At a time when many experts claimed young people weren’t interested in the news, Kassy Cho had a different take on it. It wasn’t the information they weren’t interested in, she observed; it was the way the news was being delivered.

Presenting during INMA’s Asia/Pacific News Media Summit, Cho shared how that observation led her to create Almost, a social media news platform tailored for Gen Z audiences. Using experience gained at Bloomberg by QuickTake and BuzzFeed News in London, Cho developed a new way to deliver the news and has found a global following for her social-first approach. She also collaborates with major non-profit brands like Amnesty International, Save the Children, and ICRC to grow their digital audiences.

A data-driven gamble

The idea for Almost was born out of Cho’s frustration with the media landscape’s failure to engage young audiences. In 2018, while managing BuzzFeed’s @world Instagram account, she experimented with publishing breaking news directly on Instagram. It quickly became the fastest-growing news account on Instagram, with an “unprecedented” percentage of followers under the age of 18 for a news account on Instagram and a double-digit interaction rate — also rare for an Instagram news account.

“The data was loud and clear,” she said. “Young people do want the news, but it’s just not being delivered to them in ways that make sense to them.”

Unable to find a media outlet catering to these young audiences, Cho started her own. Three years ago, she launched Almost, a bilingual, independent, social-first news outlet focused on delivering global news stories and empowering young voices. She serves as editor-in-chief. 

“Our mission is twofold,” Cho said. “The first is to inform young people — in particular, young women — about important issues going on around the world. Then also to ensure that we reflect the diverse and young audience by highlighting under-reported communities and minorities.”

Since launching, Almost has amassed more than 243,000 followers across its English and Chinese social media accounts, with a reach of 28.4 million in the past 60 days. The platform’s audience is predominantly young, with 68% aged between 13 and 34, hailing from around the world.

Why social-first works

Almost’s social-first approach reflects the habits of young users, she said.

“Audiences are increasingly spending the majority of their time on social media platforms, especially ones focused on videos such as Instagram and TikTok,” she said.

“Young people are not, when they wake up in the morning, opening up their laptops and then opening up the browser and then going to the URL and then typing in the www.newyorktimes.com to read the news.”

Instead, they’re picking up their phones and scrolling through social media.

“But that doesn’t mean they’re not interested in the news,” Cho emphasised. “As news media, we should be delivering the news to audiences wherever they are in ways that make sense to them and also feel natural to these platforms.”

For Almost, that means creating innovative, engaging news stories in formats like carousels and TikTok videos. This helps make it easy for young audiences to consume and understand complex issues.

“When they’re scrolling on their phones, it fits in seamlessly with their whole daily lives and their experiences on social media,” Cho said.

Explainer videos and carousels provide historical context and significance, helping young people grasp the importance of current events. Almost also takes a multi-platform approach, sharing its content on as many social media platforms as possible, including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Threads, and Facebook. “This ensures that we are reaching as wide an audience as possible,” Cho explained.

Mission-driven reporting

Every piece of content that Almost creates is developed with its mission and audience in mind. Cho said each story is analysed to make sure it meets the criteria of being newsworthy and essential for young people to understand.

“No story is too complex for us, and no community is too small,” she said. “A lot of times I think traditional media has tended to think that political stories are too complicated for young audiences.”

However, Cho’s experience has shown that young people are smart and eager to learn. “And this is information they need to have to move forward and grow up and become the people who are going to be changing the world.”

Almost employs local reporters to cover local issues, ensuring accurate and relevant reporting. This approach has been particularly effective in covering complex topics like the Gaza conflict, where Almost adapted its content to address the knowledge gaps of its Chinese audience.

Next, the company is looking at creating internships to encourage more young people to become involved with reporting the news.

“We’re also taking it a step further by directly engaging with young people, again, beyond just delivering the news to them. Because with so much content vying for young people’s attention, it is our responsibility as media to create that culture for young people.”

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