Analyzing data
contributed by Parse.ly,
Axios has created a chart to show what type of content is most viewed by social and search platforms, according to categories like “law, govt.,
politics,” sports, “tech & computing,” “arts & entertainment,” and “health & fitness,” among others.
The chart notes that while
Facebook, Reddit and Twitter are best for content related to law, government and politics, Instagram is best for content related to lifestyle categories, like television, health and fitness, arts and
entertainment, and style and fashion.
The data takes into account activity across Facebook, Google, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Reddit.
The chart illuminates how important it
is for publishers to understand how topics are promoted across platforms. For many digital publishers, much of their traffic referrals aren’t coming from direct sources.
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Neil Vogel, CEO
of DotDash, spoke to Axios about his company’s efforts to capitalize on outside traffic. He stated Google has proven to be a good publishing partner and traffic distributor when it
comes to evergreen content across sites like The Spruce and Investopia.
However, the company’s lifestyle brands, like MyDomain
and Byrdie, do much better on Instagram.
A second chart outlines how people use each platform.
“The data suggests the core function of each platform
elevates certain topics because of the native format and the reasons users visit the platform,” Axios states.
For example, Twitter is used to receive quick bursts of
information, keeping people updated with the latest news. Snapchat, which doesn’t incentivize algorithm use, provides a platform focused on 1-to-1 communication through a camera.
But, as many digital publishers saw with the “pivot to video” trend, aligning content strategy with any one distribution plan is rarely a smart move.
Axios notes the
data underscores a larger truth: Media companies must produce quality content that will perform well despite the platform.
Both charts are available
here.