As younger generations reshape the consumption habits of news audiences, media outlets must evolve their content strategies to stay relevant.

At the INMA World Congress of News Media, both rising and veteran media leaders discussed how the industry can reach younger audiences while also attracting and empowering the next generation of talent.

Mitchell Gaylord, manager, subscriber acquisition at The Washington Post in the United States, said younger people have declining faith in traditional institutions – and that’s especially true for the news business.

In fact, only 16% of young consumers maintain trust in the news media, he pointed out: “The most online generation is also the most mistrustful,” Gaylord said. 

So where do Gen Z and Millennial audiences go for information that they have confidence in?

“They’re not hiding,” Gaylord said. “It’s an influencer’s world, and we’re just living in it. Essentially, one in five adults under 24 gets their news on TikTok. We already know where they are, how they’re consuming, and what we need to do is make sure we’re communicating in the way that they want to be communicated with.”

Creating deeper connections with news sources

The media industry needs to better understand the formats younger generations prefer for consuming content — and that they want this content to be delivered by people they identify with rather than faceless institutions. 

Anna-Katharina Kölbl, head of business development at Funke Regionalmedien in Germany, cautioned that media outlets cannot simply repost content on social media and expect strong results; they need to tailor their content to what is most effective on these platforms. 

“You really have to adhere to the rules that the platforms have,” Kölbl said. “It’s short content, it’s emotional, it’s entertaining, and you have to show faces. Gen Z and Millennials trust people, they trust faces, and they feel a sense of belonging to faces. People brands are more important than company brands.” 

Fostering this connection between influencers and their audiences isn’t easy — it has to be earned. A concerted effort by influencers to let consumers in on the most personal aspects of their lives is required, and this is often unfamiliar territory for legacy media brands. 

“Membership [and] community is so much more important in the age of social media,” Kölbl said. “You need to feel like you’re a friend of a person, you need to know what she is eating in the morning, you know what she is doing at the gym. It’s so much closer of a connection, and you need to understand this is the community that Gen Z is used to. This is the connection you need to build if you want to play a role in their lives.”

Younger generations place a high premium on accessing diverse voices and viewpoints on current news.

Maria Sakki, lead data insight analyst at Financial Times in the United Kingdom, implored attendees not to shy away from platforming divisive opinions and analysis on their channels. 

“I think if you want to see your brand stand out, have a different perspective on a very hot topic,” Sakki said.

Media brands need younger audiences to survive 

While attracting younger audiences can feel like an elusive task for traditional media companies, reaching out to the next generation of consumers is critical for brands to maintain a foothold in the future.

Sinead Boucher, owner and publisher at Stuff in New Zealand, stressed that the tastes of younger people serve as a bellwether for where all consumers are heading. 

“I think how we look at them is not only as our future customers, but as a signal for how we are going to appeal to all of our customers,” Boucher said. “We find that the things young people are interested in, the formats that they like, actually spread to a much bigger group of people because we all want to feel youthful.”

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