Why Am I Reading This?

For those who didn't hear the amazing news, we just had one of the greatest upsets in sports history. The USA Men's cricket team managed to beat Pakistan in group play, making this easily the most unexpected victory in the history of the Cricket World Cup. The US team is hardly a powerhouse, and holds a spot in the tourney mostly because the United States is hosting it this year. However, this victory now places the team atop Group A, and well-positioned to make it to the next round. This victory is an amazing step forward for US cricket enthusiasts, and will be remembered long after the Cricket World Cup wraps up.

Okay - I am wagering that this first paragraph split the room amongst my readers. One group will be, "What are you talking about?" while others will be camped in the "Who cares?" group. As epic as the news is, this blog is really not an elite forum for cricket fans (and neither is this country for that matter). Most of you probably didn't know the US was hosting the Cricket World Cup, and were more focused on cicadas than cricket. 

This is, of course, something we have to consider as writers. If we write something about, say, the USA victory over Pakistan, we need to consider a few things. First, who are we writing this for? If we are writing this for a general audience, we need to approach it from their perspective: people who know virtually nothing about cricket. We have to get them interested without trying to educate them about the sport. Rather, we can approach it from their level, perhaps starting with, "I bet you didn't know the World Cricket Cup was being played in the USA right now. Well, it is, and the entire world got quite a shock when..." This introduces the uninformed reader to the subject in a safe manner, and they are not confused and turned off from the get-go.

Now, if you are approaching an audience of US sports enthusiasts, you are probably still not going to find many cricket fans. However, you now have a different perspective to approach the subject. You can lead with, "The Amazing Mets. The Miracle on Ice. Now we have another moment that defines the great upsets in sports history..." This appeals to a specific interest, drawing in the reader from their place of comfort. The appeal to famous moments in sports is an immediate draw, and the comparison can lead them into the world of cricket.

Of course, if you have an international audience or a bunch of cricket enthusiasts, just jump right in and lead with my opening lines to this post. They get to the point, draw in the cricket fans, and get the discussion rolling. No beating around the bush or building up the background that your audience would already know - it's just a jump-right-in approach that gets to the point. 

In short, when you think about writing a piece for an audience, the first question they will be asking themselves is, "Why am I reading this?" If you know your audience, you need to answer this question and appeal to their interests right up front. Otherwise, they lose interest faster than most of my readers will lose interest in the Cricket World Cup.