I’ve been navigating social media algorithms for many years. I remember being on Facebook when there was no such thing as a news feed or smart algorithms.
Today, I can tell you that as a consumer and a marketer—I know a few things to be true about “outsmarting” an algorithm. Sometimes it’s less complicated than you might think, but it takes a lot of patience, active participation and consistent work.
In this post, you’ll learn three steps you can take to outsmart an algorithm.
Outsmart a social media algorithm
Algorithms evolve and can be altered over time if you teach it and send the right signals.
Learn what algorithms reward you for and you can start to see a shift in your engagement and online growth.
Start:
- Identifying your main goal for your social account
- Giving your audience valuable and relevant content
Stop:
- Posting randomly, irregularly and not engaging with your audience
- Stressing over likes and overlooking analytics
1. Community management
A very basic term in the early days of social media and something that may not be actively practiced by all: community management.
The best way to grow an audience is to engage in the conversations, foster a dialogue with your community and share relevant and valuable content on a regular basis. Review your analytics to see what’s working and adjust accordingly.
Do more of:
Audience engagement and analysis
Do less of:
Fixating over number of likes and followers
2. Signals
Algorithms sit on a foundation of “signals” from you and your audience. Is your audience engaging with your content? That’s a signal. Are you actively participating in the dialogue? That’s a signal.
For example, have you noticed that posting to Instagram these days takes like 20-30 minutes, on average?
That’s because when you post to your grid, you need to stick around and engage with your audience and send a signal to the social platform that you’re online and actively engaging (i.e. liking and commenting on photos, engaging with relevant hashtags and using more than emojis to engage in a conversation).
Do more of:
Active participation
Do less of:
Expecting overnight growth
3. Less Automation
Eeek…stay away from too much automation in your content curation. Algorithms don’t reward laziness or people who don’t actively engage on the platform.
Algorithms want to reward users who demonstrate an effort in community management.
Avoid using the same hashtag iterations over and over and instead mix it up.
Bonus points if you create content that people engage with AND also enables them to spend more time on the platform.
Do more of:
Activities that the algorithm will reward
Do less of:
Too much automation in curation
Bonus Tip: Keep Monitoring for Changes
Social platforms always announce or leave clues of what the algorithm is going to favor next (i.e. video posts, live video, or rewarding for comments instead of likes).
Social platforms always change every couple of months, so it’s always important to keep a pulse on your engagement so that you can adjust accordingly and not be surprised by changes on the platform.
Did you find this useful?
Which “good” signals are you going to implement on Instagram or another social platform to alter the algorithm in your favor?
Tell me in the comments below!
