Reply To: tips on starting a college/nyc satirical news social media account(s)?

[nobsmentor]

I actually think the fact you’re starting this as a sophomore helps more than hurts.

You still have enough time to let the format evolve naturally instead of trying to make it instantly “serious.”

And honestly the strongest part of your idea is not the satire itself.
It’s the combination of:

– NYC college culture
– student journalism
– internet-native humor
– broadcast-style packaging

That’s a pretty underexplored lane.

But I think the biggest thing is:
don’t make it feel like “students trying to imitate SNL.”

That can get painfully unfunny very fast.

What would make this work is if it feels:

– hyper-specific
– self-aware
– culturally accurate
– very NYC student coded
– slightly chaotic
– observant

The best satire usually comes from:
recognizable truths people already feel.

Like:

– weird Fordham social dynamics
– NYC commuter/student survival
– internship culture
– rich kid vs broke student contrast
– dating/social scenes
– MTA suffering
– fake intellectualism
– campus politics
– “networking” culture
– media/film student stereotypes

That’s where the real shareability is.

Also your visual branding idea is strong.
The retro local-news aesthetic mixed with Gen Z pacing could actually stand out a lot compared to generic campus meme pages.

One thing I’d suggest:
start SHORTER than you think.

1–3 mins is harder than it sounds.
Especially solo.

You’ll probably grow faster initially with:

– 20–45 second desk bits
– fake breaking news
– quick correspondent segments
– man-on-the-street clips
– recurring characters/jokes

Then expand once people understand the tone.

And honestly don’t overthink “how it sells” yet.
The bigger risk isn’t monetization.
It’s consistency and format fatigue.

If the tone becomes recognizable enough, people will start treating it like:
“the NYC college news account”
which is where the real momentum starts.