Some NFL coaches say stats are for losers and winning is all that matters. We politely disagree. Whether you’re on the football field or on the computer working up your content strategy, the data can be a guiding light for signifying what works, what doesn’t, and what deserves the most of your energy. If you don’t listen to the data, you could get caught stagnating.
Particularly in the world of sports media, data is key. It’s a window into your audience and how receptive they are to certain mediums, content types, and interaction methods. If you use the data correctly, it can help refine and streamline your content plan.
There are countless metrics to consider when assessing your brand’s performance. Here are five to get you started: Five data points that together build a strong foundation for self-assessment.
An Overview of 5 Key Content Metrics
Page Views – An Indication of Reach
This one is self-explanatory; it’s quite literally in the title. A page view is a measure of how many readers view your page.
Page views can vary based on how many pages or slides your article has. If your article is a one-page piece without tabs for different slides, then it’ll just be one view per click. If your article has multiple slides, you can increase your views by as much as that multiplier – but you also risk losing your audience’s attention and impacting the user experience.
In the past, with search engine optimization being a key tool in content success, strong page view numbers have been indicative of proper optimization within Google’s algorithm. The rise of AI overviews and the evolution of the algorithm, however, has put the onus on stronger brands to stay afloat using their image and prestige.
To put it simply, if you’re getting views, you’re doing something right. It’s a quantification of your reach, and you can use marketing on social media to expand that reach even more.
Average Time Per Session – An Indication of Immersion
Like page views, this metric is also fairly straightforward. Time per session is the amount of time a reader or user spends on a given page on average.
Some tools – such as a mock draft simulator – will naturally have higher time-per-session numbers as standard written content, since tools like that are designed to keep the user’s attention by calling on them to interact. But if your written content has a high time per session, that’s just as good – because it means the reader is invested in the content.
Time per session is an indication of immersion. High immersion not only allows more opportunities for pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll ads on built-in videos, but it also hints that your content, or tool, is compelling enough to keep the user coming back.
Bounce Rate – An Indication of Attention
Bounce rate defines the percentage of readers or users who leave a website after viewing just one page. Often, users have an option to take an action after visiting a page – whether that action is reading on to another piece, clicking a link, opening a tool, or commenting. Bounce rate is calculated by dividing the amount of one-page visits by the total page views.
An indication of attention and engagement, bounce rate is directly inversed with the engagement rate of a given page. If you have a low bounce rate, you’ve proven you can keep your reader’s attention past the initial content. Through this, you can make your brand a landing spot for users.
Paid Memberships and Subscriptions – An Indication of Loyalty
Paid memberships and subscriptions exist on intermediaries like YouTube, or within sites themselves. Ultimately, a paid membership or subscription measures how many readers, users, and viewers are willing to pay for premium content from a brand.
This is the next step beyond immersion and attention. Not only are you immersing the user and keeping their attention, but they see enough value in your brand offering to invest their money in retaining that value. This is where brand loyalty can bear additional fruit by creating direct sales to consumers.
Social Impression and Interactions – An Indication of Growth
Social impressions may arguably be the most important data point as social media becomes more and more important in the sports media industry. While there are multiple types of post interactions – likes, reposts, shares, etc. – overall impressions, or post views, ultimately fuel interactions.
Think of it as a funnel-like structure. At the top of the funnel, you have overall impressions – the totality of what your content reaches. For viewers to interact with your post, they first need to see it; it first needs to reach them. From that market of overall impressions, you can then attract interactions, and potentially earn loyal readers and viewers through repeat interactions.
Madison Bess, the Director of Content at Alt Sports Data, spoke to Sports Media Playbook about the importance of social interactions in building a brand. Bess defines total interactions as “all likes, comments, shares, and reposts.” She says that ultimately, “this metric is a good indicator of how your content resonates with your followers.”
When your brand reaches more people, this is the first step toward catalyzing growth on social channels. But you also need to take charge of making sure your content resonates at the interaction point. You can work toward this by encouraging interaction, stimulating the mind with graphics and data, and building a sense of community.
