When it comes to the distribution of press releases, not all social networks are equal. According to data from PR Newswire and Crowd Factory, press releases are more frequently shared on Facebook, but shares on Twitter drive significantly more traffic back to releases than shares on Facebook.
Like most things social, Facebook is tops when it comes to sharing of press releases: 48% of press release sharing occurs on Facebook, while 37% of sharing is on Twitter and 15% on LinkedIn. Despite Facebook's greater popularity for sharing, each share on Twitter actually drives about 30% more press release views than a share on Facebook, according to the study.
In addition, multimedia press releases that include photos, videos or audio generate 3.5 times more engagement than text-only releases. "This data reiterates the importance of creating interesting content that people will want to share, whether that means pairing your release with a photo or video or simply creating a more tweetable headline,” said Ken Dowell, executive vice president of PR Newswire.
What does this mean for a PR pro launching a company release? It's best to load your releases with as much multimedia content as possible, but don’t expect the same sharing results from each social network. Facebook’s membership numbers will always make it a great avenue for further distributing a release, but people may not want to leave the page to view your corporate press release while on a social network driven by friendships.
On a more business-oriented network like Twitter, users are much more likely to click through to your page. The key, for all social networks, is to build a community through consistent fan-focused content creation and engagement, not just press release distribution.
To learn how to make your content more sharable on Facebook, register now for PR News' Dec. 1 Facebook Conference in Washington, D.C.