Four Tips for Developing a Persona and Speaking to One Audience
Date: August 23, 2025
One of the most common missteps in communications is trying to be everything to everyone. It feels easier, but it rarely works. When you speak to everyone, your message risks landing with no one. The more tailored your communication is to a specific audience, the more impact it will have.
So, how do you get there? It starts with knowing your audience. The more data you gather, the more conversations you have and the more you listen, the sharper your understanding will be.
This is where personas come in. A persona is a simple but powerful tool: a representation of your ideal audience member that helps you step into their world. What do they care about? What are their frustrations? How do they spend their weekends? Where do they invest? What motivates them?
At Instdio, we build personas to support our work—whether we’re developing website content, shaping a new brand or designing a pitch deck. It’s a practice that works just as well for everyday communication as it does for big strategy.
Here are four quick tips to help you develop a simple persona:
1. Think About one Person
Picture a single individual who represents your audience, rather than trying to generalize for a group.
2. Be Specific
Go beyond demographics: include behaviours, interests, and values. The details are what bring your persona to life.
3. Map Their Pain Points and Desires
What challenges are they facing? What goals are they working toward? Your communication should address both.
4. Consider Their own Audience
Who do they need to influence, convince, or report to? Speaking to those dynamics strengthens your message.
When you take the time to shape your communications around a persona, you shift from generic messaging to meaningful connection. And in communications, that’s the difference between being heard—and being remembered.