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Nicholas Kennedy

Huge Content Strategy School: Portfolio Project

Forward:
The project below represents an exercise in editorial content strategy for the website Refinery29. The first many
pages of Part I are based on quantitative analysis of visitor data. The final section of Part I (beginning at the bottom
pg. 5) embarks on a more qualititative analysis, which is perhaps more suited to content strategy at Huge.
Part II (pg. 7) is wholly qualitative and contains my editorial critique of a minimally-shared facebook post and my
recommendations for improving it.
Enjoy!

Refinery29 Content Strategy Exercise


PART I: Data analysis and recommendations
The cold, hard truth behind the success of any business is its ability to generate revenue. Given that Refinery29, like
almost all content-producing websites, gets its revenue from the sale of ad space, my recommendations are primarily
focused on both short and long-term solutions to increase consumer exposure to ads.
To accomplish this I focused primarily on two of most important KPIs affecting overall success for the business,
namely Pageviews and Visits and ways of increasing both.
While Pageviews are the largest source of and most directly-related to ad-sales revenue, the visits metric is just as, if
not more, important for long-term success. It more accurately represents the number of individual
consumers/readers. Increasing readers should ultimately bring more page views and ad-sales by 1) growing the
population of regular audience while 2) also boosting the overall exposure to new potential readers by means of social
channels (i.e. sharing on Facebook).

1) Increasing pageviews
My specific recommendation for getting more pageviews, and thus revenue from ad sales, is a two-parter.
i.
Publish more Slideshows
ii.
Publish more content, specifically articles, that have multiple pages
Right off the bat I noticed that Slideshows generated the most pageviews of all the entry types published in the
month of May, 2013. Slideshows comprised just under a third of the content published with 31.6% of the total
number of posts, yet they account for 83.5% of the total pageviews among content published that month. They also
comprise a significant number of the total visits to these articles, 41.6%. (See below)
Entry Type
ARTICLE

Pageviews

# of

Visits

%total PV

posts

%total

%total

visit

posts

4,844,885

2,432,595

727

15.79%

56.28%

61.71%

LINKS

31,361

9,195

48

0.10%

0.21%

4.07%

SHOPPABLE_ARTICLE

13,624

2,797

0.04%

0.06%

0.51%

SHOPPABLE_VIDEO

56,804

31,116

0.19%

0.72%

0.34%

25,607,804

1,797,806

372

83.46%

41.59%

31.58%

SLIDESHOW
VIDEO

126,683

48,720

21

0.41%

1.13%

1.78%

TOTAL

30,681,161

4,322,229

1,178

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

Taking a different view of the data shows average pageviews and visits among the Entry Types, and their %
differences from the overall averages.
Entry Type
ARTICLE

# of

Avg

posts Pageviews

Avg

% diff from

Visits

avg PV

% diff from Avg. Bounce


avg visits

Rate

727

6,664.2

3,346.1

-74.41%

-8.80%

70.12%

48

653.4

191.6

-97.49%

-94.78%

76.14%

SHOPPABLE_ARTICLE

2,270.7

466.2

-91.28%

-87.29%

55.83%

SHOPPABLE_VIDEO

14,201.0

7,779.0

-45.48%

112.01%

64.27%

372

68,838.2

4,832.8

164.30%

31.72%

25.00%

LINKS

SLIDESHOW
VIDEO

21

6,032.5

2,320.0

-76.84%

-36.77%

69.89%

TOTAL

1,178

26,045.1

3,669.1

0.00%

0.00%

56.02%

As shown in the above table, Slideshows are by far the most successful on average across both pageviews and visits
(also bounce rate). Page views and bounce rate can be partially explained by the high much higher than average
number of pages comprising a slide show. The average number of pages for slideshows is 30.8, 1.3 for articles, and 1
for all the other entry types. It does not, however, explain the much higher than average visits among slideshows,
which will be touched on later.
After the above, the second part of my recommendation for boosting page views seems much more obvious: Post
more multi-page content in lieu of 1-pagers. The data supports this by showing a general trend towards more
pageviews as the page count increases.
The relationship holds up for the entire
set of May, 2013 posts (see figure to left),
but also when looking at just the articles.
This is important because articles make up
most of the stories published for the
month, and also because slideshows by
nature have multiple pages and we
already know they get a lot of pageviews.
The important thing to note here is the
line in red, which models the overall
trend that increasing page count increases
page views. The R2 represents the
tightness of the fit to the data. The positive value means that it more precisely represents the trend in the data than
would a simple horizontal line for the mean. Though the value is small (R2=1 would be perfect), this is most likely
due to the small size of the data set, as evidenced in the graph below.
These relationships still held true when
accounting for outliers (*see final
pages of project for the data and
description of the techniques used for
determining outliers).
The problem here is that the articles
and other content that do have
multiple pages are much like
slideshows themselves, and not every
post can work in that format.

2) Increasing visits
i)
One way to increase the number of visits was already mentioned, namely boosting focus and
output of slide shows.
Thus, my recommendation and explanation centers on how to gain more visits to articles by looking at the kind of content
that is already successfully bringing in visits.
ii)
Based on the analysis below, my recommendation for increasing visits to articles
(and in general) is to double down on the following content categories
a. how-tos,

b. news in general related to (currently popular) celebrities,


c. Beauty and beauty news.
Articles comprise the bulk of published content for May, 2013, so improving the average visits to articles
should make more of an overall impact.
The table below consists of the ONLY 2 vertical categories that demonstrated an above average

performance in terms of average visits, News and How-To. News Articles comprise nearly 20% of the
total published content for the month, but cover just of 35% of the total visits.
The How-to articles numbers (as shown in the first of the above tables) are modest by comparison; further
exploration revealed that it could be a potentially very impactful category.
The second table the just shows the above average performers among the subcategories that relate to my
recommendations. The most significant point being the last line, which shows celebrity-news articles as not
only having a much higher than average number of visits, but also that it also that it makes up a large chunk
of total the overall total stories. This is what we want to see. The goal is to have high performing
content make up a significant number of total publications. The larger data pool also ensures that these
findings are more statistically reliable and should hopefully hold water in the future.
On the other hand, only 2 how-to/what-to-wear (one of which could potentially qualify as a moderate
outlier) so the data isnt good. The analyses that follow explain why I think its a good bet, however.
The first table below shows the entire population of content (all entry types) in terms of their broader
categories/verticals. The lines highlighted in blue show the verticals that successfully drew in higher than
average visits.

A closer look at beauty, how-to, and news into their subcategories is just to provide further insight and to
start to paint a picture of the kind of content the succeeds on refinery29
Category Path
beauty/fitness

Pageviews

Visits

# of

%total PV

posts

%total visit

%total

Avg

posts

Pageviews

Avg Visits

% diff from % diff from


avg PV

avg visits

Avg.
Bounce
Rate

386,096

58,044

1.26%

1.34%

0.34%

96,524.0

14,511.0

270.60%

295.49%

51.61%

beauty/wellness

1,609,983

309,660

26

5.25%

7.16%

2.21%

61,922.4

11,910.0

137.75%

224.60%

53.07%

how-to/i-diy

1,562,561

136,836

5.09%

3.17%

0.51%

260,426.8

22,806.0

899.91%

521.57%

61.88%

how-to/styling-tips

1,600,261

122,269

12

5.22%

2.83%

1.02%

133,355.1

10,189.1

412.02%

177.70%

27.22%

74,017

15,438

0.24%

0.36%

0.17%

37,008.5

7,719.0

42.09%

110.38%

47.21%

3,380,052

1,282,893

129

11.02%

29.68%

10.95%

26,202.0

9,944.9

0.60%

171.04%

70.15%

news/beauty

296,343

198,383

26

0.97%

4.59%

2.21%

11,397.8

7,630.1

-56.24%

107.95%

78.50%

news

430,862

108,432

20

1.40%

2.51%

1.70%

21,543.1

5,421.6

-17.29%

47.76%

69.04%

how-to/what-to-wear
news/celebrities

While theres a lot of data that seems to support my recommendations for increasing visits by increasing output for
high performing content categories, these just represent averages. The majority of the categories have stories that are
successful and others that underperformed as well.
My 3rd recommendation(s) is based on a more qualitative approach, though my conclusions are informed by my work
with the data.
- Use the following guidelines headlines and subject matter.
- Produce more instructive content How-tos, style tricks, life hacks, etc.
Looking at top performing stories shows that many of them relate to common themes.
1) Relatability
a. While most of the top performers related to things (people, issues, etc.) that I personally know
about and think about,
b. The right column (worst performers) was rife with things and people Id never heard of and dont
think about.
2) Curiosity Gap
a. Top performers on the whole had headlines have the right about of information (bait) to get me to
bite without giving the whole article away.
b. Underperformers on the right were often either too vague as to not incite my curiosity, or
conversely too informative, taking away the incentive to click and read since I already got the gist.

3) Celebrity:
a. In the left column, top performing content related to primarily, young current buzzworthy names.
Many of them considered style icons, notorious beauties and/or it-people.
b. Celebrities mentioned in headlines in the right column were not. They are primarily lesser-known
names, and if not, people that couldnt be described as pioneers of modern culture.
4) How-tos for the refinery29 readers
a. Many of the top performing stories were instructive, particularly in ways that seemed easy and
nonspecific enough to replicate while appealing to modern set of priorities. (I myself wrote a DIY
cut-off instructional this past summer for fun)
b. There were far fewer explicitly educational/informative headlines among the least visited posts,
and those that were often related to specific stores that made it seem too particular to be achievable

Lastly establishing an emotional connection is another good way to attract readers. Phrasing headlined in order to
maximize Shock/surprise (the OMG feeling), outrage, sympathy for a perceived villain or what I like to call the you
go boy/girl! feeling is a potential way to increase traffic and thus revenue.

PART II: Facebook Share Question


To answer why this post wasnt heavily
shared we have to ask why people
share content on Facebook in the first
place. People want to share something
because they think its interesting,
outrageous, informative, and/or
incites feelings of zeal, righteousness,
etc. Its something that people think is
important enough to tell friends about,
and often times something that the
sharer feels reflects her. I can even say,
at least from my own experience, that
people may often feel a sense of pride.
People also share content that they
think their friends would want to read
and comment on.
People also generally share articles
after theyve read it and found it shareworthy. Not only does this mean
content intended to be shared should
meet the criteria (somewhat explored
in Part I) of clickability to get users
to read the article in the first place, but
also that that the full text needs to fully
deliver too.
Lastly, Facebook profiles are a richer representation of their account holders. Posting and sharing there is more
permanent and formal. On the other side of the coin, channels like Instagram and twitter are more ephemeral, fastpaced, and anonymous, and should be approached differently
1) The post does a poor job at grabbing attention, emotions, or curiosity for the following reasons:
a. The caption, headline, picture and blurb tell me pretty much everything about this article, so why
would I click?
b. The caption and headline read as passive/impassionate, they dont inspire the typical feelings that
we associate with viral content.
c. The lede is very general, somewhat longwinded, and provides no new information about the article
or anything really; its common knowledge. The tone is consistent with the headline and caption in
its lack pizzazz.
d. Theres no explicit reference to slideshow and personal stories that accompany the pictures in the
article. This is probably the most interesting part as it draws on feelings sympathy and solidarity as
well as other emotions inspired by someone overcoming adversity/learning to love themselves.
e. All in all the post doesnt make me see this as an important issue, nor does it make me feel like the
article will tell me anything new or interesting. Based solely off of whats shown in the screen grab
above, I dont feel like theres enough meat in this topic to write/read about.

2) The subject of the article itself is not particularly interesting.


a. While framing the post and article differently could definitely help, the subject matter itself may be
a bit flimsy.
i. It gives the impression that there should be something more to it. Im left somewhat
wanting.
b. The solemn/serious tone of the article itself (excluding the photos & testimonials) comes across as a
bit unexciting instead of grave and spurring, which I think might have been the intent.
3) The post is probably not something R29 followers would probably want to share on their Facebook
a. Instagram is a free-for-all of constant content production, Facebook accounts are often more
curated to reflect what one wants to be seen by the world.
b. readers might not be interested in sharing this with all their friends, family and colleagues if they
do not have stretch marks, and others might not want to advertise it if they do
i. Because the post doesnt read as, this is feminism now in the digital age or something
rallying, Im forced to think about what others will think my motivation for posting is

Recommendations for improvements


Apart from changing the story completely, or perhaps using it as a part of a grander theme, like say, 5 Instagram
accounts that are challenging our notions of beauty, Id suggest the following:
1) Change the language and presentation of the post
a. Punchier, more evocative headline, caption and lede that would more likely incite curiosity and
clicks without revealing too much, and spur the reader to get behind a cause.
i. i.e., Two mothers in digital era are challenging the body image issue that we love to
ignore (and its getting support by the thousands or and its going viral)
ii. Can Instagram turn stretch marks into beauty marks? This rapidly growing movement is
fighting negative body image with bravery and selfies
b. Perhaps changing the picture to include the text of testimonial to tug at heart strings.
c. The lede could be changed to something that grabs the readers attention or removed from the post
display.
d. A reference to the growing popularity would help draw people
2) Change the tone and direction of the article itself
a. More passionate, inspiring tone.
i. Instead of acknowledging the existence of stretch marks and the stigma attached, perhaps
make it about the cause, the fight, and the heroes involved
ii. Alternatively make it sound cool and modern by focusing on the platform they use, the
popularity its gained, and with sharper and more succinct powerful phrasing.
Disclaimer: There were plenty of things I liked about the story and apologize if this comes off as blunt and cold
Also Im not a writer by profession, so my suggestions for alternate wordings are there more to demonstrate ideas
than to show how a final product should look.

APPENDIX: Discussion of methodology for removing outliers


Determining and potentially removing outliers for online content-related data is a tricky subject. Due to the viral
nature of digital media, data like visits, pageviews and Facebook shares that could be deemed as statistically bad is
usually also responsible for having a major or often the primary impact on the metrics used to define success in this
industry. Having a story go viral is often the goal and from a business standpoint that data is extremely meaningful.
The other problem is the nature of viral media itself and the exponential (or sometimes geometric) growth that is
reflected in the numbers. Visits and pageview data never represent a standard distribution tools like standard
deviations cant provide any meaningful insights.
I handled checking for outlier impact based on a lognormal distribution. I took the logs of the traffic data and then
proceeded to utilize the standard statistical tools on that. Grades of outliers (mild, moderate and major) were
determined based on the how many standard deviations from the mean the data laid, (1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 respectively)

Thanks,
Nick

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