Exploring the content factors contributing to boosting user engagement on Press TV’s Facebook page

User engagement as one of the main concerns of media organizations has already taken on more significance with social media networks including Facebook updating their visibility algorithms by the level of engagement. This challenges media corporations, especially Iranian media including PressTV, given the nature of the content they create. The present study aimed to identify content factors contributing to boosting user engagement on PressTV’s Facebook page and increasing its organic reach. The researchers analyzed 119 most viewed posts within 12 months (2019-2020) through a thematic analysis. The identified factors were later sent to experts to elicit their opinions about the impact on engaging the audience. Information, identity, novelty, practical use, curiosity, surprise, entertainment, and negative sentiment were the 8 factors boosting user engagement on PressTV’s Facebook page. Unlike similar studies which mainly focus on content format and components, this research highlights content characteristics contributing to user engagement on Facebook.