Social networking algorithms are the backbone of all social networks. They exist to sort through the vast amount of content posted every day and show each user the content they are most likely to interact with.
In this post, we will answer the question of how social media algorithms work. You should never try to beat the algorithm on social media, but understanding the most important ranking signals can give you a strategic advantage over your competitors.
A social media algorithm is a set of rules and signals that automatically rank content on a social platform based on how likely each individual social media user is to like and interact with it.
The algorithms are the reason why no two users will see exactly the same social content, even if they are all following the same accounts.
There’s a reason the main TikTok user feed is called “A Page for You”. This is content specially curated for you based on how you have interacted with the app in the past.
But of course, there is no person sitting at the table shuffling content into every TikTok user’s feed. (What a job that would be!) Instead, these recommendations are made by algorithms.
The algorithms of each social media platform are different, but they are all based on machine learning and a set of factors called ranking signals. That’s exactly what they sound like: signals used to rank the value of each individual piece of content for each individual user.
Ranking signals are individual as they are often based on your previous interactions with the app.
Examples of Social Network Algorithms
To show the algorithms in action, here are some examples of how they work on my own social media feeds.
Facebook shows me a constant stream of videos that fall into a category I call sad animal becomes happy. A woman adopted a bee without wings. A horse stuck in the ice is rescued by guys in a pickup truck. A police officer rescues ducklings stuck in a sewer grate.
Source: Dodo
I have never specifically liked or followed the account that hosts these videos, but every time a video appears as a featured video in my news feed, I watch it in its entirety. I often share them via Messenger with my sister. The behavior is telling Facebook that I want more of this content – and damn it delivers.
The Instagram algorithm, on the other hand, serves me as a continuous stream of vintage/boho home decor and houseplants.
Sources: @stunning_plant, @greentica, @vintage____visions
In this case, I followed some accounts based on suggested posts. This reinforcing signal tells the algorithm to add even more content of the same type to my feed, and I’m not angry about it.
Sometimes Instagram will even tell you why it’s suggesting you a particular post based on what you liked, followed, or watched.
Source: @bestofnorthernlights
So far, you have seen how algorithms are affected by user behavior. In the following sections, we’ll talk about how xcontent creators can “communicate”with the algorithms that underpin social networks (and help the algorithms deliver their content to more users).
Now that you know what social media algorithms are and how they work, let’s look at some specific ranking signals for each social platform.
We will never be able to know all the details of the platform algorithm – this is their secret sauce. But we know enough to make significant adjustments to your content strategy so that the algorithms work for you, not against you.
Here are the most important known ranking signals for each social platform.
1. Instagram algorithm
Famous Instagram ranking signals:
- Relationships matter. You are more likely to see content from people you follow, send messages to, or otherwise interact with. For brands, this means it’s critical to encourage and respond to subscriber engagement.
- interest rule. That’s why I get all this home decor and plants.
- Relevance is key. Relevance is based on factors such as timeliness and topical trends.
- The popularity skyrockets. The level and speed of engagement with a post, as well as the level of engagement with the account as a whole, signal popularity, which can help content get to the Explore page.
2. TikTok algorithm
Notable TikTok Ranking Signals:
- Previous interactions. This includes signals such as accounts you follow and are hidden from, or content you have interacted with or that has been flagged as uninteresting.
- Behavior on the Discover tab. This factor analyzes content characteristics such as captions, sounds, effects, and trending topics.
- Location and language. Content from your country or in your native language may be preferred.
- Trends. Using popular sounds and effects can help make your content stand out.
- TikTok should feel like TikTok. Use built-in features such as effects, sounds, and word processing.
- The number of subscribers does NOT matter. The real difference with TikTok is that the number of followers is NOT a ranking signal.
The TikTok algorithm is especially important to understand because, unlike most social platforms, TikTok is designed to display new content, not to show content from people you already follow.
3. Facebook algorithm
Famous Facebook ranking signals:
- Links with Facebook. Your feed will be mostly filled with content from the people and pages you follow and interact with.
- Content type. Users who watch videos get more videos. Users interacting with photos get more photos and so on.
- Engagement level. The algorithm is more likely to drive popular posts with high engagement, especially if the engagement is from people you already interact with.
- Content quality. Facebook describes this general category of ranking signals with terms like “meaningful”, “informative”, “accurate”, and “authentic”.
4. YouTube algorithm
Notable YouTube ranking signals:
- Video performance. Popular videos get more love for algorithms. This is measured using metrics such as watch duration, likes, dislikes, and click through rates.
- Watch history. YouTube recommends content similar to what viewers have already watched.
- Context. Thematically related videos or videos that are often watched together are more likely to appear in “suggested videos”.
Like TikTok, YouTube isn’t so much about who you follow as it is about what the algorithm provides for you to watch. As of 2018, 70% of YouTube watch time was based on algorithm recommendations, and as of 2022, the homepage and suggested videos are the top traffic sources for most channels.
5. LinkedIn Algorithm
Notable LinkedIn Ranking Signals:
- Publication quality. The LinkedIn algorithm performs an initial sorting to mark content as spam, low quality, or high quality. You can guess what you should aim for.
- Early engagement. The LinkedIn algorithm uses early engagement as a secondary test of quality before promoting content further.
- LinkedIn connections. Closer connections see more of your content, and the pages, groups, and hashtags people follow are used to determine their likely interest in a topic.
6. Twitter Algorithm
Notable Twitter ranking signals:
- User interaction. As Twitter defines it, “accounts you frequently interact with, tweets you interact with, and more.”
- Novelty. This especially affects what appears in popular topics or what is happening.
- Location. This will also affect what you see in Trends.
- current popularity. How much engagement and activity is associated with this topic/trend/tweet right now, especially from people in your network.
7. Pinterest algorithm
Notable Pinterest ranking signals:
- Site quality and ownership. Pinterest rates the quality of a website based on the popularity of the Pins that link to it and prioritizes the content of the website owner.
- Engagement levels. Evaluated for both individual Pins and the Pinner account.
Because Pinterest works a little differently than other social platforms, we have a post about Pinterest SEO instead of a post specifically about the algorithm. It contains a lot of naughty details that you can use to make your pins stand out.
Now you know why social media algorithms exist and how they differ across platforms. Here are some general tips for scoring points with social media algorithms in general.
1. Post Relevant, Quality Content
Content relevance and quality are ranking signals for all social algorithms. This is because the whole point of social media algorithms is to show people content that they might be interested in. Spoiler alert: people are generally not interested in content that can be considered irrelevant or low quality.
What “quality”means may differ depending on the platform. While you might want to use a high-end camera for content in your Instagram feed, you’ll almost certainly be filming your TikTok on a mobile device. Quality is really about making sure the content you create meets the expectations of the platform. Take advantage of features like stickers and sounds to make the most of all the social tools.
Relevance can also vary by platform, but it’s always important to understand your target audience and create content that they love.
2. Keep what you promise
Clickbait was a real problem in the early days of social media. As a result, all platforms have trained their algorithms to essentially reject content that appears to be misleading or spam.
Make sure your title, caption, and hashtags are accurate and understandable.
3. Understand trends
Trending topics keep people scrolling and engaging, which is why social platforms want to show more of this content.
You don’t want to jump on every trend that comes up. But if something comes up with real potential to fit your brand messages, it’s worth putting some of your best social minds to it. Use tools like Google Trends to see what’s online in general and a social listening program to understand what’s happening in your industry specifically.
Also look for ways to include popular sounds and effects for short videos like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
4. Know the best time to post
Many of the algorithms include recency and early engagement as key ranking signals. This means you need to know when your audience is most likely to be online and actively engaging with each social platform.
For general guidelines, check out our post on the best time to post on each social media. But remember that while these times are a good start, they won’t necessarily be the most effective for your followers.
For personalized best posting times for maximum engagement based on the behavior of your own followers, check out the best posting times built into Hootsuite.
5. Encourage comments, saves and shares
As we just said, engagement, especially early engagement, is a key ranking signal for all social media algorithms. One easy way to get more attention is to simply ask for it.
We are not suggesting that you beg your followers to like or share your posts. Instead, create content that naturally encourages your followers to interact with both your content and each other.
One proven way to encourage engagement is to run a social media contest. But, of course, I don’t want to hold a contest in every post.
Another great way to increase engagement is to ask a question or start a discussion.
When you create particularly informative content, encourage followers to share it with others who might benefit from these resources, or save the post for future reference.
6. Experiment (a lot)
Working with social media algorithms is part science, part art, and a bit of magic. While we can give you tips to help you send the right signals to the algorithms, there is no universal formula for success.
This means you need to try new things, see what works, and refine your strategy over time. All good internet marketers know the “Always test” manta. It’s the only real way to find out what’s working right now for your brand in real time.
We have a blog post that walks you through how to run social media tests. Check out the experiment playlist at Hootsuite Labs for inspiration.
7. Post more videos
Social platforms are actively using video. Posting more video content aligns your brand’s social strategy with the direction platforms are headed.
In particular, meta platforms provide many opportunities to find short video content (like commercials) from brands and content creators they don’t follow. Videos are an important way to attract new users and send relevancy signals to algorithms.