UK newsbrands increase social media interactions by 87%

UK newsbrands hit record highs on social media
Analysis of data from October 2014
@Independent @guardian @DailyMirror
@MailOnline @Telegraph
@thetimes
@EveningStandard

Headlines
• UK newsbrands drove 295.1 million social media
actions* between January and September 2014
• Facebook: 139.4 million article likes, 60 million comments, 62 million
shares
• 30.6 million Twitter shares
• 1.8m LinkedIn shares
• 1m pins on Pinterest
• 87% increase in monthly social media
interactions during September 2014 vs April
2014
• Facebook is the most important social medium
for sharing stories for all UK newsbrands –
increased by 33% in the last six months
*Direct activity from newsbrand url. Excludes likes etc for newsbrand Facebook pages, Twitter following,
favourites & re-tweets. Global data.

Global social media interactions* from UK
newsbrand articles have grown 87% since April
25,659 25,131
29,211
000s social media interactions
26,079
27,451
32,238
39,549
41,729
48,041
Jan-14 Feb-14 Mar-14 Apr-14 May-14 Jun-14 Jul-14 Aug-14 Sep-14
*Facebook likes, shares & comments; Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest shares
Source: Newswhip
UK Newsbrands: dailymail.co.uk, theguardian.com, independent.co.uk, telegraph.co.uk, mirror.co.uk, express.co.uk, standard.co.uk,
metro.co.uk (from March 2014), thetimes.co.uk (May 2014), dailystar.co.uk (May 2014)

A bumper three months has seen newsbrands
overtake Buzzfeed
25,659
48,041
41,434
34,551
5,711
7,198
9,389
12,782
000s social media interactions
2,945 2,776
Newsbrands Buzzfeed Upworthy BBC Huffington Post
Source: Newswhip

UK newsbrand article shares rose to a high of 13m in
September
5,990 5,840
6,748
5,606
000s shares
5,964
7,036
8,145 8,094
8,641
2,812 2,685
3,039
2,622
3,033 3,204
4,559
4,271 4,377
Facebook Twitter
Source: Newswhip
*UK Newsbrands: dailymail.co.uk, theguardian.com, independent.co.uk, telegraph.co.uk, mirror.co.uk, express.co.uk, standard.co.uk,

Facebook is the most important social media
brand for newsbrands
Share of UK newsbrand interactions by social media brand
1% 1% 1% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
11% 11% 10% 10% 11% 10% 12% 10% 9%
25% 24% 22% 22% 21% 20% 19%
23% 23% 23% 21% 22% 22% 21%
40% 42% 43% 45% 45% 47% 48%
17% 18%
19% 18%
52% 54%
Facebook Likes Facebook Shares Facebook Comments Twitter Shares LinkedIn/Pinterest
Source: Newswhip
UK Newsbrands total interactions Jan-May 2014: dailymail.co.uk, theguardian.com, independent.co.uk, telegraph.co.uk, mirror.co.uk,
express.co.uk, standard.co.uk, metro.co.uk (from March 2014), thetimes.co.uk (May 2014), dailystar.co.uk (May 2014)

Total Facebook interactions for UK newsbrands
have almost doubled since January 2014
22,666 22,264
25,883
23,032
000s
24,126
28,681
34,560
37,071
43,244
Source: Newswhip
UK Newsbrands Jan-May 2014 : dailymail.co.uk, theguardian.com, independent.co.uk, telegraph.co.uk, mirror.co.uk, express.co.uk,
standard.co.uk, metro.co.uk (from March 2014), thetimes.co.uk (May 2014), dailystar.co.uk (May 2014)

…And UK newsbrand articles’ Facebook likes
have more than doubled in the last six months
10,340 10,495
12,679
11,616
000s
12,468
15,110
19,099
21,724
25,867
6,336 5,929 6,456 5,810 5,695
6,534
7,315 7,251
8,735
Facebook likes Facebook comments
Source: Newswhip
UK Newsbrands Jan-May 2014 : dailymail.co.uk, theguardian.com, independent.co.uk, telegraph.co.uk, mirror.co.uk, express.co.uk,
standard.co.uk, metro.co.uk (from March 2014), thetimes.co.uk (May 2014), dailystar.co.uk (May 2014)

US providers more reliant on Facebook
99.8%
96.5%
94.4%
93.5%
92.0%
91.6%
88.9%
87.3%
82.6%
79.7%
77.7%
63.0%
0.1%
2.3%
5.4%
6.0%
6.8%
8.2%
10.7%
11.5%
16.6%
18.5%
20.4%
35.6%
upworthy.com
buzzfeed.com
metro.co.uk
huffingtonpost.co.uk
dailymail.co.uk
mirror.co.uk
express.co.uk
theguardian.com
independent.co.uk
standard.co.uk
telegraph.co.uk
bbc.co.uk
Share of interactions by social media brand
Facebook likes, shares and comments Twitter shares
Source: Newswhip Jan-Sep 2014

UK has two of the top three biggest English
language newspapers on Facebook
Guardian
85.0m
Daily Mail
73.8m
New York
Times
75.7m
USA
Today
42.2m
W/ton
Post
38.9m
Total Facebook interactions Jan-Sep 2014
Source: Newswhip Jan-Sept 2014

Facebook shares higher than Twitter for most
UK newsbrands
Shares only – Facebook vs Twitter
99.6%
91.3%
79.6%
79.1%
77.9%
71.6%
65.6%
65.5%
56.2%
51.5%
49.7%
38.2%
0.4%
8.7%
20.4%
20.9%
22.1%
28.4%
34.4%
34.5%
43.8%
48.5%
50.3%
61.8%
upworthy.com
buzzfeed.com
huffingtonpost.co.uk
metro.co.uk
dailymail.co.uk
mirror.co.uk
theguardian.com
express.co.uk
independent.co.uk
standard.co.uk
telegraph.co.uk
bbc.co.uk
Facebook shares Twitter shares
Source: Newswhip Jan-Sept 2014

• Pure players more reliant on very high numbers
sharing each article, especially Upworthy
• UK newsbrand success more dependent on
larger number of articles being shared
• BUT the most shared UK newsbrands also have
highest ratio of shares to articles
• Optimising number of shares, particularly on
Facebook is key to social media success

“We actually created that huge traffic jump in
June producing fewer stories, not more. On the
day-to-day operational side, the team has made
dozens of changes that add up to the newsroom
working better and more efficiently. Seemingly
mundane things make a huge difference – things
such as better planning, more creative story
conferences, and using audience data to decide
what to stop doing.”
Jason Seiken

Exceptional growth for the Mirror has seen it enter the
top 10 English language news sites on Facebook
1,152
2,086
2,701
5,916
11,651
Total Facebook interactions 000’s
Mirror.co.uk
“At the digital first Mirror.co.uk, the four main
weekday peak times, with devices, are as
follows:
7am - Mobile
Midday - Desktop
4.30pm - Desktop and Mobile
8pm - Mobile and Tablet
To respond to these surges in expectant
visitors, the Mirror’s newsroom has big
refreshes of content at each of these times.
Posting new stories on Facebook at these
times is part of that strategy.”
Newswhip sharing guide
“…September crowns an amazing run of form
for the Mirror, who we identified doing really
well over the summer months.
“They shot up the ranks right to number nine
overall […] increasing their total interactions
by almost 4m in a single month.
The Mirror are the first ‘legacy’ media outlet
that we’ve seen break into the top ten in a
long time.”
Newswhip blog

UK newsbrands prompt more Facebook interactions
than the BBC, led by Guardian and MailOnline
22,666 22,264
25,883
000s shares, likes & comments
23,032
24,126
28,681
34,560
37,071
43,244
6,596
5,659 4,947 4,661
5,645
4,292 5,134 5,844
8,657
7,199
8,051 7,805 8,462
9,251
9,936 10,605
11,536 12,519
9,592
7,617 8,296
7,380
7,076
8,696 8,295 8,167
8,840
Newsbrands bbc.co.uk theguardian.com dailymail.co.uk

Some top Facebook stories
July 2014, mirror.co.uk
586,250 interactions, 132,024 shares
August, telegraph.co.uk
June 2014, The Guardian
September 2014, MailOnline
September 2014, The Guardian
September 2014, mirror.co.uk

It’s not just trivia, lists and snippets
• Biggest UK newsbrand stories, Facebook September 2014:
• 29 UK and world news, current affairs and comment
• 10 sport
• 2 showbiz
• 6 video/gallery links
• 2 science
• and just 2 lists or quizzes
The most shared story was from
MailOnline…

It’s not just trivia, lists and snippets…
• In September 2014 this story helped the
Guardian break the 12m monthly Facebook
interactions barrier for the first time
September 2014, theguardian.com
182,231 Facebook interactions

It’s not just trivia, lists and snippets
• Story length is no barrier to sharing
• Analysis of top 10 most shared stories for 5 big publishers on
Facebook showed that long form, high quality writing and interesting
editorials make up the bulk of the big hits (except BBC)
• The Guardian’s top stories averaged 1,740 words and included a six-part
multimedia feature on NSA revelations, totalling 4,000+ words

UK newsbrand Twitter shares similar to BBC
2,812 2,685
3,039
2,622
000s shares
3,033
3,204
4,559
4,271 4,377
2,704
2,490
2,729
2,876
3,607
3,221
3,582 3,498
3,960
756 846 855 864 782 779
1,020
865 880
98 113 115 97 108 118 157 132 152
UK newsbrands BBC Buzzfeed Huffington Post

Some top Twitter shares
September 2014, MailOnline
37,076 shares
July 2014, mirror.co.uk
14,619 shares
August 2014, Independent.co.uk
5,757 shares
June 2014,The Guardian
6,984 shares
September 2014, Independent.co.uk
5,431 shares
September 2014, The Times
4,972 shares

Top 10 most shared UK newsbrand stories
each month on Twitter are almost all in top 35
of Facebook shares – usually with higher
interactions on Facebook
But top Facebook stories are not always big
on Twitter:
• timing of story?
• demographics?
• Twitter more biased towards quality sector and serious news
Source: Newswhip Jan-May 2014

What’s the best time to post a story on
Facebook?
The most shared stories were
published between 4pm and 10pm.
9 9
15
17
20
17
13
6 am to 12pm 12pm to 2pm 2pm to 4pm 4pm to 6pm 6pm to 8pm 8pm to 10pm 10pm to 6am
Source: Newswhip blog. Times are GMT. Based on data from MailOnline, BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, Upworthy, The New York Times, Elite Daily,
MTV and Fox News

How many follow UK newsbrands
35%
17%
49%
59%
Follow newspaper
brand
Follow newspaper sub-brand
Follow newspaper
journalist
Any of these
% Twitter users
Source: You Gov January 2014
Base: All UK Twitter Users (1266)

Twitter adds four core benefits as a news
Gossip/Banter
I want to relax and enjoy myself
Twitter has a unique humorous side to news
stories. It’s a backstage pass into the lives of
celebrities and allows me to be part of the
gossip.
Knowledge
I want to be the first to know
Twitter gives me instant access to the news
and is where news stories tend to break first.
It’s the best place to follow news stories as
they develop during the day.
Community
Interaction with the
news on Twitter
I want to find out about things I care about
Twitter gives me the chance to engage with
stories relevant to me with a community of
like-minded people. Discovering people with
shared interests I wouldn’t otherwise meet
through shared news interests.
Opinion
I want to know what people think
Twitter is a way of discovering different points
of opinion and commentary on news stories.
More personal opinions of celebrities/writers.
platform for users…
Source: #NewsOnTheTweet 2014

Newsbrands underpin these 4 key benefits
Gossip/Banter
Witty and celebrity columnists
Newsbrands are responsible for some of the
most popular individual tweeters. Individual
journalists are key contributors to the humour
content on Twitter.
Knowledge
Trusted instant updates
Newsbrand handles provide legitimacy and
authority when news is breaking on Twitter.
They also provide journalists that offer
quicker, more accurate instant updates on
stories as they happen.
Community
An opportunity to connect with like-minded
content and people
Through their sub-section handles and the
overarching strength of newsbrand identities
newsbrands offer users the opportunity to
discover more content that is relevant to
them and engage with other people through
these communities.
Opinion
Honest and expert opinions and debate
Newsbrands offer expert opinion pieces and
the individual journalists offer honest and
frank opinions as well as engaging with
followers.
Interaction with the
news on Twitter
Source: #NewsOnTheTweet 2014

The whole is stronger than the sum
of the parts
Newspaper brands provide an
authoritative viewpoint and
offer verified news in a user
generated content world.
Twitter helps newspaper
brands to become part of
breaking news in people’s
minds through instant
updates
Newspaper brands provide
detailed analysis behind 140
character Tweets
Twitter provides opportunities for
users to engage with newspaper
brands that they wouldn’t normally
read in other formats.
Newspaper brands offer
content and recognisable
brands that can bring
people together through
shared interests
Twitter enables newspaper
readers to connect with
newsbrands and content in a
more direct dialogue

For further information see:
http://www.newsworks.org.uk/newsonthetweet

Newsbrands are also big content providers for
LinkedIn and Pinterest
120
109
196
000s interactions
199
203
215
284
266
280
61
72
94
226
89
137
145
120
141
LinkedIn Pinterest

@thetimes @guardian @DailyMirror
235,223 followers*
@Telegraph
2,798,428 followers*
@MailOnline
274,373 followers*
269,664 likes
@EveningStandard
132,599 followers*
287,007 likes
856,970 followers*
*excluding sub-brands and journalists
3,782,065 likes
1,123,412 likes
@Independent
2,554,787 likes
587,468 followers*
742,836 followers* 1,821,753 likes
2,122,409 likes
670,874 followers*
@TheSunNewspaper
1,600,951 likes

Summary and implications
• UK newsbrands are highly influential social
media activators, delivering over 48 million
social interactions in September 2014
• Massive shared audiences on a daily basis
• Facebook sharing is increasing audiences to UK
newsbrands and is vital to social media velocity
• Wide range of stories to tap into for advertisers

methodology
What Are NewsWhip’s Social Rankings?
Each month, NewsWhip publishes lists of the top social publishers of the previous month, covering Twitter, Facebook and sometimes
LinkedIn and Pinterest.
The rankings are based on the number of shares, tweets, comments and other interactions accrued to content published by each site in
the relevant month.
What content is covered?
For Facebook, NewsWhip combines the total number of likes, shares and comments on content published during that month alone.
For Facebook, if someone on a site uses an on-site share button to share an article to their timeline, that action counts as one share. If
someone copy-pastes the link directly to Facebook, that share will count in the exact same way.
The rankings have nothing to do with the number of people who ‘like’ a publication’s Facebook page that month, although that may have
some effect on how engaged the audience is with the content. A publisher with many “likes” has better audience access and may have
access needed to drive more activity around their content.
For Twitter, NewsWhip counts the total number of tweets that include links to each publisher’s articles (that includes re-tweets) from that
month. Twitter favourites are not currently included.
For all sites, the figures relate solely to content published during the month in question alone. Older content that continued going viral, or
archived material posted without a new URL is not taken into account.
Where does the data come from?
All the data comes from Spike, which monitors about 50,000 publications in 12 languages, categorising content from each one by country,
topic and publisher, and gathering data on topics, authors, and videos associated with each story. Spike tracks the speed at which each
story spreads on Facebook and Twitter.

UK newsbrands increase social media interactions by 87%

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Ähnlich wie UK newsbrands increase social media interactions by 87%

Ähnlich wie UK newsbrands increase social media interactions by 87% (20)

Mehr von Newsworks

Mehr von Newsworks (20)

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

UK newsbrands increase social media interactions by 87%

Hinweis der Redaktion