Newspaper editors in search of young readers: content and layout strategies to win new readers

Abstract

Newspaper editors have to confront declining sales figures while research reveals that this decline is more notable among readers from younger age groups. Consequently, editors have tried to attract young readers by revising content, changing aspects of layout, or by editing special youth inserts and supplements. This paper reports the findings of research which analyzes reading behavior and attitudes towards newspapers among a representative sample of 1200 16–18‐year‐old Belgian students. The results indicate the degree to which the different editorial strategies match the desires of young readers. The paper concludes that content shifts offer the best chances for increasing readership: more attention to local news, extra background information and easier language help to reduce the gap between newspapers and young readers. Adolescents indicate their desire to be treated as mature partners in the communication process and therefore reject a layout that is merely innovative or flashy. Youth inserts seem to be valuable tools to attract readers under the age of 16.