Bill English trailing Brand Key on social media

Prime Minister Bill English on the phone to counterpart Malcolm Turnbull (Twitter/pmbillenglish)
Prime Minister Bill English on the phone to counterpart Malcolm Turnbull (Twitter/pmbillenglish)

He's officially taken over John Key's title, but Bill English still has a long way to go in the public popularity stakes to match his predecessor.

The official John Key Facebook page has more than 250,000 likes, while Bill English is almost hitting 19,000.

Mr Key's following of thousands is a reflection of his brand - the one that won him three consecutive elections - and one that the former Finance Minister, beavering away in the background, hasn't cultivated.

Bill English trailing Brand Key on social media

But the social media-shy Southern bloke is doing okay; his Facebook following has grown by 43 percent since Mr Key gave him his endorsement for Prime Minister.

Bill English trailing Brand Key on social media

Bill English's Facebook likes saw a spike after John Key endorsed him as leader 

And that's sure to continue if he keeps up the moody, Mad Men-esque filter choices like this one:

Meanwhile, Greens co-leader Metiria Turei has amassed 21,000 Twitter followers compared to Mr English's 11,000.

They likely enjoy the fact they're interacting with the real Metiria, not official photo ops and press releases.

Who can forget the night she went to the Hunt for the Wilderpeople and live-tweeted the evening?

She maintains she only had one light cider but her timeline tells a wilder story.

Of course, the Prime Minister can't go rogue on his social media channels (and he isn't the one running them anyway) so follower numbers reflect public preference for the brand rather than the actual content posted.

Bill English trailing Brand Key on social media

However, the exception to that could be New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, who posts rants to his 70,000 people, some of which garner thousands of likes and comments.

Newshub.