Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, with over 2.9 billion monthly active users as of the third quarter of 2022. The stories that appear at the top of a user’s Facebook feed are determined by an algorithm that aims to show each user content that is most relevant and engaging to them. Some of the key factors that influence which stories appear at the top of a user’s feed include:
Friends and Pages You Interact With
Content from friends, family, and Facebook pages you interact with most frequently is more likely to appear toward the top of your feed. This includes liking, commenting on, sharing, and reacting to posts. The more you engage with a particular friend or page, the more often you’ll see their content.
Relevance
Facebook’s algorithm analyzes the content of posts to determine relevance to each user. Posts about topics you frequently engage with are given higher priority than topics you rarely interact with. The algorithm also considers meta data like captions, headlines, and article links to gauge relevance.
Timeliness
Newer posts are more likely to appear higher in your feed than older posts. The algorithm favors recency and showcases the latest updates from friends and pages. However, very old posts can sometimes resurface if they are still getting strong engagement.
Popularity
Posts going viral and receiving lots of reactions, comments, and shares appear higher up. The algorithm rewards content getting strong traction and natural engagement. Popular posts quickly gain momentum this way.
Post Type
Photos, videos, and live videos are given priority in the News Feed algorithm over text status updates and links. Visual content tends to be more engaging, so Facebook rewards it with greater reach.
Advertising
Posts and pages that businesses have paid to promote appear higher in feeds. Facebook’s ad platform allows marketers to amplify reach through paid boosting. Users often see sponsored content at the very top of their feeds.
User Signals
Your own activity on Facebook sends signals about your interests and preferences that influence the ranking of posts. Liking specific pages, joining certain groups, and engaging with various hashtags trains the algorithm over time.
Examples of Top Stories
Here are some examples of trending story types that frequently appear at the top of Facebook feeds currently:
Viral Trends
Videos, photos, or stories that have gone viral and are receiving engagement from a massive number of users often appear at the top of feeds. These fleeting trends capture widespread attention.
Celebrity News
Updates, photos, and live videos from popular celebrities are consistently among top Facebook stories. Fans love engaging with their favorite stars.
Current Events
Major world events like elections, natural disasters, and political developments dominate headlines. These timely, important stories tend to trend.
Funny Videos
Humorous videos commonly go viral fast on Facebook. Cute animal clips, prank videos, and comedy sketches are top performers.
Challenges
Viral challenges taking over Facebook, like the Ice Bucket Challenge, also frequently appear at the top of the feed thanks to widespread participation.
Controversial News
Hot takes on controversial issues generate passionate responses from users. This high engagement pushes them up feeds.
Friends’ Life Updates
Friends and family sharing personal news like vacations, weddings, babies, and graduations get lots of engagement. Your closest ties stay top of mind.
Recipes
Appetizing food photos and recipes are irresistible to many Facebook users, especially on weekends. Food content performs very well.
Quizzes & Polls
Buzzfeed-style quizzes and polls prompting users to share and compare results are engaging. These “social comparison” posts trend.
Live Videos
Facebook Live videos from friends, publishers, and creators appear high up, as Facebook favors this immersive content.
Tips for Getting Your Content to the Top
Here are some expert tips for increasing your odds of having your posts appear towards the top of your followers’ feeds:
– Post at optimal times: According to research, the best times to post are mid-week around 1-4 PM. Mid-day on weekends is also effective.
– Use relevant hashtags: Include relevant trending hashtags in your post to make it more findable.
– Ask questions: Pose questions to followers in your captions to spark engagement in the comments.
– Go live: Facebook prioritizes live broadcast videos, so try going live to gain more reach.
– Share visual content: Photos and video content perform best on Facebook; avoid text-only posts.
– Promote engagement: Proactively engage with followers by reacting to and commenting on their posts to stand out.
– Run ads: Put some budget behind your posts through Facebook’s advertising tools to give them a boost to more feeds.
– Analyze data: Use Facebook’s analytics to see which types of posts do best for your audience and do more of that.
Conclusion
Facebook’s algorithm is complex, but focuses on showing users the content most likely to be relevant and engaging to them personally. Major factors like recency, popularity, content type, and advertiser bidding impact what appears at the top of feeds. Understanding these key factors allows both brands and individuals to create more engaging content optimized for higher ranking in the News Feed. While going viral has an element of luck, following best practices and paying attention to analytics goes a long way towards improving performance on Facebook.
| Post Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Viral Trends | Game of Thrones memes during new season premieres |
| Celebrity News | Beyonce announcing a new album |
| Current Events | Election coverage |
| Funny Videos | Puppy reaction clips |
| Challenges | Mannequin challenge videos |
| Controversial News | “Cancel culture” debates |
| Friends’ Life Updates | Pregnancy announcements |
| Recipes | Starbucks pumpkin spice latte copycat |
| Quizzes & Polls | “Which city should you really live in?” quiz |
| Live Videos | Live comedy standup from a friend |
This table shows examples of popular post types that frequently appear at the top of Facebook feeds based on their engagement levels.
Facebook’s Algorithm Evolution
Facebook’s algorithm has gone through major changes over the years to improve relevance and address challenges like clickbait and fake news:
2009 – Engagement Prioritized
Facebook launched the “Like” button and began prioritizing posts with more Likes and comments. This marked a shift towards an engagement-focused algorithm.
2011 – Most Recent Stories
Facebook updated the News Feed to heavily favor new posts over older posts to keep feeds timely and fresh.
2013 – Meaningful Content
Facebook tweaked the algorithm to promote “meaningful” posts from close connections over branded content. The goal was more personal sharing.
2014 – Clickbait Demoted
Facebook took action to minimize clickbait headlines, photos, and links with exaggerated claims. This aimed to improve post quality.
2016 – Friends & Family Favored
The algorithm gave greater weight again to friends and family posts over public content from media/brands. Facebook wanted more personal connections.
2017 – Fake News Addressed
To combat fake news on Facebook, the algorithm reduced distribution of likely false news stories flagged by fact checkers.
2018 – Meaningful Interactions
Facebook updated the algorithm to prioritize posts driving substantive engagement like comments rather than one-click reactions.
2021 – Recommendation System
A major News Feed overhaul added more AI recommendations to encourage engagement with new topics/accounts users might like.
As Facebook has evolved, frequent algorithm changes aimed to keep up with emerging challenges and user needs while promoting meaningful connections.
Conclusion
Facebook’s constantly adapting News Feed algorithm considers many factors to rank and distribute stories. While the specific inner workings are kept private, Facebook’s public announcements and expert analysis make the general priorities clear. Relevance, engagement, timeliness, connections, and quality drive the system. Understanding what gains traction can help you reach more users. But maintaining authentic connections ultimately matters most on Facebook.