Previously submitted to: Journal of Medical Internet Research (no longer under consideration since Aug 16, 2020)
Date Submitted: Jul 1, 2019
Open Peer Review Period: Jul 5, 2019 - Aug 30, 2019
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Identifying Engaging Characteristics of Facebook Posts Within a National Smoking Cessation Campaign: Observational Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Although social media has become an increasingly effective vehicle through which to disseminate health promotion resources, it remains one of the least studied components of many campaigns. Research about the efficacy of perceived social support and sustained exposure to messaging for behavior change suggests that social media posts might led to positive health outcomes like smoking cessation.
Objective:
The present study analyzed the qualitative characteristics of a digital smoking cessation campaign’s posts on Facebook to determine why some posts garner higher engagement than others. The purpose of this analysis is to better understand why some posts garner higher engagement than others to help inform future behavior change promotion on Facebook.
Methods:
This study used the Facebook Ads Manager platform to run 202 posts featuring facts, inspiration, and tips about smoking cessation, with an ad setup protocol that controlled for budget, day of week, and time of day. Posts were qualitatively coded for 11 imagery or messaging variables, and assessed for rate of engagement. Videos and images were analyzed separately due to key differences in determining the outcome variable.
Results:
In multivariable analyses, image posts with animals (P = .004) and a neutral tone (P = .013) had the highest engagement rates, whereas video posts without sound (P < .001), that used photography (P = .004), and that had content featuring facts or inspiration (P = .004 and P = .018, respectively) performed best.
Conclusions:
These findings not only help inform future content creation best practices for health communications professionals but also provide a unique methodology for optimizing social media strategy for health promotion.
Citation
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