The Local Approach to Growing Hispanic-Latino Audiences

The ability to adapt to growing trends in the communities that receive and interact with the news is a crucial aspect that must not be overlooked. Following immigration patterns, as well as demographic and cultural shifts, it is paramount today for media strategies to not only incorporate diverse viewpoints but to also facilitate local coverage that is culturally relevant and timely for specific community groups.

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A key demographic shift worth noting is the exponential growth of the Hispanic-Latino population in the U.S., having surpassed 63 million and will likely represent 26.9% of the U.S. population by 2060. This also means that this year’s election could see at least 17.5 million Latino voters at the polls, representing over one out of every 10 votes.

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There are some distinctions in news consumption habits between U.S.-born Latinos and those born outside the U.S., most U.S.-born Latinos prefer news in English while 47% of Latino immigrants prefer news in Spanish. Additionally, the Pew Research Center's 2023 National Survey of Latinos on media reported that Latinos are much more likely to prefer getting news from digital devices.

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Understanding the media landscape and statistics and incorporating them into media strategies is critical to engaging the entire demographic or targeting specific audience segments if needed.

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At Direct Impact, our keen understanding of these demographic trends ensures we consistently adapt our strategies as our clients continue to grow and impact diverse communities. Most importantly, through in-depth research our team of experts maintains a strong pulse on media trends across local networks, allowing us to identify useful insights that further optimize our local approach.

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Recently, we conducted a comprehensive survey across our nationwide network of local experts on attitudes toward Hispanic-Latino media. We gathered incredibly valuable insights on current trends and analyses in over 40 markets across the U.S., including:

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‍Increase in Demand: A third of the markets surveyed said they are seeing an increase in requests for In-Spanish Language media opportunities.

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‍Interest in In-Spanish Language Coverage: Over 35 markets shared local publications that are interested in running In-Spanish Language stories. 

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‍Need for Bilingual Spokespeople: Many of our local teams affirmed the need to increase the amount of media-trained, bilingual spokespeople for media opportunities.

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Visuals for Representation: Our teams stressed the importance of providing localized visuals, translated materials and content that is representative of the Hispanic-Latino community.

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These valuable insights have helped our team develop more robust media strategies for our clients in ways that are impactful within Hispanic-Latino communities. Additionally, these insights provided our team with on-the-ground knowledge that is current, dynamic, unique to specific markets, and adapted to cultural shifts. Amid the historic evolution in the influence of Hispanic-Latino media, our team is fully prepared to help our clients meaningfully engage with diverse Spanish-speaking audiences through executing tailored strategies unique to their respective communities.

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Julie Rollend is a Senior Vice President at Direct Impact. She brings two decades of experience in public relations and corporate communications with a backgrounding consumer, lifestyle, hospitality, and technology. She is a local media strategist for our clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to membership associations. She currently lives in New York and is based in the New York City office.

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Paola Zapata is an Account Executive at Direct Impact. With experience in media relations, crisis communications and strategy development for clients across a variety of industries, she manages day-to-day operations for DI’s grassroots programs. Paola is a native of Venezuela and is passionate about connecting clients with Spanish-speaking communities and developing strategies with a Hispanic-Latino focus. She currently resides in Maryland and is based out of the Washington, D.C. office.

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