# Write for the target audience

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Tailor the error message to the target audience. That is:

- Use appropriate terminology for that target audience.
- Be mindful of what the target audience knows and doesn't know.

Beware of the
[curse
of knowledge](https://developers.google.com/tech-writing/one/audience#curse_of_knowledge) when writing error messages. A term familiar to you might
not be familiar to your target audience.
For example, the following error message contains terminology
appropriate for a target audience of ML experts. If the target audience
includes a significant number of people who aren't ML experts, then the
error message is mystifying:

Recommended for ML experts only
> Exploding gradient problem. To fix this problem, consider gradient clipping.

Now compare the following two error messages. The first error message contains
technical truth, but terms like *server* , *client* , *farm* , and *CPU* are
not going to help most consumers:

Inappropriate for shoppers
> A server dropped your client's request because the server farm is running at 92% CPU capacity. Retry in five minutes.

The second error message is more suitable (and comforting) for a
non-technical audience:

Appropriate for shoppers
> So many people are shopping right now that our system can't complete your purchase. Don't worry--we won't lose your shopping cart. Please retry your purchase in five minutes.

### Multiple choice exercise

Which audience(s) is the following error message appropriate for?

- This app does not support JPG files. You may only upload SVG or PNG files.
Software Engineers, System Administrators, and technical end-users All three of those audiences understand different file formats. People using an app to upload receipts. This error message will frustrate users unfamiliar with file formats (which is a lot of people). To become more useful, this error message would require additional information explaining how end-users can determine file format. Furthermore, some end users don't know what *upload* means. Inappropriate for any audience. Most technical people are familiar with different file formats, so this is a good, concise error message for certain people.

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**Next unit:** [Use terminology consistently](https://developers.google.com/tech-writing/error-messages/use-terminology-consistently)