Navigating Social Media Algorithms in the USA and Canada

A social media algorithm is a set of rules and signals used to rank content on a social platform. It arranges material in social feeds according to how likely each particular social media user is to like and interact with it.

A social algorithm's goal is to provide a positive user experience by making individual users' feeds interesting and engaging. Algorithms explain why no two users will view the identical social content, even if they follow the same accounts.

Why do social media algorithms matter?

As you can see from our algorithm description, social media relies on algorithms to determine what you see from the enormously large potential content pool. For brands, this implies that algorithms influence the likelihood of your content being viewed - both by your followers and by those who do not yet follow you.

Furthermore, the algorithms have the potential for exponential power. Social media algorithms are programmed to recommend content that they believe a user will enjoy based on previous ranking signals (more on those later). If the user likes, interacts with, or follows any of these posts or accounts, the algorithm quickly learns to display and recommend more of the same.

That is why following a few new accounts, or even liking a few posts from accounts you do not follow, might result in an influx of relevant information in your feed. After all, what is the purpose of a social media algorithm if not to provide you with exactly what you want in your feed? Brands, you want to be a part of that flood of material.

How do social media algorithms work?

There's a reason the main TikTok user feed is known as the For You Page. It is material that has been specifically picked for you based on your recent interactions with the app. X (previously Twitter) has also embraced similar language, with users able to choose between a For You or Following timeline.

However, there is no individual sitting behind a computer mixing stuff into each TikTok or X user's feeds

(What a job it would be!) Instead, algorithms provide these recommendations.

All social media businesses have various algorithms, but they all rely on machine learning and a set of characteristics known as ranking signals. These are exactly what they sound like: signals used to rank the importance of each individual piece of content for each individual user at a given time.

While the technology underlying them is cutting-edge, their main function is straightforward: they scan the whole pool of available information, score and rank it, and determine what shows in a user's feed.

For example, here's a graphic picture of what's going on behind the scenes of the Facebook algorithm:

Ranking signals are personalized because they frequently rely on your previous experiences with the platform. And, as previously said, they have an exponential effect that reinforces themselves. The algorithm's behavior is totally focused on keeping you on the platform by providing material that you continue to watch, like, or touch on.

That is how the algorithms function based on user behavior (in a nutshell). In the following sections, we'll look at how content creators and companies can "communicate" with the algorithms that fuel social media. That necessitates an evaluation of the unique ranking signals for each social media network.

Eight social media algorithms explained.

We will never know all the nuances of a platform's algorithm since social media networks protect that recipe like a secret sauce. However, in recent years, social media platforms have been more transparent about their ranking signals and how their algorithms function overall.

That information can help you make real changes to your content strategy so that the algorithms work for you rather than against you.

Here are the most well recognized ranking indications for each social platform.

1. Instagram algorithm(s).

Instagram announced last year that each component of the site is powered by a unique algorithm. These are the known ranking signals for each.

Instagram's Feed algorithm

Your activity: As previously discussed, it refers to the stuff you enjoy, share, save, or remark on.

Post popularity is listed first, and it includes not only how many people interact with the content, but also how rapidly. Date, time, and place are other important considerations here.

Poster Information: This signal attempts to assess how interested you are in the account that posted a specific piece of content by analyzing signals such as how frequently people have lately interacted with their account.

Your history with the poster: You are more likely to see content from individuals you follow, message, or otherwise interact with.

This means that brands must actively encourage and respond to follower involvement

Instagram's Stories algorithm

Except for advertisements, Stories exclude posts from accounts you do not follow. So, for Instagram Stories, the social media context algorithm prioritizes material shared by accounts you follow.

For brands, this means you won't gain any fresh viewers, but you still need to understand the algorithm to increase your organic reach.

Viewing history: If you consistently view an account's Stories, it will rise to the top of your Stories list. If you frequently skip that account's Stories, it will fall to the back of the queue.

Engagement history: While watching is enjoyable, engaging is even better.

Closeness: This is similar to your history with the poster for the Feed algorithm, but this time the algorithm is determining how likely you are to be friends or family. This is a challenging one for brands, so concentrate on the first two.

Instagram's Explore algorithm aims to recommend content that you are likely to engage with. The most crucial activities here are to like, save, and share.