{"id":52451,"date":"2019-07-11T20:06:13","date_gmt":"2019-07-11T20:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=52451"},"modified":"2026-03-28T10:31:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T15:31:50","slug":"writing-purpose-and-audience","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/writing-purpose-and-audience\/","title":{"rendered":"Writing: Purpose and Audience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_TFCWHCjzvlU\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_TFCWHCjzvlU\" data-source-videoID=\"TFCWHCjzvlU\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"Writing: Purpose and Audience Video\" height=\"464\" width=\"825\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"Writing: Purpose and Audience\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_TFCWHCjzvlU:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_TFCWHCjzvlU {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Updated-Writing-Purpose-and-Audience.png\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_TFCWHCjzvlU\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_TFCWHCjzvlU\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"Writing: Purpose and Audience\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_TFCWHCjzvlU\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_TFCWHCjzvlU\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_TFCWHCjzvlU\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction 4w0_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"4w0\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"4w0_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"4w0\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Purpose_The_Driving_Force\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Purpose: The Driving Force<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Understanding_Your_Audience\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Understanding Your Audience<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<h2><span id=\"Purpose_The_Driving_Force\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Purpose: The Driving Force<\/h2>\n<p>\nThe first thing you need to do before writing anything\u2014whether it\u2019s a book, an essay, or your latest Facebook post&#8211; is decide your purpose, your audience, and your format. With these three things in mind, your writing will be much more likely to make an impact. <\/p>\n<p>Purpose answers the question, \u201cwhy am I writing this?\u201d Do you want to entertain? Do you want to argue a point? Do you want to tell a story? There are four main purposes to consider: informative, expressive, persuasive, and literary.<\/p>\n<p>Informative writing is used to educate or explain something to an audience. Usually this appears in essays, presentations, or newspaper articles. A leaflet or poster would, in fact, be another form of informative writing. This writing tends to be clear, fact-based, and as balanced as possible. <\/p>\n<p>Expressive writing is used to express opinions. Its main purpose is to contribute to human thought and make deeper connections with those around you. If you open your newspaper to the \u201cOpinion\u201d section, you\u2019ll get a front-row seat to some <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/evocative-words-and-rhythm\/\">expressive<\/a> writing. You\u2019ll also see it if you scroll through your Twitter feed, or click on your friend\u2019s Facebook rant, you\u2019re also getting a slice of expressive writing.<\/p>\n<p>Persuasive writing is a more serious form of writing on a debatable topic. The writer\u2019s goal is to change the mind of the reader, or at least get the reader to question their own point of view. Unlike expressive writing, persuasive writing requires research, thoughtful analysis, and a balanced presentation of the <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/fact-or-opinion\/\">fact<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, let\u2019s talk about literary writing. This is a form of creative writing, such as a novel, a poem, or a play, where the purpose is to entertain rather than to inform. <\/p>\n<p>It should be noted that most writing has more than one purpose. You may want to write in an entertaining literary novel while still trying to persuade the reader of some deeper societal change. On the flip side, you may choose to write an informative news article in a funny way to help hold your reader\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Understanding_Your_Audience\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Understanding Your Audience<\/h2>\n<p>\nOnce you\u2019ve pinpointed your purpose, it\u2019s time to think about your audience. Who are you writing this for? There is an audience for every text that\u2019s written, and understanding who that audience is shapes your writing significantly. You should think about the age, gender, cultural background, location, interests, wealth, and more, of your intended audience. Then you should adapt the way you write to suit your audience.<\/p>\n<p>Say you\u2019re writing a book to explain chemistry to the everyday person. You\u2019ll want to refrain from using all the complicated vocabulary you would use in the lab with your fellow chemists. Instead, you want to think about examples that would appear in everyday life. You\u2019ll want to make sure you used pictures and graphs and colorful language. <\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re writing an article in a college journal, you wouldn\u2019t want to be too simplistic in your style or vocabulary. Think of your audience as you\u2019re writing, and make sure your writing appeals to them.<\/p>\n<p>The last thing you need to think of before you start writing is your format. How is it going to look on the page, and what techniques are you going to use?<\/p>\n<p>Say you\u2019ve decided your audience is a boardroom of a prosperous business. You may choose to format your presentation with catchy headings, diagrams, and facts. You\u2019ll cut down on flowery language and use clear statements instead. <\/p>\n<p>Or perhaps your audience is a roomful of children. You may choose to communicate with an exciting story, colorful pictures, and zany characters. You may still have a lesson you want to teach, but you\u2019ll do so with repetition, creativity, and a compelling plot.<\/p>\n<p>So let\u2019s recap. The three most important questions you need to ask before writing anything are: why am I writing this, who am I writing this for, and how am I writing this? The answers to those questions will tell you the purpose, audience, and format. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/writing\/\">Return to Writing Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Writing Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":248404,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-52451","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-video-pages-for-study-course-sidebar-ad","7":"page_category-writing-videos","8":"page_type-video","9":"subject_matter-english"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/52451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52451"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/52451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":280493,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/52451\/revisions\/280493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}