How 3 publishers successfully appeal to a younger target group

Media companies around the world are trying to reach a younger target group with their content. Current research shows that the news experience of young people often is not optimal. Young readers have different interests and habits than older generations, as well as different media usage behavior.    

At a strategic level, it is therefore important to know the needs of young people and to adapt content design accordingly - in order to leave a lasting impression on this target group. Three publishers show how they successfully create content that has added value for the younger generation.  

Nine Publishing consolidates brand awareness with digital portal for students

The Australian media company Nine Publishing (The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times and WAtoday) launched a digital portal for students called Campus in November 2023. The content is not only aimed at students but also at those who are considering studying, as well as their parents who interact with it. Since its launch, the hub has recorded more than 5.5 million page views, including two of the most-read articles during this time. In terms of reach and engagement of the young target group, Nine Publishing's expectations have been significantly exceeded.  

Nine Publishing's content reaches young people across Australia and reinforces the company's brand awareness with this target group. Therefore, Nine Publishing creates a basis for when students are ready to take out a subscription as readers. The portal is also proving profitable for advertisers. Resulting partnerships with Australian universities make Campus a revenue and engagement success for Nine Publishing.

Campus not only offers a wide range of articles, but also provides readers with a high level of usefulness. One of the questions most frequently asked by students is answered: What can I study at university and what grade do I need to apply for it? This functionality keeps students coming back to the website. The portal's unique selling point also includes a search engine for university courses.  

In order to make content as authentic as possible, the needs of young people were prioritized, younger employees were involved in the development process and articles were written by younger authors. In addition to news from the higher education sector, the offering consists of articles that are adapted to the specific needs of the target group and give them the feeling of being heard and represented. These include service journalism, data-driven stories and in-depth opinion pieces. New article formats have been developed to appeal to young readers.

F.A.Z. increases brand awareness among young readers with multichannel campaign  

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (F.A.Z.) also ran a campaign in 2023 to strengthen brand awareness among a younger target group - with astonishing results. Before the campaign, the F.A.Z. was only known as a relevant news brand by 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.  

The F.A.Z. is thus pursuing a long-term goal: once the targeted millennials are familiar with the website's content and have developed a habit of consuming news in the form of text, audio or video content, they will remain loyal users of the news brand for as long as possible.  

In order to reach the young target group in the best possible way, F.A.Z. examined their needs more closely and designed the digital campaign accordingly. Millennials usually have little time to find information, which is why they prefer snackable content that they can consume on the go. One of the publisher's goals is to increase relevance for this target group without changing the core characteristics of the F.A.Z.  

With real-time marketing, the publisher has adapted its advertisements to the editorial environment and picked up on the topic of the respective article. To this end, topics were selected that reflect the zeitgeist of the young readership, including the environment and politics. By juxtaposing two opposing opinions on the current topic and asking "What do you think?", the target group was encouraged to form an opinion.  

The F.A.Z.'s multichannel campaign served in particular to convert more users into subscribers. An attractive offer for younger readers with a discount of 50 percent was introduced and the pricing was again adapted to users. In addition to increased brand awareness, the F.A.Z. was also able to increase the reach of its content: the mobile conversion rate was increased by 391 percent.

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

The younger target group not only has its own demands when it comes to the preparation of news, but often avoids it altogether. New Zealand's largest digital news company, Stuff Group, launched a new format in March 2023 to appeal to the often hard-to-reach 25-40 age group. 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 a younger target group, especially 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 current news, pop culture and opinion pieces, as well as analysis.

Adapting content to user needs is effective

Traditional news formats are often not tailored to the needs of the younger target group. The above examples 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.  

With our digital publishing platform, we support publishers in their digital transformation and enable them to reach their target group digitally. Contact us for more information on howPurplecan help you with your digital transformation.