Consider your audience's identity. Their age, gender, ethnic backgrounds, political views and religious beliefs should all influence how you establish your case. Take into account your audience's possible roles in life, such as student, parent, laborer or voter. Be careful not to use generalizations or make assumptions based on groups, communities or belief systems your audience may belong to. This will repel your audience from your cause. If you're arguing one side of a sensitive issue that normally divides people according to their religious or political backgrounds, such as abortion or animal rights, consider how you can compel them to continue reading even if they disagree with you.
Consider the setting your audience will be reading your essay in. If your audience will read this in school, you can safely use academic vocabulary. If your audience will read this in a workplace, your audience may be pressed for time. For a business audience, writing as directly as possible is best. A business audience may also be interested in the financial feasibility of your essay's opinion, whereas an academic audience might be more interested in the logic of your argument. The priorities of a general public audience will be broader, so for such an audience, write more inclusively.
Consider your audience's knowledge. The level of education or experience your audience has will affect how much specialized knowledge they have about your essay's topic. Explain terms that may be unfamiliar. Consider that your audience might not possess the benefits of your educational or work experience and may not be as informed about the topic as you are. Readers might harbor presuppositions about the topic simply out of ignorance or because they were raised or taught a different way. Ignoring such factors can cause you to alienate your audience from your argument.