Welcome to the battlefield of social media algorithms! In the fast-paced world of social media, where 80% of marketers are vying for the elusive social media engagement crown, we've got your back.
In this blog post, we analyze the different algorithms for all the major platforms in 2024 (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter (X), TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube) and we provide actionable tips on how to get the social media algorithm to work for you.
As we delve into the algorithmic mysteries, know that StoryChief is your shortcut to effective social media management. Try it free! 🙌
We'll be keeping this article updated all year with news, tips, and tricks to help you master organic reach in 2024 and beyond.
Table of contents
- Facebook algorithm
- Instagram algorithm
- LinkedIn algorithm
- Twitter (X) algorithm
- TikTok algorithm
- Pinterest algorithm
- YouTube algorithm
What are social media algorithms?
A social media algorithm is an automated calculation that decides which social media posts make it to the top of your feed and which don't. In that sense, the social media algorithm actually makes sure you only see posts that would interest you at the top of your page.
Overall, the top factors in most social media algorithms in 2024 are:
- The amount of engagement that piece of content has received (especially within a short time frame)
- How much you tend to engage with that creator's content in general
Let's dive into the social media algorithms of 2024!
In this report by Content Marketing Institute, we see how B2B marketers’ use of organic social media platforms has changed in 2023.
1. Facebook Algorithm
With 2.5 billion active monthly users, Facebook is still the top social media platform in terms of users. However, this social media giant takes a lot of heat from businesses because of how difficult it is to get organic reach with a business page (versus a regular user profile).
Let's look at how business-related content can make it into users' organic social media feeds without utilizing a business page to post content.
Posts by users' friends in groups show up far more often in the newsfeed than ever before. You can build up friendships and a following to discuss business, right from your personal account.
How the Facebook algorithm works
Here are some of the defining factors of this social media algorithm:
- Prioritizes content from friends and family members over businesses
- Heavily prioritizes content from people you engage with (people whose posts you comment and like on, or whom you message)
- Prioritizes number and length of comments
- Prioritizes number of reactions and variety of reactions
- Shows both recent content from your top friends and highly engaged content from friends that you personally engage with less often
- Content types you engage with most frequently will be shown most often. If you engage with video more, you will see more video in your Feed
Updates for 2023 & 2024
The most significant updates for 2023 & 2024:
- The Facebook algorithm prioritizes posts in Groups and Events. Their redesign puts more emphasis on these, as they are "the two biggest reasons people visit Facebook every day."
- Hashtags: Facebook has implemented recommended tag listings for when you’re composing a post.
Tips for winning on Facebook in 2024
Here are some ways to get the Facebook algorithm on your side in 2024 (aside from running paid ads).
- When applicable, use your profile as a business owner or start an employee advocacy program.
- Set posts to 'public' to gain traction with followers.
- Ask questions to inspire engagement.
- Post content that encourages meaningful, lengthy comments (not just "Nice shot").
- Utilize Facebook video (doesn't have to be live!).
2. Instagram Algorithm
When it comes to engagement, Instagram is light-years ahead of Facebook. Brands' content on Instagram gets a 1.6% engagement rate. Let's take a look at how business owners utilize Instagram.
In these examples, a fitness coach asks her audience for shopping decision advice, and a marketing education site offers a mini-tutorial in a carousel post.
How this social media algorithm works
The Instagram social media algorithm has the following characteristics:
- Prioritizes posts with the highest number of likes
- Favors very recent posts (created within minutes of a user logging on)
- Prioritizes posts from profiles that the user engages typically with
- Favors posts from hashtags that the user follows
- Occasionally shows posts with great engagement from a profile and using hashtags that the user does not follow
- Is believed to treat brands' content and consumers' content equally
- You can ‘Favorite’ users and creators to make sure you never miss their updates
Updates for 2023 & 2024
While there's always a concern that Instagram will start to downgrade content from business profiles, there's still evidence of this being true. In 2024, even more users see content by profiles that they don't follow (not in the Discover tab but their main feed). To increase your chances of that happening, focus on getting engagement from your core followers.
Instagram has announced on what basis they decide whether they recommend your content or not. The most important points are:
- Posts with clickbait or engagement bait don’t get recommended
- Contests or giveaways don’t get recommended
- Repurposed content from another source without added value doesn’t get recommended
Also, Instagram has enrolled Reels, their very own version of TikTok. Some Instagram accounts have exploded since using this new feature, so it may be worthwhile to invest some time in this type of content.
Tips for winning on Instagram in 2024
How can you master one of the most challenging social media algorithms in 2024? Let's see:
- Experiment with Instagram Reels to engage and captivate your audience.
- Engage with followers' content during the first hour after you post something.
- During the first three hours after you post something, immediately respond to every comment.
- Write meaningful captions.
- Ask questions in your captions to engage with your audience better.
- There's no one way to apply hashtags, so experiment with different hashtags and hashtag strategies.
- Utilize Instagram Stories to get more organic reach with your audience without affecting your feed's cohesive style.
- Stay consistent! This algorithm will downgrade you if you post randomly. You should post once a day, once every other day, or two times a week (whatever you can manage). Tip: Try batch-creating visually appealing content and utilize a third-party content planning tool to maintain a consistent schedule of posting engaging content.
Who has time to unravel the intricacies of each algorithm? You're a content creator, not a detective! Know that StoryChief is your shortcut to social media engagement. Try it free! 🙌
“By centralizing our content strategy with StoryChief, we increased lead generation by 300% and grew LinkedIn engagement by 500%” - Tim Overton, CTO at Modo Energy
3. LinkedIn Algorithm
Did you know that 89% of B2B marketers utilize LinkedIn? Let's take a look at some posts that made it to the top of the LinkedIn algorithm.
Here's a LinkedIn post that asks for comments as a favor:
While this post doesn't have much engagement, the person posting it is persistent on LinkedIn. He posts every day, and he's always in the top three posts on my LinkedIn feed!
It goes to show you that consistency can be even more important than racking up likes.
How the LinkedIn algorithm works
As far as we marketers can suss out, the LinkedIn algorithm does the following:
- Prioritizes content from users whom you have engaged with in the past and who post consistently
- Prioritizes content from users who get large amounts of engagement, even if you don't tend to like or comment on their posts
- Favors lengthy comments over a high volume of reactions. Try to get as many comments in the first 2 hours to improve your post’s reach.
- The more you engage and comment on other people’s posts, the more your posts will be prioritized. So, interact and add value on relevant posts.
- Prefers native content such as text posts, images with text, and videos with text. Try to rotate between different types of posts. Add in several ‘personal’ posts about learnings etc. This is what the audience on LinkedIn loves! 😍
- Prioritize content from personal pages over business pages. However, you can use that to your advantage if you include employee advocacy in your content strategy.
Updates for 2023 & 2024
While LinkedIn video is still important in 2024, it's not like it was when they first allowed users to upload videos. Then, the algorithm was clearly prioritizing any video at the top of the feed. Now, videos have to get good engagement to get prioritized, but they still might have a slight leg up on static content.
In 2024, LinkedIn is continuing a trend that they started in 2019, which is to de-prioritize content from mega influencers and give users a chance to see content from the non-internet-famous people in their network.
Entrepreneur and marketer Jesse van Doren graciously shared his company’s experience with recent LinkedIn algorithm changes.
Of course, this is anecdotal information, so it can’t count as unequivocal algorithm law. (Remember: nothing can. Social media platforms don’t publicize algorithm details, so we all have to rely on personal experience.)
It's hard to say whether or not links with comments in the first spot are really getting downgraded, but if you're concerned about this, you can always minimize the use of that tactic. Ensure you're creating native content that doesn't need to link out to anything in a comment.
Another big LinkedIn update for 2024 is that they now factor in "dwell time" in their algorithm. If your audience spends much time digesting your content, chances are more people will get to see it. Try this tactic out by experimenting with lengthy text posts and carousel documents.
Tips for winning on LinkedIn in 2024
Here's what you can do to get more eyeballs and engagement from LinkedIn:
- Utilize business owners' and employees' profiles instead of just the business page. Learn how easy StoryChief makes it to include employee advocacy in your content strategy.
- Post different types of content: text, images, and video. See what gets the most significant proportion of impact over effort.
- Stay consistent! This algorithm will definitely downgrade your content if you post randomly. 4 times a week seems to be the sweet spot for most, but if you want to really up your game, start posting once per day. Building up your track record is essential.
- Don't be afraid to post external links occasionally. Just make sure the rest of your post is optimized for the algorithm and you should be good.
- Be sure to create content that can spark a conversation. The posts that really do well in LinkedIn's algorithm garner longer, higher quality comments, not just things like "awesome!" or "nice!".
4. Twitter (X) Algorithm
With 330 million monthly active users and 152 million daily active users, you can't completely ignore Twitter (X). Twitter (X) is still vital in the B2B space.
If you're not sure if it's worth your time, spend some time there — check out competitors, other companies, popular hashtags, and trending topics — to see if your target audience is active on Twitter (X) and what the top-performing posts are in your industry.
Let's take a look at some example posts that will score well given the social media algorithms in 2024.
Getting retweets is still one of the best ways to increase your reach on Twitter (X).
Creating highly visual content on Twitter (X) matters now more than ever.
Same goes for Twitter threads. A thread on Twitter (X) is a series of connected Tweets, used to provide additional context and information on a given topic. This is what they look like on Twitter (X):
How Twitter (X)’s social media algorithm works
Of all the social media algorithms, Twitter (X) factors in recency more than any other. But there are other characteristics too.
- Prioritizes recent content (last 24 hours) with the highest amount of engagement from users you follow
- Favors content posted recently (within minutes)
- Prioritizes content with retweets and comments over likes
Updates for 2023 & 2024
Twitter (X) will continue to prioritize tweets with high engagement and recent tweets, so volume and frequency still matter on this platform.
We've also seen higher engagement rates when:
- Tweets contain up to two hashtags and 100 characters
- Tweets contain an image link
- You specifically ask your followers to retweet
Tips for winning on Twitter (X) in 2024
- Tweet 2 to 8 times per day for the best results.
- Utilize all 280 characters only in specific posts (when sharing something informative).
- Ask questions to get engagement.
- Create a Twitter (X) poll once a month.
- Immediately respond to all comments within the first 2-3 hours of sending out a tweet.
- Try out Twitter threads.
Free tool: Analyze your target audience, brand voice, content pillars and competitors. Try it now.
5. TikTok Algorithm
Let’s start by setting the record straight. TikTok really isn’t about dances anymore (if it ever was). If you provide value, the platform is a goldmine to foster brand awareness.
When it comes to TikTok, hashtags and posting time will not matter. The only thing that matters to the TikTok algorithm are watch time metrics. Essentially, if you want to influence your watch time metrics, it all boils down to how good and qualitative your video is.
Great and engaging videos will garner longer watch time and will therefore end up on people’s ‘For You’ pages. This For You Page is a highly personalized feed unique to each user.
The TikTok algorithm is hyper-skilled in picking up the likes and dislikes of its viewers based on how you interacted with other videos previously. The platform continues to show highly targeted and relatable videos the more time you spend on TikTok.
Let’s dive into the factors contributing to the TikTok algorithm in 2024.
How TikTok’s social media algorithm works
When you post a video on TikTok, it is first shown to and tested with a few hundred viewers. Do the viewers get bored and scroll to the next video, do they watch your video until the end, or even, watch it multiple times?
After your video performed well in the first round, TikTok will continue to test it with larger audiences. If your video performs well on all or most fronts, it is pushed to the For You page. The following about its algorithm has been revealed by TikTok:
A strong indicator of interest, such as whether a user finishes watching a longer video from beginning to end, would receive greater weight than a weak indicator, such as whether the video’s viewer and creator are both in the same country.
These factors, in this particular order, decide how much your video will be shown:
- Watch time
- Shares
- Saves
- Comments
- Likes
Tips for winning on TikTok in 2024
- Strive to jam-pack your content with value. Either educate, inspire or entertain your audience to get to that desired For You page.
- TikTok is an extremely high-speed platform that lives on trends and trending sounds. Generally, a trend surfaces on other social media platforms days, weeks, or months after it started trending on TikTok. To leverage this and maximize views for your account, try making use of trending sounds that can be found on the platform.
- Focus on very niche content. If your videos are good, they have a natural way of founding their target audience.
- Younger generations are using TikTok as a search engine. Browse the TikTok trending keywords by typing queries into the app’s search bar. Add these keywords throughout your bio, say them in your video, add them as subtitles, etc.
- Making videos for TikTok can be a time-consuming practice. Batch create them and schedule them with a third-party scheduling tool such as StoryChief.
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6. Pinterest Algorithm
Female millennials are the top cohort of active pinners, so mastering the Pinterest algorithm will be worth your time if that's your target market.
There are other active communities on Pinterest, too, especially B2B marketers.
In the B2B marketing space, Pinterest is a great way to share infographics and drive traffic back to the original blog post with the infographic embedded.
Pinterest is very popular among bloggers, who use the site to get organic traffic in the thousands or even hundreds of thousands each month.
How this social media algorithm works
The Pinterest algorithm has the following characteristics as for what shows up in your main feed:
- Prioritizes fresh, recent pins
- Prioritizes pins with the most engagement (repins and comments)
- De-prioritizes pins that someone is repinning to too many boards
- De-prioritizes pins from groups with hundreds or thousands of contributors
It's important to note that Pinterest newsfeed isn't the only place that users see the content. SEO really matters for Pinterest because many users discover new content by searching for their interests in the search bar.
Updates for 2023 & 2024
Pinterest will continue the trends they set in 2022, 2023, and 2024, which is to downgrade spammy pins in the algorithm. Pinners need to be cautious with pinning the same pin in dozens of group boards, and group boards with too many contributors no longer have the distribution reach they used to. The Pinterest algorithm is also growing in its ability to vet pins for visual quality and check that pins are only pinned to relevant boards.
For Pinterest, it's quality over quantity. So you should pin less but newer and higher-quality content.
Tips for winning on Pinterest in 2024
- Pin high-quality images (the length of the images doesn't matter as much as it once did).
- Only pin to relevant boards.
- Incorporate relevant SEO keyphrases in your pins.
- Use a Pinterest scheduling tool like Tailwind to keep your feed fresh.
- Pin a maximum of 50 pieces of content a day, but you'd best stay between 15 and 25 (and no more than ten boards per pin)
7. YouTube Algorithm
While YouTube is still somewhat underutilized in the B2B space, it's still an important platform. 73% of all adults in the US use YouTube.
The YouTube algorithm is notoriously tricky, and there are several ways that it shows users' content.
One of the most common ones is after you watch something, you're shown a related video to that topic or by the same content creator.
How this social media algorithm works
YouTube is complicated. And it's one of those social media algorithms in 2024 that stays complicated too. It has the following features:
- Recommends video content related to what you previously watched.
- Recommends video content by the same content creator as what you once watched.
- Favors viral videos (getting mass amounts of engagement and watch time in a short period), even if it's not relevant to you.
- Lets you toggle to your subscriptions and shows videos from your subscriptions in reverse chronological order.
Like Pinterest, YouTube also has an algorithm, which means that SEO-optimizing your YouTube content is essential.
Updates for 2023 & 2024
The YouTube algorithm will continue to factor in a user's likelihood of engaging with your channel and the type of content you post. In 2024, your relationship with your subscribers will be far more critical than your number of subscribers. Make sure that your subscribers understand the theme of your channel and know what to expect from you.
Tips for winning on YouTube in 2024
- One to two minutes into your videos, ask viewers to "hit the like button or comment" if they're enjoying the video, so you increase engagement.
- SEO optimize all of your YouTube videos.
- Post consistently so your content makes it to the top of the subscription feed.
- Write meaningful comments on videos in your niche (without asking people to check out your channel).
- Use other marketing channels to get views and engagement on your videos within the first few hours of posting. Use other social media channels and your email newsletter.
- Make the first few seconds and the first few minutes of your video very engaging and to-the-point. Don't ramble, or you'll have high bounce rates and low watch time.
Crack the Code to Social Media Algorithms in 2024
There you have it – the inside scoop on the 2024 social media algorithms. Now, are you ready to revolutionize your social media game?
Automate, analyze, and dominate your social media presence with StoryChief. Say goodbye to algorithmic headaches, and hello to streamlined, effective content management.
"Since adopting StoryChief, our lead generation skyrocketed by 300%, and our LinkedIn engagement hit an all-time high with a 500% surge!" - Tim Overton, CTO at Modo Energy
Read more about social media:
- Creating Content Pillars for Social Media
- Create an AI Social Media Strategy in 5 Minutes
- 28 Social Media Planning Tools
- Top 10 AI Tools for Business in 2025
Take the first step towards social media mastery with StoryChief. Try it free now and witness the transformative impact on your content strategy.
