Facebook’s 20% text rule was an algorithmic rule implemented years ago to improve the user experience on Facebook by encouraging more meaningful engagement through text-based posts. The 20% rule required that text must make up at least 20% of any link shared on Facebook for that link to appear prominently in the News Feed. This rule was intended to limit low-quality spam links and encourage users to share content that provoked discussion. However, as Facebook’s algorithms and approach to curating the News Feed have evolved over the years, the 20% text rule is no longer in effect.
What was the 20% text rule?
The 20% text rule was introduced by Facebook around 2014 as a way to improve the quality of content being shared on the platform. Essentially, it required that any link shared on Facebook must be accompanied by a description or text that makes up at least 20% of the total post in order for that post to show up prominently in people’s feeds.
For example, if you wanted to share a link to an article, you couldn’t just share the link by itself or with a short phrase like “Check this out!” At minimum, the text you wrote to accompany the link had to be 20% of the total length of the post. This encouraged users to provide more context, opinion, and commentary around the links they shared, rather than just flooding people’s feeds with links without explanation.
The purpose of the 20% text rule
Facebook implemented this rule to improve the overall user experience in several key ways:
- Reduce low-quality spam links: The 20% text minimum helped cut down on people sharing content just for the sake of sharing it, like clickbait headlines or spammy links. It essentially forced users to put more thought and effort into what they shared.
- Encourage meaningful engagement: By requiring descriptive text, the rule promoted posts that gave people context and sparked discussion, rather than just link dumping.
- Improve relevance of shared content: The text surrounding a link helps people understand if a link is interesting and relevant to them before clicking on it.
- Shift focus back to text-based sharing: Facebook wanted to encourage users to have conversations and share anecdotes, opinions, and ideas through text, rather than just sharing links without personal touches.
Overall, the 20% text rule was aimed at improving the quality of communication and engagement on Facebook by prompting users to share links in a more thoughtful, purposeful way.
How the 20% text rule worked
The 20% text rule worked by looking at the total length of a post with a link in it, calculating what percentage of that post was made up of text, and then deciding how prominently to show that post in people’s feeds accordingly.
The algorithm behind the 20% text rule
When a user went to share a link on Facebook, Facebook’s algorithm would analyze the total post and do the following:
- Extract the text from the post that the user had written, excluding the link itself.
- Count the number of characters in the extracted text.
- Count the total number of characters in the entire post, including link and text.
- Divide the number of characters of text by the total number of characters.
- If the text portion was less than 20% of the total post length, the algorithm would determine the post to be low quality.
- As a result, posts with less than 20% text would appear much less prominently in the News Feeds of that user’s connections.
And conversely:
- If the text portion was greater than 20% of the total post length, the algorithm would consider the post to be higher quality.
- These posts would appear more prominently in the News Feed and have greater reach.
Essentially, the 20% text rule rewarded users for taking the time to thoughtfully describe and contextualize the links they wanted to share, rather than just pasting links. This enriched the overall experience on Facebook News Feed by promoting more meaningful engagement and discussion around quality content.
The impact of the 20% text rule
The 20% text rule noticeably shaped user behavior on Facebook for a number of years and succeeded in achieving some of its core aims. Here are some of the ways it impacted the Facebook experience:
More text-based sharing and status updates
Knowing that text-heavy posts would be favored, many users shifted toward sharing more personal updates, thoughts, opinions, and commentary through text. Rather than just pasting links, users were motivated to open up dialogues and conversations to ensure their posts would be seen.
Higher quality content overall
The 20% rule reduced low-effort link dumping and raised the standard for the types of content users shared on Facebook. There was less clickbait and more thoughtful, engaging posts with context around why the content was worth reading.
Use of “link preview” features
To work around the 20% rule, some users began using built-in Open Graph features that automatically pull excerpts, images, and text from linked pages to generate a “link preview” that contributes to the 20% text requirement.
Complaints from publishers
Some news sites and publishers complained the 20% rule unfairly penalized their content, as headlines are often short. They were forced to strategize around the rule to maintain traffic from Facebook.
Greater engagement on posts
By prompting users to provide more background on links they shared, posts on Facebook saw higher engagement in the form of likes, comments, and shares compared to simple link posts.
The rise of “synopsis” posts
To meet the 20% text minimum, many users began prefacing links with a “synopsis” explaining what the link was about and why they were sharing it. This created posts that were much more informative and engaging.
Overall, the 20% text rule succeeded in its goals of making Facebook a more text-driven platform with higher quality link sharing. But as Facebook’s algorithm evolved, the 20% rule gradually faded away.
The decline of the 20% text rule
While the 20% text rule was once a defining part of the Facebook News Feed algorithm, in recent years Facebook has moved away from imposing hard percentage rules for text. There are a few reasons for this change:
Shift away from a “one-size-fits-all” approach
Facebook realized that arbitrary percentages like 20% weren’t the best way to identify high-quality posts. Different types of content require different approaches.
Advances in AI and ML
Facebook developed more sophisticated AI tools to analyze both text and links in a more nuanced way beyond just percentages. They can now identify “low-quality” posts without a blanket rule.
Emergence of new content formats
Video, images, live streams and other multimedia formats became very popular on Facebook. Strict text percentages are less relevant to these formats.
Desire for more diverse content
Enforcing certain text minimums limited the types of content that could gain traction and exposure on Facebook. The company wanted to open up to more diversity.
Complaints from publishers and advertisers
The more Facebook became an important traffic and revenue source for media companies and advertisers, the more pressure it faced to adjust its rules to accommodate their content.
Ultimately, while the 20% text rule was useful early in Facebook’s history, the platform outgrew its narrow, arbitrary parameters. Facebook needed more flexible, adaptive algorithms to curate an increasingly diverse News Feed.
Does the 20% text rule still apply on Facebook today?
Based on Facebook’s evolution over the past decade, the simple answer is: No, the 20% text rule is no longer in effect or used explicitly as a criterion by Facebook’s algorithms as of 2023.
However, that doesn’t mean text length is completely irrelevant either. The amount and quality of text surrounding a link are still likely factors in determining the overall quality and engagement of a post. But there is no longer a blanket 20% minimum that will automatically limit a post’s visibility if not met.
Facebook uses a much more complex, ML-powered algorithm today to determine the ranking and reach of every post. Some of the many factors that are analyzed include:
- Text quality, depth, and semantic meaning
- Context provided around links/media
- Author trustworthiness and integrity
- Post timing and relevance
- Headline engagement
- User intent and preferences
- Comment sentiment
- Overall post quality
So texte length is just one small signal among hundreds that Facebook considers to curate an optimal, personalized News Feed for each user.
The 20% rule served its purpose for a time, but Facebook’s algorithms have far outgrown that type of restrictive, arbitrary percentage criterion today. At the same time, taking the time to thoughtfully explain and frame links is still a smart practice for driving engagement. But posts with less than 20% text will not be automatically demoted or hidden. Text is just one piece of a much more complex, adaptive ranking system designed to show each user the content most likely to interest and engage them.
Tips for text length when sharing links on Facebook
While the 20% rule no longer applies, incorporating descriptive text into link-based posts is still beneficial on Facebook. Here are some tips:
Provide value for the reader
Help the reader understand why they should click by giving details about what the link covers and key highlights upfront.
Write naturally
Don’t just pad a post with fluff or repetitive text to hit an arbitrary length. Focus on what details are actually relevant.
Use multimedia
Combine text with images, videos, and graphics to create an engaging, multimedia post when appropriate.
Frame links conversationally
Write conversationally and provide your personal take on a link to make it more approachable and engaging.
Find the right balance
Very long blocks of text can also appear spammy or low-quality. Find the right concise depth that piques interest.
Pay attention to formatting
Break text into short paragraphs, use lists, headers, and bold key points to make it more readable.
Promote dialogue
Pose questions and encourage commentary from your readers in addition to framing the link.
The 20% rule is gone, but great text-based contextualization is still key for driving Facebook engagement and reach. Focus on quality over hitting arbitrary length targets.
Conclusion
In summary, Facebook’s 20% text rule was a pioneering algorithmic effort to encourage more meaningful link sharing and engagement on the platform. It served its purpose well for a number of years by reducing low-value spam links and promoting text-driven conversation. However, as Facebook itself evolved, the limitations of a rigid percentage rule like 20% text became clear.
Facebook’s algorithms have advanced by orders of magnitude over the years to evaluate post quality and relevance using sophisticated AI and ML. While text length remains a minor factor, enforcing a blanket minimum is no longer aligned with Facebook’s priorities or capabilities. The 20% rule is now obsolete, replaced by an adaptive, personalized ranking system powered by AI.
Text remains very relevant on Facebook, but focusing too narrowly on percentages is no longer the best practice. Instead, concentrate on providing value, writing conversationally, finding multimedia opportunities, and framing content in ways tailored to your unique audience. With Facebook’s algorithms and the platform itself in constant flux, staying adaptable and focusing on meaningful engagement is the key to success over arbitrary text metrics.