A study on how different types of video perform on Facebook, whether it's via a direct native upload or a YouTube share. Duke University's social media and video team did some A/B testing with online videos and discovered some interesting features of Facebook's algorithm.

1. Sharing Video on Facebook
YouTube linking vs. native uploads

2. What we heard:
Facebook’s video-sharing strategy is
evolving, and gives strong preference to
native video uploads within the platform.

3. What we did:
An experiment in the spring of 2015. Duke’s
social/video team tested how Facebook’s
algorithm is treating video sharing.
We wanted to know if native video uploads
would perform differently than linking to
YouTube videos -- our preferred method of
sharing video in the past.

4. The details:
- Posted the same video a day apart, at the
same time both days.
- One of the posts was a YouTube link, the
other is a native video upload.
- Posted with identical copy in the caption.
- Experimented with four videos.

5. Example #1: YouTube Link
A video about a Duke alumni couple celebrating their 70th
anniversary in the Duke Chapel.

6. Example #1: Native Video Upload
A video about a Duke alumni couple celebrating their 70th
anniversary in the Duke Chapel.

7. Example #1: Results
Data YouTube Upload
Total Video Views 108* 438**
20,536
Average Video View Duration 1:26 :22
Post Reach 13,184 74,752
Post Likes 204 1,117
Post Shares 0 107
Post Comments 2 21
*total views on YouTube video from Facebook
**clicks to play on Facebook

8. Example #2: YouTube Link
A video explaining how organs make music.

9. Example #2: Native Video Upload
A video explaining how organs make music.

10. Example #2: Results
Data YouTube Upload
Total Video Views 166* **20,686
321,067
Average Video View Duration 3:35 :51
Post Reach 19,984 931,328
Post Likes 109 1,923
Post Shares 42 6,577
Post Comments 2 202
*total views on YouTube video from Facebook
**clicks to play on Facebook

11. Example #3: YouTube Link
A video about music influence on a poetry professor’s work.

12. Example #3: Native Video Upload
A video about music influence on a poetry professor’s work.

13. Example #3: Results
Data YouTube Upload
Total Video Views 10* **79
3,955
Average Video View Duration 1:02 :20
Post Reach 8,672 19,784
Post Likes 23 47
Post Shares 0 0
Post Comments 1 1
*total views on YouTube video from Facebook
**clicks to play on Facebook

14. Example #4: YouTube Link
A video about how professors are using social media in the
classroom.

15. Example #4: Native Video Upload
A video about how professors are using social media in the
classroom.

16. Example #4: Results
Data YouTube Upload
Total Video Views *47 **239
11,129
Average Video View Duration 1:38 :28
Post Reach 13,816 46,352
Post Likes 59 159
Post Shares 0 23
Post Comments 2 2
*total views on YouTube video from Facebook
**clicks to play on Facebook

17. Takeaways
• Native uploads have much higher reach, views and
engagement, but viewers watch for less time.
• Abandoning YouTube is not the answer – but a Facebook
strategy for your video is important.
• Once a video is shared a bunch, the views skyrocket.
• Engagement-to-likes ratio is huge with native uploads.