First Draft of Output

Through our research for this report, it became clear that Gen Z news-consuming behaviour could not be understood in a vacuum but instead is part of a larger pattern shaped by their overall consumer behaviour, interests, and social media habits. Understanding how this generation engages with news requires us to consider the broader context in which they seek out information, entertainment, and connection.

For this reason, we begin by offering a comprehensive overview of Gen Z’s defining characteristics, including the fragmentation of audiences, the rise of niche content, the quest for authenticity, and a heightened awareness around mental health. These factors are crucial to understanding not only how Gen Z interacts with news but also how they filter and prioritise the information they consume.

We’ve supported these insights with examples that highlight how news consumption trends have evolved over the past few years. To further clarify this shift, we have divided successful news providers into three main categories, each employing distinct strategies for engaging younger audiences:

1. Social-first publishers – Platforms and publishers that place social media at the core of their content distribution.
2. News-focused content creators – Independent creators who have built their brands by reporting news in an innovative and personalised way.
3. Legacy media – Traditional outlets and their efforts to adapt and engage with Gen Z audiences through modern storytelling techniques.

In each category, we examine diverse strategies and explore how these different types of news providers are meeting Gen Z where they are.

1/ The Changing Media Landscape and News & Entertainment Consumption Trends

1A- The Fragmentation of Media and Rise of Niche Communities in the Digital Era

The proliferation of platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit into the mainstream has rapidly displaced legacy media conglomerates such as Comcast, Time Warner, The Walt Disney Company, Viacom, News Corporation, and CBS Corporation, which had long shaped societal norms, trends, and cultural icons for the previous generation. This era of media dominated by a few conglomerates led to what we at Yoof refer to as ‘monoculture’ - a form of cultural homogenisation where the tastes in news, music, film, and entertainment were gatekept and dictated by these corporations, particularly in the Western and global media spaces, nearly monopolising the industry.

Today, the landscape has changed drastically. Media has become radically democratic. Now, anyone can challenge the status quo and build an enviable platform reaching millions globally, all from the comfort of their own bedrooms. Social media has opened the market to millions of ‘micro channels’, created by ordinary individuals. This is a stark contrast to just 15 years ago when only a few hundred established channels were covering news and entertainment, mostly controlled by media conglomerates.

Today, one can find hundreds of thousands of videos on the most niche topics, driven by Gen Z's curious desire to explore and discover new and interesting subjects. However, it is important to recognise how significant this insight is when connected to the increasingly diverse taste and interests of the global Gen Z audience when it comes to the consumption of mass media. Two examples of niches that have reshaped the consumption of media including news and entertainment, led by Gen Z, include:

1. BookTok: As detailed further below, this niche, started by readers on TikTok, has transformed how physical books are perceived among Gen Zers in the English-speaking world, primarily in North America and Europe. For instance, data from Nielsen in 2021 confirmed that the print books favoured by Gen Z accounted for 80% of all book sales between November 2021 and 2022.
2. Core-ification: Gen-Z approaches life through a unique lens. They seek feelings, aesthetics and styles that allow them to embody a ‘vibe’, an experience to re-create a fully expressive, bold, and creative world outside their digital personas. They seek to bring many ‘out of world’ aesthetics and feelings typically found in video games, anime, fictional film, and music videos. This desire for immersive, themed experiences extends to their news consumption. For example, trends like ‘Hopecore’ represents a fascinating blend of optimism and cultural commentary, resonating with many who seek a more hopeful narrative in today's often challenging world. This specific trend is part of a bigger movement first neglected then adopted by all types of news creators: Solutions Journalism.

These attitudes are heavily influenced by the broader macroeconomic and political climate. Today, much of Gen Z faces a more uncertain socio-economic future than previous generations, with once attainable goals, such as homeownership, now increasingly out of reach. Additionally, being the most educated generation in history, combined with living in a globalised world, has resulted in higher levels of competition and stress.

With these concerns in mind, many Gen Zers are falling out of love with traditional celebrities, who often are ‘unreachable’ and unrelatable. They promote lifestyles of hyper-polished excess and overindulgence, frequently at the expense of nature and the climate (e.g. frequent use of private jets for short commutes). As Gen Zers increasingly unsubscribe from the mainstream, they turn to niche and micro-communities that align with their interests, values, and beliefs for their entertainment and news, across various digital platforms.

Finally, values of openness and acceptance have made Gen Z largely responsible for cross-border cultural consumption and dissemination (e.g. news, film, gaming, and music). Through social media, they’ve brought once-niche cultural exports, such as anime, K-pop, and Afrobeats, into the global mainstream, while local stories (e.g. a viral event in Denmark) can quickly reach a worldwide audience.

• Gen Z has the highest percentage of anime fans, with over 69% stating that they watch anime content, compared to 57% of millennials and 40% of Gen X.
• Korea’s global annual cultural exports have exceeded 101.96% (€4.5 billion to €9 billion) from 2016 - 2019.
• As Gen-Z now makes up 40% of the global population, their opinions and interests are slowly becoming the new mainstream. Where does it start? Gaming. Today gaming influencers are the most popular type of influencer globally amongst males aged 18-24 years of age, almost a quarter (23% of all adults in the segment following a gaming influencer). The gaming category is followed by Sports, then Music.

• Curating a Digital Streaming Universe: One example of how legacy media organisations, such as Disney and Warner Discovery, are addressing media fragmentation is through collaboration to bundle their extensive media offerings into a single, streamlined package. This summer, the companies began bundling their Disney+, Hulu, and Max streaming services for customers in the United States.
• The Future Looks Bright, Innovation is Ripe: The Business of Fashion (BoF) is leading the way, having been recognised as one of the most innovative media companies of 2024 by Fast Company. BoF leverages artificial intelligence to enhance reader value, for instance, using AI-driven analysis of social media posts to rank luxury fashion labels. This approach provides an additional layer of insight, boosting engagement and retention while building trust - without relying on AI to generate news articles. At Yoof, we believe BoF’s innovative and tone-accurate use of AI to bring stories and articles to life, will help create a more dynamic and interactive media landscape. This technology will allow legacy media who are struggling to attract the Gen-Z audience to better engage with data and gain a broader perspective. An example of this would be the French publisher, Le Monde showing an interactive accurate AI-powered tsunami history map of Japan that can be edited to showcase previous damage in a hyper visual way. We believe the potential applications are endless especially through the growth of augmented reality (AR).

1B - Gen Z and the Shift in Consumer Behaviour: Navigating a Hyper-Digital World

The behaviours exhibited by Gen Z tend to be overlooked, yet they are key to understanding what is often considered the most ‘misunderstood’ generation. Having grown up alongside the internet, Gen Z is accustomed to its many conveniences, from shopping and communication to entertainment. Over the years, Gen Zers have played a crucial role in shaping the digital world, which has now become integral to our daily lives. Today, many of our most important assets - memories, money, and relationships - are stored on our portable supercomputers. This increasingly hyper-digital reality has brought numerous benefits, such as offering vast opportunities (like income from the creator economy) and amplifying causes that matter to Gen Z (including mental health, climate change, work, and consumerism). This means Gen Z are social first and often start their news journey on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. These platforms are preferred over traditional news websites or apps.

Gen Z is often labelled as the most selfish generation by many older peers, who view them as unable to cope with the pressures of everyday life. However, Gen Z believes they are not responsible for maintaining the current status quo but instead for changing it to meet their own standards. Recognising that mental health plays a pivotal role in maintaining both physical and social well-being. This mindset has led Gen Z to actively reject conventional norms, such as embracing body positivity as a new standard of beauty, and prioritising fair pay and strict work-life boundaries. These beliefs have also reshaped their approach to their digital diet, particularly in how they consume news content. Many in Gen Z perceive the news as overwhelmingly negative, prompting them to avoid it unless they come across it through friends’ or family members’ social media. For this generation, the news has become something encountered by chance rather than actively sought out, often viewed as a chore rather than a source of engagement.

“I enjoy [news] being intertwined with social media. I don’t have to actively think ‘Oh, let me check up on my friends and let me check up on my news.’ I can do both at the same time.”

Source: CIPR Report 2024 - What Does News Media Mean to Gen-Z?

Many media brands mistake Gen Z's high screen time for an intense desire for content consumption, without truly understanding the behaviour behind it. In today's attention economy, social media companies have become undeniable forces in society, playing a crucial role in shaping opinions and thoughts. These tech giants have invested billions of euros to ensure users stay on their platforms as long as possible by implementing addictive features. Why? Because the longer users remain on the app, the more advertisement revenue is generated, as brands compete for even a second of our undivided attention - often at the expense of Gen Z’s well-being.

Gen-Z has already coined a term to describe this addictive behaviour: ‘doomscrolling,’ which has been shown to be linked to anxiety, distrust, and despair. Many feel powerless to stop themselves from scrolling through the endless abyss of highly tailored, addictive content, now commonly referred to as ‘brainrot’ - content that is seen as non-beneficial and offering no significant purpose to one’s life. Despite tech companies like Instagram and YouTube heavily adopting features to showcase addictive short-form vertical video content in response to TikTok’s meteoric rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, few foresaw the damage this would cause, not only to their profits but also to the minds of their users. Short-form content is now often blamed for Gen Z’s notably short attention span and lack of deep engagement on platforms built around these vertical video formats.

Platforms like TikTok, which have heavily benefited from the addictive nature of short-form vertical video, are now backtracking and shifting focus towards encouraging longer-form content consumption. While user retention was high, it was often based on superficial use, primarily driven by ‘doomscrolling’. To address this and cultivate a platform that fosters deeper audience connections, especially with Gen Z, TikTok is now attempting to shift user behaviour.

As people continued to use TikTok, content creators began migrating or prioritising long-form platforms such as YouTube to build stronger communities and more engaged audiences, rather than merely accumulating followers who are not highly invested. This shift is largely because audiences struggle to form deeper connections with creators through 30-second videos, whereas on YouTube, where the average video length is around 11 minutes, the opportunity for meaningful engagement is far greater. This comes as no surprise when viewed from a Gen Z perspective, a generation that values community building and deeper connections.

However, in the short term, many Gen Zers are addressing their ‘doomscrolling’ habits by at least making it more meaningful, seeking out ‘hopecore’, a rapidly growing niche of optimistic, motivational videos (as mentioned above). At Yoof, we believe the next 24 months will be dominated by long-form content as people start to consciously limit their consumption of short-form video, with digital fatigue setting in on a mass scale.

Who would have ever thought the ‘low attention span’ generation would bring back books? Well, it’s true. Books have emerged as another medium allowing Gen Z to escape the overstimulation of the digital world and reconnect with their own imaginations. Demand has been so high that cultural Gen Z influencers like Kaia Gerber have even started book clubs to cultivate this new community of readers.

At Yoof, we have closely followed this trend and have been astonished by the impact it has had. This impact is clearly exemplified by the success of the latest superstar author, Colleen Hoover, whose romance novel sequel It Starts With Us has sold over 800,000 copies, propelled by TikTok's 'BookTok' community. Today, the romantic novel sequel has been adapted into a successful film, grossing over 103 million euros globally. At Yoof, we see this as further proof of Gen Z's power in reshaping the wider media landscape and their desire for transmedia exploration.

The answer is simple: Gen Z is increasingly seeking more activities rooted outside the digital realm. However, the side effects of addictive short-form content are becoming a significant challenge for this generation. For example, many are engaging in ‘second-screening’, a term used to describe the practice of using a second electronic device, such as a smartphone or tablet, while watching television or engaging in another primary screen activity. Such patterns may point to a deep-seated inability to focus on one thing at a time. Nevertheless, Gen Z remains highly attentive to their well-being, despite the countless distractions readily available at their fingertips. In the meantime, as we wait for legislation to catch up with the incredible pace of digital development, Gen Z is turning to communities and broader discussions to find creative and fun solutions to these challenges.

2/ What Are the Priorities and Focus Areas of Editors of Social-first News Publishers?

The News Movement serves as a successful example of a social-first publisher that uniquely uses its own interactive graphics, usually to showcase an eye-catching story headline for a few seconds at the beginning of the video, helping to boost engagement and video watch time. Furthermore, the design of the graphics is unique to them and helps build brand identity (see Example below).

"You have really one or two seconds to draw in your audience. So it's about creating a really compelling top line that kind of creates intrigue and makes people want to keep listening."

Source: Exclusive Interview The News Movement

The News Movement, however, fine-tunes its wider social media strategy by showcasing news differently on Instagram compared to TikTok. The News Movement effectively uses the picture carousel feature, combined with effective colour theory and imagery, to allow its audience to digest media in bite-sized chunks (see Example below).

Social-first publishers use specific headlines, images, and videos to optimise content for each platform's algorithm. As many Gen Z users increasingly turn to social media, particularly TikTok, for organic search on a variety of topics - ranging from health, beauty, news, entertainment, and lifestyle. Social-first publishers must ensure they appear at the top of these searches to remain relevant and maintain engagement.

Will Media is a forerunner in this space, demonstrating how social-first publishers are leading the platform optimisation race, particularly in TikTok search. Through their strategic approach, Will Media consistently achieves extraordinarily high viewership and engagement, averaging around 90,000 views per video uploaded on TikTok.

It's no secret that TikTok aims to become Gen Z’s go-to search platform. To achieve this, the company has made strategic changes to its algorithm to boost videos with rich SEO. But what does rich SEO entail? Content with rich SEO incorporates a variety of keywords related to a specific topic within the video and caption, including hashtags.

What has Will Media done to stay ahead?

1. Use curated titles from legacy media organisations in their videos, e.g. La Repubblica and ANSA IT.
2. Includes as many keywords relating to the subject matter throughout the video in the form of banners.
3. The use of subtitles in all their videos allows the algorithm another chance to highlight keywords pertaining to the subject being explained on the platform.
4. A brief yet detailed caption that highlights the date, situation, cause, and impact.
5. 6-7 relevant hashtags.
6. Tagging an account that already maintains authority within the space.

Another platform optimisation strategy many social-first publishers are using is sound in videos. Sounds in content have played a significant role in driving organic growth for many social-first publishers, helping them achieve higher levels of engagement and viewership.

An example of a social-first publisher leveraging the power of sound is FreshDaily, a Canadian social-first publisher. FreshDaily incorporates sound in almost all its videos to set the tone, boosting both engagement and viewership on TikTok. They use a combination of trending and niche-specific sounds (those primarily used for news and reporting) to strengthen their presence and niche, increasing their visibility through the algorithm (see Example below).

Why does this strategy work?

1. TikTok’s algorithm favours content that includes embedded topic-related or trending sounds, helping such videos gain more visibility.
2. Sounds boost engagement and retention, increasing the likelihood of viewers staying past the critical 5-second mark, which is key for achieving virality.

A good monetisation strategy is crucial for social-first publishers, especially compared to legacy media organisations, which rely on diverse income streams such as traditional print, ad revenue, and subscriptions. Social-first publishers must stay ahead by remaining relevant and top of mind. As mentioned earlier, platform optimisation is one of the ways social-first publishers compete with legacy media organisations in terms of viewership, engagement, and audience building.

These metrics are vital for social-first publishers because they directly influence revenue streams, such as contributions, sponsorships, and platform creator rewards like the TikTok Creator Program, Instagram and Facebook Bonus Programs.

This pressure drives social-first publishers to innovate, particularly in native advertising. Social-first publishers have been highly successful in creating ads that seamlessly blend into content, making them less intrusive and more engaging for the Gen Z audience, who are less inclined to buy directly from brands but prefer building relationships with them. This approach harnesses storytelling and authentic content, fostering trust and loyalty among a discerning audience.

An example of this is Narcity, a social-first publisher that excels at native advertising. In a recent campaign with McDonald's to promote their new breakfast wraps, Narcity created a story around a creator spending quality time with her grandparents who had come from Italy, integrating the product naturally into the narrative.

Why is native content like this great?

1. The video begins with the hook, “my grandparents are back from Italy,” and the title anchors the storyline around McDonald’s new breakfast wraps. This instantly evokes intrigue and a sense of relatability, as many people have grandparents and would want to know more about the new McDonald’s breakfast wrap.
2. The video re-creates the popular ‘day-in-the-life’ short-form vlog format.
3. It takes the viewer through the experience, from being alone outside to enjoying the new wraps inside with her grandparents.
4. The video editing is Gen Z coded: fast and frequent transitions, an uptempo voiceover, and many frames showing different angles and perspectives.

3/ News-Focused Content Creators, Who Are They and How Do They Work and Their Business Models?

Easy-to-digest news creators are the forerunners of engaging the Gen Z demographic to care more about what is happening around them. These creators have successfully, through their fresh and relatable takes. They have built and cultivated a highly engaged Gen Z audience that cares and takes part in discussions relating to their future and wellbeing. In Spain, Act2ality, founded by two friends disillusioned with what they saw as a bland Spanish digital media landscape, sought to re-invent and invigorate participation and interest within their peers. Their success can be attributed to two factors:

Find your sauce…
Originality plays a huge role in how Gen Z engages with news content, due to the dizzying levels of content online today. Many Gen Zers are increasingly more discerning about who they follow. Sadly, news-related content is usually the first on the chopping block. However, Act2ality has not been shy in testing different communication styles to make news more engaging. Beginning their journey on Instagram summarising current affairs in 2015, a few years later, they became a TikTok sensation through their “Five News Today” segment, where they covered only five highly relevant and interesting happenings. From this segment, Act2ality saw their follower count grow from 100 followers to 40,000 overnight.

Have a strategy to maintain momentum…
To maintain their newfound success, Act2ality knew they had to focus on areas that increased their algorithmic favour while maintaining engagement and cultivating their newly built audience. To achieve this, they focused on their ‘one-minute’ strategy, only posting concise one-minute short-form videos. Secondly, to gain algorithmic favour on TikTok, they stuck to posting three times a day (this helps maximise engagement and caters to different time zones such as Latin America). Thirdly, focus was placed on content variety to keep their content fresh and non-repetitive. Lastly, Act2ality encourages public comments and discourse. They further boost engagement by involving public discourse and opinions in their videos.

“When we shoot, we have a script of 200 words, a summary of the story, but always in simple and understandable language. If a 13-year-old subscriber watches our video, they should be able to understand everything that is presented.”

Source: Yoof News Interview of Act2ality

Platform expansion when done right can be fruitful…
Polish creator Natalia Sisik has successfully built a predominantly Gen Z audience across TikTok and YouTube, amassing over 3.6 million people. At Yoof, we believe this growth can be solely attributed to her ability to cater to her audience's needs across YouTube and TikTok.

On TikTok, Natalia focuses on pressing news stories related to Poland and the world blended with pop culture. This successfully works on TikTok due to its vertical scrolling format, where Gen Z has become accustomed to watching serious videos followed by one that is light-hearted and funny. Understood within this concept, TikTok allows creators to slightly break into adjacent topics.

"People are very comfortable with seeing a funny video of a cat and then immediately afterwards a very serious or sad story about something else."

Source: Exclusive Interview The News Movement

On YouTube, Natalia Sisik capitalises on Gen Zers' news avoidance tendency and focuses her long-form content strategy around many light-hearted themes of interest to Gen Z, such as social media tips, fashion, music, relationships, and cinema. At Yoof, we found content related to social media content creation tips to align with Gen Z's desire to become content creators. Research from YouTube has uncovered that an astonishing 65% of Gen Zers describe themselves as content creators.

Business Insight: Partnerships with short-form news creators can be fruitful…
At Yoof, we have noticed Natalia secured an invite to the prestigious Apple Event held on 9th September 2024. We have uncovered a trend of influencers usually excluded from high-profile events due to outdated beliefs regarding their legitimacy to occupy spaces dominated by legacy media companies. However, we see the tide shifting dramatically, spearheaded by media fragmentation (mentioned above). We see strategic collaborations with influencers who would usually be excluded from high-profile events as a great way to achieve influencer loyalty and drive organic brand excitement. To prove this, Natalia, through her coverage of the Apple Event, generated over 6.4 million views for Apple on TikTok alone.

Long-form investigative content has allowed Gen Z to further explore their mistrust of the ‘establishment’ and society at large, questioning upheld societal norms. Gen Z’s open-minded nature has allowed them to explore topics that many older generations would rather remain ignorant of - ranging from the racial climate to economic disparities affecting particular minority populations. Their cultural acceptance and openness have allowed them to empathise with large groups of their peers and wider society.

Long-form investigative content, combined with commentary, has served as one of the few mediums Gen Z tends to actively engage in. To put this into perspective, long-form investigative pieces are usually consumed through YouTube or TikTok in multi-part series (due to the current time limit of videos). These facts go against the notion that Gen Z has short attention spans. As mentioned in The Changing Media Landscape section above, Gen Z preferences are shifting towards content that offers emotional resonance, intellectual stimulation, and visual depth. Rather than rejecting length, they reject content that lacks meaning. For Gen Z, substance matters more than format.

At Yoof, we believe this trend correlates with Gen Z’s higher propensity to fact-check claims made by the media. Research has shown that Gen Z is nearly twice as likely as older generations to fact-check their news, and nearly 60% say they’ve developed techniques to spot unreliable or fake news. This is not only because of their inherent mistrust but also due to their curious nature, ensuring they are sound in their knowledge before forming an opinion.

How have investigative creators successfully built trust and engagement among the Gen Z audience?

Creators like Gaspard G have amassed over 1 million YouTube subscribers, mostly Gen Z, by breaking the stereotype of short Gen Z attention spans by producing 45-minute explorations of societal issues that hold Gen Z’s attention. His blend of personal narrative and expert analysis creates content that doesn’t just inform but also engages on a deeper level. His success proves that, in a landscape dominated by quick clips, there’s a powerful space for content that taps into Gen Z’s deeper need for authenticity and connection.

Johnny Harris follows a similar path, garnering 5.7 million YouTube subscribers with his visually rich investigative journalism. His storytelling simplifies complex global issues, offering Gen Z a way to understand the world through engaging, in-depth narratives. Harris’s success reflects how deeply this generation values context and nuance, seeking more than surface-level engagement.

Druv Rathee, a content creator based in India, is a successful case study of investigative journalism working in South Asia. Druv has adopted the western style of investigative journalism to great success, garnering over 25.1 million YouTube subscribers. Druv has successfully understood his young audience and has created content centred around highly relevant events shaping the lives of not only the Hindi-speaking world but also adjacent countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh. This has been made possible with YouTube's translation ‘CC’ caption feature, which allows on-demand translations.

These examples challenge the idea that Gen Z only wants bite-sized content. In fact, they’re drawn to stories that immerse them in bigger ideas—stories that reflect their curiosity about the world and their desire for genuine human connection. For brands, the lesson is clear: long-form content isn’t too long for Gen Z if it delivers the depth, relevance, and authenticity they crave.

More to come soon about business models...

4/ How are Legacy Media Adapting to Gen Z Needs and Social Platforms in Terms of Formats and What Do They Need to Succeed in Terms of Innovation?

Legacy Media’s TikTok Dilemma: How to Win Over Gen Z?

In recent years, legacy media have faced the formidable challenge of engaging younger audiences, particularly Gen Z. After attempting to retain Gen Z on their own terrain, legacy media have started adapting to the audience which was gradually becoming unengaged with their content. They increasingly turned to non-traditional platforms like TikTok, with a rapidly increasing percentage of top news publishers regularly publishing content on the platform.

4A - Familiar Faces Over Brand Loyalty

Until recently, legacy media organisations relied heavily on their brand name and history to convey credibility and trustworthiness. Several studies however show that Gen Z places more trust in individual figures they can feel some sort of affinity towards - including individual journalists, rather than the institutions they represent. This generation indeed seeks figures with whom it can build direct relationships through social media and other interactive platforms. 

At Yoof, we have uncovered that this is connected to Gen-Z's increased propensity for parasocial relationships. This refers to one-sided relationships where one party feels a strong connection to another party, often through media, despite no reciprocal interaction. We believe this is a side effect of Gen-Z's desire for deep connections and desire to build direct relationships through social media and other interactive platforms.

Consequently the focus is shifting towards personal engagement. This is the occasion for traditional media to collaborate with individual journalists within their organisations to develop personal brands that will increase their visibility. Social media platforms can provide a means for these individual journalists to authentically reach audiences and grow affinity, both putting them to the forefront and leveraging their personal brands to engage younger audiences.

A consistent trend among Gen Z has been the attraction of familiar faces over brand loyalty. This generation tends to gravitate towards personality they can identify to, feel connected to and empathise with, in a stark departure from previous generations that may have had a stronger allegiance to the media brands themselves. This shift has prompted legacy media outlets to rethink their strategies, increasingly engaging with non-traditional platforms like TikTok, leveraging the personal brands of their individual journalists who represent their organisations.

Among individual legacy media journalists on TikTok, Max Foster stands out as one of the most successful. Since 2019, he has built a community of 1.2 million followers, capitalising on two key factors. Firstly, his affiliation with CNN lent him a pre-established credibility. Secondly, the reliability factor he cultivated through his account by merging his journalistic experience with the platform's storytelling style, making complex news stories engaging and accessible to a younger audience. His personal charisma, direct interaction with viewers, and ability to concisely explain global events, following a journalistic ethos of ‘Sticking to the facts during breaking news’ all the while effectively utilising the TikTok formats, helped him create a strong connection with followers. 

If he is a stellar example Max Foster is no longer ‘one amongst the few’ legacy media journalist to have created a trusted brand for younger audiences to rely on on TikTok. Other successful accounts include journalists such as: Kat Tenbarge from NBC News, Sophia Smith Galer an ex BBC and Vice journalist. More about that soon.

The ‘Journalist brand’ strategy helps counteract the prevalent notion among Gen Z that news is predominantly negative. By presenting relatable faces and behind-the-scenes content, legacy media can frame news as not just a collection of bleak headlines but as a dynamic process involving passionate individuals dedicated to storytelling.

One of the key ways legacy media journalists have embraced TikTok is by offering behind-the-scenes glimpses into their daily work lives. This content gives viewers rare access to the inner workings of journalism, offering a more transparent look at the profession.

Journalists such as Leanna Byrne (BBC), Charlotte Gay (ITV), Monika Plaha (BBC) or Emma Bentley (BBC then EBRD), have carved out niches on TikTok, showcasing their behind-the-scenes experiences. A simple search for News reporter behind the scenes on TikTok reveals how these journalists capture the essence of journalism in action, from the hustle of newsrooms to the pressures of live reporting.

These videos not only engage audiences but also help journalists cultivate personal brands, allowing them to stand out independently from the larger organisations they represent. As evoked above, our research and interviews have led us to discover that while some journalists create TikTok accounts as part of their media outlet's strategy to engage Gen Z audiences, others have independently embraced the platform. However, the success of legacy media journalists still reflects back on their respective organisations. For this section Yoof interviewed Leanna Byrne, senior business presenter at the BBC. She notes, “The people I interact with on TikTok are often much younger than those who typically watch or listen to our content.” She adds that many of her TikTok followers engage with her LIVEs to tell her they had gone to listen to her business program "Marketplace Morning Report".

These personal accounts allow journalists to engage with their followers in real-time, answering questions, sharing behind-the-scenes content, and providing context that traditional media formats might not have the time or space to cover. This approach enables them to expand their reach, attract a more diverse and younger audience, and humanise the often impersonal nature of legacy media.

“A video my audience really liked was an explainer of how do you deal with breaking news... people to understand what is going through a producer's mind. I think it humanises it... lifting the lid and being a little bit more transparent.”

Source: Exclusive interview with Leanna Byrne, BBC

Though its growth started there, the phenomenon is not limited to Europe and the States with TikTok growing in the Global South and newspapers such as Jornal da Record’s in Brazil, adapting, with their TikTok offering a mix of newsroom behind-the-scenes and news explainers having grown to 1.8M followers in the past four years since its creation.

Both behind the scenes and the journalist brand talking directly to the viewer are really important because it allows the audience an access it has never experienced before to the functioning of the news, contributing to restoring the trust which has been seen as missing between Gen Z and legacy media.

One of the reasons Gen Z's waning interest in traditional media was highlighted in our interview with Leanna Byrne as she pointed out which of her videos had the most success with her young audience:

‘One of my best videos was talking about intergenerational wealth, the difficulties of buying a house, and the cost of living’

Legacy media has indeed often misrepresented Gen Z and the ways in which they are affected by macro-trends.The way rising interest rates, UK inflation, and the housing crisis are covered are striking examples of this tendency. When consuming any news item on this significant economic issue of the past two years, the lack of focus on young people's experiences is astonishing. While house prices dominate discussions, a topic which seldom concerns Gen Z, coverage on the impact of the rising interest rates on rents has been lacking. Individual journalists engaging with their audience can thus be perceived as positive steps towards countering legacy media's previous failure to address the realities faced by younger generations in the current economic landscape.

One of the key missteps legacy media companies make upon trying to establish a presence in today’s content landscape is pushing the same video across all social media. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat promote content in different ways and attract users for specific reasons, which is why subtle variations in approach are essential for engaging with diverse audiences. Just as you wouldn't present content the same way across print, TV, or radio, each social media platform requires its own tailored style to maximise impact. Without this nuance, media companies risk alienating potential audiences or, worse, missing them altogether.

One outlet in particular which has masterfully found the middle ground between entertainment and news is the Washington Post. The mighty team of 3 has hit the jackpot by infusing animations, memes, and sounds straight from Gen Z culture into their content - all the while never ‘dumbing down’ , maintaining the integrity and depth of the news which they deliver where Gen Z is consuming the news.

Our research however allowed us to see a major difference in approach between different legacy media. While Carmella Boykin describes the Washington Post TikTok’s goal as ultimately to peak people’s interests and get them to go to the Washington Post website to learn more about whatever the TikTok was about, Erika Marzano describes the TikTok branch of Deutsche Welle (DW) as totally separate from the rest of the newspaper. For DW TikTok isn’t a subpart but an integral part of their editorial content.

Tell stories 
As people increasingly seek relatable content, storytelling has become essential for achieving success on TikTok, closely tied to the platform's emphasis on authenticity. Several such journalists highlight that storytelling and authenticity are inseparable on the platform, which is why viewers are drawn to simple, everyday videos, like those featuring girls talking about their day from their cars. If you’re unsure what I’m talking about, type 'girl that talks in her car' on TikTok, and browse through the mere 59M posts that come up,

‘What has become important is not TikTok as a platform, but the TikTok way of storytelling. Within a matter of few years, since the boom of TikTok, all the traditional, old school social media platforms were implementing at least one of all its features, mainly the vertical, short form video’  

Source: Exclusive interview with Erika Marzano, Audience Development Manager at Deutsche Welle

Another trend which we have discovered from our research redefines the relationship between legacy media and their audience: the hyper-local news. Yoof interviewed the lead writer from B-side, a startup within the Boston Globe. Launched in 2022, it is a newsletter, focused on hyperlocal content ranging from news to new openings. One insight Yoof took away from several of our interviewee, including Emily Schario, B-side’s lead writer is that:

‘Media always talk about wanting to meet people where they are, and I think a big part of that, is meeting them with a person that they can relate to and understand'.

Source: Yoof News Interview with Emily Schario, B-Side

This is an insight which legacy media have been understanding in the past few years, playing on the factor of relatability.

In the case of B-side, much like Narcity or The Edinburgh Minute, the creators tapped into the heightened desire for community connection that emerged overwhelmingly among younger generations following COVID-19. This shift redefined the concept of "being informed," emphasising the importance of local engagement and fostering a sense of belonging.  More about that soon. 

Local media and newsletters are pressing another sensitive point for Gen Z which is actionability. As studies observed that younger consumers wanted the news and information that they consume to empower them to take action. In terms of broader societal issues, one of the avenues is solutions journalism. Born as a response to sensationalism and the overwhelming negativity in traditional news, solutions journalism, also known as constructive journalism, goes beyond simply reporting problems. It delves into the complexities of an issue while focusing on potential ways forward, offering a more hopeful and empowering approach to news that aligns with Gen Z’s desire for progress and positive change. More about that soon. 

Another way traditional outlets have found to engage Gen Z audiences, is embracing interactive and immersive storytelling techniques. One of the most innovative approaches involves leveraging technologies like 360-degree videos, augmented reality (AR), and interactive graphics, which offer unprecedented levels of audience engagement. The New York Times has been a pioneer in this field, using AR features to let readers explore major events in detail, such as NASA’s Mars missions. This shift toward more interactive storytelling has also earned The New York Times recognition, with one of its articles receiving a Pulitzer Prize, catalysing a global movement towards integrating these engaging formats into journalistic practices.

Similarly, the Financial Times has embraced gamification by introducing "news games" and interactive experiences that explore complex topics like the gig economy and the US-China trade war.

Scrollytelling, a technique employed by media outlets such as The New York Times, BBC, Financial Times, and Politiken, offers another avenue for interactive media experiences. The combination of data-driven charts, maps, infographics, and illustrations with interactive scrolling text enables scrollytelling to guide readers through dynamic narratives in an engaging and immersive manner. The BBC's investigative report, 'The Lost Tablet and the Secret Documents' exemplifies the effectiveness of scrollytelling in captivating audiences. Losing nothing of its content, the report gains a playful feeling, through a blend of interactive maps, satellite imagery, and text, drawing the readers into the world of a clandestine Russian mercenary group, uncovering crucial insights from an abandoned military tablet. 

More to come...

Sources

• Nielsen BookData – "Reading is so sexy: Gen Z turns to physical books and libraries"
  The Guardian (2024). Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/feb/09/reading-is-so-sexy-gen-z-turns-to-physical-books-and-libraries.
• Rising Gen Z Subcultures: Cottagecore, VSCO Girls, and More
  Paramount (n.d.). Available at: https://www.paramount.com/news/rising-gen-z-subcultures-cottagecore-vsco-girls-and-more.
• Attracting the Next Generation of News Consumers
  CNN Newsource (2020). Available at: https://www.cnnnewsource.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Attracting-the-Next-Generation-of-News-Consumers.pdf.
• Brands Court Gen Z as Anime Popularity Surges
  Campaign Live (2024). Available at: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/brands-court-gen-z-anime-popularity-surges/1839694.
• The Rise and Influence of African Music on the Global Stage
  CNBC Africa (2023). Available at: https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2023/the-rise-and-influence-of-african-music-on-the-global-stage/.
• YouGov Game Changers Report 2021, Part 1
  YouGov (2021). Available at: https://commercial.yougov.com/rs/464-VHH-988/images/YouGov_Game-Changers%202021_PART%201.pdf.
• In Creators We Trust: Gen Z’s Loyalty to Influencers
  The Drum (2023). Available at: https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2023/03/03/creators-we-trust-gen-z-s-loyalty-influencers.
• Gen Z and Millennials Survey
  Deloitte (n.d.). Available at: https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/issues/work/content/genz-millennialsurvey.html.
• ESPN and the Future of Sports Broadcasting
  BBC News (2023). Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c51nz9d2w3ro.
• Business of Fashion: One of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024
  Business of Fashion (2024). Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/opinions/media/bof-is-one-of-the-worlds-most-innovative-companies-of-2024/.
• Colleen Hoover’s Record-Breaking Sales with "It Starts with Us"
  Vulture (2022). Available at: https://www.vulture.com/2022/10/colleen-hoover-it-starts-with-us-record-breaking-sales.html.
• Generation Z Report
  GlobalWebIndex (2019). Available at: https://www.gwi.com/hubfs/Downloads/Generation_Z_report_2019.pdf.
• Gen Z Fact-Checking and News Consumption
  Press Gazette (2023). Available at: https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/digital-journalism/gen-z-fact-check-conspiracies-news-movement-oliver-wyman/
• Korea’s Economy 2021
  Korea Economic Institute of America (2021). Available at: https://keia.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/KEI_Koreas-Economy_2021_211019_Parc_2.pdf