Wochit 2017 Video Report Identifies Top Social Video Trends to Follow as Facebook's Changing Algorithms Impacts Publishers

NEW YORK, Jan. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Social video creation platform Wochit today reports that Facebook's de-prioritization of publisher and brand content is already having a negative impact across video metrics. The finding is among critical trends featured in the 2017 Wochit Social Video Performance Index, which is based on data from 33,000 videos posted to over 500 Facebook pages by nearly 300 brands.

The annual report, available at http://bit.ly/2017SocialVideoReport, builds on insights published in the company's quarterly indexes, informing brands, media companies and publishers of video trends and how to best leverage them to drive success. In addition to data on elements such as aspect ratio, duration and engagement, the report provides interesting observations on video titles and showcases some of the year's most successful social videos.

Based on videos posted between December 2016 and December 2017, findings include:

• Views are declining: Following significant increases in the first half of the year, declines of 8-15 percent in the second half point to the impact of changes in Facebook's newsfeed.
• Square is the winning format: As mobile is increasingly becoming audiences' first screen, this format is proven to have a significant advantage over other aspect ratios, particularly in the increasingly important "comments" metric, which averages 5 times the average received by non-square video.
• Video's "1 percent" persists: The 1.2 percent of videos that get more than 1 million views continue to have a disproportionate level of engagement, receiving 38.7 percent of total views and 58.3 percent of total shares across all videos. While a higher number of page followers boosts the chances of virality, the number of smaller publishers achieving this level of success proves it's not the only factor.
• Longer videos get better results: Increasing in number but still a minority, videos longer than 90 seconds have considerably higher per-video metrics, receiving 52.1 percent more shares and 48.2 more views on average. This trend bodes well for the monetization opportunities of Facebook mid-roll, only applicable to videos of at least this length.
• LATAM audiences are the most engaged: Average engagement per video is highest across all metrics in Latin American countries, with nearly triple (269.6 percent) the shares, 253.3 percent more reactions, 166.8 percent more views and 134.3 percent more comments.
• All video is not created equally: Some content is simply more viral-ready, more a function of effective production techniques and compelling storylines rather than the result of artistry.
• "In the Know" titles are popular but don't perform: While video titles purporting to show something the viewer NEEDS to know are common, these videos receive considerably fewer views (15-70 percent fewer!) than average.

"While we're only seeing the headlines about Facebook's latest changes now, our 2017 report shows the impact is already setting in, and this makes it even more important for brands and publishers to know and act on trends," said co-founder and CEO Dror Ginzberg. "And let's remember that, even with algorithm changes, Facebook is second to none when it comes to opportunity to reach and engage with audiences. The best way to capitalize on that is to focus on delivering great video storytelling that will create meaningful engagement with your audience. This was true before Facebook's announcement, is relevant across platforms as well as owned and operated sites, and it will remain true after it."

About Wochit

Wochit is a video creation platform that empowers newsrooms, media companies and brands to expand audience engagement through the power of social video. Worldwide media brands such as Time Inc., Daily News, USA Today, Gannett, AOL, The Week, ProSieben, Singapore Straits Times, Focus online and Der Spiegel use Wochit to produce short-form videos around trending topics at the scale and speed required in the video-first, mobile era. With rights-cleared assets from AP, Reuters, Getty, Bloomberg and others, cloud-based editing tools and native uploads, horizontal and vertical videos are quickly created and distributed across all social and digital platforms. Wochit is among the 2016-2017 EContent Top 100 companies in the digital content industry as well as the winner of both the Gutenberg Prize for its disruptive technology in the field of journalism and Digiday's Best Video Technology Innovation for its significant impact on publishers' bottom line. The Company is backed by ProSieben, Singapore Press Holdings' SPH Media Fund, Carlo de Benedetti, Redpoint Ventures, Marker LLC, Greycroft Partners and Cedar Fund. Wochit is based in New York, with offices in London and Tel Aviv. Find out more at www.wochit.com.

SOURCE Wochit

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