How Veszprém Kukac stopped guessing, started listening, and caught the Youth Pulse
Journalists are trained to be sceptical. It’s one of the core principles of our craft – to question sources, challenge assumptions, and dig deeper for the truth. But there’s one area where we often fail to apply that same scepticism: how our audience perceives our work.
We assume they’re reading, engaging, appreciating – or at the very least, noticing. But assumptions are dangerous, especially in a media landscape that’s constantly shifting. The Validation Booster programme invites journalists to do something surprisingly rare: to turn the lens inward, question our formats, and test whether what we believe is valuable is truly valued by the people we want to reach.
For Veszprém Kukac, this process wasn’t just about launching a new column. It was about challenging long-held beliefs, letting go of outdated assumptions, and learning to listen – I mean, really listen – to a generation that’s not disinterested, but often underserved.
Veszprém Kukac is an independent local media outlet in western Hungary. It covers public life, community issues, and cultural events in and around Veszprém. While the outlet has long served a loyal, middle-aged readership, the team recently turned its focus toward younger audiences. With increasing concern about long-term relevance and financial sustainability, they joined the Validation Booster programme to test a bold new direction: a dedicated content stream for Gen Z.
I worked with the team as their coach and mentor throughout the process, and I’ll admit, I was sceptical at first, too. Could they engage a younger audience? Gen Z is arguably the most difficult target group for any media: they’re highly selective, digitally native, and quick to dismiss anything that doesn’t feel relevant, real, or on their terms.
The initial challenge
The idea wasn’t entirely new. The team had long considered launching a digital column for young people. But two key barriers stood in the way: how to truly engage Gen Z using traditional content formats and a lack of resources to experiment with newer formats like TikTok or Instagram Reels.
The programme helped them to test their hypothesis:
If they created relevant, youth-oriented content, then Gen Z would engage, and local businesses might be interested in supporting it.
But there was still a lot of uncertainty.
Would this content truly resonate? Could it be sustained financially in the long term? These questions were central to the validation process. The team wasn’t just testing a content idea – they were testing the foundations of a potential business model built on authentic engagement and brand collaboration.
What they thought they knew
At the heart of the validation process was a simple but powerful step: identifying and challenging assumptions.
The team at Veszprém Kukac came into the programme with several strong beliefs about their audience and content. Some were confirmed. Others didn’t survive the first round of real-world testing.
When testing began, the team assumed the problem was a lack of interest. “We thought Gen Z just didn’t care about local news,” they said. But they were wrong.
What they discovered was that young people do care – but only if the content speaks their language, reflects their lives, and shows up where they already are.
The real problem wasn’t the subject matter. It was the delivery.
This realisation hit hard when their original idea – a written column hosted on their website – failed to make an impact.
“It was a necessary reality check,” they admitted, “and it pushed us to start experimenting with short-form video instead.”
Listening to Gen Z
The team began engaging directly with Gen Z through interviews, comments, surveys, and informal feedback. The results were often blunt, but deeply informative: “We don’t use Facebook anymore”, “We don’t read long articles”, “We want content that feels real, relatable, and fast.”
As much as the team wanted to believe that their existing formats could still work, they had to accept that they wouldn’t, not for this audience. It was tough to hear, but it made them rethink everything and shift toward platform-native content.
When asked how their audience might rewrite the project in one sentence, the team responded: “Make content that reflects our reality, in our language, on our platforms.”
That single sentence became a reminder that relevance isn’t just about what you say, but how, where, and for whom you say it.
A breakthrough moment
The turning point came when two of their TikTok videos went viral, sparking unexpected levels of engagement and conversation.
“That’s when we knew we were on the right track,” the team shared. Even simple, well-timed content resonated because it felt authentic.
@veszprem_kukac Te voltál már a veszprémi lengyel piacon? Mindenképp érdemes rászánni egy vasárnap délelőttöt, ha szeretsz kincset keresni! 😉 #magyartiktok #veszprém #lengyelpiac #veszprémmegye #nekedbelegyen #hungary #visitveszprém #veszprem #veszpremkukac #foryoupage ♬ Mouse single click sound(1094140) – STUDIO SUNNY SIDE
One of the biggest surprises didn’t come from young people, but from local businesses. Many were eager to reach Gen Z – they just didn’t know how. This insight opened the door to an authentic, mission-aligned branded content model, where businesses could support or collaborate on youth-driven media in meaningful ways.
@veszprem_kukac Ma országjáró körútja során Veszprémbe érkezett Magyar Péter, a Tisza Párt elnöke. Kiemelten fontosnak tartja a magyar fiatalok életminőségének javítását. Cikkünk és interjúnk hamarosan érkezik! #veszprem #veszprém #veszpremkukac #magyartiktok #nekedbe #nekedbelegyen #magyarpeter #tiszapart #veszpremmegye ♬ Mouse click sound – moromi
Lessons learned
By the end of the programme, Veszprém Kukac had piloted short-form video content on TikTok and Instagram, started building new relationships with local businesses interested in Gen Z outreach and developed a content strategy aligned with both audience needs and financial sustainability.
Most importantly, they underwent a mindset shift.
Validation is not about being right. It’s about being honest, adaptable, and brave enough to let go of what doesn’t work – and to build something better through feedback.
Advice to other media outlets
“Stay curious, and listen more than you speak. And don’t get too attached to your original format – your audience might have a better idea,” the team advised other media outlets who want to start the Validation Booster journey.
Today, Veszprém Kukac is on a promising path toward building youth-driven content that not only connects with a new generation but also brings local journalism into their everyday digital lives – on their terms.
As journalists, scepticism is our second nature – and rightly so. But the Validation Booster programme reminded us that this critical mindset shouldn’t stop at the stories we cover. It must also be applied to our assumptions, formats, and ways of working. Through this process, we rediscovered the value of listening deeply, testing bravely, and being open to being wrong. In the end, that openness to change may be the most meaningful story we’ve told so far.
Author: Gena Traykova
