PR pros go to considerable lengths to place stories in major publications. New research shows that who shares news is more important than who published the story.
If readers trust the person who shared the article on social media, they are more likely to believe the article — even if the article was produced by an unknown of fictional publication, reveals a study by the Media Insight Project. Even if a reputable news source produces the article, the person who shared the article is more important in establishing trust.
In the experiment, researchers showed 1,489 Americans news feed items that closely resembled Facebook. Everyone saw the same content, but the person who shared it and the original reporting source varied. After reading the post and short story, respondents answered questions about the story and their trust in the content.
Who Do People Really Trust?
When people see news from a person they trust, they are more likely to think the publication got the facts right, contains diverse points of view, and is well reported than if the same article is shared by someone they don’t trust. For instance, 51 percent of people said a health article on diabetes was well reported when it was shared by a public figure they trust. Just a third (34 percent) felt that way when the article was shared by someone they didn’t trust.
If they trust who shared the content, people are more like to share the post themselves. In addition, they are more likely to recommend the news source to friends, follow the publisher on social media, and sign up for its news alerts.
About half of the people in our experiment could recall who had shared the post, but only about 2 in 10 could remember the source of the article. That could change if Facebook made the reporting source label more prominent.
Implications for Publishers, Brands & and PR
The findings impact publishers as well as brands, PR and those concerned about fake news. The results highlight the importance of brand ambassadors and social media sharing. The study underscores the need for publishers to create strong communities of followers who share the organization’s content to others. Publishers, businesses and PR need to think of consumers as ambassadors for their brands.
In today’s world, placing corporate news in media outlets is not enough. A complete PR strategy includes identifying social media influencers your audience trusts and reaching out to them to encourage them to share company and industry news.
In the traditional media model, the news source and news brand were the same. People read a newspaper or watched the evening news. Today, people get news produced by a news outlet but is spread through social media by other people. The volume of readers created by social media sharing can easily outnumber readers of the article on the original news source.
Successful PR pros will apply their relation-building skills learned through networking with journalists to building relationships with social media influencers. Just as PR people help companies and nonprofits engage with reporters, they can help them engage with social media users.
Difference between Words and Actions
In a 2016 Media Insight survey, people said the news organization that originally reported the story influenced whether they trusted the content more than who shared it. For example, 66 percent of Americans who received news through Facebook said their trust in the original news source significantly influenced their trust in the content, while only 48 percent said the person who shared the news item was a major factor.
“But our new experiment tells a different story. These results show that, in fact, a highly trusted or distrusted sharer has a greater effect on reader trust,” the study states. “The discrepancy suggests that people are often not aware of how much they are influenced by the identity of the sharer.”
The findings are especially relevant considering the large and growing number of people who obtain their news through social media. About half of Americans (51 percent) say they get news from social media, especially Facebook, according to the 2016 Media Insight study.
The Pew Research Center also described the rise of social as a news source. Almost two-thirds of adult Americans get news on social media — 18% do so frequently, reports a survey from Pew Research Center. That’s up significantly from 2012 when almost half of U.S. adults said they saw news on social media.
Bottom Line: People are more likely to believe news and reshare it on social media if they trust the person who shared it, regardless of who originally reported the news, new research reveals. Some people even share news from fictional publications if they trust the sharer. The insights hold important implications for publishers, brands and PR. They underscore the need for social media promotions and developing a community of brand ambassadors.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
