We keep hearing of the demise of news consumption amongst young people, but looking beyond traditional gatekeepers reveals an innovative digital ecosystem, embraced by diverse audiences.

The ongoing challenge for traditional media orgs and brands alike, is how to respond to changing online habits. When each new generation, from Gen Z to the increasingly powerful Gen Alpha, develops their preferences for certain methods of communication, it will be up to brands to learn how best to engage across platforms.

Despite doom forecasting, news consumption is alive, if fragmented, with startups leading the way in responding to the need for creative storytelling. The healthy competition in news media provides some lessons for other industries facing changes.

Embracing video

The news industry, like many others sectors, has been facing an upheaval and challenges from governments and social media barons. But ironically, reports of its death are somewhat exaggerated. A recent survey from Newsworks has shown that for under 30s, ‘nine in ten read news in some form online’, with nearly three-quarters (72%) reading premium news brands, across a wide range of genres.

It’s clear that news is not unimportant, but we’ve had to adapt to changing tides. The era of long form TV programmes is over, that’s old news - Ofcom shows television news has lost the top spot for all adults when it comes to gaining new information. And more than 40% of Gen Zers start their search for information with TikTok or Instagram and 57% believe it’s more convenient to consume news on social media than search the internet, websites, or apps.

Short form video has been the number one disrupting factor to the delivery of content. Legacy publishers are starting to embrace this, even if slowly, and brands are using it as an adjunct to their advertising spend. Being first to a story or a trend, the very essence that used to make news ‘news’, is no longer as important. How you tell a story and engage with the audience is now key.

The News Movement’s content reaches 80 million viewers monthly across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and web, is a reflection of the changing face of media as well as young audiences’ evolving preferences for content. Connecting to those wanting a different kind of news experience, and showing up across different platforms where people already spend their time, is increasingly vital.

Rethinking content

And we’re not alone, there are countless examples of a healthy media ecosystem with many startups challenging the status quo. In the tech and business world, where young people starting out in the industry don’t have time to navigate traditional news sites - publishers like Axios, Sherwood, and Morning Brew, create news across video, audio and text, often providing fresh and concise journalism to take on the major players.

The focus here should be on experimentation. Finding the right demand for your content isn’t easy, but these organisations have found their niches in creative delivery to really stand out from the crowd.

And let’s not forget the resurgence of tailored newsletters, through Substack, Beehiiv and Ghost, as well as Patreon-specific content. These bring a fandom model to the industry, where individual creators have huge readerships akin to a broadcaster whenever there’s a new drop.

And herein lies the lesson for brands: when the facts change, you have to change your approach. To break through to future generations, much like news, branded content will have to experiment with different platforms and messaging - the key is to keep innovating and investing in knowing your audiences. If you don’t understand the hows and whys of your audience, you can’t create content that they’ll find engaging.

Understanding your resources

It also calls for an organisational shakeup and rethinking traditional approaches, where input and value is solely based on seniority, and instead, having a bottom-up structure in content creation.

Young people are a resource every company can, and should, tap into.

If you want to know what resonates with young audiences, and what it takes to understand the inner workings of a social campaign, ask them. The best companies trust their young people to advise and share their authentic experiences and expertise. Just like in the newsroom, getting younger people to consume your content requires real creative input from the same demographic to lend that voice that resonates.

Going forward, attracting attention will require leaning into creative nous; knowing what works well and with whom, will need continuous investment and careful social listening. As young audiences grow, their preferences will evolve, and it’s up to media and brand communicators to keep up.