This is something I have thought about a lot. I often see blogs written by crafters and artisans and wonder who they are targeting as an audience, because I think they intend buyers, but write for others in their craft. Congrats to you for having taken the time to think about who you want your audience to be.
I'll answer this one from the perspective of a non-knitter. Yes, back in school I learnt how, but I don't like to do it, so now that I don't have to, I don't.
Because I don't knit, if I want knitted items, I buy them. Think mitts for myself, hats for babies of friends, etc. So think of me as a potential buyer for your products.
Because I don't knit, tutorials about knitting are not something that I would look for. If I accidentally found one, I wouldn't bother to read it, I'd move on to something else.
I'm more likely to respond to photos of your products. You can tell me some basic stuff about the materials you use (I'm interested in to know if it's wool, cotton, acrylic, etc.) and how to care for it. Maybe even tell me that x material is great for y application (so that I don't buy socks made from yarn that is really intended for something really delicate, just because I know nothing about yarns). If there is something special about some of the yarns you use - they are organic, or hand-dyed, or hypo-allergenic, or you raise your sheep yourself and hand spin your yarn, etc. - then tell me about it. It makes the material special. Maybe talk to me about how you make your products, how long it takes, show pictures of you at work on something, talk about your inspiration, etc.
My point really is that you are an expert at what you do, but likely your customers and potential customers are not. We don't know what you know and we don't do what you do. So don't talk to us as though we are knitters, but talk to us as folks who don't know anything about it (and possibly aren't interested in becoming knitters either).
I don't say this to sound harsh. It's just that in my day job, I've spent years working in the museum, science centre and parks environment, specifically doing informal education. I've had to spend time thinking about who is my audience and developing programs, exhibits and events targeted to the different audiences. I've worn the expert hat and sometimes the challenge has been to remember that even though I'm a total science geek, most people aren't. So that means people are likely not interested in the minutia the same way that I am. They are often interested in broader topics and don't come equipped with the same level of knowledge that I have. This doesn't mean that I think they aren't smart, it just means they have a life outside science.
The most important thing to always remember is to find a way to make what you write relevant to your audience. Make it something they can relate to their own life.
Julie
Author
