Where To Find Statistics for Content Creation (2024)

Statistics and survey data can elevate your brand’s content and give audiences a deeper look into a given topic. Providing information in this way also positions your business as a trusted resource to potential customers in your industry. The challenge is finding statistics and relevant data to use in your content creation process. However, this guide breaks down 12 key sources to find statistics and when and how to use them in your content.

Jump ahead:

• 12 Online Sources to Find Statistics
• When Should I Use Statistics in My Copy and Infographics?
• Types of Content That Benefit from Finding Statistics
• Tips for Using Statistics in Your Content

Where To Find Statistics for Your Content

Here is a list of 12 online sources that you can use to find statistics and reputable data from companies, research teams, and government organizations:

1.eMarketer and Insider Intelligence

Reports about research studies are available from the eMarketer and Insider Intelligence partnership. The website covers topics like advertising, finance, health, and technology. The charts feature shows simplified presentations of certain data to make it easier to understand.

The eMarketer platform also provides content articles to help with other research. This paid service requires individual users to sign up with their company email address to see if their organization subscribes to the website.

2.Gallup

If you’ve heard of Gallup before, it’s likely been in the context of political polls. This public polling company shares information like the President’s approval rating, the country’s unemployment rate, and job creation.

Stats update every day to provide the most accurate reflection of the current state of the country. Gallup also shares news articles about trending topics with additional data and information to add even more credibility to your content.

3.Gapminder

Gapminderfocuses on collecting global data and correcting misconceptions about worldwide statistics. The site uses a combination ofdatasheets, charts, maps, and graphs to present its information. Topics span fields like health, infrastructure, the economy, and energy.

You can download and print thedatasheetsto use for your content projects or test your knowledge with the global statistics misconception quizzes. These help everyday users learn more about misunderstood or unknown statistics on important topics from around the world.

4.Google Public Data

Google Public Data is a subset search engine that pulls data reports from trusted public sources like the World Bank, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other government websites. It presents the data in interactive charts and graphs.

Datasets include embedding options, which allow you to add the data to your website and other content. The country profiles let you see an overview of the most important statistics for that region and refine your search to look at more niche topics.

5.HubSpot Research

HubSpot, like many marketing agencies, conducts its own research. It covers topics of interest for those in marketing and business, such as SEO, analytics, content, and email marketing habits. The research area ofHubSpot’swebsite provides links to charts, graphs, and studies on these topics that you can download and use for your own projects.

6.Knoema

Knoema is a search engine that combines a collection of public, private, and alternative data to help you find the statistics for which you’re searching. You can browse over 460 topics and 1,600 sources in one place.

The live datasets let you customize how to display the data you’re researching. They also let you include or exclude certain elements and choose the type of chart or graph you prefer for the presentation.

The data atlas feature also lets you browse statistics about countries of the world related to population and government, such as crime statistics, tourism, health, and the economy.Knoemais a paid service to access all its features. Prices vary by plan and package.

7.NationMaster

NationMasterhas over 50,000 industry statistics for market trends and sizes. It has information about 300 market sectors and the economies of 180 countries. The company provides daily updates from official sources, like national and government organizations.

8.Pew Research Center

Pew Research Center describes itself as a nonpartisan fact tank. It uses polls and surveys to publish information on topics like politics, family, science, news habits, and international affairs. Users can browse articles and data by region or country.

Other resources include dataset downloads, survey question searches that go back to 1989, and a host of research databases. Pew also offers a find an expert search to tell readers more about the experts, writers, and data collectors associated with the service.

9.RotoWire

RotoWireis a sports statistics and news website that hosts information about different professional sports organizations. You can find information about the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, soccer, golf, women’s, and college sports, among other international sports. Though it’s promoted as a resource for fantasy sports and sports betting, it’s still a helpful resource if you’re looking for information about teams or players for your content.

Its large collection includes press releases, statistics sheets, and documents from teams, leagues, and reputable sports news outlets.

10.Statista

Statistahas statistics and facts for 170 industries in over 150 countries. The service includes charts, graphs, andinfographicsto help you visualize the data and consume it quickly to get the numbers you need.Statistaalso has other tools like a company database, to get insights about companies around the world.

The publication finder is a good collective for searching for additional facts and resources. Other features include industry outlooks to learn more about trends in specific fields.

Statista has a free account that allows access to basic statistics, but to see more advanced reports and premium statistics, the company charges a fee. Pricing varies based on the type of account and access you prefer.

11.Statistic Brain Research Institute

Statistic Brain Research Institute (SBRI) maintains a database of over 500,000 data sets to provide statistics for writing and business plans. The company focuses on sharing only accurate information unbiased by a media skew.SBRI provides data in broad areas, such as business, geography, demographics, and culture. This site requires payment to access all available features. The pricing options include a standard subscription for general users.

12.USA.gov Reference Center

If you intend to use United States government data, going right to the source is a good place to start. You can view census and government statistics and data from this dashboard. The site also provides national maps that cover demographic data, current weather, resource data, and agricultural information.

Use this site as a source to find state and local government data based on the census. The main site links to other government organizations that may provide more specialized information on certain topics. For example, you can access websites for the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or the National Center for Education Statistics through the links.

When To Use Statistics in Content

There are multiple reasons that statistics can be helpful when creating your content. Some situations that benefit from a fact or figure may include:

Making Comparisons

You can find statistics to help you compare two or more products, items, or services. For example, if you’re writing web copy to compare your service prices to that of another company, instead of telling readers that your prices are better, you can show them with actual numbers. You can also use data in charts and graphs to show visual comparisons of two pieces of data.

Strengthening Arguments

Persuasive arguments can be stronger when you use statistics. If you intend to make a claim in your copy, find statistics to back it up. For example, if you wanted to write a blog post about why video is popular with social media users, you could find a statistic like 84% of consumers said watching a brand’s video is why they made a purchase. This statistic helps provide evidence of why video may be a popular medium for marketing on social media.

Capturing Audience Attention

Certain statistics may be so astounding that using them could help capture an audience’s attention and draw them to your content. For example, a publishing house writing a blog post about the importance of parents modeling reading habits may look for a surprising statistic to use in the article.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Americans read for fun or personal interest for 10 minutes or less per day. Because this number is low, it might surprise the audience and encourage them to read more of the post.

Increasing Credibility

Getting your readers to trust your business or agency just from your content isn’t a guarantee. With each new blog article, social media post, newsletter, or sales CTA, you can expect that there will be some readers who don’t have a reason to trust you as a credible source of information yet. Accuracy is important for building lasting credibility, so find statistics to use in your content that will solidify the topics you’re highlighting so audiences know they can trust your brand.

Types of Content That Benefit from Finding Statistics

You can find statistics for a variety of content types, including:

• Infographics.
• Blog posts.
• Articles.
• Case studies.
• eBooks.
• White papers.
• Website copy.
• Slide presentations.
• Reports.
• Social media posts.

Tips for Using Statistics in Your Content

If you intend to use statistics in your content, consider these tips to promote honest and ethical data sharing:

Choose Reliable Sources

It’s easy to make up statistics, especially ambiguous ones that are more difficult to fact check. We could tell you that 78% of content marketing agencies in the United States offer blog writing services, but without a study and source to back that up, that’s probably not true. One way to avoid this kind of practice is to use real, trustworthy statistics from reliable sources.

We’ve provided 12 in the list above, but they’re just a sampling of the places you can find reputable data online. Websites with .gov addresses and research organizations that provide access to raw data are often trustworthy locations for fact sourcing.

If you’re unable to find the raw data for a particular statistic or claim, the next best source is a trustworthy and vetted media news outlet or a reputable publication that cites the original data source for the statistic. Social media channels, personal blogs, and related content may not be reliable sources for data and statistics if they don’t link to the original study or proof of the figures’ credibility.

Update Your Information

If you’re creating evergreen content with statistics, be sure to review each piece over time and make any necessary updates. Data changes constantly. Content can lose its evergreen feel if it no longer reflects the current landscape of your industry or topic.

Flag or mark pieces that use statistics and create a quarterly or yearly process to fact check and update them. Review the numbers and look for broken or dead links. If the original source removed the data or reference document from its website, you may need to remove or replace the statistic in your own content.

Review the Data Background

Data and statistics are the products of research, so it’s important to understand the background of the research study to ensure you’re using data compatible with your project. While the data might be factual, the research study may have bias. It’s important to learn the context of data before you use it.

The more questions you can answer may help you uncover the true intentions of the research study and determine if the data is right for your project.

Cite Your Sources

Always give credit when you find statistics and data from another source and use those details in your content. This is important for two reasons. First, sharing statistics and data you didn’t generate yourself is plagiarism. Even if it’s done accidentally or unintentionally. Always give credit to avoid that mistake.

Second, crediting the original source helps establish your company as a credible location for information. If readers can trace the data back to its original source, they can feel confident that you’re providing truthful information in your content. If your company conducted the research study, link to your raw data results to further prove your credibility.

Go Visual

Displaying too much data in words can confuse the reader. Reading too many numbers in succession may hinder information retention. When you present your data visually—with a chart, graph,or infographic—it presents the information in a format that’s easier to digest. If you’re planning to make a piece of content that relies on multiple pieces of data, go visual. Use one of these tools to show the information in a way the audience can, and actually wants to, understand.

Using data and statistics the right way can help your content be more factual and interesting for readers. Learning where to find the right content for your pieces can help make your research and creation process easier.

Does your brand need help creating content that builds trust and authority in your market? CopyPress’ fractional content marketing services give you the solutions you need to leverage subject matter expertise and develop authority-driven content. Learn more about our Authority Builder and Content Create services and how our solutions can help your business or agency streamline your content marketing campaigns.

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