Young and news: there are ways……but it’s not easy

For starters: Make it bold, go video and don’t forget the podcasts. As I mention in my book, The Story, the millenials are leaning forward and leaning back for news and information, going from here to there:

*Courtesy of The Story (2019), Book 1: Transformation*

As readers of TheMarioBlog know, I am always looking for information that will give us an insight on how young audiences perceive and consume news.

I don’t have to go far to get some first hand knowledge on the topic, as I teach my class at Columbia University’s School of Journalism. I rarely, if ever, see a copy of a printed newspaper or magazine on the table around which the students sit. Not that my students are not very well informed, but they are not just getting information from printed publications.

Those are journalism students and perhaps NOT typical of how their generation uses news generally. That is why this Reuters study is interesting.

The study goes on to separate the young audience in terms of their loyalty (not much loyalty exists among this group), interest (they are interested in the news only in terms of how it can help them professionally, and for entertainment), and what story formats that do well (think short, bold and Podcasts). Remember, this is the first generation to be part of what I call the journalism of interruptions and everywhereness—-attention part is short.

The young in our audience view the news from the perspective of what it can do for them as individuals, rather than for society as a whole.
Social media feeds do very well.
Podcasts allow the millennials to multi task.
While their parents may have had a sense of loyalty to establish brands, the millennials—while knowledgeable of the brands—do not feel an obligation to be loyal themselves.

The Google generation and news

One of my observations with my own students (most of whom are between 22 and 24 years old) is that some of the parents of these students are in their late 40s themselves, the first generation to depart from print and find their information via digital editions.

But, this Reuters study offers good insights that publishers and editors should read; make it bolder, more visual, experiment with mobile story formats, and go multi media whenever possible.

There are ways to hook the millennials, but we must play by their rules if we wish to get them to make our titles part of their busy daily routines. I forgot to mention that newsletters do well with this group.

I leave you with this conclusion from the Reuters study:

From Monocle Weekend

https://monocle.com/minute/2019/09/21/

THE INTERROGATOR / EDITION 30

Mario García

Editorial consultant Mario García has advised the most important newsrooms in the world on design – and how best adapt to a digital transition. More than 700 publications, from The Wall Street Journal to the South China Morning Post, have received his strategic steer. Other than being an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of Journalism, he also runs his own consultancy firm: García Media. Nowadays his speciality is how digital devices influence narrative structure and consumption; his latest book, The Story, was written specifically to be read on a phone. Here, though, he confesses to a few analogue pleasures.

What they are saying about The Story!

The Story is here!

You can now download my new mobile storytelling book, The Story, from Apple Books at $6.99
This is Book 1 of a Trilogy! The other two books coming soon.
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-story-volume-i/id1480169411

The newspaper remains the most powerful source of storytelling on the planet. But technology threatens its very existence. To survive, the Editor must transform, adapt, and manage the newsroom in a new way. Order The Story by Mario Garcia, chief strategist for the redesign of over 700 newspapers around the world.

My chat with in Monocle Radio

Listen to my chat in Monocle Radio’s The Stack: Latest episode‘The Face’ and ‘The Story’:We welcome the return of the print version of ‘The Face’ and talk to legendary newspaper designer Mario Garcia about his latest book, ‘The Story’.
https://monocle.com/radio/shows/the-stack/368/play/

My interview with CNN en Español

I was a guest in the program Encuentro, hosted by Guillermo Arduino daily at CNN en Español. The interview was about how we read on mobile devices and my introduction of my new mobile storytelling book, The Story, to a Spanish-language audience.

García: Si tienes una buena historia, la gente la va a leer

Mario’s speaking engagements

Presentation of The Story at the Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa (SIP) in Miami, as the organization celebrates its 75th anniversary serving the Latin American Press, Miami.

October 4, 2019