Feed Algorithm
A feed algorithm is the ranking system of a social media platform that selects and orders which posts a given user is shown. It draws on signals such as past behaviour, the relationship to the sender, recency and expected interaction.
In practice
You cannot outsmart the algorithm, but you can give it usable signals: the platforms themselves name ranking signals such as how long a piece of content is watched and whether it is saved or forwarded — Instagram in its explanations of how the feed works, LinkedIn in the description of 360Brew, the ranking model it has used since 2025. No platform publishes the exact weightings, and they change constantly. The most common mistake is adopting rules from advice articles that often rest on guesswork. Rely instead on your own statistics gathered over several weeks. Realistically, distribution fluctuates, and a few weak posts are no reason to change strategy.