The year is still new. Everything feels possible, including the possibility of finally winning over new audiences. It’s no surprise Nic Newman’s Trends & Predictions have been cited again and again.

Here are the most critical findings when it comes to young audiences:

The rise of news creators is a concern for publishers in both ways. More than two-thirds (70%) of respondents worry creators are taking time and attention away from publisher content. Four in 10 (39%) fear losing top editorial talent to the creator ecosystem.

In response, three-quarters (76%) of publisher respondents say they’ll try to get their staff to behave more like creators this year. Half (50%) plan to partner with creators to help distribute content. Around one-hird (31%) will hire creators — for example, to run their social media accounts. 

YouTube is the top platform publishers plan to prioritise, following TikTok and Instagram.

What I hear beneath these numbers: The industry is genuinely afraid of creators. As if a wave is coming that they can’t control. But here’s the thing: Unlike AI, the creator wave actually seems much more manageable for publishers — if they’re willing to change how they work.

Let’s look at a few of these numbers a little bit closer: 79% say they want to make video a priority. Sounds good. But that only works if it’s reflected in the organisational culture.

For news publishers, that means asking hard questions:

• How does this prioritisation show up in the newsroom organisation?

• Who decides how and where vertical video fits into the product?

• What budget is allocated for vertical video?

• But also culture questions like: Where does the video unit sit physically? How much time do they get in the editorial meeting?

This might sound simplistic, but these culture questions make a difference.

The same applies to the next stat: Three-quarters want journalists to behave more like creators. In my view, that’s actually good news. It shows publishers no longer assume they can only chase creator talent externally.

But again, we need to ask follow-up questions — ideally now, in January, before this becomes another failed New Year’s resolution. Like quitting smoking or running 10K every week. Great in theory, harder in practice.

Some of those questions might be:

• What does a creator mean to the organisation?

• Which skill set is needed? Who gets trained and how?

• How does a journalist’s job profile change when they’re, for example, also on camera?

• How do we handle the fact that their written output might decrease?

• How do we bring along the team members who feel left behind or disadvantaged?

• How does the organisation protect journalists who expose themselves personally?

• How do we select the right people for this?

(Please let me know if any of these questions are particularly interesting to you, so I can plan a deep dive on it.)

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