NN: What did 2017's top publishers get right?

[View this email in your browser]( [NewsWhip]( What did 2017's top publishers get right? Hi there, With 2017 just around the corner, we pulled together our annual [Whippies Awards]( for publishers. This year, we saw publishers become more sophisticated with their social media storytelling. At the same time, we also saw publishers contend with competition from hyperbolized sources, engagement fluctuations, and continuing monetization struggles. That said, we did determine a few publishers who managed to break through the noise. Despite the chaos, the New York Times has withstood the trials of 2017. There’s no sign of a slowdown on social either — three of the Times’ top five most engaging stories of 2017 were published in December. Meanwhile, Fox News’ formula of distilling the news into audience-friendly formats and highlighting quotable interviews was a successful tactic throughout the year. The Hill stood out for us as well. Its resolve to upholding a nonpartisan approach has made it stand the test of time, as readers and platforms turn their focus to publishers they can trust. We saved an honorable mention for Bored Panda. The light-hearted content may have been an antidote to the news cycle and signified that soft news can contend with hard news on the web, beyond the walled platforms. [Full breakdown here.]( Where in the world is good travel content? You don't have to go too far to find what makes for catchy travel content on social media. We analyzed three months of travel-focused content and brands to learn the trends that get stories shared on social media. The answers might surprise you. Cute animal stories work (when do they not?), but interestingly, stories about philanthropic travel brands can also go viral. [Read the full analysis of trends here.]( How 433 scores goal after goal on Instagram [Read more >]( What’s in a view? A guide to social video view counts [Read more >]( Branded content is king. Here’s why the data proves it. [Read more >]( Noted - Be classy, don't beg for likes. Facebook is [downranking spammy posts]( that are deemed "engagement-bait" - More than two billion conversations now occur monthly on Facebook [Messenger]( between users and businesses - The Atlantic putting its [paywall]( back up, reinstating it after ten years without one That's it this week. Come chat with us [over on Twitter]( if you have any social publishing insights of your own, and if you found this newsletter interesting, please [share it with a friend](. Have a great weekend, Gabriele and the NewsWhip team. [NewsWhip Spike]( [NewsWhip Analytics]( [Resources]( [Blog]( [Contact](mailto:%20hello@newswhip.com) 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. Copyright © 2017 NewsWhip, All rights reserved. You're receiving this email because you opted in for the NewsWhip blog newsletter and updates. Our mailing address is: NewsWhip 47 Merrion SquareDublin, Ireland [Add us to your address book](//newswhip.us3.list-manage.com/vcard?u=f5077bc53c4be33ce14998bdd&id=6f54ba6e9d) Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](.