NN: A year later, it's still all politics

A year later, it's still all politics Hi there, Since the U.S. election last fall, the news cycle has been dominated by politically-charged stories, leading to a "Trump bump" for many English-language publishers. No vertical or niche was safe – we saw politics seep into fashion, tech, sports, autos, and even brand content. Some publishers worried what might happen when the Trump bump eventually disappeared. A year out, we can say that it hasn't gone anywhere yet. Fox News is back on top of our rankings with 13 million more engagements than last month. Partisan U.S. sites continue to grow in popularity on Facebook, with two new sites, the Daily Wire (conservative) and VerifiedPolitics (liberal) making gains in our rankings. This enduring social influence by partisan publishers is something to stay aware of. Fox News saw its two top stories on Facebook in October come from a story about the Las Vegas shooter and another about the NFL and Mike Pence. It’s currently difficult for smaller publishers to break into the ranks without adopting one of two approaches: embracing virality or appealing to passion and politics. Knowing how to tailor your [content for distribution](, and the emotions that help [encourage shares]( on social, can help publishers extend their reach. [Check out the full rankings here.]( Are brand newsrooms just adding to the noise? We asked KPMG, Bloomberg, and Sutherland about the effectiveness of brand newsrooms. Are they a fad or an investment that actually works? Here's what we learned: 1. Understand your business goals. “Too often our peers think ‘I want to be the next Oreo at the Super Bowl’, and it’s a waste of time & money," said Andrew Bowins of KPMG. 2. Focus on your audience first. "Who am I trying to reach and where are they having a conversation that I’m trying to be a part of?” asked Meena Thiruvengadam of Bloomberg. 3. Don't just focus on sell, sell, sell. Andrew advised, "Making content that’s opportunistic sets the stage for us to come back later.”. 4. Both emotional storytelling and controversy can have their place. It comes down to humanizing content and providing an opportunity for a genuine conversation. 5. Listen to the data. "You can make your life a lot harder if you don’t listen to the data,” warned Kate Hallett of Sutherland. [Read the blog for the full discussion](. How newsrooms are finding their digital identity Here's how newsrooms are mastering the transformation to digital, and what areas are left to optimize. [Photo]( Report: How toy brands are innovating on social media Ahead of the holiday season, we look at how toy companies have maximized their social media strategies. What stories drive likes vs. shares on Facebook? What type of stories will inspire social media users to share them with their network of friends and family? Noted - Yesterday a humble newsletter, tomorrow a creator of social video and audio. How [the Skimm]( is expanding. - BuzzFeed now has 19 people [writing commerce content](, focusing on fast-moving search and retail trends. - Can you trust this story? Facebook is testing out [trust indicators]( for the news feed. - Google is cracking down on publishers who use AMP to "[link-bait](". That's it! We'll see you in two weeks after Thanksgiving here in the States, so enjoy your long break if you celebrate! Chat with us [over on Twitter](, and if you found this newsletter useful, please [share us with a friend](. Have a great weekend, Gabriele and the NewsWhip team. Useful Links [NewsWhip Spike]( [NewsWhip Analytics]( [Resources]( [Blog]( [Contact]( [www.newswhip.com]( About Us Millions of stories, videos, and social posts are published each day, sparking billions of interactions. NewsWhip transforms this ocean of social data into actionable insights to inform your content strategy. NewsWhip products show you what audiences are engaging with in real time and what has performed best historically – in every vertical. This email was sent to {EMAIL}. If you no longer wish to receive these emails you may [unsubscribe]( at any time.