Practicum Strategy

Audiences matter most, but audience doesn’t mean “everyone.” That’s a myth.

For communications with real impact—the kind that serve business, mission or a movement—we should always begin with one question: Who are we trying to reach? Start by asking: Who is this post, pitch or message meant to reach?

You need the right message, at the right time, for the right people. That’s how strategy succeeds.

Why Not Everyone?

“Everyone” is not an audience. It’s a vague idea that leads nowhere.

Sure, everyone eats and breathes, but not everyone wants what you offer. Most don’t even see your message. No single post or platform reaches all people.

Still, many PR pros start with a cool idea and forget to ask: who will care? A scatter-shot approach is like throwing spaghetti against a wall to see what sticks. Smart PR isn’t that. Making a message stick isn’t about chance.

Audiences don’t show up just because you hit “publish.” If they do care—then what? What action do you want them to take? The hard truth: not everyone can buy, vote, attend or donate. Only specific groups matter. Targeting them makes the difference.

Isn’t it Obvious?

Even when we know this, we often treat all audiences the same, but audiences come in many forms.

Customers might be individuals, groups or institutions that use or buy what you offer. Beyond customers, we communicate with influencers, funders, regulators and internal teams.

Some audiences influence purchases. Think family members, students’ parents or the sandwich generation making choices for children and aging parents. Others control funding: donors, investors, foundations, or venture capitalists.

Regulators include government officials, agency staff, lawmakers and judges. Even when their influence shifts, their power remains.

Allies matter too. These include nonprofits, advocacy groups, alumni, business partners and fans.

Then there’s the inside crowd: boards, managers, teams and executives. Sometimes your entire “audience” could be one person, who could be a CEO, a funder or even a president.

In terms of purpose, audiences respond best to tailored messages that resonate with their needs and desires. In turn, your organization or clients want different responses from these different audiences.

If this is so obvious, why do we still see the same “one-size-fits-all” press blasts every day? We can fix that.

Key Questions

• Do you know your audiences?  
• How do they think?  
• Where do they get their information?  
• Who do they trust?  
• What do they already know about you?  
• How does that shape what they do?

Knowing the answers helps you decide:

• Where to post.  
• What tone to use.  
• Which message will stick.  
• What audience behavior to track.

Every communication begins with a question. Not about what you want to say, but who needs to hear it. Audience is everything, but only if you know who they are. Speak to them directly. Only then will your message land and motivate real action.

From a strategy perspective, determine the audiences that matter most, and what you want from them, then drive toward that outcome.

Get the spaghetti off the wall and onto a plate, delivered with panache to the right person. Don’t aim at everyone. Aim with purpose.

© 2025 Robert Hornsby, Founder, Practicum Strategy

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