10 ways being audience-led can help you stress less

We talk about the benefits of being audience-led for your charity all the time - but how can it help you and your team?

#1 End ‘he-says-she-says’

It’s no fun being piggy in the middle of two different opinions. Rather than who shouts loudest being the trump card, make it your audience.

#2 Ease the headache of cross-departmental working

Now as much as I love cats, herding cats across departments is not my idea of fun, and probably not yours either. When you have a shared audience in mind, it brings everyone together.

#3 Prevent wish list overwhelm

I see your never-ending wish list, and it is loooooong. Once you know your audience, you can say no to half of it. Freedom!

#4 Never run another aimless brainstorm

“Well, we have a load of ideas, and this one looks less rubbish than the others, so let's go with…” NO!! Start with your audience and good ideas will flow.

#5 Un-cross your wires

Ever been part of a chat with someone who uses a lot of jargon (hello Data & Digital)? Knowing your audience gives you a common language.

#6 Remove writer’s block

The content creation hamster wheel becomes easier when you ask: what would the audience find interesting?

#7 Stop painful creative reworks

Agency eagerly present concepts. You - in your head (hopefully!) - “WTF?”. Deeply align on audience and you don’t need to go there again.

#8 Increase testing success rate

Being a magpie is exhausting. But here’s the thing, what works for one charity won’t always work for another. Your audiences are not the same.

#9 Stop reinventing the wheel

Your charity has a million different live briefs, all disconnected. Your audience creates a virtuous circle, the learning from one brief feeding the next.

#10 Soothe your personal values conflict

When you listen to your audience, it helps you find a balance between those tactics that make you feel icky, and creating a brilliant supporter experience.