Paid media and measurement · Large-scale field experiment, three online lab studies, and theoretical model
Do More Likes Lead to More Clicks? Evidence from a Field Experiment on Social Advertising
Huang, S., & Lin, S. (2025). Journal of Marketing Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429241307608.
Plain-English take
Displaying more likes increased click-through rates for lesser-known brands but not for well-known brands. For your marketing: Social proof may matter more when brand familiarity is low, but the effect can depend on audience behavior.
How much weight to give this
2.5/5 Limited or context-dependent evidence
The 1–5 evidence-check score is a practical reading aid, not a formal peer review or a probability that a conclusion is true. It combines design strength (2 points), sample reporting (1), comparison/control clarity (1), and how much of the paper could be checked (1). Access affects how confidently this directory can assess a study, not the study's underlying quality. Blinding is reported separately because it is not relevant to every design.
This is theory or a framework, not a direct empirical test of the marketing outcome.
A usable sample size is not stated in the profile's accessible source.
No participant control group; conclusions are conditional on the model or synthesis assumptions.
This profile could be checked against an abstract or metadata, not the full paper.
Double-blind? Blinding is not reported in the source reviewed; that does not establish whether blinding was or was not used.
Research question
What the authors investigated
Does displaying a larger number of likes on an ad cause more users to like or click it?
Design
A large-scale WeChat field experiment is complemented by three online laboratory studies and a theoretical model.
Sample and setting
WeChat social advertising plus online lab studies; the accessible abstract does not report a sample size.
Reported result
What the study found
Displaying more likes increased click-through rates for lesser-known brands but not for well-known brands. It had a stronger effect on like rates among more socially engaged users.
This is a paraphrase of the source. Check the original paper for definitions, estimates, statistical uncertainty and analysis details.
Scope and transfer
Limitations to keep in view
A single platform and specific social-ad context; the abstract does not report sample size or all treatment details. Likes and clicks are intermediate outcomes rather than qualified leads or sales.
Possible founder application
Social proof may matter more when brand familiarity is low, but the effect can depend on audience behavior. Test against downstream conversion and avoid optimizing for visible engagement alone.
Evidence access
Publisher abstract; full text access may vary
Journal of Marketing Research publisher abstract; results summarized at abstract level.
If only an abstract or metadata was available, the profile is limited to claims supported there. A paper's paywall does not change its evidentiary status, but it limits what we can substantiate from accessible text.