Wanna improve the reach and performance of your Instagram and Facebook posts? You’ve gotta cater to the algorithm! 🧮

Today’s video is an overview of the algorithmic themes shared mutually between Facebook and Instagram. Technically, for instance, Instagram itself has multiple algorithms (each with slight differences) built into its various feeds: e.g. Home, Explore, Reels, and Stories.

That said, this video is about understanding the primary algorithmic principles governing ALL the feeds—Facebook’s and Instagram’s—so you can plan and publish content that generates results.

1️⃣ Historical Relationship: FB and IG rank content based on the viewer’s documented relationship with the publisher. By “documented,” I’m referring to conduct such as Reactions (e.g. ♥️, 👍, 😡, 😮, etc.), Comments, Saves, Shares, Views, Searches, and/or Messages. So when you engage with them or vice versa, it signals the algorithm to rank future content accordingly. In other words, the best thing you can do to prime followers to see your future posts is by interacting with what they post: DM-ing with them, replying to their Stories, and so forth.
2️⃣ Preferred Interests: the algorithms are designed to give users more of the stuff they like. Both networks deploy fancy tools to discern the subjects/objects of uploaded images and videos: optical recognition, sentiment analysis, etc. That means if you post a picture of a beach 🏖, for instance, the platforms are able to spot it and know exactly to whom to show it in order to drive the most interactions. So get clear on your content topics!

3️⃣ Format Preferences: Instagram and Facebook monitor they types of media with which users tend engage most readily. For instance, some users are more prone to interact with photos or carousels, some may get hooked by livestreams, and others may go bananas 🍌 for short-form, vertical vids. Point is, it’s prudent to vary your content because it’s hard to predict what type(s) of media may rank for a given follower (or non-follower). Mix it up: photos, videos, and more!

Notwithstanding the foregoing, we should all pay attention to recent remarks from Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram. About a week ago he stated that IG isn’t just a square 📸 photo-sharing app. Not that photos will stop being a part of the platform, per se—but more to the effect of how the platform has and will continue to evolve.
He said Instagram is focused on four (4) key areas: Creators, Video, Shopping, and Messaging. He also indicated that IG is an “entertainment app” and made direct reference to competitive pressure caused by TikTok. So, in the coming months, they’re going to start giving extra priority to videos—my guess is Reels, in particular—and will also begin recommending “for you” content in the Home Feed versus just in the Explore Feed.
4️⃣ Timeliness/Recency: recently published posts and/or stories always get a bump algorithmically.
In his famous TED Talk, Seth Godin said:

“Every week, the number one best-selling DVD in America changes. It's never "The Godfather," it's never "Citizen Kane," it's always some third-rate movie with some second-rate star. But the reason it’s number one is because that's the week it came out—because it's new, because it's fresh.”

Same principle applies on FB and IG. Your content has better odds of ranking “… because it’s new; because it’s fresh.” It’s just human nature!—meaning, when the content is new, it’s more likely to drive interactions. In fact, I’d argue the first 10 minutes to an hour of a post could be make-or-break in terms of the extent to which the platforms will rank/recommend your content.

5️⃣ 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: when a post (or story) accumulates lots of interactions (e.g. likes, shares, saves, views, comments, etc.), it signals IG and/or FB to extend its reach to a wider audience. In other words, when a post performs, it get’s shown to more people—pure and simple!

All-in-all, it’s important to understand how the platforms rank content—because what’s the point of creating content nobody sees? It’s sort of a game… So learn the rules and play to win!