As more social platforms switch to algorithm-defined feeds to maximize engagement, it's important for social media marketers to also up their knowledge of such systems, and ensure they know how and why things appear as they do to users.

But algorithms are, almost by design, complex. They take into account a wide range of individual usage factors and trends to try and predict what each person will want to see. Because of this, there's no magic formula that will ensure you reach every potential user you'd like to, but by having a better understanding of the process, you can consider the best approaches, and improve performance.

Twitter, which introduced its feed algorithm back in 2016, is one such platform that you need to have an understanding of. In the infographic below, the team from Digital Information World have provided an overview of Twitter's feed control elements, and the factors which influence where tweets show up in user streams. 

Again, there's no magic formula to beat the system, but it's a good reminder of the elements at play, which you can use in your strategic approach.  

A version of this post was first published on the Digital Information World blog.