Do you need an 'ideal reader' for your newsletter?
On writing for someone, rather than everyone.
When you start a newsletter, it’s easy to assume your audience is anyone who might read it. Friends, colleagues, your neighbour’s dog, someone in another time zone who stumbles on your work at 2am. But if you’re trying to grow beyond a handful of subscribers, you’ll need to get clearer than ‘anyone who might like this.’
That’s where the concept of an ideal reader comes in. Not the entire world, not even every person who’s interested in your niche, but a picture of the type of reader who is most likely to keep opening, keep reading, and—if it’s your goal—eventually pay.
This isn’t about creating a corporate avatar with a fake name and a stock photo. It’s about sharpening your writing so it consistently hits home with the people you most want to reach.
Why consider your ideal reader
The easiest trap for newsletter writers is to believe that good writing speaks for itself. Sometimes it does. More often, it doesn’t.
Readers are scrolling through inboxes cluttered with receipts, marketing emails, and updates they didn’t ask for. Your newsletter has to give them a reason to stop, open, and keep coming back.
When you know your ideal reader, you’re more likely to know what that reason is.
Thinking about your reader helps you:
Choose topics with focus. As well as asking (because that’s important too) ‘What should I write about?”, you can ask, ‘What would they want to read?’
Set the right tone. A newsletter for startup founders will sound different from one for digital nomads, even if you’re covering similar themes.
Make decisions faster. When you’re debating whether to publish a long personal essay or a quick tip sheet, you can ask which format your reader is more likely to appreciate. It might be both, but this helps you plan out your writing.
This doesn’t mean you stop writing for yourself. It means you’re clear on who you’re inviting to the table. When you know that, your newsletter feels intentional rather than scattered.
Do you need an ideal writer?
Here’s where it gets messy. Some of the most beloved newsletters don’t have a clear reader profile. They’re essentially public diaries. People read them because they like the writer’s brain, not because they’re solving a specific problem.