Two-thirds of Gen Z state that they’re constantly connected online, and they’re consuming more content than any other generation, clocking in over 13 hours a day.

But our independent consumer research found that a lot of that content that reaches them doesn’t have any impact; almost 90% of Gen Z are regularly targeted with irrelevant content.

This is a big problem, especially when you consider that Gen Z is the first social-first generation, flocking to social media more frequently than search engines to research brands and products.

To underline this even further, our research found that 86% of Gen Z check social media before making a purchase, meaning if your content isn’t catching their eye, you might have lost a potential customer.

So what does Gen Z want to see on social?

Video

It’s no surprise to anyone who watched TikTok explode onto the scene that Gen Z love watching videos. In fact, 50% of GenZ “don’t know how they’d get through life” without videos in their daily lives.

Gen Z are consuming vast amounts of content, and they want as much as they can get, as quickly as they can get it - 7 out of 10 prefer to watch a lot of shorter videos rather than get completely immersed in a longer TV show or video. 

Keeping your video content short and snappy, or repurposing long-form content or traditional media into multiple, bite-sized videos, are great ways to engage this audience, as over 75% say that watching short-form video content makes them feel a part of a community.

User Generated Content

Speaking of community, Gen Z place a great deal of importance on brand advocacy. 

Our research found that what a friend or family member says about a brand on social media is the most trusted form of content among Gen Z, and having a friend or family member following or engaging with a brand is the number one reason why Gen Z would believe a brand’s content on social media.

So how can brands leverage this?

UGC.

No one consumes more user generated content than Gen Z. 

Being review-driven, sharing or reposting user generated photos and videos, or running a UGC campaign, will not only provide you with a host of free content as your disposal, but build trust with your audience.

And Gen Z are ready and eager to contribute, with half stating they would promote a brand on their social media for the quality of their products - and over 40% motivated to advocate simply out of love for the brand.

Platform Preference

Given its recent media presence, it’s natural for TikTok to come to mind when thinking about Gen Z on social. 

After all, TikTok doubled its reach with this audience during lockdown, with Gen Z users spending an average of 81 minutes per day on the platform.

However, it's Instagram that reigns supreme with this audience. 

73% of Gen Z are active monthly Instagrammers, more than any other platform.

Instagram is also the number one stop for Gen Z to connect with brands. 

Our research found that 88% of Gen Z prefer to see branded content on Instagram, with in-feed posts and Instagram Stories being their top two preferred formats.

Some of the best performing formats on Instagram take advantage of Gen Z’s trend toward short-form passive engagement. Instagram Stories are set to overtake the traditional feed in terms of engagement, and their latest offering, TikTok copycat Reels, is booming.

Videos on Instagram Reels are receiving significantly more engagement than traditional in-feed videos, largely due to the fact that there are 4 ways to discover Reels on Instagram: the Reels feed, the explore page, by hashtag, and by audio search.

In Summary...

If you want to connect with Gen Z, your content needs to take a page out of Daft Punk’s book and be harder, better, faster, stronger. 

Gen Z want to consume as much content as possible, as frequently as possible, so working in short-form videos into your content strategy will keep them engaged.

And what they really value is the opinion of their peers, so be sure to leverage any opportunity for brand advocacy and UGC to build trust and a sense of community amongst these social-first shoppers.

Finally, reach them where they are (and where they want to engage with you). Instagram is far and away the number one platform for connecting with Gen Z, and to maximise reach and engagement, you’ll want to be sure to take advantage of Stories and newby Reels to do so.