How the Facebook Newsfeed Works: Part 1

It’s 2018, and Mark Zuckerberg announced at the beginning of this year that one of Facebook’s big focus areas for 2018 is “making sure the time we all spend on Facebook is time well spent”. How did he plan to do this, exactly, when millennials scroll the equivalent distance of a marathon through their newsfeeds every day (just a slight exaggeration)? He’s put “friends and family at the core of the experience … [because] strengthening our relationships improves our well-being and happiness”. Here’s the bad news: you’re a business, not a friend or family member, so it is inevitable that your content and posts will be displayed less in your followers’ newsfeeds.

Did you think we were going to follow this up with good news? Oops, sorry. As Facebook is the – not one of, the – largest social media network in the entire world, it is essential to understand Facebook’s algorithm and how to utilise it for the success of your marketing strategies. Lucky for us, Facebook gave us several hints in their announcement and press release about how we can continue to drive organic growth with the new algorithm.

How will Facebook now rank the posts in the newsfeed?

1) Comments

The main purpose of Zuckerberg’s new algorithm is to “encourage meaningful social interactions”. In this sense, businesses will want to engage in conversations as much as possible with other Facebook users in order to generate these interactions. Zuckerberg wrote: “Pages making posts that people generally don’t react to or comment on could see the biggest decreases in distribution”. As such, a keynote is to ensure that you are including questions and call-to-actions in your posts, or writing relevant, timely content that will spark a conversation between followers. Call-to-actions such as “Tag a friend who…” is a particularly popular trend in the moment that we are seeing at the top of a lot of users’ newsfeeds.

2) Reactions

Reactions are now prioritised over likes. For years there was speculation over whether or not Facebook would add a ‘dislike’ button; instead of one button, they’ve added 5: love, haha, wow, sad, and angry. As it takes longer for a user to ‘react’ rather than ‘like’ a post, Facebook interprets this as higher engagement or interest in the content, boosting your content further up into the newsfeed. It’s important to note that all reactions are weighted equally, whether it is a ‘love’ or a ‘wow’, so as long as your content is engaging enough to elicit a reaction more than a like, it should be boosted in the news feed.

Part 2 of this series will be out later this week!

Written by

Adam Carter | Head of Products

Adam has been leading the Product team for over 18 years, during which time he's built up an enviable reputation as one of the industry's most trusted authorities on promotional merchandise. As well as supplier relations, product sourcing and pricing, Adam is also responsible for ensuring our promotional merchandise is presented on the website in the most effective manner. His expertise makes him the go-to person on the team for spotting merchandise trends and he's highly experienced in identifying the best branded products to meet our customers' needs. When he's not working, Adam enjoys travel, electronic music and all forms of cinema.

Connect with Adam Carter on LinkedIn Connect with Adam Carter on LinkedIn

How To Use Promotional Products Effectively To Boost Your Business

How To Use Promotional Products Effectively To Boost Your Business

If you've never ordered promotional products before, it can feel a little overwhelming. After all, there are countless product options out there and it can be hard t

Why Promotional Products Work: The Value Of Merch For Your Brand

Why Promotional Products Work: The Value Of Merch For Your Brand

Okay, we might be biased but there really is no denying it: promotional products are an incredibly powerful tool for any UK business. Whether you're a start-up looki

Colour Guide: Everything You Need To Know About Blue Promotional Items

Colour Guide: Everything You Need To Know About Blue Promotional Items

With Blue Monday in sight, there's no better time to take a moment or two to think about the colour blue in all its glory. Because it's really not all bad, despite the n

A New Take on the January Blues with Promotional Merchandise

A New Take on the January Blues with Promotional Merchandise

The January blues: the phrase that we've become accustomed to using to describe January. The month of cold weather, dark mornings, the post-Christmas come down, and the poss

Revealed: The Best-Selling Promotional Products Of 2023

Revealed: The Best-Selling Promotional Products Of 2023

It's safe to say that 2023 has been quite the year for Total Merchandise. Over the last 12 months, we've hit some major milestones, grown our team, hosted our fi

Get Ahead of The Competition with Best-Selling Sports Merchandise

Get Ahead of The Competition with Best-Selling Sports Merchandise

With 84% of Brits having watched some sort of sport on the BBC alone last summer, it's fair to say that we're a nation of sports fans. Whether it was the FA Cup final, W

10 Exciting New Merch Ideas To Have On Your Radar This March

10 Exciting New Merch Ideas To Have On Your Radar This March

As we step into March, it's the perfect time to refresh your promotional strategies and stay ahead of the curve for the upcoming spring season. Whether you're pr

The TM Edit: 9 Must-See Spring 2025 Merch Ideas For Your Brand

The TM Edit: 9 Must-See Spring 2025 Merch Ideas For Your Brand

The days are getting longer, the birdsong is getting louder and one thing is becoming increasingly clear - spring is nearly here. If you're looking for a Q2 refresh

TM Edit: 9 Easter Promo Products To Help Your Brand Hop Into Spring

TM Edit: 9 Easter Promo Products To Help Your Brand Hop Into Spring

With Spring on the horizon and Easter 2025 fast approaching, consider this your sign to hop to it and get organised with your seasonal marketing plans. Whether you&rsquo