blog content 2016 performance report
TRANSCRIPT
Blog Content 2016
Performance TrendsApril, 2016
All Industries
1 Million
articles
8kContent
Feeds
3000Topics
Atomic Reach
Marketing success powered by machine learning
Atomic Reach is a machine learning platform that analyzes the influence of text structure and use of language on digital audience readership.
About Us
Using machine learning and correlative data models, we set out to explore and highlight the structural and linguistic trends that are defining how digital content performs. The following report shows you how to adapt your content to maximize engagement with your audience. Enjoy!
About this report
Content Audiences Engagement patterns
High Quality Contenthere are the facts
Writing an active blog is an essential communications method for all businesses to build authority, drive sales and maximize audience engagement. To achieve success, high quality content is mandatory.
• Google: High-quality content is the only way to get a good site ranking on Google (CMI)
• SEO: High quality content is the foundation of all other SEO activities (SEL)
• Leads: Blogging is the most effective lead generation tool for marketers (Hubspot)
What makes
your content perform
From the timing of the delivery of a post to social media, to the structure of your sentences and the words you choose, each element is a pre-determining component impacting how well your content will perform.
HeadlinesThe headline of your content is the most crucial element for increasing visibility and shares. Headline optimization is a precise science and must be applied correctly.TimingThe best time to distribute your content on social media depends on the network and your audiences’ readability level. Optimizing distribution is essential to maximizing results.
LanguageAudience readability is key. Who
they are and what they know informs the right language, tone
and vocabulary needed to engage them.
StructureThere are common structural elements within content that
are prerequisites of high quality content. They all
need to be used.
Performance
benchmarks
Posts with the three key elements of high-quality content (headlines, language, structure) generate material increases in performance. Above all, high-quality content is built on a clear understanding of the readability of your audience.Source
What is the impact of high-quality blog content?
12x
7x
3x
more leads per month
more traffic
more leads per dollar
6%
20%
12%31%
31%
ReadabilityMatching language to the needs of your audience is the most important thing you can do. Ideal readability levels vary by industry and brand identity. For example, financial services content unexpectedly performs better at a lower readability level, while parenting articles perform better when written for a more advanced audience. Understanding your audience is crucial.
Readability Levels
Segmentation of content and audience by
readability
- Genius
- General
- Academic
Knowledgeable
Specialist
Paragraph Densitystructure impacts perception
As the number of paragraphs matching the correct paragraph density increases, the higher the average pageviews
<50%
50%-84%
>85%
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
Average Unique PageviewsAverage Pageviews
% o
f M
atch
ing
Para
grap
hs
Consider paragraph density as a visual signal to your audience that your content is written with thought and care, and is of a high quality.
Paragraph density is most affected by the number of sentences in a paragraph, but can also be influenced by the complexity of the words you select, and the length of your sentences. Paragraphs either too long or too short create an incorrect perception and result in a loss of engagement.
Sentence Countstructure impacts perception
A clear trend towards longer posts is emerging and engagement data confirms that audiences prefer to spend their time reading long-form content.Additionally, # of words per sentence impacts readability and engagement yielding an ideal range of approximately 8 to 10 words.
The ideal length of a blog post is increasing into the 70+ sentence range
21-30
31-40
41-70
71+
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000
Average Unique PageviewsAverage Pageviews
Sent
ence
Cou
nt
Word Countstructure impacts perception
Word choice impacts the sentences’ fluency and contains implicit expectations of the audience’s required expertise on a topic.
In addition to overall word count it is of particular importance to pay attention to word complexity. The combination of the two signal to the audience whom you post is targeting and how well versed they need to be in order to comprehend and benefit from your point of view.
Articles between 500 to 700 words outperform shorter and longer content
301-500
501-700
701-1000
1001-1400
1401+
010
0020
0030
0040
0050
0060
0070
0080
00
Average Unique PageviewsAverage Pageviews
Wor
d Co
unt
The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will doThomas Jefferson
What makes a compelling
titleTitle Findings
Titles
Title Character Counttitle structure impacts performanceWhile often cited as the most challenging part of the writing process, title construction is one of the most important influencers on audience engagement.When used effectively, a title communicates the topic and captures the readers’ imagination, and is the first point of contact between the audience and a post.A point of note: Google displays approximately 60 characters of a title in a search results page, correlating directly with reader engagement data.
Titles containing 31 to 60 characters receive the most pageviews
1-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81+
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000
Average Unique PageviewsAverage Pageviews
# o
f Ch
arac
ters
Emotionemotion creates connectivity
Words are assigned an emotional value based on one of three states: positive, negative or neutral. Data illustrates that words with either a positive or negative connotation contribute to reader engagement, especially when represented within a title.
Titles containing at least one word with an emotional value drive more engagement
Neutral
Emotional
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000
Average Unique PageviewsAverage Pageviews
Pres
ence
of
An
Emot
ion
In A
Tit
le
Keywordskeywords drive engagement
Keywords in a title provide the reader with a contextual signal and are a key driver of engagement. When constructing a title, the placement of a keyword is as equally important as the presence of a keyword. Data illustrates that keywords are more effectual when placed in the back of a title, as readers are more likely to interact with the last 3 words. Note that keyword balance is also important. Stuffing titles with keywords has a negative impact on post performance.
Presence and placement of a keyword are material to the performance of a title
1
2
3
4
5
6+
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000
Average Unique PageviewsAverage Pageviews
Titl
e K
eyw
ord
Coun
t
Pronounspersonalize the experience
Using pronouns personalizes the title and the experience for the reader. Note that the type of article you are writing influences the type of pronoun you select. When constructing a title, use of a 2nd person pronoun over the exclusion of a pronoun can impact initial pageview performance by as much as 200%.
Use of a 2nd person pronoun can increase pageviews by as much as 200%
No Pronouns
1st Person
2nd Person
3rd Person
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
Average Unique PageviewsAverage Pageviews
Use
of
Pron
ouns
Superlativeconnect with the audience
Audiences recognize that writers are skilled at using titles to maximize interest, but are equally adept at recognizing an over-indulgence of the craft. When used correctly superlatives are a valuable technique authors can apply to amplify a feeling and increase title engagement. That said, overstuffing of superlatives or incorrect use can have an adverse affect on engagement.
When used appropriately, superlatives can increase title engagement by over 300%
No
Yes
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000
Average Unique PageviewsAverage Pageviews
Supe
rlat
ive
In T
itle
s
In The Form of A Questionpique curiosity
Phrasing a title in the form of a question is a constructive method often used by authors to pique the interest of the audience. It can also establish an immediate point of view before the article is even viewed, which can be a valuable method to increase engagement.
Titles in the form of a question are a valuable engagement method
No
Yes
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000
Average Unique PageviewsAverage Pageviews
Titl
e A
s A
Que
stio
n
Who, What, When, Where, Why Or Howestablish purpose
Regarded as the 5 fundamental questions of journalism, the 5Ws are equally important for business writers. Using the 5Ws provides a clear purpose for the article and explains to the reader what they should expect to learn.
The 5Ws provide clear purpose and set an expectation with the audience
None
At least one
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
Average Unique PageviewsAverage Pageviews
An
Inst
ruct
iona
l Tit
le
Presence of a Numberset context with the audience
Use of a number in a title is a common method exercised by writers to set an expectation with the reader as to the style of article. Presence of a number in the title communicates a form of structure such as, a listicle, a series of facts, or a schedule of prioritized thoughts.When used to establish the form of content, numbers in articles are effective and result in increases in engagement.
When used in context numbers are an effective method of driving readership
No
Yes
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000
Average Unique PageviewsAverage Pageviews
Pres
ence
of
A N
umbe
r In
Tit
les
The two most engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar and familiar things new.
Samuel Johnson
Social Network EngagementHow social network audiences engage with content
Social Audiences Are Unique By Network
Increasing the frequency of sharing is one of the lesser used but most effective techniques available to businesses to maximize engagement. As illustrated in the data above, increasing the number of shares per post, increases the average number of re-shares per share – i.e. 6+ shares per post results in an average of 300+ re-shares per share. Conversely, 2 shares per post results in an average of under 200 re-shares per share.
Sharing Frequency
1
2
3 to 5
6+
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Average Like Rate per Post Average Reshare Rate per Post
# o
f R
e-sh
ares
Per
Sha
re
While the user annotation associated with the post (the post comment) and the title of the article function as the primary engagement drivers, post word count does impact overall performance. As is the case with article length correlations, 500 to 700 words is the ideal length on Facebook.
FacebookEngagemen
t
301-500 501-700 701-1000 1001-1400 1401+050
100150200250300350
Word Count
Ave
rage
FB
Re-
shar
es
Facebooksentence count
Longer form content performs better on social networks. Performance data shows that the ideal length for a Facebook post is in the 31 to 40 sentence range, which is slightly shorter than posts hosted on a blog.
Ideal post length for Facebook is in the 31 to 40 sentence range
1-20 21-30 31-40 41-70 71+0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Avg FB Reshares Avg FB Likes
# of Sentences
Enga
gem
ent
Consistent with ideal length findings for posts in general, long form content performs better on Twitter. Of interest, data correlations illustrate that the minimum ideal length on Twitter is approximately 500 words, and articles on the higher end of the spectrum (1400+ words) drive the most average engagement.
TwitterEngagemen
t
501-700 701-1000 1001-1400 1401+05
1015202530354045
Avg TW Retweets Avg TW Favourites
Word Count
Twittersentence count
Consistent with word count findings, on Twitter articles with longer sentences perform better. This suggests that Tweets are shared actively and rapidly to draw attention, but when clicking through to the corresponding article, Twitter audiences will invest significant time consuming information.
Twitter audiences engage more with longer form content
21-30 31-40 41-70 71+0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Avg TW Retweets Avg TW Favourites
Sentence Count
Perf
orm
ance
When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing.
Enrique Jardiel Poncela
Our teammeet the experts
Paul BlamireVP, Client ExperiencePaul oversees all facets of user-experience initiatives. He continually looks at platform data correlations to help marketers build highly effective content programs.
Jessica QiData Analyst A mathematics wiz, Jessica spends her time applying advanced analytics models to draw out important data correlations impacting content behavior.
Summer LuuDirector of MarketingSummer manages Atomic Reach’s marketing programs and is available to respond to all media inquiries or questions about this report.
Contacthow to reach us
647 Dupont Street, Suite 404Toronto, ON
Our office
www.atomicreach.com
facebook.com/atomicreach
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where no one ever becomes a master.”
Ernest Hemingway