Melisa Erkurt founded Vienna-based Die Chefredaktion, a digital-native news outlet targeting young audiences, particularly those with migration backgrounds, often underserved by legacy media. The outlet publishes exclusively on Instagram, TikTok, and via Steady memberships. 

Erkurt and her team produce and publish video reports, explanatory formats, and other journalistic contributions on political and socially relevant topics from a young perspective. Founded in 2021, they have almost 80,000 followers on Instagram and 25,000 followers on TikTok.

Erkurt gave an interview to Austria’s News magazine with a twist: Answers couldn’t be longer than a tweet. When asked why Die Chefredaktion restricts itself to social media and Steady, she explained: “Because nobody under 30 visits a Web site anymore.”

The punchy statement became the headline — and the reason for a flood of angry comments under the corresponding post. Alongside the obviously misogynistic remarks (“Doesn’t seem like an easy woman to work with”), there were many who seemed almost personally insulted that someone would dare say such a thing.

Which is surprising, because what Erkurt said — even if very pointed — isn’t something publishers don’t already know or fear.

Erkurt herself sees two reasons for the anger: “Nobody wants to be perceived as old. And second: Many people in the industry have invested heavily in Web sites. They feel threatened. The same apparently applies to many consultants, if I interpret the comments correctly.”

At the same time, she was surprised some in the industry were so outraged.

“I’ve been working with young people for years and I see their behaviour. They don’t call up the news; they expect the news to reach them. That means: on the channels where they’re already spending their time.” 

Young people use TikTok or YouTube like Google for information, says Erkurt. (Let’s not forget here, that this could also be the reason why — according to the Newman Predictions — so many newsrooms want to invest in this channel.)

The business model

Die Chefredaktion finances itself through Steady memberships and paid partnerships. They also received media funding as a startup. Currently, alongside Erkurt, five employees are on staff. The magazine has just under 1,700 members. Erkurt knows 6,000 memberships would put them in a comfortable growth position.

Growth isn’t easy for several reasons. First: Gen Alpha and younger Gen Z have very limited budgets, Erkurt said: “What’s interesting is that many people over 35 also support us because they want the offering to remain free for younger generations.”

Second, the algorithm is difficult to manage: “We had the goal, for example, of reaching more young men with migration backgrounds,” 

But breaking through their own bubble — which is 70% female readers — remains a challenge. Erkurt doesn’t want to rely too much on the algorithm. She prefers to grow slowly and invest in the community they’ve built so far.

Content that leads to new memberships tends to be either well-researched or has a personal note. According to Erkurt, a paywall on a good interview can convert just as well as a personal op-ed from her. Transparency and open dialogue seem crucial to this young audience of hers.

What legacy media can learn

One piece of advice Erkurt offers to legacy media houses targeting a similar audience:

“Journalism needs to develop quickly. The formats need to be young. Even I, at 34, can’t do it alone, which is why I have employees in their early 20s. Plus: It doesn’t work if I only hire mini-mes. The target audience is critical and pays attention to diversity.”

Looking ahead, Erkurt believes the creator model and memberships via Steady, Substack, and similar platforms will become increasingly established among young generations: “This young audience wants to be part of a community. So I would definitely invest more into this instead of complex strategies that take months to be built.”

And that? That should be a statement that doesn’t surprise any of the old hands in the industry either.

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Banner art by Adobe Stock peopleimages.com.

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