Do you have data showing how many new Chicago Tribune subscriptions originated with someone clicking a link on Twitter that brought them to the website? If so, how does the pattern of these subscription signups track over time with the pattern of link clicks you observed in Twitter Analytics?

If reported link clicks have been nosediving but actual subscriptions have not, I’d hypothesize that the difference in link clicks is due to anti-click fraud measures. Twitter’s been ramping up their use of machine learning to identify and remove/hide fraudulent activity.

Bots can click on links all day but they’re not going to sign up for subscriptions to the Tribune. Could be telling to see how these patterns compare.

If you get the chance to look into this, would love to know what you find. Especially if my hypothesis is wrong.