The ONLY 5 audience insights that *truly* matter for sales
if marketing feels hard, read this
If you’re still describing your audience as “women, 25-40, who like yoga and green smoothies,” we need to talk, friend.
It’s something I see a lot. Entrepreneurs spending hours trying to figure out if their audience lives in Milwaukee or Sheboygan, if they drive a Hyundai or a Honda, if they’re a “Karen” or a “Becky”.🤔
I used to work in corporate marketing, the birthplace of the whole “audience demographic” shenanigans. So, I fell into this trap, too, when I decamped from my little corporate cubicle and started my own business.
There’s this pervasive belief that if you know your customer is a 34-year-old woman in Chicago who shops at Target and drinks oat milk lattes, you’ll somehow be able to market better.
But here’s the problem with traditional audience definitions—they don’t tell you anything about why your people *actually* buy.
They don’t tell you why someone needs your thing, what’s stopping them from buying, or how to position your offer so it feels like an absolute no-brainer.
And if you don’t know those things? You’ll waste hours creating marketing that sounds lovely but doesn’t sell.
As a solopreneur, this is where you freaking shine, my friend. Because you have the ability to know your audience more deeply than any big brand ever could.
And once you learn the right things to pay attention to?
Your marketing becomes easier, more effective, and attracts the right people—ones who don’t just throw up a heart on your IG post but actually buy from you (and keep coming back).
So let’s talk about the five things that truly matter when it comes to understanding your audience—so you can market smarter, sell more, and stop spinning your wheels.
Pencils up and let’s get to work! 😊
1. What they’re struggling with right now (and how it makes them feel)
People don’t buy products. They buy solutions to their problems.
Few people wake up thinking, "I’d love to spend money today." They wake up thinking, "Ugh, I need to fix this."
Your job as the business owner is to identify what “this” is for them. What’s the big, hairy problem they’re struggling with right now that your offer solves?
→ Maybe they feel like a hot mess because they can’t keep their schedule straight.
→ Maybe they’re tired of their boring, generic home decor and want something that feels more personal.
Whatever it is, rest-assured they have a problem. And that problem isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s making them feel some type of way. Overwhelmed. Frustrated. Stuck. Guilty. Like they’re failing.
When your marketing speaks to that *exact* frustration—when you describe their problem better than they can—they immediately feel seen, heard, and understood. Which goes a heck of a long way in building rapport with your business.
How you can figure this out:
Go where they complain. Read customer reviews (yours and your competitors’), scroll Reddit or Facebook groups in your niche, and take notes on how people describe their struggles.
Ask them. Send a simple DM or poll your audience: "What’s the most frustrating thing about [your industry]?"
Go beyond surface-level answers. If someone says, “I need a new planner,” ask “Why? What’s frustrating about your current one?”
💡 Pro tip: The more specific you get, the better. Don’t just say, "Are you struggling with time management?" Try, "Are you sick of feeling like your to-do list is running your life?"
2. What they really, really want (*cue the Spice Girls)
The secret of dynamite marketing? Sell the destination, not the flight.
People think they want a thing—but what they truly want is the transformation that thing creates.
Think about it like this. Would you go pay $300 to sit in a chair at the salon for 3 hours for a cut and color if you left looking the exact same as you did when you went in? Um, no.
You don’t want the haircut. You want the makeover. You want that feeling of stepping out on the street after a professional blow dry and flipping your hair as you walk down the sidewalk looking so 👏 damn 👏 fine.👏 Sell the hair flip, not the haircut.
Nobody really wants a meal delivery subscription. They want to stop stressing about what’s for dinner.
Nobody really wants a social media manager. They want more time and more sales without having to post constantly.
If you don’t know what your audience truly wants, your marketing is going to be stuck at surface-level (“Buy my thing!”) instead of hitting deep (“Here’s how your life gets better.”).
How you can figure this out:
Use the “But Why” Test. Identify what your audience says they want (a haircut), and then ask "But why?" three times to peel back the layers and see if you can uncover their deeper motivation. (Like this: “I want a haircut.” “But why?” “Because I want to look good.” “But why?” " "Because when I look good, I feel good.” “But why?” “Because when I feel good, I show up confidently and feel like my best self.” A-ha!)
Read testimonials. People will often describe what your product or service really did for them.
Pay attention to what excites them. What features or benefits make them say, "OMG, I need this!"?
🚀 Big takeaway: People don’t buy your thing. They buy the solution to their problem—and who they think they’ll become on the other side of that solution.
3. What they need from their *dream* solution
No one intentionally sets out to settle for something mediocre to spend their money on. Sure, your people have a problem they want to solve. But they’re not just looking for any old solution.
They’re looking for the ~*perfect*~ one. The one that makes them think, "Yes. THIS. This is exactly what I need."
If you don’t know what makes a solution perfect in their eyes, you best get learnin’, my friend. Because that’s how you set yourself apart and effortlessly attract them to your business.
There might be lots of solutions that solve their problem. The solution that wins will be the one that differentiates itself from the others and checks the most boxes. That’s why it pays to understand what boxes they need you to check.
Put yourself in your audience’s shoes. What frustrates them about other solutions?
Maybe they’ve tried other products in your space and been disappointed. Maybe they have a very specific must-have list in their head that they’re not even aware of.
For example, when I offer things to solopreneurs, I know I’m offering to an audience that is often short on time, resources, and support. Their perfect solution is typically one that is:
Fast
Easy
Actionable
Step-by-step
Simple and fluff-free
Focused on getting them sales
Done-for-them or done-with-them
To be clear, this is NOT about being everything to everyone. That’s a fool’s errand. But it is about figuring out exactly what YOUR ideal people need to see in your offer to make their decision easy. Because we like easy. 💁♀️
How you can figure this out:
Look at negative reviews of competitors. People will literally tell you what’s missing from other products. (“This planner was cute, but the pages bled through.”)
Ask what’s stopped them from buying before. Run a poll: "What’s the #1 thing that’s made you hesitate to buy [product type] in the past?"
Make your key differentiators obvious. If you don’t spell out why your product is different, people will assume it’s the same as everything else.
💡 Pro tip: The more your offer aligns with what people already want in a perfect solution, the less convincing you have to do. You’re not “selling.” You’re just showing them you’re the obvious best choice for them.
4. What’s keeping them from buying
If people want what you’re selling but aren’t buying, there’s always a reason.
We’re often quick to assume it’s the price. But let’s be honest—people spend money on all kinds of things, even when they “can’t afford it.”
If someone isn’t buying, it’s rarely because they literally don’t have the money. More often, something else is stopping them:
“I’m not sure this will work for me.” (doubt)
“I can’t pull of that color.” (limiting belief)
“I don’t feel ready yet.” (timing hesitation)
“What if I regret this?” (fear of wasting money)
“I don’t have time for this.” (perceived effort vs. value)
If you don’t know what’s making people hesitate, you can’t address it—which means you’re losing sales to objections that you could easily overcome.
The key is to identify the biggest fears, doubts, or concerns your audience has about buying, then tackle them head-on.
→ If people think your handmade jewelry will tarnish, your product page better say “Tarnish-proof. Waterproof. Guaranteed to last.”
→ If people are worried they won’t use your planner, your content should show “How to make planning a habit in 5 minutes a day.”
People want to buy, but their brains are always looking for a reason not to. Your job is to take those reasons off the table.
How you can figure this out:
Listen to what people say when they hesitate. If someone doesn’t buy, ask, "What made you pause?" Their answer is marketing gold.
Look at common industry objections. Every industry has them—figure out what yours are and start addressing them proactively.
Test different ways of removing friction. Payment plans, guarantees, before-and-after content—whatever makes people feel safer saying yes.
Use content to remove friction. Testimonials, guarantees, before-and-afters—whatever makes people feel confident saying yes.
💡 Pro tip: The easiest way to increase sales? Find out why people aren’t buying, then use your marketing content to give them the reassurance they need to take the leap.
5. What is their tipping point?
Ever had someone comment, “I love this!” or tell you, “I’ve been meaning to buy”... but then they never actually purchase?
That’s because they haven’t hit their tipping point yet—the moment when their problem becomes urgent enough to do something about it right now.
People will sit on a problem for weeks, months, even years before taking action. But when they finally do? It’s because something triggered them to move from thinking about it to buying it.
Maybe it’s a deadline. Maybe it’s a promotion. Maybe they finally realize they’re missing out on better results.
Whatever it is, if you know what those triggers are for your audience, you can work them into your marketing—so instead of people saying, “I’ll get this eventually,” they say, “I need this now.”
How you can figure this out:
Go back to past buyers. What made them buy when they did? Did they hit a breaking point, see a testimonial, or respond to a time-sensitive offer?
Look at common buying triggers in your industry. Are people buying when they start a new job, move into a new house, or get fed up with their current solution?
Test urgency in your messaging. Try highlighting why waiting isn’t in their best interest, whether that’s through limited-time bonuses, real-life consequences of waiting, or showing them how others have already gotten results.
🚀 Big takeaway: People don’t just buy when they’re interested. They buy when they feel like now is the time. Figure out what makes them act, and you’ll start turning interest into actual sales.
Here’s the skinny…
At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if your ideal audience is 27 or 47.
It doesn’t really matter if they live in New York or Nashville (unless you’re a local business who only serves one of those markets 🙃).
What does matter? Understanding what they need, what they want, and what’s holding them back from buying.
And as a solopreneur, this is where you win.
Big brands are out here trying to sell to everyone. You don’t have to. You get to create offers, messaging, and marketing that feels personal—because it is.
You get to craft the kind of content that makes people feel seen, understood, and excited to buy from you. You get to create a business that attracts the right people, not just any people.
Focus on the real stuff. The things that actually make people want to buy.
Because once you do? Marketing gets easier. Sales get easier. And your business becomes exactly what it was meant to be.
Over here rooting for you, my friend.🤗
If you found this post helpful or enjoyable, I’d be thrilled if you’d take a moment to share it so others can find it, too!
Your advice is always challenging, making me think hard. I'm not always sure I come up with the right answers, but at least I'm asking the right questions.
So much goodness here!