The Target Audience Triangle

Choose a viable target audience based upon four criteria, the:

1. Desired Consequence (of the writer for a particular instance of writing)
2. Agency Needed (to achieve the desired consequence for a particular instance of writing)
3. Context (in which the target audience possesses the agency—as well as social authority—needed to achieve the desired consequence for a particular instance of writing)
4. Things Valued (by the target audience)

For a given context, a viable target audience will be one which possesses the agency needed to perform the desired result.

Example of a viable combination:

If the desired consequence is for a criminal in your home town to be arrested, then a viable target audience could be an honest police officer in your hometown.

Example of a combination that is not viable:

If the desired consequence is for a criminal in your home town to be arrested, then a non-viable target audience would be a surly chef from another city in another state.