How to Build & Use a Buyer Persona as a Freelance Writer

Once you land a gig as a freelance writer, part of your onboarding should be an introduction to the brand’s buyer personas a.k.a. customer or audience personas. These help you identify the target and tone of your blog posts and other content copy. Brands may have one or multiple buyer personas and your direct report will advise which persona is being targeted in the case of the latter. Let’s first break down what a buyer persona is and what cues to look for as a content writer.

A buyer persona is a detailed description of the brand’s ideal customer/reader. Think of it this way, the buyer persona should answer these questions: who am I writing for? – who is most likely to read, engage with, learn from and convert from the blog posts/copy you create? The buyer persona is intended to give you a map of the ideal customer’s personality, behaviours, motivations and concerns.

Here’s how we use a Buyer/Audience Persona to write content:

Go Native

Even if you have a killer writing style, if it’s too casual or formal for the buyer persona you’re writing for, your content will be scrolled past. Use the buyer/audience persona to home in on the language style that resonates with readers. Never pander though – most readers get the ick if they sense a brand is trying too hard to get their attention or buy-in. 

Solve Problems

Among other things, the buyer persona is meant to highlight concerns and pain-points for the brand’s ideal customers. Cross-reference this with offerings, old, new and seasonal, to illustrate how the brand you’re writing for can help save the day.  

Format

Not every target customer may be reached on the same platform. If you’re responsible for content copy across different channels, the buyer/audience persona helps determine the right platform and format for presenting information about a product or service.

Content Ideation

Buyer personas help you brainstorm content that resonates with the interests of the target audience.

Now the guide above is fine if you’re provided with the buyer persona but if creating the customer persona falls within your job description, here are the steps to create a buyer persona.

Step 1 - Customer Research

Conduct the interviews required to collect clients’ demographic and psychographic information, along with behaviours, motivators, pain points and challenges. 

Step 2 – Data Analysis

The data from your research will need to be analysed to identify cross-sections within the customer pool. Matching this against information from the sales team further enhances the quality of the information.

Step 3 – Build the Persona

Start by listing out the demographic information so you don’t lose track of the basics. Next, focus on the persona’s motivations, aspirations and challenges. This is tied together by asserting how the brand’s offerings can help them.

Step 4 – Name Your Persona

Name your persona, to allow consistency and clarity across departments, particularly if there are multiple personas.

That’s the simplified break down on how to build and use a buyer persona for freelance writers. If you are responsible for creating them, be aware that personas need to be updated regularly – the frequency will depend on the industry you’re working with. Add these to your freelance writing toolkit and get a solid start on your next job.