5 top tips on creating blog content that Gen Z will *actually* read

It’s a common misconception that Gen Z have short attention spans. They might be the generation of snappy, short-form content and bite-sized TikTok videos – but fear not: this doesn’t mean they’re allergic to anything written.

The game-changer is making the content engaging – writing about something that they’ll actually want to stop scrolling for.

If you’re a brand looking to learn how to stop your content from disappearing into the abyss of the feed, look no further – we’ve condensed five top tips to capture their attention spans, sharpish.

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Be Student-Centric

Currently, there’s a massive 235 million students enrolled in higher education around the world.

Spoiler alert: the overwhelming majority are Gen Z.

So, if you’re looking to reach this cohort, you’ll need to tailor your content to not only be relevant, but to be relatable. Whether it's study tips, academic resources, mental health support, or just something downright silly, this kind of content directly enhances your blog's value to its target audience. This is where a well-thought-out blog content strategy becomes essential.

We caught up with some of our writers on the Student Beans blog (Pion's B2C arm).

“For us, there are two things that perform well as a student publication.

Firstly, anything that’s specific to students – like any student news about loans, or things that are impacting them. Secondly, anything initiative or freebie-led: anything that offers them some kind of value”, says Lydia Kah-Pavlou, Senior Content Writer.

This brings us nicely to our second tip…

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Give them something for nothing

Let's be real. We all love freebies – whether it's a chance to claim compensation, get paid for napping, or snag a free gym membership (all real promotions the team at Student Beans has run, by the way…).

These are hard economic times that young consumers are living through – a massive 97% shared that they’re struggling with the cost-of-living crisis more than people think.

If your content promotes something valuable – be it information, discounts, or free stuff – Gen Z are all in. Trust us – we have the stats to prove it: Student Beans’ top-performing blogs last quarter were primarily ones that promised freebies. Creating a blog content calendar to plan these types of posts can ensure consistent engagement.

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Hit the tone of voice properly

ICYMI, “authentic” was the word of the year in 2023. And whilst you might be sick of hearing it, it was for a reason. Writing to a Gen Z audience requires some knowledge of the “a” word – your tone of voice will need to be natural and conversational.

Leave the corporate jargon at the door and prepare for some epic content marketing.

Shorter, snappy – and shareable

When we researched this piece, we did our due diligence. We checked out the estimated reading times on Student Beans’ most successful blogs. Unsurprisingly, they average at around 2 to 4 minutes – snappy, short and shareable.

Enough time to inject a bit of energy into the content, but not long enough to put your reader to sleep. Using a blog content strategy can help in maintaining this concise and engaging style.

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A picture (or a video...) adds a thousand words

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Written content is great, yes, but students are probably sick of reading paragraphs of words alone. They’ve got their dissertations for that.

Integrating media into blog posts can enhance the effectiveness of your content. This is for a few reasons. Firstly (and most simply) it makes the content more digestible.

Secondly, as we know, Gen Z is drawn to visually stimulating content. Visual content can grab the attention of the reader, and encourage them to stay on the page for longer.

Thirdly, it allows you to leverage their familiarity with the platforms they’re spending the most time on. 81% of Gen Z use Instagram, whilst 74% are active on TikTok. By integrating this into your blog, you’re meeting users where they are.

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Want to learn more about how you can harness the power of the blog? Looking for full-funnel, highly targeted and highly effective marketing? Whether it’s blog content ideas or crafting an epic content marketing plan, our expertise can guide you to become one of the best content marketing brands. Remember, content marketing is like a first date – you need to make a good impression quickly. Tracking content marketing KPIs will ensure you're on the right path. We can help with that.