It has often been a challenge for some to get the attention of and be able to manage millennials, but for the founders of school-based publication Spoon University, it has been a fun thing to do.
"At most media companies, it's about the page views, the audience, the distribution strategy; and while we definitely think about those things, we really focus on the creators," one of Spoon's co-founders, 25-year-old Mackenzie Barth, told Forbes.
Spoon University is a student-run publication that offers food-related content specifically tailored for millennials. Spoon University has different "chapters" in each school, and each chapter is run by students. And unlike other food websites, those student-members pay a membership fee to be entitled to write.
Launched in 2012, Spoon University now garners about 4 million unique visitors a month, and already ha 170 chapters running around the world. It even has a recently-opened chapter for younger students, Spoon University High School.
So how did the founders, Mackenzie Barth and Sarah Adler, get millennials hooked up and desiring to be part of the Spoon University? Here's how.
Spoon gives millennnials a chance to leave a legacy
Barth and Adler said among their peers, they recognized a need "to be entrepreneurial and leave a legacy." Millennials, Barth says, want to "create things" with which they could leave a positive impact that stays even after they've graduated from school. They want to leave a fingerprint of themelves.
Spoon gives millennials a chance to get better
"Mastery is mastery of skills, feeling like you're getting better, making progress," says Barth. "Any time a student joins the network, they go through training."
Barth explained that students who become members of the publication receive training about SEO, writing, food photography, marketing, and pretty much "everything you'd need to know in digital media."
Spoon gives millennials a mentor or coach
Students who become members of Spoon University have their editors give them necessary feedback. Somehow, the editors become some sort of mentors or coaches for them, something that they'd generally prefer over trophies according to another Forbes article.
Spoon gives millennials a community of people they could fit in
Spoon builds its community through Facebook groups, a Slack channel, and an annual conference where Spoon members from all across the nation can come together and meet in person.
Spoon gives millennials the opportunity to invest in something they love
"A lot of the time people don't know what they want and need so you have to make decisions for them," Barth said. With Spoon, millennials can do what they love to do, while building up a community and company they love.
