Four audience-mapping questions before finalizing any output

When This Fires

• Before distributing any output to an audience
• When outputs consistently miss their mark despite good content quality
• When designing distribution plans as part of Define the distribution plan before starting production…'s pre-production protocol
• Complements Define minimum viable output (minimum viable output) and Push distribution for known audiences + time-sensitive… (push/pull distribution) with the audience analysis

Common Failure Mode

Producer-centered distribution: formatting and distributing based on what's convenient for the producer rather than what serves the audience. Sending a PDF because it's easy to export, posting on the channel you're already in, distributing whenever the output is done rather than when the audience needs it.

The Protocol

(1) Before distributing, answer all four questions: (1) Who specifically needs this? Name roles or people, not "everyone." (2) What do they need from it? The specific decision, action, or understanding this output should produce. (3) Where do they consume information? The specific channel, tool, or medium they check regularly. (4) When do they need it? The deadline or optimal timing for maximum impact. (2) Format the output to match the answers: length for the audience's attention span, structure for the medium, tone for the relationship. (3) Distribute through the identified channel at the identified time. (4) If any question can't be answered ("I don't know who needs this"), pause distribution and clarify before sending — distributing to an unknown audience through an unknown channel at an unknown time is broadcast, not communication. (5) For recurring outputs, answer these questions once and encode the answers in your template (Design near-complete templates for recurring outputs…).