Once you know who your audience is, the next step is understanding what they want. Gaining insights into their preferences and needs allows you to create content that resonates, builds trust, and keeps them engaged.
Surveys and Polls: Use tools like Instagram Stories, Twitter polls, or Google Forms to ask followers what they want. Example: “What topics should I cover next?”
Q&A Sessions: Regularly host interactive sessions on live streams or stories. These encourage followers to share their preferences in real time.
💡 Tip: Keep your questions specific but allow room for open-ended feedback to gain deeper insights.
Foster a dialogue with your audience to understand their challenges and desires:
Respond to Comments and DMs: Active interaction builds trust and offers valuable feedback.
Live Sessions: Use these opportunities for direct engagement and on-the-spot questions.
💡 Tip: Pay attention to repeated questions or feedback—it’s a goldmine for understanding what matters to your audience.
Leverage social media metrics to learn what resonates:
Engagement Metrics: Look at likes, shares, comments, and saves to gauge audience interest.
Content Comparison: Identify what types of content perform best and replicate their success.
💡 Tip: Regularly analyze performance over time to spot evolving trends in audience preferences.
Stay on top of what your audience is searching for or talking about:
Keyword Tools: Use Google Trends, AnswerThePublic, or SEMrush to uncover popular searches.
Trend Monitoring: Keep an eye on industry trends to align your content with hot topics.
💡 Tip: Integrate trending topics naturally into your content to remain relevant without losing your unique voice.
Advanced tools like ChatGPT (for summarizing feedback themes), Jasper, or other sentiment analysis tools can process large volumes of follower comments or messages to identify trends.
💡 Tip: Regularly scan DMs, comments, and reviews using AI tools to save time while gaining deeper insights.
Analyze what your competitors’ audiences are engaging with:
What questions are they asking?
What content is driving engagement?
💡 Tip: Use this insight to create version with your insights of the same content.
Before fully committing to a concept, post a teaser or short-form version of your idea to gauge audience interest.
Example: Share a story poll asking, “Would you like a full post on this topic?”
💡 Tip: Use these tests as a low-risk way to ensure content relevance.
After creating audience personas, share them with a small group of your followers for validation. For example, “Do these challenges resonate with you?”
💡 Tip: This participatory approach fosters trust and ensures your personas reflect real follower needs.
Audiences change over time, so revisit your analytics and audience preferences quarterly or when you see significant engagement shifts.
💡 Tip: Treat audience research as an ongoing process, not a one-time task.
Platforms frequently roll out new features (like Instagram’s Broadcast Channels or TikTok’s Question Stickers). Early adoption can give you fresh opportunities to learn about your audience.
💡 Tip: Experiment with these features to gather unique insights.
Encourage ongoing feedback by explicitly asking for it in captions, stories, or posts. For example, “What do you think about this new idea? Let me know in the comments!”
💡 Tip: Make feedback requests feel natural and conversational to boost responses.