Is it just me, or are you overloaded with content these days? As a Gen Z, even I’m at the point where I don’t know what show to watch anymore because of how many different streaming platforms there are, and it can be very overwhelming to navigate.
Social media is the same story. There are so many ads on all of these platforms trying to get my attention and sell me something. Needless to say, it all becomes white noise. Therefore with the amount of ads and content that are out there on a daily basis, the content that you create needs to be unique and engaging in order to grab the attention of the Gen Z audience.
According to Forrester, nearly a third of all Gen Z have unfollowed, hidden, or blocked brands that try to advertise to them. They are sick of seeing boring content, so it’s time to make yours stand out!
MAKE YOUR CONTENT RELEVANT
One way to make your content jump off the page is to be relevant. Whether you are doing a video, blog, social media post, or advertising, it must have personable relevance for the people receiving it.
There is a lot of irrelevant content out there, so when making yours, you should think, “Why should a person watch or read this?” Don’t worry; making this may seem difficult, but making relevant content can be done. One way to make your content relatable is to make it entertaining, helpful, and/or inspiring. For example, suppose you are creating a social media post for your nonprofit. Include a way to educate people about your organization, and try to tell an impactful story to help them feel connected to your cause.
MAKE YOUR CONTENT SIMPLE
Another way to make your content unique is to make it simple. Sometimes, less is more. According to Thrive My Way, “An average zoomer (Gen Z) spends eight seconds evaluating the content, which is four seconds less than Millennials.” As the years go by, content will be continue to get much shorter and easier to read because of the dwindling attention spans of the younger generations.
TikTok is a big driver for this, because each mini-video is an average of 30 seconds, and Gen Z loves it because they can consume all the content they want at a faster rate.
This is why making things that are easy to read, simple, and straight to the point is vital to capturing this younger audience. Another useful technique would be using lists in your videos, posts, infographics, and more. Making your content fully digestible in 8 seconds or less guarantees that the person reading it has a better chance of retaining the information they’ve just consumed.
MAKE YOUR CONTENT EYE-POPPING
Next, making content that will be seen requires eye-popping imagery to go along with it. According to Forbes, 91% of people like visual over written content. Whether you are producing visual content, written content, or both, it is essential to use the best possible imagery you can find. Photos with fresh colors that relay what you're talking about will help bring in more people and it will also drive viewers to finish all of what you put out there.
MAKE YOUR CONTENT ENGAGING
Lastly, another way to create good content is to invite your audience to engage with your content. Make sure it is easy to share, and be direct and ask your audience to share with others. The first three points I’ve listed are about building the foundation, however the engagement piece is just as critical.
When you allow your audience to engage, you have a better way of knowing if something isn’t working, so you can change it up to better connect with them. Needless to say, listening to your audience is essential for knowing how to engage with them and for gaining more subscribers and followers.
Quality content can be hard to create these days, and it seems like everyone is promoting something online. But if you follow these steps, you will have a much easier time creating content that will attract Gen Z's and entice them to learn about your cause and your organization.
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Article by Ethan Wickham, ZGIVE Digital Media Manager & Resident Gen Z
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