What is audience?

An audience is the group of people who see, follow or interact with your social media content, including both current followers and the people you want to reach.

Knowing your audience is the foundation of good social media. When you understand who they are, what they care about and what problems they have, it becomes much easier to decide what to post, which networks to use and how to talk to them.

Most networks offer audience details for business and creator accounts, such as rough age ranges, locations and when your followers are online. Your audience can look different on each network: a business might reach professionals on LinkedIn, younger viewers on TikTok and loyal local customers on Facebook.

Write a simple description of your ideal follower and keep it nearby when planning posts. Read comments and messages for clues about what people want. Review your audience data now and then, because it can shift as your account grows.

Example

A local hardware store learns that most of its Instagram followers are first-time homeowners, so it starts sharing simple DIY repair tips.