Social Media Algorithms in 2021 - are you with us?
Trying to get a grip of all of the individual nuances of each social media platform can be a tricky task. Luckily, we’ve got it covered.
Since so much time is spent on perfecting the right content, you want it to be time well spent and you want it to be seen by the right people.
A social media algorithm is an automated calculation that determines which posts will make it to the top of your audiences’ feed and which won’t.
Algorithms in 2021 overall boil down to behaviour. How much a particular post is being received, especially within a short time frame and how much your audience tends to engage with your brand’s content in general.
Social media algorithms ultimately prioritise content from the followers you know and brands that talk about the things their followers care about.
It’s all about relevance and engagement!
Confused much? Let’s break it down by platform.
Let’s face it, Facebook has made it harder and harder to reach people organically and it tends to prioritise content from users' friends and family members over business pages.
In a nutshell, the algorithms will prioritise content from the followers you engage with and those you comment on, like and message (where appropriate). They love the quantity and length of comments, the number of reactions and the variety of reactions your content receives. So how do you optimise your content organically?
Trying to reach your audience is one thing. Catching them at the right time is another. With any social media platform, precise planning and research can help to strategically maximise your content’s potential.
According to Social Bakers, Facebook’s algorithm’s love an early riser and the best times to post your content is in the morning between 8am and 11am and in the middle of the day from 10am to 3pm for increased activity.
When it comes to the best days of the week, Mondays and Tuesdays lead the way with Saturdays receiving the lowest amount of activity compared to the rest of the week.
Content Facebook loves…
Posts that encourage discussions before including links have become a huge drive for keeping Facebook’s algorithms happy. Whilst posting questions outright for comments may seem like a good idea, it’s worth being clever with your content. Behind the scenes, posts have also proven popular according to Sprout Social, videos, infographics and content that tells a story.
Post content that is meaningful and engaging that will encourage lengthy comments
Utilise Facebook video and Facebook Live
Ask inspiring questions that don’t encourage a simple ‘yes or no’ response
Engage with other Facebook users.
Facebook may be mighty but, when it comes to algorithms, Instagram is light years ahead. Branded content tends to receive higher engagement rates compared to Facebook by a mile.
Compared to Facebook, the preferred timings for posting on Instagram vary slightly. The optimal days to post content are Monday through to Friday at 11am or Tuesday between 11am and 2pm (Sprout Social). Interestingly, Sundays are thought to be the worst days on Instagram for reach and engagement - perhaps making this a real day of rest!
Content that Instagram’s algorithms favour include high-quality images that are engaging, visual stories and content that fits with your audience’s interests.
Optimisation wins
Write meaningful captions and ask questions
Be consistent with your post frequency
Experiment with different hashtags but keep a core three that are relevant to your business
Engage with your followers’ content within the first hour after you publish your post
Immediately respond to every comment (where possible) within the first three hours
Bonus points
Instagram has recently launched Reels, their very own version of TikTok (if you will). As it is with any shiny new toy, it wants to be played with, so it’s worthwhile investing some time to explore how to adapt your content to this feature.
Let’s take a look at LinkedIn now, shall we? In simple terms, LinkedIn’s algorithms measure a variety of factors to make predictions about how relevant your content will be for your audience and it’s then ranked accordingly. To determine this, your posts will be shown to a small sample of your audience. The algorithms then play the waiting game to see if your audience engages with your content. This ‘test’ ultimately decides whether to push your posts to more people and to continue testing using its feed.
Like Facebook, LinkedIn’s algorithms prefer lengthy comments but interestingly not the number of the reactions. When it comes to LinkedIn’s favourites, a variety of native content leads the way, particularly images and videos with text. Here’s what you can do to get more eyes on your content on LinkedIn.
Time and time again, LinkedIn’s algorithms tend to vary depending on when your audience is online. Across a variety of studies, Wednesdays however tend to come out on top between 8am and midday (Influencer Marketing Hub).
Content to keep LinkedIn happy:
According to Disruptive Advertising, LinkedIn’s algorithms love brands that tell a story, video case studies, behind the scenes or how things are made, infographics and meet the team content.
Level up your brand’s LinkedIn:
Like Instagram, consistency is key.
Create content that sparks conversation and lengthy comments.
Use up to 3 hashtags that are relevant to your brand or content
Utilise your employees’ profiles of your brand by encouraging them to be consistent with you branding and engage with your content by liking, commenting and sharing
Bonus points
Don’t tag other accounts that are unlikely to engage with your content
Don’t post and forget to monitor your posts for comments to respond to
With a whopping 152 million daily active users, you can’t forget about Twitter. The algorithms in the Twitter-sphere are all about recency. Content is prioritised that has been posted in the last 24 hours and especially within minutes.
One of the best ways to get their algorithms on your side is retweets. Retweets will not only increase your reach but they also have the potential for better engagement. Interestingly, comments are appreciated by Twitter’s algorithms over likes.
When should you Tweet? To help boost your brand on Twitter, the best times to Tweet are between 9am - 3pm on Wednesdays and Tuesday through to Thursday between 9am - 11am. Activity tends to be lower and posts receive less engagement on Saturdays - perhaps the algorithms like their weekends as much as we do.
What to post on Twitter
Twitter’s algorithms like questions, industry insights and news, brand announcements, gifs and of course memes. Similar to Instagram and Facebook, Twitter loves visual and engaging content.
Twitter tips
Less it more when it comes to hashtags and characters.
Ask your followers to retweet if they like something
Include links with images embedded
Tweet 2-7 times a day for the best results
Respond to comments immediately within the first 2-3 hours of posting (if possible!)
YouTube
Everything from Ed Sheeran to cat videos, people around the world watch over 1 billion hours of YouTube every day. For marketers, we can only wonder, how do you get a piece of the action? Why it’s YouTube’s algorithms of course and the real-time world of recommendations.
YouTube’s algorithms have changed a lot over years, all the way dating back to optimising for watch time and satisfaction but what are they up to these days? In 2021, it’s all about personalisation, performance and your overall audience’s interests. To determine the positioning of your content, YouTube’s algorithms are busy selecting videos with two goals in mind: 1) whether or not it’s the right video for the viewer and 2) if it’s enticing them to continue watching.
With these goals in mind, YouTube’s algorithms rely on keywords to decide what your video is about, so make sure you’re specific and concise when it comes to adding your keywords. You wouldn’t add ‘funny dog’ to say a medical video on brain surgery!
For performance, another crafty algorithm will test the likelihood of your viewers’ interest in your content based on click-through rate, watch time, survey feedback and likes. If your content appears to be watchable and relevant to your keywords, this will keep those pesky algorithms satisfied and your content will appear more frequently to similar audiences.
Don’t forget about timing too! According to Social Bakers, the best times for posting videos on YouTube is between 2pm and 4pm with the highest traffic being from 7pm-10pm on Thursdays and Fridays. If you’re posting over the weekend, 10am and 11am tends to be better.
What videos are popular on YouTube?
Are you not entertained? Entertaining your audience is the essential ingredient when it comes to pleasing YouTube’s algorithms. In terms of the content itself, this can vary and is slightly different to other platforms as it’s suggested the most popular videos on YouTube can be broken down into categories from food to gaming, to music to travel. To help you with your own content, humour ranks high in terms of videos, closely followed by reviews, vlogs and tutorials.
Now let’s get your YouTube videos viewed…
Utilise YouTube Analytics to explore what other videos your audience is interested in and watching.
Do your keyword research and use accurate, concise language that your audience is already familiar with.
Include an enticing video thumbnail that invites your audience to click through.
End with a call to action at the end of your video e.g. subscribe to view more
TikTok
TikTok is the new hip and happening social media platform that is taking Gen Z by storm but don’t make the mistake of forgetting it’s also popular with older demographics (#GrannyTok at the ready).
According to TikTok, their algorithms are mainly based on the performances and activity of your audience. Performance and activity can be influenced by a number of factors from the video length, current trends, hashtags and how you engage with other creators.
TikTok’s algorithm rewards videos watched from start to finish, so ideally videos between 15-20 seconds should be a decent length. Trending effects such as visuals, stickers and transition features are believed to help keep TikTok’s algorithms happy, particularly effects that are popular.
Like many other platforms, TikTok loves trending hashtags. To help you find the most relevant hashtags for your brand, their Discover Tab is a great place to start. Combine your relevant and trending hashtags with effects and you’ll be away with the TikTok fairies..in a good way!
It’s TikTok time! The best times for publishing to TikTok can vary depending on your audience but luckily, the platform’s Pro Account tool provides you with access to activity reports for your followers. As a rough guideline, Bustle suggests the best posting periods are during the early morning and late evening. Depending on the day of the week, for example, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays appear to be optimum times to post.
So you’ve got your timing in check but what content should you be posting to TikTok? According to Later, TikTok loves new products or campaign teases, videos that educate and inspire your audience, tips and tricks; posts that tell a story and share your audience’s interests.
So, how to take your brand’s TikTok to the next level
Hashtags: do your research and use those that are popular and relevant
Create shorter videos that your audience are likely to watch from start to finish
Utilise trending effects
Engage with other creators - it is a social platform after all!
Post when your audience is active
To summarise…
When it comes to pleasing the algorithms that each social media platform brings to the table, it’s all about quality over quantity. Relevant hashtags to your brand are your friend but remember not to use too many and do your research. Sparking good and engaging conversation that inspires lengthy comments are key to happy algorithms, particularly on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Ultimately, it’s important to assess which platform works best for your brand and optimise your content for those.
Extras
Ask yourself: which networks are working for you?
Check your publishing frequency - it really is about quality over quantity?
Hashtags are your friend
Create content that sparks conversation
Twitter loves a poll - once a month!
