8 keys to reach and resonate with Gen Z on social media

Publishers and brand managers are already trying to pinpoint what catches the attention of a generation that’s yet to come of age.

Gen Z is expected to represent 40 percent of all consumers by 2020. There are roughly 60 million teens in the U.S. alone, and they have $44 billion in annual buying power.

They’ve been called “millennials on steroids,” but also “the anti-millennials.” So, what sets them apart from the generation that has already been fussed over so much?

Using NewsWhip Analytics, we studied a year’s worth of social media engagement data, sampling websites, Facebook Pages, Instagram handles and YouTube accounts that have a large audience of Gen Z consumers, and then examining which stories and content pieces energized and interested Gen Z.

Here are the findings:

1. They want to hear about real experiences.

Anything is fair game to Gen Z. Social media has broken down established marketing and storytelling boundaries—which are foreign to Gen Z kids, most of whom have grown up with social media.