Facebook’s Most-Shared Publisher to Start Paying Its Quiz Makers
Even if you’ve never heard of PlayBuzz, you’ve probably come across its end product. Its platform is behind such Facebook quizzes as “Which Disney Mom Are You?” and lists like “18 Photos That Prove That Online Dating Is Terrifying.” The company, thanks to the virality of such content, has become the most-shared publisher on Facebook — yes, topping even BuzzFeed. And it’s done so without paying for most of the content it publishes. That’s starting to change.
Commonly called a “BuzzFeed clone,” PlayBuzz has parlayed its quizzes and listicles into Facebook popularity. In January people shared more PlayBuzz stories on Facebook than any other publisher, according to social content analytics firm NewsWhip. But PlayBuzz, which launched in January 2014, doesn’t consider itself a publisher.
“We’re not a publisher in our DNA. We don’t have an editorial staff,” said PlayBuzz CEO Shaul Olmert, son of former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert.
