The document summarizes key findings from NewsWhip's "Three Years of Social Data" report and provides advice for publishers looking to succeed on social media in 2017. Specifically, it finds that (1) Facebook engagement has grown and spread more evenly among top publishers since 2014, (2) publishers have adopted strategies of either high or low output with high engagement, and (3) native video content is becoming increasingly important. It also notes changing popular content themes and significant growth in Instagram engagement for publishers. The advice section emphasizes focusing on organic engagement, holistic metrics, and becoming the definitive news source on social and mobile platforms through credibility and accessibility.

1. NewsWhip Webinar:
Three Years of Social Data
February 23, 2017
Liam Corcoran, Head of Communications

2. BEFORE WE GET STARTED...
• Join in the discussion on Twitter:
• Please mute your microphones for clarity of audio!
Follow us @NewsWhip, and tweet using #NewsWhipData

3. WHAT WE’LL COVER TODAY
• Five key findings from our forthcoming ‘Three
Years of Social Data’ report.
• Three takeaways and pieces of advice for publishers
looking to succeed on social in 2017.
• Any questions?

4. Analyze Deliver
Use artificial intelligence and
statistical analysis to
determine which stories matter
to each end user and predict
potential outcomes.
Deliver critical information
and recommendations of
actions via via personalised
dashboards and mobile
notifications.
Real time signals drawn from the activity of billions of individuals
Discover
Detect all forms of digital
objects, within seconds of
them appearing on the
open web or on any
network.
1: WHERE DOES NEWSWHIP’S DATA COME
FROM?

5. Biggest Social Content
Database Created
Showing the stories, writers and topics
that resonate with your audience
Content Intelligence
Platform
Plan, deliver and analyse your content
strategy
Competitive Benchmarking
Analyse how your own web & social
content is performing against your
competitors
NEWSWHIP ANALYTICS

6. 1. Facebook engagement
has grown and is more
evenly spread for top
publishers since 2014

7. Monthly Facebook Engagement for the
Top 10 Sites, 2014 - 2016
Total Facebook engagements for the top 10 English language sites on Facebook in
each month.
0K
110,000K
220,000K
Feb 2014 Dec 2016
218,800,492
148,760,143
Engagements on articles published in the relevant months only. Data: NewsWhip Analytics.

8. In May 2014, the top two sites dominated
*Total Facebook engagements on content published in May 2014 only.
The Top Sites on Facebook, May 2014
Huffington Post
Buzzfeed
Fox News
IJR
NBC
The Guardian
The New York Times
Daily Mail
CNN
Upworthy
0 13333333.3333 26666666.6667 40000000
5,618,879
6,791,715
6,951,413
8,043,260
8,851,762
10,540,409
12,323,364
15,283,165
25,280,391
32,900,849

9. By the end of 2017, engagement was much more evenly spread
The Top Sites on Facebook, December 2016
*Total Facebook engagements on content published in December 2016 only.
IndiaTimes.com
NBC
Fox News
The Huffington Post
CNN
Goal.com
Daily Mail
BBC
The New York Times
USA Today
0 8666666.6667 17333333.3333 26000000
18,773,761
19,338,166
19,864,883
20,603,059
20,786,280
21,040,797
22,921,487
24,121,368
25,531,284
25,819,407

10. 2. Two main content
strategies for top
publishers

11. #1: High output, high total engagement
Monthly Article Count for the Top 10 Publishers
on Facebook, 2014 - 2016
Total article output for the 10 most engaged English language sites on
Facebook each month.
0K
140K
280K
Feb 2014 Dec 2016
276,000
118,130

12. #2: Lower output, high average engagement
Growth in Average Facebook Engagements for
the New York Times
The average engagement rate on nytimes.com links grew by 47% between
February 2014 and December 2016.
0K
2K
4K
Feb 2014 Dec 2016
3,558
1,145
Engagement = all Facebook interactions. Source: NewsWhip Analytics.

13. 3. Native content is now
more important than
ever for publishers

14. Growth in Engagements on Native Video, Jan - Oct 2016
Total Facebook engagements on native videos per month
Fox News
CNN
BBC News
Mic
0 6666666.6667 13333333.3333 20000000
925,655
2,061,220
3,577,605
5,492,593
3,496,480
6,352,365
9,578,093
19,436,333
October 2016
January 2016
*Average based on total engagements on videos posted to publishers’ main Facebook pages.

15. Facebook Video Engagements as % of Total
How much do engagements on Facebook videos contribute to publishers’ overall monthly totals?
Mic.com
CNN
BBC News
Fox News
The Guardian
National Geographic
NBC News
Vox
0 0.2667 0.5333 0.8
12%
37%
20%
16%
28%
25%
37%
50%
22%
32%
34%
43%
46%
54%
62%
75%
*Based on total engagements of videos posted to publishers’ main Facebook pages during each month.
October 2016
January 2016

16. 4. Popular content themes
are changing

17. USA TODAY’s Most Engaging Headlines: 2015 vs. 2017
January 2015 January 2017
Budweiser Unveils the Commercial That will Make You
Cry on Super Bowl Sunday
Russia Parliament Votes 380-3 to Decriminalize Domestic Violence
The Patriots Should be Disqualified from the Super Bowl For One Anti-abortion Group, Women’s Match was ‘Brutal’
Gospel Music Pioneer Andraé Crouch Dies at 72
Chicago Facebook Live Beating Suspects Charged with Hate
Crimes
Marshawn Lynch Fancily Participates in Press
Conference … for Skittles
At 2.5 Million Strong. Women’s Marchers Cruch Expectations.
Obama to Propose Free Community College March for Life Participants Optimistic about Trump, Pence
Study: Men Who Take Selfies May be Psychopaths 5 Things You Need to Know about ‘xXx’ Star Deepika Padukone
New Police Radars can ‘See’ Inside Homes
Sanders Slams Democrats Who Voted with the Pharmaceutical
Industry
Watch the Gnarliest Ski Video Ever Made Trump Hiring Freeze Includes the Short-staffed VA
Police Officer Caught Singing Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It
off’
Obamas, Out. Trumps, In: Flipping the White House is a 5-hour
Sprint
Young Killer Nears Prison Release, Seeks Fresh Start
Student Creates an Adidas Commercial That is So Amazing, It
Deserves to be a Real Ad
*Calculated form engagement on publisher’s content across Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest,
and Linkedin. January 2015, and January 1st - 28th. 2017 only.

18. BuzzFeed’s Most Engaging Headlines: 2015 vs. 2017
January 2015 January 2017
25 Things All Long Distance BFF’s Know t be True These Reports Allege Trump has Deep Ties to Russia
38 Things That Will Take ‘80s Kids Back to Their
Elementary School Days
21 of the Funniest Memes about Germany
23 Insanely Clever Ways to Cook with Cauliflower
Instead of Carbs
People are Obsessed with This High Schooler Who Made a Fierce
Statement with His T-shirt
These 24 Charts are All You Need to Eat Healthy This
Year
Joe Biden Broke Down in Tears Receiving a Surprise Medal of
Freedom from Obama
The Only 12 Exercises You Need to Know to Get in
Shape
31 Stunning Engagement Rings That aren’t Made with Diamonds
12 Historical Women Who Gave No F*cks 35 Things People with ADHD Want Everyone Else to Know
If Hermione was the Main Character in “Harry Potter” Sorry, But Whataburger is Better Then On-N-Out and Shake Shack
25 Reasons Texas Should be off Your Bucket List
Flights Packed with Women’s March Participants are Cheering All
the Way to DC
This is for Everyone Suffering from Freezing Office
Syndrome
A “Queer Dance Party” Erupted Outside Mike Pence’s DC Home
36 Times “Breaking Bad” was the Cleverest Show on
Television
31 Dwight Schrute Quotes to Live Your Life By
*Calculated form engagement on publisher’s content across Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest,
and Linkedin. January 2015, and January 1st - 28th. 2017 only.

19. 5. Instagram engagement
is growing significantly
for publishers

20. Increases In Monthly Instagram Engagements, 2016
*Based on total Instagram engagements (Likes and Comments) on each
publishers’ main Instagram pages.
Fox News
Bleacher Report
CNN
Business Insider
The Huffington Post
0.00% 166.67% 333.33% 500.00%
23%
78%
152%
285%
408%

21. ADVICE FOR SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL
PUBLISHING IN 2017
• Focus on organic engagement in 2017. Improve the ways
people can pass on your stories.
• Focus on holistic metrics: what does the sum of all parts
of your audience’s behaviour mean?
• Aim to become the definitive news source to your social
and mobile audience in 2017. Be credible, authoritative,
and accessible.

22. Questions? Get in touch!
contact@newswhip.com
And check out newswhip.com for more.
@_liamcorcoran