Know Your Audience

Sometimes, who you’re writing for matters more than what you’re writing about.

The manufacturer’s positioning for this anti-chafing stick was for use during intense physical activity.

Running // Swimming // Cycling // Walking // Hiking

But our target audience was women 55+. A group whose routines, needs, and relationship with movement can look very different.

According to Johns Hopkins, “Of women in their 50s and 60s, only 30% meet aerobic training recommendations—and just 6% meet strength training recommendations.”

Add to that the fact that, as skin ages, it becomes thinner, drier, and less elastic (increasing the risk of friction-based damage) and this copy had to do something different.

Instead of writing about high-impact workouts or athletic performance, I focused on comfort, ease, and everyday friction—physical and otherwise.

You know when something just rubs you the wrong way? The 2Toms SportShield stick provides a smooth, thin, invisible coating to your skin which helps reduce friction from chafing, rubbing, and irritation so the rest of your day can go a little smoother. From Medi-Dyne.

The goal was to keep it light and approachable, while acknowledging how uncomfortable (and let’s be honest, annoying) chafing can be.

Had I written exclusively for intense activity, the copy would have served a much smaller slice of our 55+ female audience.

Writing with the full target audience in mind expanded who felt seen—and who felt motivated to act.