When it comes to social media content in 2024, understanding the algorithms of each platform is an absolute must as it’ll help to shape your strategy. Simply posting and hoping for maximum views just won’t cut the mustard in this technology driven world. So here’s a little insight to help boost content visibility online and appeal to the right people.
This article will cover TikTok and Instagram.
Understanding the TikTok Algorithm
With TikTok set to have 1.8 billion monthly active users by the end of 2024, it should certainly be part of your social marketing strategy if that’s where your demographic hangs out online. So what do you need to know about the algorithm? Well, if you love TikTok on a personal level because it shows all the content you like – this is no accident. The algorithm prioritises content based on user preferences and engagement rather than followers or popularity.
This means that if you create content that’s tailored to the likes and interests of your target market you can go get loads of views and potentially go viral – even if you’re new to the platform. Knowing what your consumers want to see is therefore a significant research point,
TikTok uses its algorithm to create a bespoke For You feed for each user. With the help of AI and machine learning, user behaviours are analysed carefully, taking into account the videos watched, liked, shared and commented on as well as whether someone watches an entire video – or not.
For brands looking to rank well on TikTok, several things should be considered. Firstly, the videos posted should always be of a high quality. Secondly, they should be so engaging that they’re watched to completion. Thirdly, brands should encourage engagement. The more likes, shares and comments, the more TikTok will boost content visibility to the right people. The TikTok algorithm also loves trending content as it gets people excited. So stay relevant by understanding current trends and joining in where possible.
Understanding the Instagram Algorithm
Like TikTok, Instagram works hard to show the right content to the right people. This, after all, keeps people coming back for more and boosts platform popularity. According to Instagram CEO, Adam Mosseri, Instagram actually ranks content to ensure it’s relevant for each user. And importantly, Instagram doesn’t have a single algorithm. In fact, each part of the Instagram app uses its own algorithm for a truly personalised experience. Impressive right?
Here’s a quick rundown of the algorithms for Instagram Feed, Stories and Reels.
Feed:
The Instagram Feed algorithm takes into account the following:
- Potential interest in a post based on past behaviour. So if you’re always watching funny cat videos, expect to see more funny cat videos in the future. It’s all about delivering what people want to see, so past views are a good marker.
- Post popularity. Likes and comments play an important role here. Also, how quickly interaction takes place is vital.
- Information about the poster. This includes how much they post, what they post and whether their content is relevant to a user.
- Interaction history. If you’ve interacted with a poster before and enjoyed it, you’re likely to see more of their content.
What does this mean for brands posting to the platform? Well essentially, you need people to interact and engage with your content. So calls to action are great as are interesting captions that encourage debates and discussions. It’s also great to build up a network of like-minded people. You can do this by tagging people and making the most of user-generated content.
Stories:
Stories take into account three main factors.
- How much you engage with Stories from a particular account.
- How often you view posts from particular accounts.
- Whether you’re connected as friends or family.
Again, for your content to keep appearing to your audience it needs to appeal to their likes, hobbies, interest, pain-points and such like. You need to give them a reason to keep coming back. Also posting regularly will help you to build up a following.
Top Tip: Know and understand your demographic in great detail as this will inform your social strategy. Use tools such as Google Analytics and specific platform analytics to drill further into consumer behaviour, Create buyer personas for each audience segment to help you focus on more specific marketing messages and producing content of interest.
Reels:
The Reels algorithm works in a similar way to the TikTok algorithm in that it looks at the sort of content you like to see and aims to show you similar stuff. The algorithm also takes into account engagement. A comment shows interest and therefore the algorithm uses this to present more content from that account. The Reel itself also serves as a ranking factor. Things considered include audio track, video length and caption text as these all help to work out if a video is interesting or not. The algorithm also looks at your relationship with each poster to figure out the content relevancy.
So for brands, creating high-end, exciting content packed with popular tracks and interesting captions that explain what the video is about and encourage engagement is a must. Remember, people have short attention spans, so you must grab their attention in the opening seconds.
Knowing how algorithms operate will help you to post content that’s more likely to rank. Speak to us today for more help with your content marketing strategy.
