2025 Social Media Algorithm Playbook for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn & X
Updated July 2025
How Facebook’s Algorithm Works
Facebook’s algorithm uses AI to rank content by relevance each time a user refreshes.
Content is split between:
Connected content (friends, pages you follow)
Recommended content (suggested by Facebook)
Ranking steps:
Inventory – All possible content (what’s available at the time)
Signals – Who posted, content type, keywords
Predictions – Likelihood of engagement
Score – Assigned and sorted by interest
The algorithm prioritises:
Meaningful, authentic, and informative content
Posts that spark conversation and interaction
Reels and keyword-optimised content
Content from trusted, engaging sources
98% of posts that users viewed in 2024 did not have links (Meta).
Facebook prioritises content that encourages users to stay on the platform, Facebook also deprioritizes posts that have links to low-quality web pages (e.g. slow load times, ads, not mobile optimised).
Recently, Meta has begun encouraging users to leave links out of post captions on Facebook.
Facebook Do’s
Be selective with your use of links, consider leaving a link in the comments instead.
Improve post relevancy by using keywords (Social Listening can be leveraged here).
Encourage conversations with your content. Ask questions and develop interactive posts.
Integrate Reels into your content strategy.
How Instagram’s Algorithm Works
Instagram uses a variety of algorithms, classifiers, and processes at any given time. Instagram also changes their algorithm daily, though these are minor tweaks and larger algorithm updates are less frequent and will always be announced.
Content is split between:
Connected content (profiles you follow)
Recommended content (suggested by Instagram)
How content is ranked:
Feed: Based on your activity (likes, comments, shares, saves) + post and poster info
Stories: Based on stories you've viewed or engaged with
Explore: Based on your Explore activity + post and poster info
Reels: Based on your Reels activity + Reel and poster info
Overall, the algorithms prioritise:
Entertainment, connection, and time spent on app.
Instagram wants to deliver relevant and interesting content to their users to increase their time in app.
Instagram Do’s (From Instagram themselves)
Play to your audience and their niche
Post in popular formats, such as reels
Tag a location
Invite people to engage
Engage with your audience shortly after posting
Instagram Don’ts (From Instagram themselves)
Post back-to-back posts. This will detract from your post racking.
Don’t spread misinformation.
Rely on Hashtags for engagement.
Brreak Instagram’s Community Guidelines.
Re-post content. Instagram says they’re “less likely to recommend reposts of a reel that's already on Instagram, content with noticeable watermarks or accounts that regularly collect and reshare others' content on their feed.”
Insights from Head of Instagram (Adam Mosseri, April 2025)
Regular users are posting less to the feed, focusing more on Stories and DMs. The feed is now more creator-driven and discovery-focused. However, despite lower general user activity, creators still achieve greater reach through feed posts compared to Stories.
Instagram leans heavily on AI recommendations to maintain engagement in the feed by showing users posts from accounts they don’t follow.
Being active when posting might help indirectly. Engaging with others around the time you post could boost your visibility by encouraging profile visits, but there's no direct algorithmic boost for it.
Hashtags don’t drive significant reach. Contrary to old advice, hashtags are no longer a primary factor for increasing reach on Instagram, claims Mosseri.
Tips
Prioritise high-quality, shareable feed content.
Remember to keep your content authentic, and relevant as Instagram continues to prioritise connection.
Improve post relevancy by using keywords (Social Listening can be leveraged here).
How LinkedIn’s Algorithm Works
LinkedIn’s algorithm is designed to keep users engaged, rewarding content that drives interaction and keeps people on the platform.
How content is ranked:
Quality Check: Posts are instantly assessed and tagged as spam, low quality, or high quality.
Engagement Test: A small portion of your audience sees the post as a mini engagement test. If it performs well in the first hour, it’s shared more broadly to second- and third-degree connections.
Relevance Ranking: LinkedIn prioritises posts from people and topics that a user engages with the most.
Overall, the algorithms prioritise:
Expertise, original insights, industry trends, or actionable advice are more likely to reach larger audiences.
Video content (identified by LinkedIn themselves).
Content that drives engagement & interaction.
LinkedIn Do’s
Engage with other accounts (commenting on relevant posts increases your page’s reach)
Add video into your content strategy
Tag brands and users in your posts. Tagging companies or employees is a good way to boost reach.
LinkedIn Don’ts
Don’t edit your post within the first hour of publishing.
Tag irrelevant, or over 5 brands or users in your posts.
Over-use hashtags (3 Max). *This has been noted by LinkedIn themselves within their 2025 algorithm report.
X (formerly Twitter)
How X’s Algorithm Works
The X (formerly Twitter) algorithm operates through three key stages to determine what content appears in users' feeds:
Sourcing potential posts
Ranking them based on relevance
Filtering the results for quality and personalisation
Content is pulled from two main sources:
In-Network (accounts the user follows)
Out-of-Network (accounts the user doesn’t follow)
In-Network posts are ranked by predicted engagement, while Out-of-Network content is selected based on engagement patterns and similarity to posts the user already interacts with. Brands that manage to rank highly in the Out-of-Network category often see significant reach gains and new follower growth.
Users can also manually adjust their feed preferences, which feeds into the algorithm’s machine learning model to create a more personalised experience.
X Do’s
Post at times when your audience is most active.
Encourage replies, likes, and reposts within the first hour to boost ranking.
Diversify your content. The algorithm favours rich media over plain text.
Tweet regularly to maintain visibility in both In-Network and Out-of-Network feeds.
Include relevant words and hashtags that align with trending topics and your audience’s interests.
X Don’ts
Don’t rely on just hashtags. The algorithm looks at engagement and user interest more than just hashtag use,
Over-post. Posting too frequently or repeating content can trigger filtering or decrease reach, especially Out-of-Network.
Engagement bait. Phrases like “Like if you agree” or “Retweet this!”.
Sources
Widely Viewed Content Report: What People See on Facebook
https://transparency.meta.com/en-gb/data/widely-viewed-content-report/#what-people-see
How Facebook distributes content
https://www.facebook.com/business/help/718033381901819?id=208060977200861
See how Instagram algorithms can work for you
https://creators.instagram.com/grow/algorithms-and-ranking?locale=en_GB
How the LinkedIn algorithm works in 2025
A Comprehensive Guide to the X Algorithm: How It Works in 2025