For those who think young
A few weeks ago, our summer interns and some of the younger journalists in our newsroom got together to brainstorm ways we could attract more younger readers to the paper. Their list, which runs five pages of bulleted items, isn't all that dissimilar to this CBS News list, except in the ways that television and newspapers are different.
I was on vacation during our session, but I got the report and am delighted with the suggestions. Before I get to those, though, there's this interesting insight from one of the CBS interns.
In at least one case, the brass was more enthusiastic about innovation than the interns were. "Podcasting was a big deal to them," said one intern. "That's because podcasting just came out on ABC and NBC.... That's just a tiny little thing to us. That sort of showed us that they would rather hear what they were already thinking."
Can't speak for CBS, but we were looking for ideas that we hadn't already been thinking. And we got a lot of good ones.
Naturally, many of the suggestions from our group pertained to increasing our content directed to 20-somethings. Add more humor. Add more helpful advice. Add more serial stories and first-person writing. More informational graphics. More controversy. Less dispassionate writing.
Some ideas counter what older readers tell us; the younger journalists want more more sports stories on the front page, not fewer. Some ideas we're already working on.
My personal favorite: Write smarter, not dumber.
Here are the raw notes on the brainstorm. And when I say brainstorm, I mean these are a list of ideas, not yet edited or evaluated.
By, about young people
* Keep content smart but relevant to youth -- don't pander to them. The recent story about young people volunteering is a good example of smart youthful content.
* More youthful columnists, not just in the Life section but in news as well.
* More pictures of young people in action (working, socializing)
* Quote rail with younger people.
* Not every people story should be about a little kid or an old person. Trying to get stories about people 22 to 30 might get them to read it.
* Have more content focused on 18-24 age group. Less on little kids and older people. Young people like to read about their friends.
* More stories about younger people.
* Show younger people in photos.
*Spotlight on school club doing something great. (volunteering, etc.)
Why should I care
* More of the "Why do I care" to connect news to life style.
* Young people are interested in "adult" issues, too. Write the same stories but approach them differently. (For example, how a new law, etc, affects young people, their college loans.)
* Link stories to us. What does this issue/event/problem mean to me?
Writing style
* Less of a formal/dispassionate writing style.
* More first-person writing. Definitely features, maybe news.
* More humor/irony when appropriate. (a la Jon Stewart).
* Write smarter, not dumber. The dumb asses won't read the paper anyway.
Shorter stories
* Hold at least one story, maybe two, to front page.
* Stories can be shorter, more concise -- hold to the front
* Shorter stories
* Shorter stories. I almost never finish 50+ inch stories.
Content in general
* Serials/novels. People are loyal to TV and series because they're ongoing stories.
* More sports on front page
* More tech news.
* Columns and first-person experiences about lifestyle issues
* Push some Life centerpieces out on A1 or do a "Look Inside" type box with photo
* Technology/video game reporter and/or stories.
* All features should be local and recent.
* Keep features in the Life section.
* For a story like pot candy, have a reader taste test. Write about it.
* Local advice column or ombudsman
* Move the crossword to one of the print sections; people might read the articles around it.
* Cover more controversial items.
Colleges, universities
* Stories that focus on the huge college scene and their many activities.
* Cover higher ed more comprehensively. Include higher ed trends. Think beyond Greensboro colleges
* Pay more attention to colleges. Advertise there. Cover what happens.
News content
* Focus on national and state news.
* At least one national story on A1 every day.
* More Go Triad-type content in A and B.
At a glance
* Create a quick glance guide for major stories in each section with a brief synopsis -- maybe a column to run as a rail inside A.
* Quick and easy glance boxes, reviews of major stories.
* A Week In Review section of the paper run on Friday or Saturday.
Calendar, events
* Calendar items that highlight the offbeat and the obscure.
* A "weekend" type story or column that focuses on events, in addition to Go Triad.
Life content
* Humor, humor, humor in Life. Establish a regular quick-hit humor box on the Life front for News of the Weird.
* More comics
* Review low-cost restaurants and drop the wine column.
* Having themed copy in the Life section can work, but right now it's boxing out the younger demo. Instead of running a 60-inch wire story on cheese, maybe running a staff-written story on local food trends.
* Put copy on Thursday Life.
* Get rid of "The Week That Was" -- not relevant.
* Local TV/entertainment/movie columnist.
Go Triad
* More color
* Shorter
* More edgy
* Younger faces
* Right now, it doesn't appeal to anyone under 30. Staff album reviews, coverage of events that are cheap and public, and making an effort to cover all genres of music would help.
* More reviews of CDs, DVDs, movies, concerts, from local writers in GoTriad.
Sports content
* Much more high school sports coverage. Many kids read sports to read about themselves, their friends.
* Create a trash-talking section for high school students about football match-ups.
Skyboxes, gadgets
* Skyboxes should be fluid and change every day. It brings a fresh look to the paper each morning.
* More elements on the front page to draw readers in – skyboxes, maybe, a briefs column gadgeting to inside.
* More pictures, color text in promos
Format, design
* Tab/magazine format
* A free tabloid on Saturdays.
* Use a shadow effect on the flag.
* Use 1-story fronts more often – monthly?
* Integrate a more tabloid or compact format on some days to make it easier to read the paper on the go.
* More fun designs on B1; be willing to put fewer than 5 stories there.
* A Red Eye like publication.
* Cleaner design.
* More open, white space.
Art elements, color
* More photo packages.
* More infographics, photo illustrations
* More color inside.
* Color throughout
* Find ways to carry more graphic or visual elements through stories, including putting more on jumps.
* More color
* More exciting graphics and photos.
* More infographics. (I tend to read these when I wouldn't read stories on the same topic.)
* If there is a very powerful photo, really highlight it. If it's striking, it'll draw more attention to a possible accompanying story or the page as a whole.
* Add color to entry points. Make update boxes, fastfax boxes more colorful. Maybe put titles in color or use varying fonts or pictures. Maybe even funky bullets for lists if applicable and in line with the tone of the story.
* I've liked the layout on the alternative story-telling articles. Continue to find creative ways to present those stories.
* More USA Today-style Wanna Know or By the Numbers story forms or standalones.
Big type
* I like the quirkier headlines -- those with pop culture references that are universal. Once we had a fastfax with a "Revenge of the Nerds" title -- loved it!
* More visual news: timelines, graphics that explain or highlight topics, think chunks or news like in magazines.
* More fastfax boxes, lists and less traditional text.
Promotions, contests
* Offer promotions with subscriptions (like they do in Britain). Offer free CDs, movies.
* More ads/coupons for clubs and restaurants.
* Visit classrooms and ask what they think about newspapers
* Contests that offer cool gadgets as prizes.
* Sponsor more than "family" events-- WWE Smackdown, Battle of the Bands.
* Contests with cool free stuff as prizes. (i-pods, movie tickets, etc.)
* Lower the subscription price for college students.
* Advertise/sell papers at events geared to younger people.
Interactivity, online
* More personal access to the reporters/editors etc. (lile the blogging).
* Blog or section on the Web addressing teen and college issues.
* Create more ways for the community to interact with reporters and other readers through a "talk-back" online forum.
* A forum online for teens.
* People versed in pop culture should start hard-core pop culture blogs.
* Expand our online presence; much of the battle to get young people to read print pages is already lost.
* Section online designed for 18-35 with info on happenings, chatting, more interactive functions.
Comments (2)
To report abuse of the comment feature on this site, please use the feedback form at the bottom of any page.
That youthful columnists thing is dead on. You know... what you really need is a young, talented, bald columnist with a significant, established youthful audience...
He said wistfully and self-servingly...
Posted on August 17, 2005 10:11 PM
You're on the radar Joe, but finish school first.
Posted on August 18, 2005 8:53 AM