Who Is Our Audience?

I’ve been blogging for 5 years. I have attended speaker trainings and I subscribe to untold groups to improve my blogging skills and find my audience. I signed up for a paid program to help me fit in all the right keywords and phrases to get higher rankings.

It’s hard work. I typically spend about 6 hours crafting an article, creating the images, embedding links…often over several days for a single article.

Historically, my focus has been helping people have successful Christian marriages with a focus on effective communication skills. I’ve been feeling a shift in my spirit for the last year but haven’t known what to do with it.

And then…

During one of my counseling sessions recently, I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to focus on the future and not rehashing all the past issues that bring me down.

A few weeks later I found this verse:

Remember not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Isaiah 43:18

This verse so clearly tied in with the vision from the Holy Spirit.

God told me…

Around the same time, I was praying about direction. I was wondering if I should continue to invest time and money into this blog.

God clearly told me that I’ve been writing for Google, not for God.

Ouch.

He was right (of course). I’ve been writing as if my audience, my readers, were Google, when my heart really just wants to share about the love of Christ. That’s it. Pretty simple, but profound for me.

Side note – not sure how to know if God is speaking to you? The best study I’ve ever done about hearing God talking to us is this one by Priscilla Shirer. She makes it so clear. The study also comes with her video teachings included.

Changes

So I’m making some changes. I’m going back to writing content that my heart tells me is important, trusting that those who need the message will receive it.

I’m going to stop fussing about audience metrics, SEO, and striving. I’ve canceled the SEO membership and dropped all the extra blog-building email lists.

Instead I’m going to focus on God and the message He has for me to share.

An Audience of One… or Two

In speaker training, you’re told to focus on an audience of one. That’s the ONE person you are speaking to. For me that’s typically a woman. So in my case, that would be the ONE woman who meets all the criteria to really connect with my message.

But I’m changing that guideline a bit.

I will still compose messages for that woman, who can really connect with what I’m writing about.

But I’m also writing for an audience of One – God. I want Him to be pleased with what I’m doing, even if my readership shrinks. Because when I get to heaven, He’ll care more about me touching one woman with His message than how many people clicked. He’ll care more about me sharing His love than how many keywords I could put into my posts.

I hope you’ll stay with me as I refocus on faith and love, with messages that come from my heart, not Google.

Peace & Joy,

🌸 Andrea

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