Doing Youth-Centric Marketing Right: How Media Companies Can Benefit

Youth-centric marketing seems easy to figure out, after all, we know what all these words mean individually. However, a lot of businesses still fall short when it comes to connecting with the younger generations. While media companies aren’t necessarily selling anything, they are also facing a shift in how they are viewed and what they need to do to stay relevant. Keep reading to see how you can use youth-centric marketing to help your media company get more eyes on you. 

What Is Youth-Centric Marketing?

While the actual age range that marketers define as “youth” differs based on sources, you can rest assured that current Gen Z (who are 12-27 years old) falls into that category. Some sites mention up to 35-40 years old when referring to youth marketing, which also covers most of the Millenials. With the rise of social media, Gen Z is not only shaping the marketing game thanks to what they buy but also what they want to see from companies. They are turning away from the typical ways we advertise with videos being the favorite choice.

You might be thinking “Well the older generations still have the most buying power, so why should I focus on the younger ones?” While that may be true, the younger generation makes up about 40% of consumers. They also impact the choices the older generations are making. Studies show that teenagers play a huge role in where their families vacation, what their parents or grandparents choose to wear, and even what car they buy! Now apply that to important news stories.

Why Media Companies Should Switch Tactics

Gen Z might not be too keen on watching or reading the news, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t seeing important news stories. Pew Research found that as of 2023, one-third of adults under 30 regularly scroll TikTok for news. 

Here’s one problem though. They have made themselves more susceptible to misinformation or the contrast, information overload. If you want to share the stories that matter and correct information. You are going to need to break through that noise. Meaning, your media company is going to need to update with the times and switch towards more youth-centric marketing. Don’t worry though, we have some tips for you. 

How To Market Towards Gen-Z

The ultimate goal of switching your marketing strategy as a media company is to drive more views to your site. As we established, Gen Z is pretty difficult when it comes to actually reading news on a site dedicated to that. Here is how you can start breaking into their world. 

Know Their Interests

Those into politics and economics may be the loudest online, but they certainly aren’t the largest demographic. Instead, Gen Z is more interested in lifestyle and entertainment news. We aren’t telling you to switch what stories you cover of course. What we are saying is to pick and choose what stories you promote and where. Keep political stories for Facebook or X and lifestyle for TikTok.  

Amp Up Visuals

The younger generations just don’t like reading big blocks of text. Putting that text to a trending audio isn’t going to work either. Instead, work on creating visuals to go along with the story, short videos that keep their attention are a must. You can even have a reporter telling the news just like on TV, but make sure that person has the energy and charisma required to connect with Gen Z.

Humor Is OK

Touching on that last part, humor is a great way to connect with the younger generations. They want a news source that doesn’t feel like a lecture. Authenticity is a huge part of any brand or company that Gen Z supports. Build that trust by having your reporters come off as more “fellow friend relaying information.” You can also promote this style of news sharing by encouraging comments and replying to your viewers. 

Focus on TikTok (And Others)

We know that with a marketing budget, it can be tough to decide what area gets what money. If you want to aim at the youth, you are going to have to fund social media campaigns a lot more. TikTok, Instagram, and X should be the primary focus of your budget. 

Diversity

Gen Z is all about inclusivity and diversity. When sharing stories or choosing who you hire and represent, make sure you are covering a wide range of demographics. Race, gender, age, and ability level are all things your company should take into consideration when sharing the news. Plus, let's be honest, the more diverse your news, the more people that will connect with you.

How To Get Gen Z To Pay

Gen Z might love the free snippets of news they get on social media, but a large portion of them are still willing to pay for a subscription to their favorite source. The main things they look for are a smooth app experience and great visuals. If you don’t have an app, make sure your website is optimized for phone viewing as well as computer.   

Positivity

Gen Z, and almost everyone else on social media, are using it as a form of escape. There is no getting away from the truly bad stories. The younger generations take care of who they follow and what they actively seek out. This means that more positive stories or bad stories with happy endings are more likely to get those click-throughs. 

We hope these tips help with marketing the news to a new generation! While we may be seeing interest in the more traditional sources going down, the news is still important. How and what we share is an integral part of our world.