Anna Bassi of The Week Junior, Adam Clyne of Coolr, Laurence Mozafari of Digital Spy and moderator and BSME 2020 Chair, Maria Pieri, discuss how magazines are adapting to captivate a new generation of budding readers.
10 Things We Learnt
Summarised by Joe Gallop
BA (Hons) Journalism & English Language, University of Roehampton. 2016-2019 – Upper Second-Class Honours.
How to Reach the Next Generation was the question tackled in the BSME’s latest webinar, held on the 4 November. Maria Pieri, BSME Chair and Editorial Director of National Geographic Traveller (UK), was joined by Anna Bassi, Editor-in-Chief of The Week Junior, Adam Clyne, Founder and CEO of Coolr, and Laurence Mozafari, Editor of Digital Spy in discussion on how magazines can adapt to reach Gen Z and beyond.
1. Engage with your audience
“Young people care about news,” said Anna Bassi, whose publication targets eight to 14-year-olds. To keep young readers engaged, Anna explained, you must understand what they want to read - their key interests. The panel discussed the significance of proactivity in reaching out, with Laurence Mozafari adding: “don’t build it and hope they will come. Go to them.”
2. Innovate and embrace failure
The group agreed that, in order to grow as a brand and reach the younger generation, taking risks is imminent. “Try new things, innovate, and don’t be scared of failing,” Adam Clyne said, adding that “this industry has never been more exciting, so have fun with it”. Whether it’s a new style of content, a niche topic, or creating a TikTok account, it can have a bigger impact that you might think.
3. Grow through social media
Adam Clyne suggested magazines can learn a lot from social-first brands like, such as LadBible, where content is created specifically in mind of the “attention deficit” a lot of young people experience. Many tend to “curate their own content”. TikTok, for example, has proved an invaluable asset that enables brands to “introduce their brand to a Gen Z platform”. The Washington Post’s “TikTok guy” has over 29.1 million likes – that’s a lot of potential readers.
4. Think digital
Glamour’s digital-first strategy was brought up as benchmark for success, including their excellent social media output. At Digital Spy, Laurence Mozafari’s team has produced incredible digital covers since launching their magazine in July, including November’s innovative moving cover celebrating the biggest blockbusters of the 21st century. It’s been a hit with their readership, something that grabs attention and pauses the scrolling instinct.
5. Print can be too slow
Being relevant and up-to-date is crucial, and it’s no surprise digital content and social media will always be quicker than print. “The industry has been too slow to respond to digital,” said Adam Clyne. The panel agreed this is one of the reasons young people may overlook magazines as sources. Adam used the example of an influencer in the front row of a fashion show, broadcasting content to millions of followers. A magazine may be too late to the party by the time it goes into print. Where magazine content can play to its strengths is by creating considered, curated content.
6. Be authentic
But while speed and timing are crucial for attracting a young audience, so is being authentic and “sticking to the mantra of truth”, as Laurence Mozafari noted. “There is a battle between speed and relevance,” said Adam Clyne, suggesting that young people need a “stamp of authority” to trust a brand. In an age of fake news, being a “well-trusted” brand is incredibly important. Maria Pieri brought up the example of National Geographic, who have 146 million Instagram followers and successfully sustain this level of trust. “Young people come to the brand to cut through the noise and they know they can trust us,” she said.
7. Learn from the statistics
Although there is still work to be done, there are positive patterns in young readerships and, according to Laurence Mozafari, magazines are still a “proper lifestyle choice”. His [anecdotal] market research on Instagram suggested a third of “young” respondents do read magazines. Furthermore, less covered topics receive great appreciation from young people as they “embrace their niches” through titles like Little White Lies. “Leaning into uniqueness is key. The magazines that do it best are the ones that offer a service you can’t get elsewhere,” Laurence said.
8. Teens and young adults are the most difficult to reach
Anna Bassi claimed there was initial skepticism when The Week Junior launched - there is a wealth of activity in the children’s print market, particularly as the readers are too young to use social media or other distractions, as well as the fact the magazines are bought by parents. “There’s a lot out there for a pre-school audience, but older children are more independent in thought,” Anna said. The challenge also comes when teens are introduced to social media and have more freedom to choose what they want to read, and the options are slim. Laurence Mozafari suggested a strong brand can ensure older readers return to the magazine, even if they are not purchasing on a regular basis. In Adam’s words, “people are hard to reach. They always have been”. But as we embrace the necessary changes, it’ll become that little bit easier.
9. Nurture talent
It’s not only young readership that should be targeted, but also the next generation of budding writers and editors. Anna Bassi claims lockdown has been a great opportunity for virtual work experience and internships, much like the placements BSME interns have been doing with The Week Junior. Opportunities like Hearst’s internship scheme with SpareRoom break down the barriers to entry to the magazine industry and allows us to include readers in the hearts of our operations.
10. Treat them seriously
While young people have a lot to take away from the world of magazines, there is certainly a “mutual learning” curve, as Laurence Mozafari identifies. When it comes to hiring young talent, Adam Clyne said that “we shouldn’t be thinking of them as junior members or interns, we should be thinking of them as people who can teach us, because we all have a lot to think about. It isn’t about hiring an intern - it’s about hiring someone because of their experiences.” And those experiences count on the readership side, too - Anna Bassi shared that although her audience are young, they are very critical of content. “Treat them with respect – they are intelligent human beings. Find out what they care about and tap into their curiosity,” she said.
