If delivery can help you attract younger viewers, this guy may be cracking the code.
If you want to understand how to engage viewers who are getting their news on TikTok and Instagram, you might start by going to school on the primary campaign of Zohran Mamdani, which so inspired and animated the age group that newscast organizations are desperate to attract. While his campaign has earned attention for its clarity and discipline—its ability to focus and stay on point—there’s more to his success than getting the message right.
It’s not just the message.
It’s the way he embodies it.
The choices he makes as a communicator are as instructive for journalists as they are for anyone else who has something important to say in a vertical space. They remind us that delivery—when it’s infused with purpose—doesn’t distort or distract from the message. It is the message. Whether you’re a journalist or a politician, the way you tell the story is every bit as important as the story you have to tell.
Here’s one example:
A few takeaways:
The segment is about asking questions.
Relentless curiosity is the fuel powering his performance here. Asking the questions – not having the answers — is the heart and soul of journalism. In research, when we ask viewers what they value most in news anchors, they tell us they value talent who seem to really care about the community they serve. Asking is caring.
We don’t just see him talking. We see him listening.
And responding in ways that prove he is listening.
His delivery is unscripted and unrushed.
Authentic energy isn’t about just going fast and being louder. That’s performed energy, and viewers can see right through it. Authentic energy generates from clarity about what matters—and being present enough o respond in the moment.
He is physically animated.
The physicality is not performance for its own sake—it’s evidence of real engagement. Research shows that people move more when they’re curious – when they’re authentically exploring. They gesture. They lean in. The body reflects the mind at work.
When he addresses viewers, he moves toward the camera.
That movement communicates both confidence and urgency about connecting.
He gives himself something to do.
In this case, he uses a prop – the plate he eats from at the top of the segment. When the body is authentically engaged, the mind and the voice work more authentically, too.
He has a sense of humor.
Over and over, our research has shown that having a sense of humor is one of the most powerful attributes an anchor or reporter can possess. Viewers associate the attribute with being smart and well-informed, as well as being able to have fun when appropriate. They don’t expect the news to make them feel good, but they do value talent who can help them feel good about the time they spend watching it.
And maybe most important, none of this is new!!!
In addition to performance, it’s just great execution of elements the best television news organizations have been practicing for decades — animated camera work, use of nat sound, crisp editing, smart graphics, engaged talent — and should be able to execute now as well or better than anyone on the planet.
Wouldn’t it be something if, at the end of the day, appealing to new audiences is really about just doing what we do best?
