There’s a moment when I’m delivering training that I tell people they’ll like the first part but they’ll hate the second.
The first part is talking about what makes people share with examples that show emotion and story telling. It’s joyous and people enjoy it.
Then comes the second part when I go through the algorithms and show how much all the platforms really hate links and will actively penalise you if you post links. Hey, it’s a real mood killer. People shuffle uncomfortably. There’s almost a thought bubble hovering over people’s heads with the words ‘but that’s what we do.’
Yet for all the uncomfortable feelings its important to know this.
A few months back, I blogged how Facebook data that showed that the percentage of people’s timelines that are made up with posts from a page with a link was now 0.0 per cent.
The numbers are simply compelling.
Data shows link traffic from Facebook to news sites has collapsed
Those are the numbers from Facebook itself. The numbers from publishers themselves are also bleak. Data from Chartbeat publisher by the UK Press Gazette show that referrals are a quarter of what they were in 2018.
In basic terms, there’s been a 75 per cent fall in people navigating away from Facebook to news sites.
That’s a huge number.
Yes, news sites are feeling extra pain after Facebook has fallen out of love with news. But public sector people shouldn’t just hurry past and think this has got nothing to do with them.
Why?
Because if you are STILL posting links on Facebook then this has got everything to do with you. Facebook have told you that this is a bad idea. Now publishers are showing you that they weren’t messing about.
In the UK Press Gazette article they also point to Reach plc sites such as Birmingham Live and Manchester Evening News being heavily penalised by Facebook.
So, if this is happening in the UK, too.
What this means for public sector comms
Firstly, this means a period of intense innovation in news sites. It’s reached a point of change or die and it’ll be interesting to see how this pans out.
A new generation of subscription email first sites have been attracting attention if not yet swathes of readers, for example.
But there are lessons to draw closer to home.
Stop posting links.
No, really. Really stop posting links.
The phrase ‘drive traffic to the website’ is as obsolete as ‘answers on a postcard.’
There are ways to change your strategy. Tell the story on the platform itself so people don’t click away. Or if you absolutely have to have a link put it in the comments. Or support the post with a Facebook ad.
Or use a different channel.
I deliver ESSENTIAL COMMS SKILLS BOOSTER training to help public sector comms people navigate the changing landscape.