audience-profiles

name	audience-profiles
description	Deep audience personas for InTheWake — who reads this site, what they need, what they fear, what language they use. Feeds content creation, tool design, and port guide writing.
version	1.0.0

Audience Profiles — Who Reads InTheWake

Write for real people, not demographics.

When to Fire

• On /audience command
• When creating content for a specific audience segment
• When designing tools or features
• When writing grief/faith content

The Personas

1. The First-Timer

Who: Never cruised before. Overwhelmed by options. Found InTheWake through Google. Needs: Simple answers, no jargon, clear recommendations, budget help Fears: Making a bad choice, wasting money, seasickness, feeling trapped Language: "Is it worth it?" "Which one should I pick?" "What do I actually need?" Content that serves them: Ship quiz, cruise line quiz, budget calculator, "first cruise" pages

2. The Experienced Cruiser

Who: 5-20 cruises. Knows their preferences. Looking for new ports or ships. Needs: Detailed port intel, honest ship comparisons, advanced planning tools Fears: Stale content, promotional fluff, missing the hidden gem Language: "What's changed since last year?" "Is the new ship worth it?" "What don't they tell you?" Content that serves them: Port guides, ship profiles, drink calculator, port day planner

3. The Grieving Traveler

Who: Widowed, bereaved, or processing loss. Cruising because it was their thing, or because someone told them to try. Needs: Permission to feel. Acknowledgment that the empty cabin is real. Practical help alongside emotional honesty. Fears: Being alone in a crowd. Being pitied. Being told to "enjoy yourself." Language: "My husband and I used to..." "This is my first trip alone" "I don't know if I can do this" Content that serves them: Solo cruising content, logbook stories, articles about grief at sea

4. The Disabled Traveler

Who: Mobility limitations, chronic illness, invisible disability. Wants to cruise but needs to know what's possible. Needs: Honest accessibility info, not corporate "we accommodate everyone" language. Specific: which cabins, which ports, which excursions. Fears: Being stranded, being a burden, inaccessible ports with no warning Language: "Can I do this?" "What's the reality?" "Will they actually help?" Content that serves them: Accessibility pages, disability-at-sea content, stateroom check

5. The Solo Cruiser

Who: Traveling alone by choice or circumstance. Not lonely — independent. Needs: Single supplement info, social opportunities, safety tips, dining alone advice Fears: Paying double, eating alone awkwardly, being the odd one out Language: "Solo-friendly" "Single supplement" "Will I meet people?" Content that serves them: Solo section, ship profiles with solo cabin info

6. The Caregiver

Who: Cruising with elderly parents, special needs children, or medically fragile family. Needs: Medical facility info, accessibility, quiet spaces, flexible dining Fears: Medical emergency at sea, overwhelm, ruining the trip for others Language: "What if something happens?" "Is there a doctor?" "Can they handle...?" Content that serves them: Ship medical facilities, accessibility, port accessibility

Using Personas

When writing any content, ask: Which of these people is reading this right now?

• A port guide for Nassau serves The First-Timer AND The Experienced Cruiser
• A grief article serves The Grieving Traveler — don't dilute it with general travel tips
• The drink calculator serves everyone, but The First-Timer needs more explanation
• The disability page serves The Disabled Traveler — be specific, not reassuring

Integration

• Humanization (like-a-human) — voice adjusts based on which persona the content serves
• port-content-builder — persona context shapes section emphasis
• seasonal-content-planner — different personas have different seasonal needs
• church-advertising (via orchestra) — Romans' congregation is its own persona

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Soli Deo Gloria — Every visitor is a real person with a real story.