5 successful strategies used by publishers to reach young audiences

Media companies around the world are confronted with an ageing subscriber base and are therefore increasingly trying to reach younger target groups with their content. However, young readers have different interests and habits than older generations, as well as different media consumption behavior. At a strategic level, it is therefore important to understand the needs of young people and adapt content design accordingly - in order to leave a lasting impression on younger generations and retain them as customers in the long term.

News publisher Amedia shifts content focus exclusively to young readers

Norway's largest news publisher, Amedia, publishes 130 newspapers. In the spring of 2024, the publisher began to realign the focus of its editorial content to target under-40s instead of relying solely on its loyal, older readership. The experiment was conducted at two newspapers of different sizes: Romerikes Blad, one of Amedia's largest newspapers in southern Norway, with 30,000 subscribers and 30 reporters, and at the smaller Halden Arbeiderblad, also in southern Norway, with 8,000 subscribers and 10 reporters.

The key figures on the basis of which content was created had previously shifted in favor of older readers. As a result, journalists preferred to produce content that was well received by older readers - but rarely by those under 40 years of age. The tracking data from Romerikes Blad and Halden Arbeiderblad was adjusted to focus exclusively on younger readers. One of the journalists' initial findings: in order to reach the younger generation, they need to report more on young people.

The editorial teams of the two newspapers have so far defined the following topics that they write about daily in order to reach younger readers:  

• Kindergarten

• Family life

• Health and lifestyle

• Relationships

• Local companies

• Housing and real estate from the perspective of young people and what is tangible for them

• Stories about finances, e.g. "What does this mean for my wallet?"  

The redesign of the content has not only led to an increase in subscriptions for both newspapers, but also to higher access figures across the entire target group - not just among younger readers. The content, which is aimed at younger generations, also appeals to older readers.  

The Economist uses AI tool to create videos in multiple languages for young users

The Economist also uses various approaches to appeal to younger target groups. One important step in this direction was the Espresso news app launched in 2014. As costs are often crucial for young people and they represent a significant readership for The Economist, the weekly newspaper has been offering the app free of charge to students aged 16 and over since September 2024.  

News consumption in video formats is particularly attractive to young audiences. Espresso is therefore increasingly focusing on videos that are available in several languages, including Spanish, German, Mandarin and French, with the help of AI-assisted translation. An AI clones the voices, synchronizes and translates them, with native speakers from the editorial team checking the texts and adapting them if necessary. If the script is changed, the technology corrects the video accordingly. All AI-translated videos are clearly labeled.  

In addition to its own news app, The Economist uses platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram to increase its reach. With new Tiktok and Instagram channels in Spanish, the publisher is addressing another large, young target group. Liv Moloney, Head of Video at The Economist, reports that the multilingual videos have already achieved high viewing figures across all platforms within the first four weeks.  

Nine Publishing consolidates brand awareness with digital portal for students  

The Australian media company Nine Publishing(The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times, WAtoday) launched the digital portal Campus for students, pupils and parents in November 2023. Nine Publishing' s content reaches young people across Australia and strengthens its brand awareness among this target group - creating a foundation for when students are ready to subscribe as readers.

In order to make the content as authentic as possible, the young editorial team prioritizes the needs of the equally young target group, and younger employees were also part of the development process. In addition to university news, service journalism, data-based stories and in-depth opinion articles are published. New article formats were developed to appeal to young readers. In this way, the media give the younger target group the feeling of being represented and heard.  

Since its launch, Campus has recorded more than 5.5 million page views (as of June 2024). In terms of reach and engagement of the young target group, the results have clearly exceeded Nine Publishing's expectations. The portal is also proving profitable for advertisers. Resulting partnerships with Australian universities make Campus a revenue and engagement success for Nine Publishing.

FAZ increases brand awareness among young readers with multichannel campaign  

In 2023, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ran a campaign to strengthen brand awareness among a younger target group (millennials). The long-term goal was to familiarize young users with the website's content and create a habit - to win them over as loyal users of the news brand for as long as possible.  

The publisher wanted to increase relevance for the young target group without changing its core properties. Using real-time marketing, ads were adapted to the editorial environment and the topic of the respective article was taken up. Topics were selected that reflected the zeitgeist of the young readership, including the environment and politics. The juxtaposition of two opposing opinions on the current topic and the question "What do you think?" encouraged readers to form an opinion.  

The FAZ 's multichannel campaign served in particular to convert more users into subscribers. An attractive offer for younger readers with a 50 percent discount was introduced and the pricing was again adapted to users. In addition to increased brand awareness, the newspaper was also able to increase the reach of its content: the mobile conversion rate was increased by 391 percent. Before the campaign, the FAZ was only known as a relevant news brand to four out of ten people in the target group of 25 to 35-year-olds. Afterwards, awareness among young readers rose to seven out of ten (as of July 2024).

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Stuff counteracts young people's news fatigue with a new format  

Young target groups not only have their own demands when it comes to the preparation of news, but often avoid it altogether. The Stuff Group launched a new format in March 2023 to appeal to the hard-to-reach age group of 25 to 40-year-olds. Newsable is a daily, 20-minute podcast that contains all the important news and is presented with wit and humor.  

The podcast is broadcast at 6 a.m. and is followed by articles, a vertical video format, social media posts and teasers for the show. The content is distributed via the Stuff Group's brand portfolio with great success: according to Spotify data, 45% of listeners to the format are aged between 18 and 34, and the accompanying text stories and short videos have been viewed millions of times.  

With Newsable, Stuff has created an alternative that is geared towards the needs of younger target groups, particularly Generation Y and Z: Listeners will find innovation, surprise and delight as well as an intelligent take on the news. The presenters of the format belong to Generation Z in order to be more similar and appealing to the target group. The program consists of a combination of celebrity guests combined with breaking news, pop culture and opinion pieces, and analysis.

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Adapting content to user needs is effective  

The examples above differ in their approach and implementation, but illustrate the extent to which recognizing and paying attention to the user needs of a younger audience pays off. The creative implementation of topics that interest young news consumers and offer them added value creates competitive advantages for publishers and strengthens the credibility and reader loyalty of future generations of news consumers.  

When addressing younger target groups, it is particularly important to prepare content digitally and place it on the platforms where young people spend time.  

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