NN: What We Learned About Successful Publishers From Three Years Of Social Data

[curved top shadow] [NewsWhip Note header] Successful publishers on social media have some common traits Hi there, This week, we [published a major new report looking at three years of data]( on what works for publishers on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest. As well as lots of tips and insights, the report shows that for publishers continuing to grow their audience on social media, some common attributes stick out. First, reaching audiences with the stories that they want is critical. Many news publishers may be enthused by the recent uptick in engagement that their news coverage has seen on social media since the US election. Sustaining that interest going forward is now the challenge. Listening to your audience and seeing what types of stories readers tended to prefer can be extremely helpful here. Secondly, having a multi-platform approach and developing approaches to new formats seems to be paying off in engagement for some sites. After a number of new approaches to social video and more, CNN, the Washington Post and others are now seeing significant growth in their monthly Facebook engagements. Finally, it pays to look at how audiences might be encouraged to pass on your stories without relying on your main owned pages. We've seen 'organic' engagement (person-to-person) grow in importance over the last year, and making sure that your readers can be facilitated there is important. Ultimately, staying focussed on the reader and using data to support, but not derail, your social media strategy is key. [Get your free Three Years of Social Data Report here.]( [How Long Should Your Facebook Videos Be?]( We last looked at the average length of Facebook videos in September 2015. In [new research](, we looked at the average length of videos from top publishers including the Daily Mail, Fox News, CNN, ABC News, NowThis, BBC News and more in January 2017. The quick takeaway? Average video lengths on Facebook have grown since 2015, but they're still fairly short overall. Noted: - How many times have you seen an audio clip go viral on Facebook? Getting audio shared, or even listened to, on Facebook is much harder than with text or videos. In [a new blogpost](, Dan Frohlich, Digital Metrics Analyst at NPR, explains the 'unique challenges' that audio faces on Facebook. The main challenge lies in with sound on Facebook videos - only 15% of all Facebook Live views are viewed with audio. - New [Tow Center research]( into how publishers are now using distributed content shows 'no sign of retreat' for native formats like Instant Articles and Instagram Stories. - The NewsWhip team will be at SxSW in Austin, TX this month, showcasing our tech, and chatting about social media. If you're in town and would like to meet up, be sure to drop us a line by replying to this mail. That's all for this week. Please reach out if you have any questions on anything in this mail, or ask us [on Twitter](. Thanks for reading, Liam and all at NewsWhip. [curved bottom shadow] NewsWhip, 25 Broadway, New York, NY 10004, USA This email was sent to {EMAIL}. If you no longer wish to receive these emails you may [unsubscribe]( at any time.