--- title: "Tuesday Buzz: Rethinking Writing for Personas" id: "41118" type: "post" slug: "tuesday-buzz-rethinking-writing-for-personas" published_at: "2018-01-16T21:57:17+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T21:08:47+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/01/16/tuesday-buzz-rethinking-writing-for-personas/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/01/16/tuesday-buzz-rethinking-writing-for-personas.md" excerpt: "Personas may not be helpful for writers. Here’s a better way to think about writing for your target audience. Also: CES tech announcements that all event pros should know." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "attendee engagement" - "Business" - "event planning" - "Technology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Tuesday Buzz: Rethinking Writing for Personas If you’ve ever worked in the marketing arena, you’re well aware of personas—composite sketches of your core or target audience meant to deliver some demographic insight. While some says personas provide inspiration and direction to writers, others contest that they are a waste of time. “Personas tend to reflect the average, not the median,” writes Jimmy Daly in a recent [Animalz blog post (opens in a new tab)](https://www.animalz.co/blog/content-marketing-personas/) . “This means you end up writing for a person well outside the stated demographics.” Daly goes on to say that writers don’t actually know what it means to write to a specific persona, because personas often don’t have real meaning and can feel fictitious. Because of this, he proposes an alternative, where you focus less on who the target is and instead ask, “At what level is our target reader thinking?” In addition, Daly shares tips for writing strategically, including writing at the leadership level and not being beholden to a strict publishing schedule. “If you’re planning on writing twice each week, don’t expect to write strategic posts every time,” he says. “These high level ideas are harder to come by and more challenging to write.” ### CES Takeaways > 5 things [#EventProfs (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/EventProfs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > should know after CES 2018 [https://t.co/T3offhIeJ3 (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/T3offhIeJ3) > [#CES2018 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/CES2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#tech (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/tech?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#eventtech (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/eventtech?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Event Industry News (@EventNewsBlog) [January 16, 2018 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/EventNewsBlog/status/953211153777381377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Last week’s CES 2018 in Las Vegas is all wrapped up.** If you weren’t following along closely to all the news, you may have missed out on a few tech announcements relevant to event pros. Voice-command technology continues to be added to all different types of products. “LG have added their own CLOi voice-activated robot to their upcoming line of washing machines and fridges and they’re also planning to embed the CLOi into a series of robots that could help you whilst you’re out and about at hotels, supermarkets, and airports (and presumably, live events too),” writes Adam Parry in an [Event Industry News article (opens in a new tab)](https://www.eventindustrynews.com/guest-blogs/5-things-eventprofs-know-ces-2018/) . What does that mean for your events? “As events move increasingly toward ‘bring your own device’, delegates will expect fully interactive environments that respond quickly and efficiently, whether through voice control or NFC technology that allows you to tap to activate,” he says. ### Other Links of Note **What’s the one word that should not appear in your email subject lines?** The *Bloomerang* blog reveals the [pros and cons of using the word “newsletter.” (opens in a new tab)](https://bloomerang.co/blog/the-1-word-that-shouldnt-appear-in-your-nonprofits-email-newsletter-subject-line/) **Traveling for a meeting doesn’t mean you have to ignore health goals.***Eventpedia* shares ways to make your next [event healthier for attendees (opens in a new tab)](https://www.eventpedia.com/blog/planning-healthy-event-experience) . **Are you looking at the right fundraising metrics?**Digital marketing expert John Haydon shares [three numbers you need to track (opens in a new tab)](https://www.johnhaydon.com/3-big-fundraising-metrics/) . (GaudiLab/iStock) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#attendee engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/attendee-engagement/) [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#event planning](https://associationsnow.com/tag/event-planning/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [ArticleReport: Meeting Planners Focused on Costs, EngagementNovember 4, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/11/04/report-meeting-planners-focused-on-costs-engagement/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [ArticleWhat Meeting Planners Miss About AttendeesDecember 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/12/what-meeting-planners-miss-about-attendees/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Contract: Building Stronger Destination PartnershipsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-contract-building-stronger-destination-partnerships/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2018%2F01%2F16%2Ftuesday-buzz-rethinking-writing-for-personas%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !