How to define your target audience
A step-by-step guide for start-ups
Insights
Apr 5, 2025
One of the biggest mistakes early startups make is trying to sell to everyone. The result? Watered-down messaging that doesn’t resonate with anyone. In Obviously Awesome, April Dunford shows us how positioning is the foundation for marketing—and that starts with clearly defining your best-fit audience.
Here’s a step-by-step guide, adapted from her framework:
Step 1: Anchor in your product’s value
Instead of starting with “Who do we want to sell to?”, start with:
What is our product uniquely great at?
What problems do we solve better than alternatives?
👉 This flips the script. Your target audience isn’t “anyone who could use your product”—it’s the group who values your unique strengths the most.
Step 2: Identify true competitive alternatives
Ask yourself: “If our product didn’t exist, what would customers use?”
Sometimes it’s a competitor.
Sometimes it’s Excel, email, or “do nothing.”
👉 Knowing alternatives clarifies who actually feels the pain enough to switch. That’s your first clue about your real audience.
Step 3: Spot your best customers
Look at your happiest, stickiest, most profitable customers today. Ask:
What do they have in common? (industry, size, role, geography)
What do they say they love about us?
What makes them renew or expand?
👉 This group reveals patterns. These aren’t just “users”—they’re your ideal customers.
Step 4: Define the unique value themes
From your best customers, extract what they truly value. Is it:
Saving time?
Reducing risk?
Unlocking revenue?
Ease of use?
👉 This helps you narrow down your audience to those who care most about that value, instead of chasing everyone.
Step 5: Narrow with contextual clarity
April’s big lesson: your product is only “awesome” when seen in the right frame of reference. So ask:
In which market category do we make the most sense?
For which type of customer is this frame obvious and credible?
👉 Example: A tool could be “project management software” for everyone, or “compliance-ready workflow software” for regulated industries. One is vague; the other is magnetic to the right audience.
Step 6: Write your audience statement
Boil it down into one sharp sentence:
*“Our target audience is [customer segment], who struggle with [pain], and value us because *[unique strength].”
👉 Example: “Our target audience is creative professionals and tech-savvy consumers, who struggle with clunky, uninspiring technology, and value Apple because it delivers beautifully designed products that ‘just work’ and seamlessly connect their digital lives."
Step 7: Revisit and refine
Your audience is not fixed. As you grow, you may shift categories, add segments, or move upmarket. But your core ICP should always tie back to your unique strengths and the customers who value them most.
More to Discover
How to define your target audience
A step-by-step guide for start-ups
Insights
Apr 5, 2025
One of the biggest mistakes early startups make is trying to sell to everyone. The result? Watered-down messaging that doesn’t resonate with anyone. In Obviously Awesome, April Dunford shows us how positioning is the foundation for marketing—and that starts with clearly defining your best-fit audience.
Here’s a step-by-step guide, adapted from her framework:
Step 1: Anchor in your product’s value
Instead of starting with “Who do we want to sell to?”, start with:
What is our product uniquely great at?
What problems do we solve better than alternatives?
👉 This flips the script. Your target audience isn’t “anyone who could use your product”—it’s the group who values your unique strengths the most.
Step 2: Identify true competitive alternatives
Ask yourself: “If our product didn’t exist, what would customers use?”
Sometimes it’s a competitor.
Sometimes it’s Excel, email, or “do nothing.”
👉 Knowing alternatives clarifies who actually feels the pain enough to switch. That’s your first clue about your real audience.
Step 3: Spot your best customers
Look at your happiest, stickiest, most profitable customers today. Ask:
What do they have in common? (industry, size, role, geography)
What do they say they love about us?
What makes them renew or expand?
👉 This group reveals patterns. These aren’t just “users”—they’re your ideal customers.
Step 4: Define the unique value themes
From your best customers, extract what they truly value. Is it:
Saving time?
Reducing risk?
Unlocking revenue?
Ease of use?
👉 This helps you narrow down your audience to those who care most about that value, instead of chasing everyone.
Step 5: Narrow with contextual clarity
April’s big lesson: your product is only “awesome” when seen in the right frame of reference. So ask:
In which market category do we make the most sense?
For which type of customer is this frame obvious and credible?
👉 Example: A tool could be “project management software” for everyone, or “compliance-ready workflow software” for regulated industries. One is vague; the other is magnetic to the right audience.
Step 6: Write your audience statement
Boil it down into one sharp sentence:
*“Our target audience is [customer segment], who struggle with [pain], and value us because *[unique strength].”
👉 Example: “Our target audience is creative professionals and tech-savvy consumers, who struggle with clunky, uninspiring technology, and value Apple because it delivers beautifully designed products that ‘just work’ and seamlessly connect their digital lives."
Step 7: Revisit and refine
Your audience is not fixed. As you grow, you may shift categories, add segments, or move upmarket. But your core ICP should always tie back to your unique strengths and the customers who value them most.
More to Discover
How to define your target audience
A step-by-step guide for start-ups
Insights
Apr 5, 2025
One of the biggest mistakes early startups make is trying to sell to everyone. The result? Watered-down messaging that doesn’t resonate with anyone. In Obviously Awesome, April Dunford shows us how positioning is the foundation for marketing—and that starts with clearly defining your best-fit audience.
Here’s a step-by-step guide, adapted from her framework:
Step 1: Anchor in your product’s value
Instead of starting with “Who do we want to sell to?”, start with:
What is our product uniquely great at?
What problems do we solve better than alternatives?
👉 This flips the script. Your target audience isn’t “anyone who could use your product”—it’s the group who values your unique strengths the most.
Step 2: Identify true competitive alternatives
Ask yourself: “If our product didn’t exist, what would customers use?”
Sometimes it’s a competitor.
Sometimes it’s Excel, email, or “do nothing.”
👉 Knowing alternatives clarifies who actually feels the pain enough to switch. That’s your first clue about your real audience.
Step 3: Spot your best customers
Look at your happiest, stickiest, most profitable customers today. Ask:
What do they have in common? (industry, size, role, geography)
What do they say they love about us?
What makes them renew or expand?
👉 This group reveals patterns. These aren’t just “users”—they’re your ideal customers.
Step 4: Define the unique value themes
From your best customers, extract what they truly value. Is it:
Saving time?
Reducing risk?
Unlocking revenue?
Ease of use?
👉 This helps you narrow down your audience to those who care most about that value, instead of chasing everyone.
Step 5: Narrow with contextual clarity
April’s big lesson: your product is only “awesome” when seen in the right frame of reference. So ask:
In which market category do we make the most sense?
For which type of customer is this frame obvious and credible?
👉 Example: A tool could be “project management software” for everyone, or “compliance-ready workflow software” for regulated industries. One is vague; the other is magnetic to the right audience.
Step 6: Write your audience statement
Boil it down into one sharp sentence:
*“Our target audience is [customer segment], who struggle with [pain], and value us because *[unique strength].”
👉 Example: “Our target audience is creative professionals and tech-savvy consumers, who struggle with clunky, uninspiring technology, and value Apple because it delivers beautifully designed products that ‘just work’ and seamlessly connect their digital lives."
Step 7: Revisit and refine
Your audience is not fixed. As you grow, you may shift categories, add segments, or move upmarket. But your core ICP should always tie back to your unique strengths and the customers who value them most.