A month ago, a millennial asked to interview me.
I was flattered, but I wondered whether her 6,000-plus followers would be interested in anything I had to say.
She answered confidently.
“Of course. We want to hear from baby boomers. They have so much more experience than we do. We have much to learn.”
I was impressed by her answer.
She told me I was the first author she had ever interviewed.
I watched some of her previous work and thought she was bright, and tailored her questions thoughtfully to each person she interviewed.
I wanted more exposure and a wider reach, so I looked forward to our conversation…
Later, she posted a short clip from the 30 minute interview with the caption:
“Local author reclaims her authentic identity after publishing her book.”
I was not privy to see engagement or views, but three weeks later, it had one like, one comment. “Why should I care about her authentic identity?”
Great question. A question I should have expected.
It is not enough to tell people what my story is about. I must also show them why it matters to them.
Many people my age may have hidden parts of themselves for all kinds of reasons. Only after retirement, or after their children have left home, do they finally begin to ask: What makes me feel alive? What did I once give up? Who am I now that I am no longer living only for everyone else? That is the connection.
The lesson I took away from this was not simply to gain more exposure. It is to reach the right people and speak to what they may recognize in themselves at the moment
The point of this long-winded post? Target market? Positioning?
I will always ask myself what is in it for them? Positioning the message “From I reclaimed my authentic identity” to “Who am I now that I am no longer living for everyone else?”
- Target market means the people most likely to want or need your book—perhaps women over 45 who have spent much of their lives caring for others and are now rediscovering themselves.
- Positioning means how you explain why your book matters to those readers.
When someone asks, “Why should I care?”
I can answer, “Because this may be your story too. My experience began later in life, but the underlying question—how to live authentically—can arise at any age and during many transitions.
Your target market identifies whom you are speaking to; your positioning tells them why your story matters to their lives right now.
In summary. For Kintsugi: A Woman, positioning may be less about “reclaiming authentic identity after forty years” and more about the deeply relatable question: After living for everyone else, how do I finally begin living as myself?