How to Reach Young Readers: Avoid Snark Attacks, and Other Tips

By: Brian Orloff My relationship with newspapers began before I entered middle school, in an unusual way, when I began to write for one.

At age 10, I accepted a position on the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times' "X-Team," a nascent group of kids selected to give first-hand reports on youth culture. The newspaper designed a special page, called X-Press, that still runs each Monday in the features section, and we were given free rein -- told to write stories about entertainment or politics, personal essays, even toy reviews.

Talk about an exciting crash course in the world of journalism.

My stint was to last a year, but I became enamored of the deadlines, the ability to pitch stories, and, of course, my byline (which is still a thrill). I managed to persuade the editors to let me continue, and I've done just that ever since. Now I contribute to the paper's regular features and entertainment sections.

While I recognize that this might make me a bit of an anomaly in terms of the crucial "young newspaper reading demographic," I do understand how desperately people in the business want to reach young adults. (Here's a dirty secret: I have friends and colleagues in j-school who do not, ever, read newspapers, preferring instead to grab their news exclusively online or on television.) But I almost always wince when I see the misguided ways papers attempt to be cutting edge.

I'm talking about those (mostly) cringe-inducing tabloids that newspapers publish to net young readers, or youngish readers on the go. It's not that I'm opposed to the publications on principle. I've even written for one or two of them. I want to like them. But these papers' editors and writers often seem clueless in their execution.

What appears to be an earnest attempt at tailoring the news to multi-tasking readers often comes across as pandering. Young readers have hectic lives. But we don't need to be bombarded with painfully hip references or silly euphemisms masking as section headlines (such as "Hot Topics" instead of "News" in the St. Pete Times' free weekly tabloid). Editors needn't supplant substance with jargon so flimflam it condescends to readers and belies the weighty news at hand.

Just because readers are young does not mean they are less engaged with the world. France has found success with Mon Quotidien, a daily newspaper (with a 60,000 circulation) written exclusively for children, that does not soften the day's hard news. If French teenagers can handle the reality, American college-aged readers and young professionals certainly can. And we deserve it.

Also, these tabloids' objectives are short sighted. It is one thing to attract new readership and another to maintain and nurture that readership. How will buying a Red Eye to read on the 'L' encourage me to subscribe to the Chicago Tribune? Rather than connect the two, editors at these tabloids seem to be distancing themselves from their "parent" papers.

And that's too bad. But rather than rant, I would like to suggest to editors some ways in which they might revise and revitalize their flabby publications.

First, more regular newspapers should invest in the idea of a teen-oriented page. Newspapers that do understand the merit in employing young writers. That is how you maintain loyalty with readers. Adults relish reading contributions from young writers but, more important, the newspaper encourages kids to grow into the profession (as I have). Plus, kids are great P.R. agents, eager to spread word of their accomplishments to friends who will, in turn, pick up the paper.

Second, don't abandon the youth tabs altogether. In general, the papers have proven that they excel at entertainment and sports coverage, which is, admittedly, important to younger readers. And there are bright spots: the Red Eye often features zippy, clever captions and headlines that are amusing and informative. But these tabloids could also offer an opportunity to showcase a newspaper's knack for creative design and photojournalism. Why not show off stellar photography? Or experiment with form? Photo essays, more narrative, or literary-style journalism will vary the paper's tone.

Most aim for cute and conversational and -- here's where the pandering comes in -- instead come off snarky and air-headed. Why not try for literate and engaging?

Third, young readers (contrary to the stereotype) crave hard news stories. But if time is such an issue, rather than dilute the news, just shorten it. Write in digest style, a la The New York Times' Week In Review section, and give punchy, but sober, renditions of the day's news, allowing, of course, more space for major stories.

Two more ideas:

? Use your tabloid in conjunction with the major paper. Tease stories featured in the main paper in your tabloid and, better still, include links to online coverage, too.

? Introduce readers to your main newspaper's columnists by publishing some columns in your tabs, or allowing columnists to pen a special column targeted at young readers. Remember, the target demographic is just as diverse as its adult counterpart and expects and deserves a multiplicity of editorial voices.

As a pre-teen, working with editors gave me invaluable insight and confidence that has allowed me to continue in this field. Not every kid will have interest in writing for a newspaper, but editors should take every opportunity to reach out to young readers, not pander to them.