Technology

Facebook Native Videos Generate 1,000% Higher Share Rate

Paul Ausick

Published: March 16, 2017 7:55 am

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 1:55 pm

One would have to be especially dense to fail to see that video sharing has become the next big thing in social media. Both Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) and Twitter Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) have launched native video platforms that allow users to post and edit (to some degree) videos shot from their smartphones.

Updated research from quintly demonstrates how fast and by how much native format videos have taken over on Facebook. In 2015 about 65% of user profiles reviewed included videos posted to Facebook that used the program’s native format. That number rose to 90% by the end of last year (including Facebook Live videos). Videos linked from Alphabet Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) YouTube appeared in just 30% of user profiles.

And in terms of engagement, as measured by users sharing videos, Facebook videos averaged 478% more shares than YouTube videos, and the number of shares of Facebook native format videos soared by 1,055%.

Researchers at quintly analyzed more than 6 million Facebook posts and found that nearly 85% of all video posts used Facebook’s native format. That’s more than 5 million posts. YouTube-linked videos accounted for just over 10% (about 613,000) of videos posted on Facebook.

Why is this important? It is important to Facebook because it gives users an easy way to post videos, allowing them to hold on to viewers of the videos and maintaining a high number of active users. For companies and individuals who post videos, especially in Facebook’s native format, the number of shares and engagement they derive can dramatically expand their reach.