How has this Italian media company gambled on Instagram to emerge and reach a young audience?

With 1.3 million followers on Instagram, Will media, founded in 2020, has established itself in the Italian media landscape among young people aged 18 to 35. The first Italian community to be born on Instagram, this medium works in close collaboration with its audience, using original formats that are as close as possible to the interests of its community, with whom it co-constructs its content.
Millennials and Gen-Z
“The majority of our audience is under 35, and 25% of them are students“, observes Francesco Zaffarano. On Instagram, 48% of followers are aged between 25 and 34, 20% between 18 and 24 and 16% between 34 and 50. By publishing on a wide range of platforms and media, Will Media is multiplying the opportunities it has to reach out to its readers. From TikTok to Telegram, via Youtube, the medium also publishes a podcast, a newsletter, a book and even a documentary film.
Information fatigue
The guiding principle: to publish clear, simple information that helps people understand the major issues of the day. To build Will, its founders started with a simple observation: “We had the impression that we ourselves were finding it hard to do this work. That we didn’t read any more and found it increasingly difficult to keep ourselves informed“. The aim: to put people off getting informed.
The benefits of social networking
“We decided to publish on social networks to capture the public where they spend their time, because our audience doesn’t watch newspapers“, continues Zaffarano.
Using short video formats and infographics, the medium uses simple language that is accessible to everyone. Francesco Zaffarano continues: “We also believe that this medium involves the audience more, and that we are building a more intimate relationship with them. We see ourselves as a public service serving our audience, with whom we interact. These exchanges become the starting point for our work.”
The fight against climate change and civil rights
One of the characteristics of Will Media’s audience is its desire to be active and its great interest in the fight against climate change and civil rights. “For 47.6% of Will’s community, the priority for our country should be the search for greater social, environmental and economic sustainability“, explains Francesco Zaffarano. The editorial team also organises physical events such as dressing-room empties, video screenings and round-table discussions where participants choose the theme to be discussed. Themed tours of Italy are organised around one question: “What keeps you awake at night? Local associations are involved, enabling the team, which tends to be urban, to penetrate less accessible and visible areas, such as small towns“.
Business model
The small team, made up of around thirty people, includes a wide variety of profiles brought together in editorial, sales, graphics and administrative teams. Francecso Zaffarano continues: “We built our business model around the interests of our audience. We offer brand content to companies. For example, one of our first collaborations was with a clothing company that wanted to work on the environmental impact of clothing. We supplemented this with a video in which we asked our audience to bring us a garment in order to measure the amount of water needed to make it. We then accompanied the people to assess and understand the impact of fashion on the environment.”