Who’s seeing your posts? and Why?

People often ask how Facebook calculates its algorithm and why more people aren’t seeing their posts. Those are fair questions. Facebook has been sharing more information with us so we’re not in the dark.

Recently, I was scrolling and Facebook gave me the option to figure out why I was seeing the first post in my personal page’s newsfeed. Basically, it was based on my actions and preferences.

I comment on more photos than other types of media. Photos focus on one moment in time and I love to connect that way. Others, especially millennials, prefer videos. That’s the beauty of social media. It’s filled with a diverse pool of people. Figure out what your followers enjoy and respond to most. Keep in mind though that over the next 12 months, video will be given more priority, so figure out how to make that a part of your strategy.

That particular post was more popular than the other posts in my newsfeed. Create posts that get great engagement (likes and comments) and you’ll appear higher in your friends’/followers’ newsfeeds. Ask people questions relevant to what’s happening today that they can relate to. Share fun photos and videos. Inspire or make people laugh.  Whatever you do, give value and people will pay attention and remember you.

We’ve been friends since 2016. Facebook pays attention to who you interact with and the time period of your interaction. Have you noticed that after a while you don’t see posts from certain friends? If you want to keep seeing their posts, take the time to like, comment, and share their posts. Facebook uses that data to decide the posts you are shown.

These are just a few of the factors taken into consideration. In general, keep your content interesting and social to draw people in to engage. Keep the “social” in social media.

Suzzette Turnbull is a social media speaker and trainer. Also, author of The Ultimate Guide to Getting Started with Social Media.