The Athletic, a sports news website, has significantly increased article clicks and reader engagement by prominently displaying comment counts on its owned platforms, according to industry reports.
The New York Times-owned website observed higher engagement metrics when comment counts were visible on its homepage articles, leveraging social proof to encourage interaction.
The New York Times reported a substantial financial increase in the second quarter of 2025, with revenue for its ‘Other Ventures’ segment, which includes The Athletic, increasing by one-third to $54 million. The segment also posted an adjusted operating profit of $5.8 million, with advertising revenue nearly doubling to $14.1 million.
Displaying engagement signals such as comment counts encourages clicks by leveraging social proof, said Harry Clarkson-Bennett, a former Condé Nast and Google executive. This tactic prompts readers to investigate content that others are actively discussing.
Publishers are advised to experiment with various engagement indicators beyond just comment counts, including shares, likes, scroll depth and session duration. This allows them to identify and promote content that is performing well against expected engagement levels.
Statistical modeling, potentially enhanced by artificial intelligence, can assist publishers in identifying articles that are over-performing in terms of engagement. Such insights can then inform decisions about more prominent placement for high-performing content.
Source: Search Engine Journal
