Today on the Facebook and Journalism page, a really great note was released aimed at helping news organizations optimize the effectiveness of their Facebook Pages. I found that the information was probably applicable to any sort of published content, whether or not you are a news organization. I quote heavily:
“Top Stories: Readers are reacting to a mix of topical analysis and attention-grabbing updates. Political posts showed an increase of 67% in overall feedback (+40% likes, +100% comments); while postings about the economy resulted in a lift of 20% (+23% likes, +15% comments). On the lighter side, readers responded to fun or featurey posts with a lift of 55% (ex 1: “a 49th Anniversary Gift of $1 for Every Day of Marriage – $17,885”; ex 2: Washington Post’s annual Peeps diorama contest), with 52% more likes and 116% more comments. Posts on sports were also welcomed by readers, showing an increase in feedback of 50% (split evenly between likes and comments). Crime reports also attracted readers, showing an increase of 47% above the average post.
Story Tones: Focusing on content and news updates helps increase engagement:
- Touching, emotional stories (ex: “Fireman adopts girl orphaned in house fire…”): 2-3x increase in feedback above average post
- Provocative, passionate debates (ex: “A proposed new law denies citizenship to children of illegal immigrants….”): 2-3x increase
- Inspiring, uplifting stories (ex: “‘Players with fight never lose a game, they just run out of time.’ – John Wooden quote”): 2x increase
- Simple, easy questions to the user (ex: “Have you filed your taxes yet?”): 2x increase
- Important sports game wins (ex: “Breaking News: UConn defeats Butler 53-41 to win NCAA men’s basketball national championship”): 1.5-2x
- Commentary on current topics (ex: “Could a ‘birther’ win the American presidency? – Trump, Palin spout ‘birther’ nonsense”): 1.5-2x increase”
When to do Facebook posts is a very common question. Taking the effort to be a good Social Media participant is only rewarding if there is a return on invested time. To maximize the chances of engagement, it pays to understand the patterns of readership and check-ins of users. The article provided more insight there:
“Daily Engagement: Checking in for updates is a daily habit for readers, with all days of the week showing steady engagement. That said, Tuesday jumped out with a 12% increase in feedback, while weekend browsing led to a 20% increase on Saturday and 9% increase in feedback on Sunday.
Hourly Engagement: Readers are not only checking in throughout the week, they’re also checking throughout the day, with steady engagement at most hours. Spikes occurred at the beginning of the workday (8 AM); mid-day (11 AM & 12 PM); mid-day (3 & 4); and late at night (9 & 11 PM)
- 8 AM: +25%
- 11 AM: +50%
- 12 PM: +65%
- 4 PM: +5%
- 9 PM: +4%
- 11 PM: +9%”
photo by sleepyneko on flickr used under (CC) License
Excellent info, Scott. It points out two things I preach about: 1. Content is king no matter where you are online; 2. Just because you can write doesn’t mean you understand the basics of copywriting. The “Story Tones” section is a great example because the headline is what grabs people’s attention. Take the example of the fireman’s adoption piece (above): “Girl gets new home after fire” is not as compelling as what’s there. It seems obvious, but many folks miss that.
– Frank Goad, “FrankyGee3”