Conquering GenZ readers is the top strategy of newsrooms

GenZ: The top but not easily accessible audience for the press

GenZ represents the capabilities and characteristics needed for digital transformation. They hold the key to finding a sustainable future for newsrooms but need to be allowed to turn the key to open it. Many experts believe that GenZ will be the most difficult challenge for the journalism industry to approach. But difficult does not mean impossible, and in the context of journalism being forced to find a source of revenue, conquering the "GenZ readership" is what many newsrooms are putting into their development strategies.

European news giant Mediahuis has 1.8 million subscribers and is aiming to get 70% of its revenue from digital by 2030, up from 30% now. And winning back young readers - GenZ - is at the top of its strategy.

“To reach more people, we need to restore the connection with young readers,” said Mediahuis CEO Gert Ysebaert at the WAN-IFRA World News Media Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark. “This is probably the hardest part” of the mission.

GenZ is the target audience of the press.

Regarding the Vietnamese press, discussing this story, journalist Nguyen Hoang Nhat - Deputy Editor-in-Chief of VietnamPlus Online Newspaper said that the young generation turns to social networking platforms to learn more about the news. Most of them access information via mobile phones. Press agencies that understand the art of using social networks will have an advantage in attracting young people. However, the content is not simply copied from the printed newspaper but needs to be adjusted to suit the new way of communication.

VietnamPlus has focused on GenZ readers for a long time. “ In 2013, we launched the product RapNewsPlus and even organized a contest called Rapping the News to attract young people. We also have other projects such as Teen+, or experiment with new types of journalism, such as NewsGame. Currently, VietnamPlus reaches young readers through the Tiktok channel with 1 million followers, in which the most common age is from 18-25” - journalist Hoang Nhat said.

According to journalist Hoang Nhat, unlike older people, GenZ does not access information at a specific time, but instead continuously browses the news throughout the day. To reach young readers, news needs to be broken down and presented in new and attractive formats. For example, according to a recent report by Google News Initiatives, young people in Southeast Asia prefer to "watch news" rather than "read news". And when watching news videos, up to 66% choose the short-form format (vertical videos under 1 minute). "So if we continue to use text news, it will be difficult to attract young readers," said Mr. Nhat.

HTV is also a pioneer in digital transformation, applying artificial intelligence, creating new trends and attracting young audiences - the NewZ generation is their central strategy.

Journalist Ngo Tran Thinh - Head of Digital Content Department, News Center, Ho Chi Minh City Television Station said that gaining more young readers is not an easy task, but it is an important mission of the journalism industry.

“At HTV, we are working to address these challenges through our new generation news site NewZ. We focus on producing short, engaging, highly interactive content that is suitable for mobile platforms. We also pay attention to verifying information and building trust with readers. At the same time, we constantly listen and learn from GenZ to improve our products,” said journalist Ngo Tran Thinh.

Conquering Genz: Using Young People to Attract Young People

Affirming: “To conquer young readers, we need to solve the human resource problem first”, journalist Nguyen Hoang Nhat informed that last year, VietnamPlus launched the video newsletter Znews organized by young people (under 23 years old), from scripting, staging to filming, with the thought that only young people can understand young people. However, the newsletter had to stop after half a year because the staff who made the newsletter were all interns or collaborators. Meanwhile, the reporters and editors in the official payroll were all of mature age, making it difficult to grasp the “taste” of young people.

To connect with young readers, first of all, by bringing young people into the newsroom. Pictured are reporters working at HTV.

“GenZ has an understanding of their age group that older people do not have. Building a multi-generational team can help everyone learn from each other and bring different perspectives,” said journalist Hoang Nhat.

Commenting on this issue, journalist Le Xuan Trung - Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre Newspaper said that one of the ways Tuoi Tre Newspaper attracts, interacts with and retains young readers is to invest in young human resources to serve the young public, using young people to attract young people, they know what content the young generation needs and express it in an engaging way.

Tuoi Tre Newspaper places young people in positions of podcast or video production, gives them creative space, allows them to experiment, encourages and motivates them to speak up.

According to Mr. Le Xuan Trung, young people also have the ability to connect with emerging new platforms, where the attention and interaction of the young generation is concentrated. To attract attention and create attraction, they need to appear on their platforms.

Having younger voices in the newsroom is a good business strategy, not only because it can make newsrooms feel like they’re also serving GenZ, but also because it helps older readers understand more about the younger generation.

It can be said that the social media landscape continues to develop spectacularly with new platforms such as Tiktok entering the game alongside Facebook and Youtube, which are becoming increasingly popular among young people. To reach GenZ, press agencies need to arrange young staff with innovation in thinking and technology. As Miki King - President of Arc XP observed: "How press agencies hire staff and who has a decisive role will reflect the readers and audiences that the editorial office is aiming for."

Hoa Giang

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/chinh-phuc-doc-gia-genz-chien-luoc-hang-dau-cua-cac-toa-soan-post308739.html