KUALA LUMPUR: Newsrooms need to recognise that the younger generation has a shorter attention span, says co-founder of The Daily Australia, Sam Koslowski.
Koslowski said acknowledging the problem is the first step to successfully engaging Gen Z readership.
“We need to realise that in a world where truth is less certain than ever, we have a bigger responsibility to do better and to understand our processes a lot more,” he said during the Audience Engagement Strategies as Alternatives to Social Media Platform plenary session at WAN-IFRA Digital Media Asia (DMA) 2025 yesterday.
The session was moderated by Star Media Group (SMG) chief content officer Datin Paduka Esther Ng.
“As social media platforms like Meta and X show growing shorter attention span, what are the alternatives that can help media companies to stay engaged with the audience, especially the younger ones?
“This session delves into new trends and suggests platforms and ideas that can help you grow your audience,” Ng said in her introductory remarks.
Koslowski said it is not on the reader, especially the younger generation, to instantly trust news presented to them.
“We have to prove that to them. The way we do that is really hard work, and it’s often not instantly rewarding.
“We need to be thinking about long-term quality,” he added.
His media company has pioneered social-first news delivery in Australia and now has global aspirations, leveraging new and captivating ways of delivering newsletters.
Laura Crimmons, the head of growth management and audience development at Ringier, said the challenge in reaching a digital audience lies in the increasing number of digital channels, which is exacerbated by limited resources.
She said in Ringier, automation of digital content in the newsroom was introduced to improve reach and efficiency.
“We introduced automation step by step, and with the newsletters, we showed the data how the automation can improve in terms of clicks.
“When we take out the boring parts, we have time for the fun and creative parts,” she said when responding to a question on the challenge to introduce automation in the newsroom.
This 2025 edition of DMA brings together global media leaders to share their innovations in digital revenue, artificial intelligence, and newsroom technology.
DMA is Asia-Pacific’s largest and foremost regional news media industry event on digital trends, revenue and technology.
This year marks its 17th year.
