Strengthen Your Creative Work using the Get Who To By Framework
So, your creative work is flopping harder than a fish out of water? Time to stop pretending that your brilliant ideas will shine through a fog of ambiguity. The Get Who To By framework is your lifeline. It’s designed to pinpoint your creative target, understand their quirks, and deliver a message that doesn’t get lost in translation. Let’s strip down the chaos and build something that actually resonates.
The TL;DR
Use the Get Who To By framework to tighten your creative work: GET (identify your target), WHO (uncover specific insights about their behavior), TO (craft a crystal-clear message), and BY (determine the mechanism to achieve it). This process cuts through the fluff and gets to the heart of what actually works.
Why Get Who To By Works Wonders for Creative Projects
Creative work often drowns in a sea of vague concepts, over-eager assumptions, and feedback that feels more like a game of dodgeball than constructive criticism. This framework helps you avoid that mess.
The Four Steps
GET
Who’s actually going to appreciate your creative work?
Identify the smallest, most winnable audience. Not just 'art lovers'—be specific. Think of who’s already showing interest in what you create. If you’re aiming for everyone, you’re aiming for no one.
WHO
What unique behaviors reveal how your target group interacts with creative work?
Look for their habits and frustrations. What are they currently engaging with? What are their pain points? If you can’t pinpoint these, you're probably still guessing, and let’s be real, that’s a bad idea.
TO
How do you make your message super obvious?
Your message should be like a neon sign—not some cryptic art piece. It needs to tell them what to do and why it matters in a way that’s impossible to ignore. If your message sounds like it belongs in a gallery, you need to rewrite it.
BY
What’s the practical way to make them take action?
Pinpoint the mechanism—how you’ll actually get them to engage. Is it through an irresistible offer, a compelling story, or leveraging a trending moment? If you can’t say it in one sentence, it’s not sharp enough.
Creative Work Blunders We’ve All Made
(Yes, We’ve Been There)
- ×Targeting a vague audience.
- ×Overcomplicating insights.
- ×Messaging that’s all style, no substance.
- ×Ignoring real engagement mechanics.
- ×Relying on luck instead of strategy.
- ×Creating for yourself instead of your audience.
- ×Thinking feedback is a solution instead of a guide.
- ×Skipping the research phase and winging it.
Avoiding these blunders will put you in the top tier of creators who actually get things done.
Real Examples
Art Installation
An interactive art piece designed to engage urban commuters.
GET
Urban commuters aged 25–40.
WHO
People who are tired of mundane commutes and actively seek quick moments of joy.
TO
Experience a moment of surprise and delight during their daily grind.
BY
Setting up an interactive piece that responds to sounds around it, turning their mundane commute into a unique experience.
Why this works
Targets commuters who are already frustrated, creates a memorable moment they’ll want to share, and makes the art piece part of their daily life.
Social Media Campaign
A campaign for a new fashion line promoting sustainability.
GET
Eco-conscious millennials.
WHO
Already buying sustainable brands but feeling overwhelmed by choices.
TO
Simplify their shopping experience with our curated sustainable collection.
BY
Leveraging influencers who genuinely care about sustainability to share their reviews and experiences with the collection.
Why this works
Directly addresses a common frustration, simplifies the choice, and uses trusted voices to cut through the noise.
Graphic Novel Launch
A graphic novel exploring mental health themes.
GET
Young adults struggling with mental health.
WHO
They’re looking for relatable content but are tired of clichéd portrayals.
TO
Find resonance and companionship in our unique storytelling.
BY
Offering a free chapter that dives deep into the most relatable character's struggles, paired with a community discussion group.
Why this works
Targets a specific audience with a genuine need, provides value upfront, and creates community around the content.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make my creative work more impactful?
Use the Get Who To By framework to define your audience, understand their behaviors, craft a clear message, and establish a method for engagement.
What’s the first step in using Get Who To By for creative projects?
Start with GET. Identify your audience clearly—no vague terms allowed. Get specific.
Why is understanding behavior so important?
Because if you don’t know how your audience already interacts with creative work, you’re just shooting in the dark. Get insights that matter.
What should I avoid when crafting my message?
Don’t make it abstract or poetic. It should be clear and actionable—if it requires a dictionary, it’s too complicated.
Can this framework work for any type of creative work?
Absolutely, as long as you tailor the specifics to your project. The framework is adaptable, but the core principles remain.
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