Strategies to build content interaction on social networks
Yesterday PostRank released the results of research they performed on the frequency with which press releases that originate on commercial newswire web sites are shared in social networks. PostRank found press releases on PR Newswire’s web site were shared much more frequently than content posted to our competitors’ sites. The study counted the number of times press releases were shared on 20+ social networks. (Read the full PostRank study.)
Summary of PostRank press release sharing study results:
- Where press releases go viral – PostRank charts the success of press releases originating on newswire web sites.
We’ve known for a while the audience we’ve cultivated on PR Newswire.com is more likely to share content than the average internet user. A study of PRNewswire.com users we commissioned Forrester Research to perform revealed that despite the diversity of the PR Newswire audience (it’s comprised of professional journalists, bloggers, individual investors, and consumers researching products and services) they share a common trait – they’re more likely to share the content they consume than the average U.S. internet user.
(More details on information consumption on PR Newswire.com by different user groups: journalists & bloggers, individual investors & consumers.)
However, we were honestly surprised by the fact that press releases posted to PR Newswire.com are shared much more frequently than those found on competitor sites. Why is this the case? Well, in addition to cultivating a quality audience, several other tactics we’ve employed have helped boost the sharing of PR Newswire content. And we think these lessons we’ve learned from running a news site are useful for anyone developing a content strategy:
- Make it easy for your audience to share your content – and to credit you when they do so.
- Employ humans, not automated feeds, to distribute content thoughtfully in social networks.
- Set the bar high for content quality.
- And don’t forget search engines. More of your content will be shared the more easily it can be found.