Young People Don't Hate News. They Hate Your Product.
Guest: Kerstin Hasse at INMA
About this episode
Young people don't hate news. They hate your product. What would change if news publishers took that seriously?
In this episode of Insight Shapes News by Kilkaya, host Nils Ove Håland Riise is joined by Kerstin Hasse, who leads INMA's Young Audiences Initiative, working with publishers globally on how to reach younger consumers of content. They discuss what it takes to earn young readers' attention and trust, and whether they will ever buy a subscription.
Many publishers assume young readers will eventually become subscribers as they get older. Kerstin challenges that assumption: why would someone suddenly abandon the formats and platforms they enjoy on their 40th birthday? As she puts it, publishers sell candy on TikTok, and when people finally walk in the shop, all they find is whole grain muesli. Young people are used to consuming news differently. Maybe they like muesli, but they want some marshmallows on top.
The data is sobering. In a US study from the News Literacy Project, teens were asked to describe news media with one word, and the top five answers were fake, crazy, boring, biased, and sad. Kerstin argues that "fake" is the most important of these, connected to disinformation and AI slop, and that the industry needs to fight disinformation together rather than each other.
From The Economist's approach to different subscription products to The Boston Globe's B-Side community, we explore how publishers are building new relationships with their audiences. The conversation also turns to newsroom culture: how teams collaborate, who gets heard, and what happens when social media and video journalists are pushed to the margins.
- What publishers mean by "young audiences" and why behaviour matters beyond age
- Why waiting for young readers to grow into your product is a risky bet
- Whether publishers need more ways to pay beyond a full subscription
- What journalists can learn from creators about presenting news and meeting audience needs
- How video, podcasts and newsletters can become valuable products in their own right
- Why trust, human connection and community matter in a world with more AI content
- Why younger colleagues need a voice in newsroom decisions
- One practical step newsrooms can take to better understand their audiences
What would your news organisation need to change to become a product younger audiences choose? A conversation about young audiences, changing habits, and making news worth coming back to.