What is the Percentile Metric?

What is the Percentile metric in the Stacker Portal?

When you distribute a story through Stacker, the Percentile metric tells you how that story’s pick-up count stacks up compared to a curated group of stories with similar headlines and themes in our network. This ensures that each piece is evaluated within its relevant content category, offering the most accurate picture of how it performed relative to peer stories.

• Similarity of cohorts: If stories are similar enough, we treat those headlines as a related group and compare their total pickups.
• Minimum size: We only display a percentile when there are enough matches for a fair comparison. If there are not enough similar headlines, the metric will display as “N/A.”
• Percentile score (0-100): For example, a percentile metric of “95th” means your story earned more pick-ups than 95% of stories covering similar themes.

How a cohort is built — step by step

1. You publish: “Counties where the most people work from home in each state.”
2. Similarity check: Our model scans thousands of recent headlines and scores each against yours and only close neighbors remain—for example:
   • “Cities with the most people working from home”
   • “How remote-capable employees shifted fully into working from home”
3. Rank pick-ups: We compare total pick-ups for every headline in the cohort.
4. Return your percentile: If your story lands at the 65th percentile, The Percentile shows “65th.”

Example cohorts across verticals

Below are sample headlines that would likely cluster together. They illustrate what “similar” means without revealing any private client data.

• Remote Work & Economy
  • Your headline: “Counties where the most people work from home in each state”
  • Likely neighbors: “Cities with the most people working from home”; “Are we past the peak of the remote-work era?”

• Entertainment & Business
  • Your headline: “10 brands you might not know were founded by celebrities”
  • Likely neighbors: “10 celebs who started billion-dollar brands before turning 30”; “10 celebrity businesses that flopped almost immediately”

• Health & Wellness
  • Your headline: “Most Americans experience a traumatic event by the age of 16—here are common symptoms”
  • Likely neighbors: “The most common mental health diagnoses among teens”; “Teens are facing a rising mental-health crisis—who is most at risk?”

• Innovation & States
  • Your headline: “Counting patents: States with the most inventive residents”
  • Likely neighbors: “The top patent earner in each state last year”; “States with the highest rate of new entrepreneurs”

• Infrastructure & Driving
  • Your headline: “Does more spending mean better roads? Here are the best—and roughest—roads by state”
  • Likely neighbors: “States where road conditions are deteriorating fastest”; “Best and worst states to drive in”

• Lifestyle & Retail
  • Your headline: “Valentine’s Day gift guide: Jewelry for every relationship”
  • Likely neighbors: “Wedding rings for every style: A guide to finding your perfect match”; “Trending engagement-ring styles for every budget”

(Examples are illustrative; your actual cohort may differ.)

How to interpret your score

• 50th percentile: Solid—your story performed on par with its peers.
• 65th percentile or higher: Above average—your headline resonated better than most.
• 85th percentile or higher: Top performer—consider replicating elements like timing, topic, or framing.
• Below 35th percentile: Opportunity to refine your approach (headline angle, publish time.)