Have you ever wondered why some of your Facebook posts gain many likes, shares, and comments, but others seem to get a few engagements from your most loyal followers? It all boils down to the Facebook News Feed Algorithm.
Every Facebook user sees a unique news feed molded by the Facebook News Feed Algorithm according to their past behaviour and the kind of content they interact with. As a result, it becomes difficult to reach all your followers with a single post. This guide will give you the tricks to work with the Facebook news feed algorithm.
10 Proven and Tested Hacks to Work With The Facebook News Feed Algorithm in 2023
Understand what your audience wants to see
Facebook indicates it prioritizes content that is “meaningful and informative.” So what does that mean, exactly?
- Meaningful: Facebook Stories the user will want to talk to friends and family about or spend time reading (based on past behaviour) or use in the marketplace, and videos they want to watch.
- Informative: Content someone will find “new, interesting, and informative,” which will vary by user.
Understanding what will be meaningful and informative to your specific Facebook audience means you need to understand their unique interests and behaviours. That means you need to do some audience research.
Choose the best time to post on Facebook
Knowing when your posts tend to perform best would be very helpful. However, because so many variables are involved, it’s difficult to predict precisely how things will play out.
A good idea to determine the best time to post on your page is to analyze your Facebook Insights. Consider when your target demographic is most likely to be online and only post during these times.
Be Regular
There is one thing that no social media platforms algorithms like – irregularity. So if you only publish content once in a while, don’t count on having a high organic reach.
However, remember that consistency and quality are key to social media success.
This isn’t easy to achieve – planning all of your content and keeping it valuable is challenging. Nevertheless, we know the solution.
It would help if you took advantage of social media management tools available on the market. They can streamline your content management process a lot. Most of them provide an intuitive interface with a drag-and-drop calendar that makes scheduling enjoyable.
Make video a cornerstone of your content strategy
You’ve heard it a million times before, and we’ll repeat it: it’s now or never for marketers to hop on the video bandwagon.
The new Facebook News Feed algorithm noted that video content drives higher engagement and interactions from users compared to any other type of content on the platform. Meanwhile, a recent video ranking update further explains how crucial native video is.
Perfect for starting conversations and keeping your fans’ eyes glued to the page, marketers of all shapes and sizes can incorporate video on the Facebook news feed. You don’t necessarily need to create big-budget commercial content, either.
Don’t try to manipulate the Facebook News Feed Algorithm
This post isn’t about how to manipulate the algorithm. This post is about understanding how the Facebook news feed algorithm works so you can learn what Facebook considers valuable for its users.
You have to do the work to figure out how those prevailing principles apply to your specific audience. Trying to manipulate the Facebook news feed algorithm to get more distribution than your content merits based on those ranking signals is a big no-no.
This might include, for instance, paying for engagement or comments or engaging in other black-hat strategies to manipulate reach. Facebook considers this spam. Don’t do it.
The simple message here:
Work with the algorithm, not against it.
Don’t use clickbait and engagement bait
In 2014 and 2017, new updates focused on using bounce rate as an indicator of clickbait and spammy links.
Clickbait is content that is exaggerated, over-sensationalized, and borderline spam. It promises a result but doesn’t deliver (e.g. headlines like “The one fruit you need to stay young”, nobody does a Facebook search like this). Engagement bait, however, uses captions or photos that contain phrases like, “Like this, if you like dogs better, share this if you like cats better.”
Encourage employees and brand advocates to push your content
The key to overcoming the Facebook news feed algorithm has been under your nose since you started marketing on the platform.
Employee advocacy has never been more relevant than it is today. Since Facebook prioritizes content from friends and family over businesses, this is the perfect time to start your employee advocacy program.
Encouraging your team to share your content with their networks instantly amplifies your reach. Also, since the posts come from friends and family instead of your brand, people will be 16 times more likely to read them.
Activate the audience
According to the algorithm, posts that spark conversations among users can bump your content up in the rankings. So making posts that prompt people to stop scrolling and start engaging with one another should be your goal. Think about conversation starters, ask questions, inspire, or educate.
Here are many possible ways to get people talking.
Reply to customers’ comments and give your brand a personal touch
Getting back to your customers’ questions and replying directly to comments helps build your business image since it gives your brand a personal touch.
A user’s response to one of your posts is the first step toward creating the type of worthwhile engagement we discussed above. By replying to their comments, you inform the Facebook news feed algorithm again that your content is relevant to users. As a result, more of your company’s content will appear in their news feed.
Aim to get on people’s “Favorite” lists
In April of 2021, they added a new feature that allows users to take more control of their Facebook News Feed through the Favorite list. Users can now place 30 friends and pages they follow on their Favorite List, so they see content from those friends and pages first. And according to the Facebook news feed algorithm, you got to be on that list!!!
Conclusion
The Facebook algorithms change from time to time, and it gets difficult to cope with each and every aspect of the algorithm. But the above hacks are tried and tested ways to align with the new algorithm in 2023. Follow the hacks to take your Facebook page to new heights.
To get in-depth knowledge of the Facebook News Feed Algorithm, Check our Article on Facebook Algorithm Change in 2023