When planning media texts, producers must consider their target audience. They use audience profiling and research methods like questionnaires, focus groups, and interviews to construct and narrow down their target audience. Demographics and systems like NRS social grades are commonly used to classify populations by factors such as age, gender, income level, and occupation in order to define the target audience. Psychographics also help describe audiences by examining personality traits, values, and lifestyles. Qualitative research methods allow producers to personally engage with the public to help identify an "ideal" target listener profile.

2. TARGET AUDIENCE
When media text is being planned, the producers have to
consider the audiences. If the text doesn’t have the desired
audience, then their message will not get across and they will
loose money.

3. CONSTRUCTING AN AUDIENCE
Audience profiling allows media businesses to narrow down
their audience to find their new target audience. It is best of
media companies to find the target audience before marketing
a new product, so they can get the best possible results and
maximise their profit. They use questionnaires, focus groups,
face to face interviews and comparisons to existing media
texts to see if anyone will be interesting in their new idea.

4. DEMOGRAPHICS
Demographics is the study of a population, based on factors
such as age, race, gender, economic status, level of education,
income level, employment and even geographical location.
This is used to narrow down the search for the best and ideal
target audience, and its purpose is to define the adult
population by the work that they do, and it breaks down the
entire adult population into 6 categories.
It is commonly used by institutions to learn more about a
populations characteristics for many purposes. (e.g. market
research)

5. NRS SOCIAL GRADE
A system of demographic classification that is used in the UK. It
is used by many organisations for market research. Only
around 2% of the UK’s population is classified as upper class
(this is not included on the classification scheme)
Social grade Social status occupation
A Upper, middle class
3% of population
Higher, managerial,
administrative,
professional and
celebrities
B Middle class
20% of population
Intermediate
managerial,
administrative or
professional
C1 Lower, middle class
28% of population
Other professionals
C2 Skilled, working class
21% of population
Skilled manual
workers
D Working class
18% of population
Unskilled manual
workers
E Casual workers
10% of population
State pensioners,
widows and those
who depend on
benefits (lowest
grade of worker)

6. PSYCHOGRAPHICS
The study of personality, values, opinions, attitudes, interests,
beliefs and lifestyles.
Psychographic studies of people can be useful in the fields of
marketing, demographics, opinion research, and social
research. Psychographics can contradict demographic
variables, such as gender and age, behavioural variables, such
as usage rate or loyalty, and organizational demographic
variables, such as industry, the number of employees and
functional area.
A way of describing an audience by looking at their behaviour
and personality traits.

7. ‘IDEAL’ LISTENERS PROFILE
This is a group of individuals that’s will be addressed,
persuades or affected by what they are hearing. When a
producer imagines such an audience, it allows them to target a
particular group, ensuring that their needs are met.
The questions they ask themselves are:
• Who is the listener?
• Age?
• Gender?
• How much of society do they make up?

8. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
This is an upfront, personal method of finding a target
audience. It requires a media producer or their workers to ask
members of the public questions to help to define their target
audience. For example, focus groups, questionnaires and face-
to-face interviews.