Whether you\u2019re still insistent on calling it Twitter or are 100% on board with the X rebrand, there\u2019s one thing all users of the social media platform can agree on: the Twitter algorithm (or X algorithm, whatever!) is a mighty powerful thing.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because the X algorithm\u2014a set of rules that controls who sees what content on the social platform<\/a>\u2014impacts what shows up in each user\u2019s feed.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re ready to get this all-mighty recommendation engine working for you, you\u2019ve come to the right place. Read on for everything you need to know about the Twitter<\/a> algorithm in 2024.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Bonus:<\/strong> Grow your X (Twitter) following fast <\/em>with a free 30-day workbook<\/span> that will help you establish a marketing routine and track your growth, so you can show your boss real results after one month.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Twitter feed algorithm\u2014also known as the X algorithm\u2014is a proprietary formula that determines what appears in your For You feed.<\/p>\n When you log in to Twitter, there are two feeds to choose from: the Following <\/strong>tab and the For You<\/strong> tab.<\/p>\n Following<\/strong> displays posts from all of your followed accounts in reverse-chronological order\u2014whoever posted most recently will be featured at the top of the feed.<\/p>\n The For You<\/strong> tab, on the other hand, compiles posts that X\/Twitter thinks you\u2019ll be interested in. <\/p>\n Everyone\u2019s For You tab is totally different<\/strong>: some posts might be from folks you already follow, but others might be from new accounts. It can include tweets posted that day alongside older tweets that have gotten a lot of attention.<\/p>\n As X itself posted<\/a>: \u201cTwitter aims to deliver you the best of what\u2019s happening in the world right now. This requires a recommendation algorithm to distill the roughly 500 million Tweets posted daily down to a handful of top Tweets.\u201d<\/p>\n The algorithm curates each user\u2019s feed, taking into account your behavior on the site\u2014your likes, your mutes and everything in between\u2014as well as the behavior of people like <\/em>you<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Schedule tweets, answer comments, and manage ads from one spot. Then, show off your results in beautiful reports. It\u2019s so easy.<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart free 30-day trial<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Twitter algorithm is a recommendation system<\/a> that uses machine learning to curate content for users\u2019 feeds. It crunches a constant stream of data in an attempt to surface posts that each user will enjoy most.<\/p>\n According to a blog post from X in April 2023<\/a>, here\u2019s how the Twitter algorithm works. (Though things may have changed since then\u2014and will continue to change in the future\u2014this is the most up-to-date info we\u2019ve got to work with.)<\/p>\n Part 1: Candidate Sourcing<\/strong> The algorithm picks 1,500 tweets from people you follow and people whose tweets you might be interested in, based on your previous engagement and the engagement of people like you.<\/p>\n Part 2: Ranking Tweets <\/strong>Twitter takes those 1,500 tweets and ranks them using a machine learning model, giving different actions different weights. If you\u2019re likely to reply to a tweet, based on your previous actions, that tweet gets ranked a little higher. If you\u2019re likely to report a tweet, that post will lose points. Basically, the tweets you\u2019re most likely to interact with will wind up at the top.<\/p>\n Part 3: Heuristics, Filters and Product Features<\/strong> Next, the Twitter algorithm removes people you\u2019ve muted or blocked from that list of 1,500 tweets and balances the number of tweets coming from your followed accounts with those from recommended accounts, so you have a nice mix. Twitter will also make sure there aren\u2019t too many tweets from one author.<\/p>\n Part 4: Mixing and Serving Tweets <\/strong>Last but not least, the Twitter algorithm will sprinkle in some sponsored content with the organic tweets<\/a> in the feed.<\/p>\n Sound like a lot? Well, that\u2019s because it is<\/em>\u2014and it\u2019s all happening in the blink of an eye. According to X, the process above runs approximately 5 billion times per day and, on average, takes just 1.5 seconds to complete.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the broad strokes of how the algorithm works on X\/Twitter, but the engineers have put the whole recommendation engine code on Github<\/a> if you really want to get into the nitty-gritty.<\/p>\n But poring over code isn\u2019t necessary to achieve some reach<\/a>. You really just need to understand how<\/em> those posts are ranked\u2026 so let\u2019s dig into that now, shall we?<\/p>\n The Twitter algorithm (or X algorithm, if you must) looks at people you follow (in-network sources<\/strong>) and people who you might be interested in (out-of-network sources<\/strong>), and then ranks posts based on how likely you are to enjoy them.<\/p>\n Twitter uses the following factors to give each post something called a \u201cRealGraph\u201d score:<\/p>\n For in-network sources, it looks at:<\/p>\n For out-of-network sources, it looks at:<\/p>\n In other words: Twitter pays attention to user behavior and tries to give them more content that they\u2019ll probably like<\/strong>.<\/p>\n What does that mean for someone trying to use the Twitter algorithm to achieve reach? We\u2019re so <\/em>glad you asked.<\/p>\n Twitter is a lot of things, but one thing it isn\u2019t is precious. You should obviously think before you tweet but don\u2019t overthink it. If you\u2019ve got an idea for a post, just do it<\/a>. Either it\u2019ll work, or it will flop, and the timeline will keep moving.<\/p>\n According to our research, most X users post 2-3 times per day,<\/a> which ali<\/span>gns with our recommendations.\u00a0Posting at least<\/em> that often\u00a0(with multiple Tweets in a thread counting as one post) is the best way to keep your followers engaged.<\/p>\n If that sounds like a lot, a scheduling tool like Hootsuite<\/a> is here to help. Draft up your bon mots while you\u2019re in the creative zone and schedule them to go live when the time is right.<\/p>\n In theory, it\u2019s never been easier to get verified. That\u2019s because the service now allows anyone who pays for an X Premium subscription service<\/a> to get all the benefits of a blue check. (In the past, users were verified because they were notable in their field, such as celebrities or journalists.)<\/p>\n This means, of course, that you\u2019ll do better with the algorithm. In the Twitter recommendation engine code, Premium users get a boost for both people who follow them and users who don\u2019t. If your business has $8 USD a month to invest in this increased reach, it might not be a bad idea.<\/p>\n Sure, the Twitter\/X algorithm will push out relevant content long after it was first posted, but it\u2019s still best to post strategically so you have a better chance of reaching your target audience.<\/p>\n According to our research,\u00a0weekdays between 8 AM and 2 PM<\/strong>\u00a0are generally the best times to post on X<\/a>. <\/p>\n If you want to discover your best time to post, try retweeting your best content at different times throughout the day to see when you gain the most traction, and use Hootsuite Analytics<\/a> to review just when your hottest times of day are.<\/p>\n The algorithm is suspicious of accounts that follow too many people: an imbalance in your follower-to-following ratio can result in a penalty. <\/p>\n Ideally, you should have more people on your followers list than on your following list. (But definitely don\u2019t buy Twitter followers to make that happen\u2014we beg you. Just make friends the old-fashioned way<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Even if you tweet at peak times, chances are many followers may have missed your Tweet. And if it performed well the first time, it likely will again.<\/p>\n There are plenty of ways you could keep the ball rolling for the algorithm. Over the years, self-retweets have grown more common \u2014 you could do this if your initial tweet gained some traction and you want to keep the ball rolling.<\/p>\n You can also re-share the same content but word it differently or approach it from a totally different angle. Find creative ways to repackage and re-share what works.<\/p>\n For example, if you\u2019re sharing a blog post, you could highlight different elements of the same content at different times. You can consider it another way to A\/B test<\/a> and discover which approach your audience finds most compelling.<\/p>\n Look for trends and topics that your brand can contribute to \u2014 or lead. According to Twitter\u2019s open-source code, tweets about trending topics get a little boost.<\/p>\n Keep an eye on the Trending tab on the Explore page<\/a> for the latest trends in real-time. <\/p>\n Plus, our research shows that quote tweets are generally the top content type for engagement on X\/Twitter<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0they earn almost twice the engagement that standard posts do.<\/p>\n Just don\u2019t try to hop on every conversation on Twitter. Find the topics and themes that make sense for your brand. A little social listening<\/a> will make it clear what\u2019s relevant to your audience and what\u2019s not.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re getting reported for bad behavior, or being so annoying that other users are blocking or muting you, the Twitter algorithm is not <\/em>going to be too impressed.<\/p>\n Your reputation on this site matters! If you\u2019re not bringing value to users, Twitter\u2019s not going to recommend you to other people. Get familiar with the X Rules<\/a> and try to be a decent citizen of the web.<\/p>\n When it comes to soliciting engagement on Twitter, it\u2019s simple. Ask, and you shall receive.<\/p>\n Ask an open-ended question or invite your followers to share photos or videos with you. Start a light-hearted debate. Maybe try engaging in a risky reply<\/a> or two.<\/p>\n Another thing you can ask for? Votes. Polls are a quick and easy way to ask for input on something. It could be anything from an on-brand survey to a request for concrete feedback.<\/p>\n A boost in engagement can help your Tweet\u2019s ranking with the Twitter algorithm. <\/p>\n Not only does the code boost photo and video posts, but tweets with photos, videos, and GIFs tend to get more attention from followers than just text.<\/p>\n And don\u2019t worry if you\u2019re not great with visuals\u2014resources like stock video<\/a> and graphic design software<\/a> can help.<\/p>\n Twitter wants to keep everybody hanging out on the platform, so it\u2019s not super-duper keen on shared links and URLs. (Especially if they\u2019re spammy or non-stop.)<\/p>\n In general, we\u2019ve found that posts without links do much <\/em>better on Twitter<\/a>\u2014and other social platforms, for that matter.<\/p>\n Posting links on Twitter isn\u2019t going to destroy your recommendation reputation, but consider using links as an occasional feature of your feed instead of the meat of your content. Focus on creating content that requires zero clicks<\/a> to enjoy.<\/p>\n The Twitter algorithm recommends content users based on their interests and areas of expertise, so finding your niche and sticking to it is a good way to earn an audience (and build a consistent brand in the process).<\/p>\n When it comes to algorithms, there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. Use X Analytics<\/a> to track what works and what doesn\u2019t for your specific account, and keep testing.<\/p>\n And for a bird\u2019s eye view of how your content is performing across different social media platforms, choose a social media management tool like Hootsuite.<\/p>\n Hootsuite allows you to pretty much do it all:<\/p>\n Manage your Twitter presence alongside your other social channels and save time using Hootsuite. Schedule and publish posts, engage your audience, and measure performance \u2014\u00a0all from one simple dashboard. Try it free today.<\/strong><\/p>\n Do it better with Hootsuite<\/strong>, the all-in-one social media tool. <\/strong>Stay on top of things, grow, and beat the competition.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat is the Twitter algorithm?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t#1 tool for X marketing\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\nHow the Twitter algorithm works in 2024<\/span><\/h2>\n
Twitter algorithm ranking signals<\/span><\/h2>\n
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12 tips for working with the Twitter algorithm<\/span><\/h2>\n
1. Maintain an active Twitter\/X presence<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/picture>\n<\/noscript><\/figure>\n2. Get verified<\/h3>\n
3. Post when your audience is online<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/picture>\n<\/noscript>4. Keep your following count low<\/h3>\n
5. Repackage top content<\/h3>\n
6. Join relevant trends and topics<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/picture>\n<\/noscript><\/figure>\n7. Play by the rules<\/h3>\n
8. Drum up some engagement<\/h3>\n
9. Use photos, videos, GIFs<\/h3>\n
10. Limit your links<\/h3>\n
11. Stick to your specialty<\/h3>\n
12. Apply insights from analytics<\/h3>\n
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