Elon Musk has been making a lot of bold moves after taking control of Twitter, but perhaps the most shocking of all was releasing Twitter’s algorithm code on GitHub. The release can be useful to marketers because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up allowing them to better understand how the algorithm functions.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the manner in which engagement is scored is very different from what marketers assumed. Retweets and comments were thought to be more useful forms of engagement. In spite of the fact that this is the case, it turns out that favorites can provide more or a boost than might have been the case otherwise.
According to the algorithm, a like from a Twitter user can give a piece of content a thirty-fold boost. Retweets provide a twenty fold boost, while replies only provide a single boost each. Hence, prioritizing likes and favorites is a far more useful way to boost your marketing campaigns and take them to the next level.
Also, a rather unsurprising revelation from this algorithm was that Twitter Blue users get a significant push with all things having been considered and taken into account. Adding media to your tweets can make the boost even more considerable, although the content still needs to be tailored to the precise needs of the users that you are trying to reach.
Another thing that marketers should keep in mind is that engaging with people within their own social network can give their content a surprising push. Trying to break outside of the bubble can actually result in you getting penalized. This will obviously lead to the creation of echo chambers, but most users have long been aware that social media platforms want precisely this since it will keep users locked in.
Getting onto the For You tab has become a top priority for marketers, since it can get millions of eyes on all of the tweets that they are putting out there for users to see. If a user were to click on your tweet and look at it continuously for two minutes, this would give you an even bigger push than getting them to like it.
Twitter users should also try to engage with replies, since this will further improve their chances to get on the For You tab. If you post a video and have users watching it at least halfway through, this will compound on the previous boosts and generate a domino effect that will drive a massive amount of engagement in the short term.
Finally, having a high ratio of followers to following is actually more important than many expected. Users with far more followers than following are seen as more legitimate, so this isn’t the purely aesthetic pursuit that many thought it was.
All in all, Twitter’s algorithm contains quite a few surprises. Marketers should take heed of these changes so that they can ensure that they are able to reach as many users as their advertising campaigns are trying to get to.
H/T: Brad Michelson, Marketmix, Beehiiv
Read next: Elon Musk Clears The Air About Twitter’s Controversial ‘Half Ads’ Policy For Paying Blue Subscribers
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that the manner in which engagement is scored is very different from what marketers assumed. Retweets and comments were thought to be more useful forms of engagement. In spite of the fact that this is the case, it turns out that favorites can provide more or a boost than might have been the case otherwise.
According to the algorithm, a like from a Twitter user can give a piece of content a thirty-fold boost. Retweets provide a twenty fold boost, while replies only provide a single boost each. Hence, prioritizing likes and favorites is a far more useful way to boost your marketing campaigns and take them to the next level.
Also, a rather unsurprising revelation from this algorithm was that Twitter Blue users get a significant push with all things having been considered and taken into account. Adding media to your tweets can make the boost even more considerable, although the content still needs to be tailored to the precise needs of the users that you are trying to reach.
Another thing that marketers should keep in mind is that engaging with people within their own social network can give their content a surprising push. Trying to break outside of the bubble can actually result in you getting penalized. This will obviously lead to the creation of echo chambers, but most users have long been aware that social media platforms want precisely this since it will keep users locked in.
Getting onto the For You tab has become a top priority for marketers, since it can get millions of eyes on all of the tweets that they are putting out there for users to see. If a user were to click on your tweet and look at it continuously for two minutes, this would give you an even bigger push than getting them to like it.
Twitter users should also try to engage with replies, since this will further improve their chances to get on the For You tab. If you post a video and have users watching it at least halfway through, this will compound on the previous boosts and generate a domino effect that will drive a massive amount of engagement in the short term.
Finally, having a high ratio of followers to following is actually more important than many expected. Users with far more followers than following are seen as more legitimate, so this isn’t the purely aesthetic pursuit that many thought it was.
All in all, Twitter’s algorithm contains quite a few surprises. Marketers should take heed of these changes so that they can ensure that they are able to reach as many users as their advertising campaigns are trying to get to.
H/T: Brad Michelson, Marketmix, Beehiiv
Read next: Elon Musk Clears The Air About Twitter’s Controversial ‘Half Ads’ Policy For Paying Blue Subscribers
