Target Group Check

What is a Target Group Check?

A target group check is the review of content against the needs of different recipient groups. It ensures that a message is relevant, intelligible and aptly phrased for the respective target group.

Target Group Check in Detail

Communication only succeeds if it reaches the recipient – and different target groups have different interests, levels of knowledge, language and expectations. The target group check is the deliberate review: who is this message for, and does it fit their needs? What is reviewed is relevance (Does this interest the target group?), intelligibility (Are the language and level of detail appropriate?), tonality (Does the style fit?) and benefit (What does the target group get out of it?). Because the same information has to be prepared differently for customers than for a specialist audience, employees or journalists. In practice, a change of perspective helps: put yourself in the recipient group's position and review the message from their point of view. The target group check prevents typical mistakes such as jargon in front of laypeople, too much of your own perspective, or irrelevant content. It is part of the preparation of speeches, press texts, presentations and campaigns. Those who consistently tailor content to the target group significantly increase intelligibility, relevance and impact.

In practice, the target group check is the deliberate question of whom you actually want to reach and how these people tick, before you communicate. Because the same message has to be prepared differently for different target groups – in language, examples, channels and tonality. What is reviewed includes the target group's prior knowledge, interests, expectations, concerns and preferred media. Those who clarify this in advance phrase things more relevantly, more intelligibly and more persuasively and avoid talking past the addressees. For media work this also means thinking about the target group of the respective medium: what is interesting for its audience? A target group check thus sharpens not only the message but also the choice of topic, channel and approach. It is a simple but effective step toward precisely targeted communication.

How do you carry out a target group check?

The target group check reviews whether a message is relevant, intelligible and aptly phrased for the respective recipient group. Through a change of perspective you ensure that content, language, tone and benefit fit the target group – for more impact.

Target Group Check – Examples in Practice

A communicator checks whether a specialist text is intelligible for laypeople. A team adapts a message differently for customers and for a specialist audience. A speaker tailors her speech to the specific audience.

Target Group Check: Key Features at a Glance

• Purpose: tailor content to the target group
• Review criteria: relevance, intelligibility, tonality, benefit
• Method: change of perspective into the recipient group
• Avoids: jargon, self-perspective, irrelevance
• Benefit: higher relevance and impact

Related Terms

• Key Message
• Wording
• News Value
• Message Placement
• Forgetting Curve

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Target Group Check: Frequently Asked Questions

What is a target group check?

The review of content against the needs of different recipient groups – whether a message is relevant, intelligible and aptly phrased.

Why is a target group check important?

Because different target groups have different interests, levels of knowledge and expectations. Only precisely fitting messages really land.

What do you review in a target group check?

Relevance (does it interest?), intelligibility (appropriate language and level of detail), tonality (fitting style) and benefit (what does the target group get out of it?).

How do you carry out a target group check?

Through a change of perspective: put yourself in the recipient group's position and review content, language, tone and benefit from their point of view.