segmentation and appropriate channel selection. So you’ll want to tailor your approach to the preferences of each audience segment and where you’re likely to find them. For example, you’ll require very different content for a Gen Z audience who are likely to be found on channels like TikTok and SnapChat, than you are an older more professional audience on LinkedIn.

It’s important to recognise the diversity within your audience and strive to be as inclusive as possible with your content. This is about representing different perspectives, voices and experiences in both your messaging and visuals. Make sure your content reflects the values of equality, diversity and inclusion so that it resonates with as many people as possible.

By following the above approach, you can create content that strikes a chord with diverse stakeholders and drives meaningful engagement. So, go ahead - unleash your creativity and make an impact with your content!

For even more helpful tips on effective content creation, follow us on LinkedIn.