Blog Post

I know—after spending hours crafting them, it’s tempting to treat those detailed profiles like permanent truths. But here’s the reality: people change. Markets shift. Tech evolves. And if your customer personas stay frozen in time, your marketing will start to miss the mark.

I’ve seen businesses use outdated personas for years, wondering why conversions are down and engagement is dropping. The answer is usually simple: they’re talking to a version of their audience that no longer exists.

So, let’s answer the real question: how often should you update your customer personas—and what should you look for when you do?

Think of your personas like a GPS. If the roads change but you never update the map, you’re bound to end up lost. Same idea here.

People’s behavior, goals, and decision-making habits don’t stay still. And your business doesn’t either. New products, markets, competitors—they all influence the customer journey.

By updating your personas regularly, you stay aligned with who your audience is right now—not who they were when you first built that beautiful PDF two years ago.

There’s no one-size-fits-all schedule, but here’s what I recommend based on what I’ve seen work:

At the very least, do an annual review. It’s a good rhythm for most companies—just like reviewing your marketing strategy, goals, or budget.

Ask:

• Are your personas still aligned with your current product or service?
  
• Have customer priorities or objections changed?
  
• Are you seeing new buyer behaviors?
  

If even one of those answers is “yes,” it’s time for an update.

New product launch? Expanded service offering? Entering a new market? You guessed it—time to revisit your personas.

Your current personas might not reflect your new audience, their pain points, or how they buy. Don’t try to stretch an old persona to fit a new scenario. Update it—or build new ones entirely.

If engagement is down, your ad costs are climbing, or your email open rates have tanked—it could be a sign that your messaging is off. And when messaging feels off, the root cause is often outdated personas.

I’ve had clients run A/B tests on new persona-aligned messaging, and the results were instant. The problem wasn’t their product—it was who (and how) they thought they were talking to.

Still not sure if your personas need a refresh? Look for these signals:

• Lead quality is slipping
  
• Sales teams are saying “these leads don’t fit”
  
• Customer behavior has changed (new platforms, buying patterns, etc.)
  
• Support teams are getting new types of questions or complaints
  
• You’ve expanded your offer, pricing, or audience
  

If even one of these is happening, your personas are probably out of date.

Don’t worry—you don’t need to reinvent the whole persona. Start by auditing the key components that tend to shift most often:

Have their priorities changed? For example, cost-saving may have been #1 last year, but now ease-of-use might matter more.

Are customers struggling with new problems? Technology, regulation, or even economic conditions can shift pain points fast.

Has the moment they decide to buy changed? Maybe they’re waiting longer, needing more proof, or reacting to different events.

What’s causing hesitation? Price? Support? Trust? New objections should be addressed in updated messaging.

Are they still reading your blog? Or have they moved to short-form video? Consumption patterns can shift drastically year to year.

If you already have a working persona framework, updating them doesn’t have to be a chore. Here’s my step-by-step process:

• Collect Fresh Data
  
  • Use surveys, customer interviews, support transcripts, and updated CRM analytics.
    
  • Look at what’s changed in search behavior or ad engagement.
    
• Talk to Internal Teams
  
  • Sales and support hear shifts first. Don’t guess—ask.
    
• Compare Old vs. New Insights
  
  • What’s still accurate? What’s missing? What’s outdated?
    
• Revise with Purpose
  
  • Update only what needs changing. Keep the persona useful, not bloated.
    
• Apply Changes Across Teams
  
  • Updated personas should influence copywriting, sales scripts, ad targeting, product updates—you name it.
    

If you want a more detailed walkthrough, I’ve outlined the full update process in my guide on developing personas that evolve with your business.

Yes, seriously.

At the bottom of your persona doc, add a simple note:

Last reviewed: January 2025
Next review due: January 2026

It helps you stay accountable—and reminds your team that personas are living documents, not one-and-done exercises.

What Happens If You Don’t Update?

Let’s be blunt: outdated personas hurt your results.

• Ads stop converting
  
• Content falls flat
  
• Sales teams waste time chasing the wrong leads
  
• Messaging that once worked starts to sound tone-deaf
  

And worse, you start making business decisions based on people who don’t exist anymore.

Customer personas are powerful—but only if they reflect today’s customer.

Updating them doesn’t mean you did something wrong. It means you’re paying attention. And in a fast-changing market, that attention is what keeps you relevant, persuasive, and profitable.

Need help reviewing or rebuilding your customer personas? That’s what I do. Let’s bring them up to speed—together.