How to Choose a Target Audience That Actually Buys

Have you ever built something you love, posted it everywhere, and still heard crickets at checkout?

Here’s the truth most people skip because it feels “mean” to say out loud: not every audience can afford you, and not every audience will prioritize you.

That does not mean you should exclude people you care about. It means you have to be honest about the math.

Khila built OVIDIA. with accessibility on purpose. She could charge more. She has the receipts, the law school training, the Bloomberg Terminal inspiration, the track record. But she chose pricing that fits the women we built this for, and then adjusted the business model to make that choice sustainable.

That’s the play: choose your audience with eyes open, then design pricing and delivery that actually works for them.

Before we get into the step-by-step, here’s the real goal:

• You are not trying to find “everyone who needs this.”
• You are trying to find the people who will reliably buy this, at a price that keeps your business alive.

What this article will fix

If you are pre-revenue or inconsistent revenue, there’s a good chance you have one of these problems:

1. Your target audience cannot afford your offer
2. They can afford it, but they do not value it enough to prioritize it
3. Your price is fine, but your messaging is aimed at the wrong buyer
4. Your offer is not designed for how your audience actually spends

Step 1: Start with the business model you actually want

Before you pick a target audience, pick your structure. Because your audience has to match your model.

Ask yourself:

• Do I want high volume, lower price (many buyers)?
• Or low volume, higher price (fewer buyers)?
• Do I want one-time sales, subscriptions, retainers, or packages?
• Do I want to sell daily (like retail), weekly (like content), or monthly (like services)?

If you want to sell a $1,500 offer, but your audience usually has $60 of wiggle room after bills, it’s not that they “don’t get it.” It’s that your model and their reality are misaligned.

Glossary Callout

Step 2: Pick 2 audiences, not 12

Most aspiring founders say: “My target audience is women ages 18–45.” That is not a target audience. That is a crowd.

Choose two to test:

• Primary audience: who you want long-term
• Secondary audience: who might buy sooner or more frequently

Example:
If you sell self-care products, your primary audience might be “Black women professionals managing stress.” Your secondary audience might be “gift buyers shopping for their partner or best friend.”

Same product. Different buyer psychology.

Step 3: Research what they make, spend, and prioritize

This is the part people skip because it feels like homework. But it is literally how you stop building a business with no customer.

Here’s what to research for each audience:

• Typical job titles or income range
• Cost of living in the cities they live in
• What they already spend money on every month
• What they splurge on without guilt
• What they delay buying even if they need it

Where to get the info fast:

• Reddit threads and forums where they talk about spending habits
• TikTok and YouTube “monthly budget” and “spend with me” videos
• Facebook groups in that niche (look for posts about pricing and frustration)
• Competitors’ reviews: what people praise, complain about, and call “too expensive”

Pro-Tip Card

Step 4: Set a “pain-to-pay” range

You need a realistic price band before you finalize your audience.

Ask:

• What problem am I solving?
• How urgent is it?
• What is it replacing?
• What does it save them: time, stress, money, risk?

Then set a starting range:

• Low urgency, nice-to-have: typically lower price point
• Medium urgency, recurring problem: mid price point
• High urgency, high consequence: higher price point

This is why legal templates, tax prep, and compliance support can price higher than “a cute journal.” The risk is different.

Myth vs Fact

Myth: “If my product is good, people will find the money.”
Fact: People find money for what they already believe is worth it. Your job is to align value, urgency, and audience reality.

Step 5: Test before you build a whole brand identity around it

Do not spend 6 months designing a brand for an audience you have not proven will buy.

Run 3 fast tests:

1. Price test: post the offer at 2 price points and track saves, DMs, and sales
2. Message test: same offer, 2 different angles (status vs savings, ease vs results)
3. Channel test: where do they respond: TikTok, Instagram, email, in-person?

Keep it simple. You are looking for signals, not perfection.

Step 6: Adjust your offer to match your audience, or adjust your audience to match your offer

This is the grown founder decision.

If you truly want to sell to an audience with tighter budgets, you have options:

• Smaller entry offers (mini services, starters, travel sizes)
• Payment plans
• Bundles that raise order value without raising friction
• Subscription model to smooth revenue
• Partnerships, wholesale, or B2B to subsidize consumer pricing

But you cannot ignore the math. You just have to choose your values, then design around them like a strategist.

From-scratch checklist: Target audience that buys

Use this like a blueprint.

1. Write your business model in one sentence (high volume/low price or low volume/high price)
2. Choose one primary audience and one secondary audience to test
3. Define their reality: job titles; location; lifestyle; obligations; weekly routine
4. Research their spending: what they buy monthly; what they splurge on; what they avoid
5. Identify what you are replacing (time, stress, risk, convenience, status)
6. Set a realistic price band based on urgency and alternatives
7. Create one simple offer and one simple landing page or checkout link
8. Run a 14-day test: two messages; two price points; one channel
9. Track: saves; clicks; DMs; email signups; purchases
10. Decide: adjust offer, adjust pricing, or adjust audience
11. Lock in your “buyer profile” based on who actually purchased
12. Build content and product expansion around the buyer, not the liker