Category: Media

Black Friday has become an essential part of retail, especially in e-commerce! In 2023, “Black Friday” reached an awareness level of 94%, with 49% of Germans planning to participate in the event. The potential for businesses and e-commerce shops is tremendous. Use this checklist to unlock the full potential of your Black Friday social media marketing.

1. Your Black Friday Social Media Marketing Checklist

1. Preparations (2–4 weeks before Black Friday)

Planning is one of the most critical aspects of any project. Gather your team and discuss the various elements of a Black Friday campaign, for example:

• Define Goals: Set measurable objectives (e.g., increase revenue by X %, grow reach by Y %, sell Z units).
• Outline Your Offer Strategy: Select specific products to feature or discount and decide whether you’ll offer tiered discounts, exclusive items, or “one-day-only” promotions.
• Choose Social Media Platforms: Research the unique strengths of various platforms. Then, focus on those that align best with your goals.
• Develop a Content Plan: Schedule Black Friday-specific content for each platform, such as “doorbuster” deals, countdown posts, and exclusive follower discounts.
• Prepare Social Media Formats: Plan your social media posts to promote your Black Friday offers, incorporating formats like Stories, Reels, and carousel posts to maximize effectiveness on each platform.
• Time Your Posts Strategically: Schedule your social media posts at optimal times for each platform.

Early planning ensures a smooth campaign and helps you stay organized, so nothing is overlooked on this high-energy day.

2. Countdown (1 Week to 1 Day Before Black Friday)

• Build Anticipation: Share “sneak peeks” of the Black Friday sale to spark excitement.
• Create Countdown Posts: Use countdown stickers in Stories or post regularly to announce the sale’s start.

Many companies use countdowns in their Black Friday social media marketing to create a “fear of missing out” (FOMO). This boosts the sense of urgency, motivating people to buy before the opportunity passes. Important: Avoid posting a countdown too early, as potential customers who might have bought beforehand may instead wait for the sale to save money.

3. On Black Friday itself

On Black Friday, posting frequently can increase your visibility and give the algorithm fresh content to boost. Some classic Black Friday posts include:

• Sale Kick-Off Post: Share a bold, eye-catching post announcing the start of the Black Friday sale to inform your followers.
• Inventory Updates: If you’re promoting a limited product, post occasional stock updates to maintain urgency.
• Midnight Countdown: In the evening, post a “last chance” countdown leading up to midnight to attract last-minute buyers.

4. Follow-Up (After Black Friday)

Proper follow-up is one of the most important steps you can take.

• Tease Cyber Monday: Hint at upcoming offers for Cyber Monday to encourage ongoing engagement. If there are more deals, extend the momentum from Black Friday to Cyber Monday.
• Thank Your Followers: Show appreciation to your followers for their support and purchases, fostering a sense of community.
• Measure Success: Analyze whether you reached your goals. If not, consider what could have been improved or any new insights gained. Document these takeaways to refine your approach next year. Review which posts performed well and which didn’t, so you can adjust content and strategy for future campaigns.

2. Leveraging Social Media Strengths for Your Black Friday Campaign

Different social networks have unique strengths that you can tap into. It’s also essential to consider which platforms your target audience primarily uses, so you can reach them effectively. Here are the strengths of various networks:

1. Facebook

 

• Reach: Facebook still boasts the largest reach among social networks.
• Variety of Content Formats: Facebook supports multiple formats such as images, videos, carousel posts, and live streams, allowing you to post different types of content to appeal to various audience segments.
• Broad Audience Targeting with Hashtags and Sharing: With the right hashtags and sharing features, you can organically boost the reach of your Black Friday deals. Followers can easily share deals with friends, amplifying your reach.

2. X (Twitter) / Threads

• Real-Time Updates and Announcements: Perfect for quick updates on new deals, sold-out items, and inventory status.
• Utilize Hashtags & Trends: Use Black Friday-relevant hashtags to gain visibility in trending topics and attract attention.
• Boost Engagement with Shares and Retweets: Encourage followers to share deals and discuss with friends to expand your reach.
• Leverage Trending Keywords: Include Black Friday trend keywords in your descriptions to appear in targeted search results.

3. Instagram

• Visual Storytelling: Excellent for capturing attention with appealing product images and “today only” posts.
• Stories & Countdown Stickers: Perfect for countdown posts and reminders to keep customers aware of the upcoming sale.
• Reels and Carousel Posts: Allow you to showcase products in short videos or multiple images, offering different perspectives.
• Hashtags: Using Black Friday-specific hashtags like #BlackFriday2024 helps your posts reach a wider audience organically.

4. Pinterest

• Discoverability: Black Friday-specific pin boards on Pinterest allow users to collect inspiring offers and product ideas for the event day, making it easier for your deals to be found and shared.

5. TikTok

• Creative Product Presentations: Use humorous and creative videos to provide a quick overview of the best Black Friday deals.
• Challenges & Trends: Leverage Black Friday-related trends or create a challenge to boost engagement and excitement.
• Countdown Videos and Teasers: Exciting teaser and countdown videos perform exceptionally well on TikTok, encouraging followers to stay tuned for the upcoming sale.

6. YouTube

• Product Videos: YouTube is perfect for longer, in-depth product showcases. You can demonstrate the functionality and benefits of your Black Friday offers through detailed videos, building trust with viewers.
• Reach Through YouTube Search and Discovery: As the second-largest search engine, YouTube is ideal for attracting new customers by optimizing keywords and titles. This helps you reach potential buyers searching for Black Friday deals who may not yet follow you on your other social media platforms.

7. LinkedIn

• Business Audience and B2B Deals: LinkedIn is ideal for promoting business products or services relevant to Black Friday offers.
• Storytelling for Offers and New Products: Use posts to share the story behind your product, especially if it offers value to businesses.
• Networking and Organic Sharing: Followers often share compelling Black Friday deals with their professional networks, boosting your reach in the B2B sector.

In general, you should adopt a multi-platform approach, as this allows you to leverage the wide reach of different platforms. Additionally, your target audience is likely to be present across multiple social media channels, increasing your chances of engagement and visibility.

3. The Right Formats for Black Friday Social Media Marketing

To ensure your posts stand out and reach your audience effectively, it’s essential to consider image sizes and posting times. The ideal image sizes vary from platform to platform and depending on the type of post. For classic square image posts on Instagram, 1080 x 1080 px is optimal. Meanwhile, Reels should have an aspect ratio of 1080 × 1920 px. Using the correct image sizes ensures that your visuals appear crisp and properly framed, avoiding any blurriness or cropping.

4. The Right Times for Your Posts

The timing of your posts is also a crucial factor in their performance. After all, how can your post reach your target audience if they aren’t online when it’s published? It’s important to determine when your audience is active on social media, which can vary based on both the platform and your target group. As a general guideline, Facebook tends to see high engagement between 8 AM and 12 PM, while Instagram is most active between 10 AM and 12 PM. It’s best to experiment with different times and see what works best for your audience. Here’s an overview of the optimal posting times for various social media platforms.

5. Extra Tip: Make Black Friday Social Media Marketing easier

Social media management tools can help streamline the execution of your social media marketing strategy. Social media calendars provide an organized overview, ensuring that everyone on your team knows what will be posted, when, and on which platform. This level of planning reduces last-minute stress and ensures your Black Friday content is timely and cohesive across all channels.

Screenshot of the Social Media Calendar from Blog2Social.

Additionally, social media management tools like Blog2Social allow you to schedule posts in advance and automate their publishing. This ensures no post is forgotten, and it saves you the hassle of manually posting across various networks. Blog2Social also features an “Best Times” function, ensuring that all your posts are published at optimal times. The best part is, all of this can be managed directly from the WordPress dashboard.

 

A solid plan for social media content is essential for building a purposeful and sustainable presence on social media platforms. But how can content be planned effectively and efficiently? In this article, we’ll show you how small or medium-sized businesses, freelancers, and hobby bloggers can benefit from smart planning and the right tools.

Why is Social Media Content Planning so important?

Social media content planning has evolved far beyond simply posting spontaneously. Strategic planning is the cornerstone of content marketing and the key to a successful social media presence – whether you’re communicating for a brand, a business, or yourself.

The biggest challenge lies in consistently producing high-quality content that resonates with your target audience. It’s not enough to be active occasionally; posts need to be published at the right times, align with your marketing goals, and capable of standing out amidst the daily flood of content. Thoughtful content planning enables you to communicate with your audience consistently, strategically, and effectively, allowing you to focus on the quality and creativity of your content.

Additionally, effective planning ensures greater efficiency by optimizing your use of resources. This is where tools come into play, helping you with idea generation, organization, and the automated posting of your content. Ultimately, this saves you time and allows you to concentrate on what truly matters: creating a strong identity for yourself or your brand and delivering value to your (potential) followers.

The Benefits of Social Media Content Planning at a Glance

• Consistency: Regular content strengthens community engagement and boosts brand recognition.
• Relevance: Posts are timed for maximum impact and tailored to your audience’s interests.
• Efficiency: A clear plan streamlines your efforts, saving time and enabling focused work.

What You Need to Know to Create a Social Media Content Plan

1. Set Clear Goals

Clear goal-setting is the foundation of a well-thought-out social media strategy and content plan. By defining specific, realistic, and measurable marketing goals – or revisiting those of your company – you can align your content systematically with the growth of your account and the achievement of these objectives.

Potential marketing goals include:

• Increasing brand awareness
• Building an active community
• Positioning yourself as an expert
• Driving website traffic and conversions
• Promoting customer loyalty and engagement

These goals will shape the content of your social media plan (see point 2).

2. Define Content Categories

From your overarching marketing goals, you can derive content categories that provide genuine value to your customers and leads while strengthening your account over time.

Examples of Content Categories:

• Tips & Tricks
• Tutorials
• Inspirations
• Lists
• Problem-solving content
• Products in real-life use
• Best practices
• Employee spotlights
• Behind the scenes / Making-of
• Data, stats, and facts
• Seasonal content
• FAQs
• Community posts
• Industry news
• Polls / Ask Me Anything
• Memes
• Quotes and excerpts
• Curated content

3. Develop Content Series

The categories from Point 2 can also be used to create engaging content series. Give these series unique names or playful titles like “Throwback Thursday” or “Monday Motivation” to make them memorable. Content series not only help you maintain a consistent posting rhythm but also encourage your audience to return regularly, as social media algorithms favor consistent and engaging posts.

4. Use a Mix of Content Types

To create a social media content plan, it’s helpful to be familiar with different types of content. This allows you to systematically organize and utilize existing material from your business. Common content types include:

A mix of different content types, such as images, carousels, video clips, link posts, and more, ensures variety and appeals to the diverse interests of your audience. This keeps your content fresh and dynamic, reaching your audience on multiple levels.

5. Follow the 80-20 Rule

Before creating your content plan, keep one essential rule in mind: don’t make it too promotional! The 80-20 rule can help: about 80% of your content should provide genuine value, while only 20% should be promotional and directly aim for conversions.

Best Practices for Social Media Content Planning

Use AI for Automated Content Creation

If you’re struggling with the question of what content to create, an AI content generator can be a valuable tool. These generators provide creative ideas and topic suggestions for social media posts in seconds. With an AI content creator like Assistini, you can quickly find inspiration and save hours of brainstorming.The result? Automatically generated post captions and hashtags within a social media post template. For example, we entered an excerpt from our blog article Monthly Active Users in Social Media and received various suggestions for repurposing the content into social media posts.

Use an Editorial Calendar for Social Media Posts

To bring your content ideas to life, a social media content calendar is indispensable. This calendar helps you manage your social media posts in a structured and efficient way. It’s not just about staying organized – a well-maintained editorial calendar also enhances team collaboration and time management. See the Tool Tip for more details.

Utilize a Social Media Scheduling Tool for Automatic Posting

A social media scheduling tool allows you to plan your posts in advance and have them published automatically. This eliminates the need for daily posting, saving you significant time in the long run. Most social media management tools also support multi-platform posting, enabling you to publish across multiple social networks simultaneously or at staggered intervals. See the Tool Tip for more details.

Post at Optimal Times

The right posting frequency is crucial for the success of your social media content. Posting too often can overwhelm your audience, while posting too rarely may cause your content to go unnoticed. Maintaining a consistent posting schedule helps boost engagement and increase your reach. To identify the perfect timing for your posts, social media scheduling tools offer options for customized or optimized time settings.

In the Blog2Social plugin for WordPress, this can be achieved using the Best Time Manager. This feature analyzes the optimal posting times for each platform, enabling you to reach your audience at the perfect moment.

Leverage Content Recycling

To maximize the value of your content, repurpose and present it in varied formats – a practice known as content recycling or content repurposing. You can repeatedly use existing content by redesigning or transforming it into new formats to expand its reach. For instance, sections of a blog post can be repurposed into an informative infographic, a carousel, or a reel.

Tool Tip: Plan and Automatically Post Social Media Content with Blog2Social via WordPress

If you’re looking for an efficient way to organize your social media posts directly within the WordPress backend of your website or blog, Blog2Social is the perfect tool for you. As a WordPress plugin, it not only provides a clear social media content calendar but also simplifies the publishing and scheduling of your posts.

Create a Social Media Editorial Calendar in WordPress

With Blog2Social, you can create a practical social media calendar directly within WordPress. The calendar shows you which posts are scheduled, when, and on which platforms. This helps you keep track of your social media activities and ensures your content is well-distributed. If needed, you can easily edit, delete, or reschedule planned posts using drag-and-drop functionality. This visualization helps you avoid gaps and ensures that important topics or events are not overlooked. Posts can also be sorted by network or author, further streamlining your organization. Thanks to the clear visualization of all scheduled and published content, your social media activities remain transparent and clear across networks and teams.

Post Social Media Content via WordPress

The plugin allows you to create and automatically post social media content directly from your WordPress content or other sources. Blog2Social seamlessly connects your WordPress website with your social media channels, helping you save time on content creation and scheduling while effortlessly delivering your content to your social media audience.

Conclusion

In the dynamic world of social media, a well-thought-out content plan is the foundation of a successful social media strategy. Strategically pre-scheduling posts for platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and others not only provides more time for creative content creation but also ensures consistent presence and improved post performance. A reliable social media scheduling tool helps optimize content and automate publishing, significantly streamlining workflows.

The combination of planning, automation, and creativity is the key to achieving greater reach and fostering stronger connections with your audience. With these approaches and the right tools, you lay the groundwork for effective and efficient social media content planning.

Do you find gaining visibility on social media challenging? Social media algorithm updates could be why your posts are buried under a sea of content, making it difficult to reach your audience.

It’s frustrating to spend time creating valuable content and see minimal engagement. You feel invisible, your efforts unrewarded, and your brand unnoticed.

According to the 2024 social media statistics report, over 94% of online users, including marketers and brands, use social media. This trend makes the competition for attention exceedingly stiff.

However, you can turn things around.

How?

Understand social media algorithms and use their features to transform your online presence and achieve significant growth.

Knowing how these elements work for each social networking site and the value of regular updates will help you optimize your posts for maximum visibility and content reach.

This guide explores the following themes:

What is a Social Media Algorithm?

A social media algorithm or algorithm in social media is a sophisticated group of rules that uses automated calculations to determine which social media posts appear on users’ feeds. These algorithms study several components to prioritize and rank posts.

Before prioritizing posts, they consider these elements:

• User engagement (likes, comments, shares)
• User’s past behavior across social media sites.
• Post relevance
• Timeliness

They aim to personalize the user experience (UX) by displaying posts deemed most engaging or relevant to individual users. However, piloting social media algorithms can be intricate and demanding.

So, strengthen your marketing strategy with appropriate social media management tools. These tools can streamline your activities and boost effectiveness in reaching your audience.

What Are The Importance of Social Media Algorithms?

The algorithm influences social feeds; the social media algorithm definition above reveals why social networking sites rely on algorithms. These tools determine what appears on your social media feed by filtering through a vast array of content.

What does this mean for your social media content strategy?

Social algorithms greatly influence how likely your content appear on users’ feeds, whether to current followers or potential new audiences.

So, the purpose of algorithms on social media is to present content that corresponds with a user’s preferences based on preferences, interactions, behaviors, and more.

For example, engaging with or following specific posts or accounts prompts the algorithm to suggest similar content, shaping your Feed accordingly.

This dynamic explains how a simple action like following new accounts or liking posts from unfamiliar sources can lead to similar posts appearing in your social media feed.

Why The Constant Social Media Algorithms Updates?

Social media algorithms are constantly evolving. They adapt to improve user experiences, which is their primary focus. These updates allow them to align with platform objectives and show users content they will likely interact with.

Furthermore, social media algorithm updates occur to enable these tools to tackle bots and spam content efficiently.

Each update improves the algorithm’s ability to detect and filter bots and prevent harmful bodies from disrupting user experience (UX). Moreover, frequent algorithmic refinements help improve content reach across social media platforms and maximize ROI.

Nevertheless, Social media sites continually update their algorithms for several other reasons:

1. User feedback: Social media websites employ feedback to improve user experience (UX).
2. Content trends: Each platform algorithm adapts to changing content consumption patterns to interest users’ social media feeds.
3. AI advances: Incorporating AI and machine learning enables the algorithms to deliver personalized content that connects with users.

Update frequency: Major updates occur a few times a year, while minor tweaks happen more frequently. Staying informed helps optimize your content strategy.

How do Social Media Algorithms Work?

The primary function of social media algorithms is to deliver the content you want to see on your social Feed and to ensure your posts reach your target audience. For instance, the X (Twitter) user feed displays a “For you” or “Following” timeline for a reason.

It features content curated specifically for you, reflecting your recent interactions or behavior with the app, offering you a choice between a “For you or a “Following” timeline. Besides X (Twitter), TikTok uses a similar approach, providing users with a “For You” timeline.

How do social algorithms personalize post recommendations on your Feed?

While social media sites and their algorithms differ, they all use machine learning and rules or ranking signals to recommend posts.

However, despite their sophisticated scientific underpinnings, these algorithms’ primary role or operation is straightforward. They analyze all available posts and assign scores and rankings to decide what shows on your Feed.

Please note that the ranking system consists of more than a single algorithm. It encompasses several layers of machine learning (ML) models and rankings designed to forecast the content that holds more relevance and significance for individual users.

To illustrate, here’s a graphical depiction of how the Facebook algorithm works behind the scenes:

Factors social media algorithms use to determine content visibility

Several factors impact how social media algorithms work. Below are a few pointers to note:

1. Post relevance: Post relevance is crucial in influencing social media algorithms. The algorithm prioritizes content that harmonizes with your interactions. As you engage more with certain types of content, the algorithm adjusts to show similar content in your Feed.
2. Filters unwanted content: Social platforms emphasize posts from your friends, followers, and connections. Conversely, the algorithms filter out unnecessary, irrelevant content. For instance, you may rarely interact with a friend’s posts due to irrelevance or other elements. For this, when they post new content, social media algorithms will decrease the frequency of their content appearing in your Feed.
3. Post format or types: Content type influences social media algorithms by impacting user engagement levels. Algorithms focus on formats that generate higher interaction rates (e.g., videos, images) and may adjust visibility based on user preferences and platform-specific trends.
4. Engagement indicators: Engagement metrics, such as likes, comments, and shares, directly impact social media algorithms; they signal content popularity and relevance. Given this, higher engagement posts typically increase visibility as algorithms precede engaging social media posts, encouraging user interactions.
5. User preferences and behavior: User preferences and behaviors are vital factors that affect how social media algorithms work. These components help guide personalized content suggestions. Algorithms assess interactions such as likes and shares to recommend posts that match individual interests. As a result, they optimize user engagement and satisfaction with curated feed experiences.
6. Location: When curating and presenting content, social media algorithms consider users’ locations and demographics. These tools often promote social posts to users in comparable geographic areas.
7. Timing, recency, frequency: Social media algorithms prefer fresh content. So, timing, recency, and posting frequency determine when and how often content appears in users’ feeds. Algorithms manage posts’ frequency to maintain user interest and engagement without overwhelming their feeds. They optimize visibility during peak engagement hours and manage content saturation.

Social Media Algorithm Examples

Algorithms in social media platforms are omnipresent in creating cohesive user experiences (UX). They help improve your business’s online visibility using various metrics.

Whether you’re a regular user or an occasional visitor, you interact with algorithms daily, often without realizing it.

As highlighted in the “Social media algorithm meaning” or “What is an algorithm in social media” section, these algorithms determine what social media posts appear in your Feed and influence your experience.

Here are some insightful social media algorithm examples highlighting what you see and interact with on social media:

X (Twitter) algorithm example

The algorithm powering X’s content distribution is a sophisticated mechanism that decides what appears on users’ timelines. It enhances the user experience (UX) by recommending and displaying tweets based on multiple elements.

These components include:

• User’s location
• Tweet popularity
• The user’s interests
• Tweet freshness
• Related keywords
• Multimedia presence.

For example, I follow online writers (bloggers, freelance writers), and other content creators) and interact with their tweets. For this, X (Twitter) shows me relevant tweets about content writing from people I follow and those I don’t.

In addition to showing related tweets on your “For you” page, the Twitter (X) algorithm also displays trending tweets and “Who to follow” to engage and grow your network.

LinkedIn algorithm examples

LinkedIn presents relevant content on my Feed based on the type of posts I interact with, the people I follow, and most importantly, the keywords on my profile.

As a result, the LinkedIn algorithm shows me relevant posts from my 1st and 2nd connections, including promoted materials and sometimes, in rare cases, content from my 3rd connections.

Here’s a sample LinkedIn post from one of my 1st connections:

The post is relevant because I engage with similar content, and my profile has the related keywords.

In this example, the algorithm suggests a promoted LinkedIn post since I have keywords related to content marketing and interact with similar posts.

Moreover, the algorithm recommends applicable content (the types of materials I engage with) from my 2nd-degree connections. Interestingly, the algorithm displays meaningful posts from potential second-degree non-followers. Other social media channels, including Instagram, share a similar characteristic.

Instagram algorithm examples

Like LinkedIn and X (Twitter), the Instagram algorithm displays content on my Feed based on what I engage with.

Since I post and interact with content relating to freelance writing and SEO content writing, the social media algorithm recommends similar content to my Feed.

Here’s another example from my Instagram Feed demonstrating how social media algorithms work and why you should understand how they work to optimize ROI.

8 Social Media Algorithms Explained According to Platform

There are various types of social media algorithms unique to each platform for curating and presenting applicable content to users. These algorithms analyze multiple ranking signals to understand user interests and recommend content accurately.

Let’s explore various social media platforms and the distinct signals they highlight for content ranking and display, beginning with the most widely used platform, Facebook.

Facebook algorithms explained

Facebook has over 3 billion monthly active users (MAUs).

This staggering number includes over 90% of organizations and 89% of marketers competing for visibility on Facebook.

According to research, 54% of individuals use Facebook primarily for researching or following applicable brands, products, or services.

These trends make the networking site an excellent channel for displaying your business and increasing visibility. Maximizing Facebook’s algorithm is crucial to optimize reach and audience engagement.

Below are 08 critical factors to consider when devising your Facebook marketing strategies:

1. Post timing: Facebook’s algorithm uses timing as a critical signal for ranking content (to show users the most relevant and timely content) in users’ feeds.
2. Content quality: Authenticity, informativeness, and accuracy significantly influence how the algorithm ranks content. Meta employs independent fact-checkers to identify and lower the visibility of posts that contain false or misleading information, ensuring content quality.
3. Post relevance: Facebook’s algorithm focuses on content relevance (posts with identical search terms and hashtags) to ensure the posts resonate with the audience, drive engagement and visibility, and maximize your marketing campaigns.
4. Content format and type: The algorithm in Facebook tailors your Feed based on your interaction with specific content formats. To illustrate, if you frequently engage with Stories and Reels, you’ll see more of these types of posts in your Feed.
5. Engagement metrics: Facebook posts that garner high likes, shares, and views receive visibility boosts. The Facebook algorithm is to thank for this, which indicates solid engagement.
6. User demographics: A user’s demographics (location, gender, and other elements) help the algorithm predict content preferences and tailor the posts based on individual preferences and interests.
7. Connection with friends and followers: Facebook highlights content from friends and pages you follow in user feeds to boost interaction and relevance.
8. Account credibility: A credible Facebook account establishes trust with users. It ensures authenticity and reliability, which are crucial for building relationships and achieving marketing goals. For this, the algorithm spotlight accounts with credibility, a substantial following, and engaging content.

YouTube algorithm explained

Understanding YouTube’s Algorithm is crucial for maximizing content reach and driving engagement. This second-largest social media site considers multiple ranking signals for recommending and ranking videos.

How the YouTube algorithm works

YouTube’s Algorithm recommends relevant content based on your search or video streaming activities. For example, when you search for or stream a video, YouTube’s algorithm intelligently suggests related content.

Here’s an example of YouTube algorithm video suggestions based on my search and streaming history:

It aims to improve your viewing experience by offering videos aligned with your interests. The video streaming website’s recommendation system employs AI-driven models to tailor content suggestions to users and rank them accordingly.

YouTube algorithm signals include:

• Context: YouTube prioritizes videos that viewers frequently watch together, resulting in related videos appearing alongside the one you’re streaming.
• Watch history: The YouTube recommendation algorithm uses your watch history and engagement to suggest personalized videos. It considers what you click on, how long you watch, and whether you like or comment.
• Average watch time: The algorithm on YouTube significantly emphasizes watch time. Videos that engage viewers and maintain a higher average watch time have a better chance of ranking well.
• Video popularity & performance: Like other social algorithms, YouTube prioritizes popular content—videos that perform well. Metrics such as likes, views, and click-through rates influence video rankings.

Instagram algorithms explained

Instagram’s recent disclosure highlighted the delicate algorithms driving various platform sections. Learning how to make use of Instagram algorithms for optimal growth would help.

The company stressed that distinct algorithms control:

Each plays a critical role in determining content visibility and timing for different audiences. Understanding the varying ranking signals for these algorithms will help you optimize engagement and visibility strategies effectively.

Source

Let’s identify the ranking signals for each IG platform:

Instagram Feed algorithm

The Instagram Feed represents a digital diary where users explore photos and videos from accounts they follow. It reflects personal preferences, lifestyle, and business aesthetics.

You can see samples of how photos and videos appear on users’ Feeds in the Instagram algorithm examples section above.

How does Instagram Feed algorithm work?

The primary Feed on Instagram features content from your connections, interspersed with advertisements and recommended posts. Instagram’s algorithm customizes users’ feeds and Stories by analyzing various indicators such as the following:

• Interaction history: The Instagram (IG) feed algorithm pushes up content from accounts you follow and engage with regularly and sends DMs to appear in your Feed. So, promoting your posts and responding to followers’ engagement is crucial to maintaining visibility and relevance.
• Your actions or activities: The algorithm will use past activities on the platform to show you relevant posts. As discussed earlier, your actions refer to your interactions with other users’ content, such as liking, sharing, saving, or commenting on content.
• Post engagement metrics: Instagram’s Feed algorithm determines your post’s popularity by the number of interactions it receives and how quickly these occur. It uses this data (posting date, time, and location) to influence posts’ visibility and ranking.
• Poster engagement metrics: This metric enables the algorithm to gauge your potential interest in content from specific Instagram accounts based on recent interactions with their posts.

Instagram Stories algorithm

Instagram Stories are brief 15-second photo or video sequences that appear prominently on users’ profiles and disappear within 24 hours. Users can enhance their IG Stories with filters, stickers, and text.

Here are examples IG Stories on the Blog2Social Instagram profile:

How does the Instagram Stories algorithm work?

Like the Feed algorithm, Instagram Stories shows posts from users you follow and excludes posts from non-followed accounts.

However, the Stories algorithm will display Stories’ ads from accounts you don’t follow. These videos show up on your timeline the same ways regular posts appear.

Therefore, the Stories algorithm prioritizes content from accounts you follow in the context of social media interactions. So, Stories won’t directly attract new viewers for your business, but understanding the algorithm is crucial for enhancing organic reach.

Here are crucial factors the Instagram Stories algorithm considers when ranking posts:

• Viewing habits: Accounts whose Stories you consistently watch will appear at the top of your list. Conversely, the tool will push those you often skip lower to the bottom.
• Engagement: Beyond viewing a Story at the top of your Feed, engaging with IG Stories increases visibility and relevance.
• Relationship: Similar to the Feed algorithm’s history with posters, this algorithm assesses closeness here, focusing on friends and family dynamics. While this ranking approach is challenging for companies, the emphasis should be on viewing and engagement metrics.

Instagram Explore algorithm

The Instagram Explore page is a curated feed where you can discover content beyond the accounts you follow.

Content on the IG Explore page includes:

Here’s an example of how photos and videos appear on a user’s Explore page:

The algorithm curates these visual materials based on your interests and interactions with other users’ content.

How does Instagram Explore algorithm work?

The developers designed Instagram’s Explore section to help users discover your content based on recent viewing, liking, and commenting activity.

To illustrate, if you’ve recently engaged with reels from a particular Instagram creator, the Explore algorithm studies other users who also liked that creator’s post.

If these users show interest in another creator’s content, the Explore page algorithm will likely suggest the other creator’s content to you during your next app session.

The Instagram Explore algorithm tailors content suggestions to align with your interests. It leverages user interactions rather than comprehensively analyzing each post’s content for relevance.

The algorithm considers multiple ranking signals for content visibility, such as your:

1. Explore activity: Much like the Instagram primary Feed ranking signal, the Explore algorithm ranks content based on user engagement. However, it places greater emphasis on content type.
2. Post engagement: The rate and intensity of engagement with a post are crucial to how it ranks on the Explore page. This element is particularly significant for the Explore page algorithm compared to other Instagram sections.
3. User-publisher relationship: While less relevant for Explore, a positive history with the poster can improve a post’s ranking if it performs well on other factors.
4. Poster information: Equivalent to the Feed algorithm, the Explore algorithm curates various content from different account types.

Instagram Reels algorithm

Instagram Reels are short or bite-sized customizable video content lasting between 15 and 30 seconds for creative expression. You can edit, add effects, and overlay audio to create engaging Reels videos.

Here’s what IG Reels look like on the Blog2Social’s Reels’ page:

How does IG Reels algorithm work?

The Instagram Reels algorithm determines which Reels appear in users’ feeds and the Explore tab, preferring entertainment content in Reels.

The IG Reels algorithm aims to display video content users will likely reshare, watch through, and appreciate. It considers whether users engage with the audio page, gauging users’ inspiration for creating similar posts.

Let’s explore the ranking signals for Instagram Reels:

• Relationships: The algorithm considers your interactions with other users. If someone follows you, searches for you, or messages you, it affects Reels’ visibility and ranking.
• Content categorization: When you upload a new Reel, the algorithm analyzes it based on various factors. It categorizes your content and evaluates its appeal to viewers who have not followed you.
• Entertainment focus: Instagram aims to amplify the reach of smaller creators by emphasizing entertaining content. The algorithm refines its understanding of what users find enjoyable.
• User activity/history: This signal involves your recent engagement history with other users’ accounts, whether or not you follow them. While this ranking signal may be less significant in Reels, it’s still impactful.
• Account information: An account’s popularity, including follower count and engagement level, informs how the algorithm recommends and ranks content.

TikTok algorithm explained

The TikTok algorithm is a machine learning and artificial intelligence system that analyzes user behavior to provide personalized content recommendations. These recommendations drive the “For You Page (FYP),” which greets users upon opening the app.

Here’s an example of the TikTok FYP content suggestion:

The TikTok FYP continually evolves based on users’ interests and interactions. This constant change allows the AI tool to tailor video suggestions to individual user preferences.

Understanding how the TikTok algorithm works is vital for content optimization and effective TikTok marketing success since the site suggests videos based on freshness rather than from people you follow.

Signals the algorithm uses to rank or recommend posts:

• Trending elements: Trends are crucial in boosting TikTok’s content discoverability. Incorporating trending elements like visual format, audio/sounds, hashtags, and effects into your content can improve your content’s findability.
• Past engagement: Your past engagement or interactions are algorithm ranking signals related to posts you interacted with and other users’ profiles you viewed.
• Location and language: On TikTok, video content in your preferred language or from your country is often preferred. This knowledge allows you to position your posts to align better with your target audience.
• Discover tab behavior: TikTok’s algorithm dives into content nuances, including popular styles, viral audio, and trending captions. It uses these ingredients to tailor content recommendations based on user interactions within the Discover tab, ensuring a personalized experience.

Moreover, on TikTok, follower count is not a running signal. So, you can determine if the algorithm prioritizes your posts by evaluating the ratio of users who see your videos on their “For You” feed.

LinkedIn algorithm explained

LinkedIn is a prominent business and employment-oriented social media platform accessible via websites and mobile applications.

It is a hub for professional networking, job searching, and career development. Users can display resumes, explore job opportunities, and engage and connect with other professionals.

How does the LinkedIn algorithm work? 

Understanding how the LinkedIn algorithm works in 2024 is vital for driving desired results. The LinkedIn algorithm is a recommendation system that selects the posts each user sees in their Feed.

Please, see the sample algorithm post recommendation in the example section above. The machine-learning AI tool emphasizes relevant, high-quality content and promotes engagement.

To this end, it tailors content based on topics, connections, and post types that an individual will likely engage with. The LinkedIn algorithm begins by classifying your post to determine whether it violates the platform’s spam guidelines or other community policies.

If the AI detects clear violations, the content is filtered. LinkedIn employs an automatic filter to weed out apparent spam content, while sophisticated content undergoes human review to determine its quality.

Here’s an illustrative diagram portraying LinkedIn’s content detection journey following its posting on the professional networking site:

Ranking signals the LinkedIn algorithm considers:

• Spam filter check: The algorithm first checks to determine if your post violates spam guidelines or breaches community policy.
• The golden hour: If your post passes, the algorithm shares it with a small follower group during the ‘golden hour.’ Positive engagement (likes, shares, bookmarks, and comments) influences its visibility to a broader audience.
• Post popularity: The algorithm considers content popularity, mentions, and the value of discussion in comments to boost content visibility.
• User interaction history: LinkedIn’s algorithm considers users’ engagement history to decide what posts to display on their feeds. For example, if you’ve previously engaged with other users’ content, their posts will likely appear in your Feed the next time you log in.
• Member activity: The LinkedIn algorithm also looks at your connections with similar content, groups, hashtags, and pages to determine how well your post ranks
• Content segregation: LinkedIn categorizes content into three boxes: spam, low-quality, and high-quality. Spam posts go to the bottom, low-quality to the middle, and high-quality appears at the top of a user’s Feed. Focus on quality and excellent grammar to avoid being flagged as spam or low-quality.

Reddit algorithm explained

Reddit is an American social news aggregation platform where registered users, often called “Redditors,” submit content such as links, text posts, images, and videos.

Afterward, other members participate by voting on these submissions, either upvoting or downvoting them. Organized into user-created boards called “subreddits,” the site focuses on specific topics or interests.

How does the Reddit algorithm work?

The Reddit algorithm is a machine-learning AI driven by community engagement and the accumulation of karma points. It determines the visibility and ranking of posts and comments on the platform.

The algorithm looks into the following elements when ranking posts:

1. Collaborative filtering: Reddit uses a form of collaborative filtering. Users collectively decide what content is good or bad by voting on posts. The votes (upvotes and downvotes) contribute to a post’s score.
2. Upvotes and downvotes: Reddit relies on user interactions. When you upvote a post, it gains visibility; downvotes have the opposite effect.
3. Post ranking: The more upvotes a post receives, the higher it appears on the subreddit or front page. Conversely, heavily downvoted posts fade away.
4. Scoring system: The algorithm calculates the score using this formula:
5. score=log10​(∣U−D∣)+sign(U−D)⋅45000time​
   • (U) represents upvotes.
   • (D) represents downvotes.
   • (text{time}) is the time in seconds since you publish the post.
   • This system favors newer posts and highly upvoted content.
6. Freshness: Reddit’s algorithm ranks items based on the number of votes they accumulate and their age compared to other posts. It ensures the front page always appears fresh for new users.

Telegram algorithm explained

Telegram, a widely used cloud-based instant messaging (IM) service, enables users to exchange messages, share media files, and participate in private and group voice or video calls.

The platform provides end-to-end encryption for voice and video calls and optional private chats known as “Secret Chats.”

Moreover, Telegram empowers you to connect in various ways. You can post stories, create large public groups with up to 200,000 members, or share one-way updates with unlimited audiences.

How Telegram algorithm works

Telegram uses the MTProto encryption protocol to achieve end-to-end encryption. Telegram employs multiple algorithms to enhance its platform and boost user experience (UX).

The messaging app uses the following tools:

• MTProto protocol: MTProto serves as Telegram’s proprietary encryption protocol, specifically crafted to provide robust end-to-end encryption for secure messaging.
• Search algorithm: Telegram’s search algorithm is valuable in helping users find specific messages, contacts, and media within extensive chat histories. This algorithm increases search speed and improves the ranking relevance of search results.
• Compression algorithm: Telegram uses a sophisticated compression algorithm to reduce the data size during transmission, resulting in improved message delivery speed and reduced bandwidth usage.
• Machine learning algorithm: This algorithm improves security and user experience (UX) by handling tasks like spam detection, content moderation, and user behavior analysis. These actions help Telegram ensure users a safer and more enjoyable messaging environment.
• Media encoding and decoding techniques: The messaging platform employs encoding and decoding algorithms to optimize media files like images, videos, and documents. These algorithms reduce file size while preserving quality.

X (Twitter) algorithm explained

What is X (Twitter)? X, previously known as Twitter, is a social networking and microblogging platform. On X, you can share short text messages, images, and videos in posts called “tweets.” Users who follow you can see these tweets.

To capture the essence of “X” quite well, consider it a bustling digital town square where conversations unfold in 280-character snippets.

Users share their thoughts, news, and memes, often using hashtags to connect with broader trends. Whether it’s breaking news, marketing tips, or heartfelt moments, “X” keeps users informed and entertained.

How does Twitter algorithm work?

The X (Twitter) algorithm is a complex system that uses machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to rank tweets accordingly. Like most social media platforms, the microblogging site uses various ranking signals to display exciting tweets on your “For You” timeline.

Refer to the example section above for a sample algorithm post recommendation. Understanding how the X (Twitter) algorithm works can help you maximize engagement, drive traffic, and build brand awareness.

Here’s how it works:

1. Past behavior or interactions: The X algorithm is like a digital detective, sifting through past interactions to curate your timeline. It pays close attention to your likes, comments, and retweets. For example, if you love cat memes, expect more feline fun in your Feed.
2. Tweet relevance: If you’ve engaged with specific content—say, witty one-liners or thought-provoking threads—the algorithm thinks, “Hey, this user’s into this type of tweet,” and serves up similar content.
3. Freshness matters: Recent or fresh tweets get a front-row seat, while older ones fade into the bottom of users’ timelines.
4. Engagement metrics: Twitter’s (X) algorithm prefers tweets with substantial engagement because it interprets high engagement as an indicator of exciting and relevant content. Even if you don’t follow the accounts, the tweets can appear in your timeline.

So, the next time you see a tweet that feels tailor-made, know that the algorithm’s working in the background.

Pinterest algorithm explained

Pinterest is a visual discovery search engine that lets you find and save ideas for any project or interest. Whether you’re into easy chicken dinners, Scandinavian bedroom decor, or dreamy decks, Pinterest is your creative playground.

You can explore categories, search for specific ideas, and collect your favorites to revisit later. It’s like a treasure trove of inspiration from a global audience.

Source

How does the Pinterest algorithm work?

The Pinterest search algorithm is like a creative matchmaker, connecting users with pins they’ll adore. But you must understand Pinterest SEO to optimize visibility.

Like X (Twitter) and TikTok, Pinterest provides users with a “For You” page with personalized content in the home feed.

Here’s an example of a Pinterest home feed:

It considers multiple guidelines or signals to decide what pins to display in users’ feeds.

How the Pinterest algorithm works:

1. Domain quality: Pinterest’s algorithm assesses the popularity of pins from your website to determine domain quality. If a pin gains traction, Pinterest recognizes your site as a valuable source of high-quality content and displays your pins more prominently.
2. Pin quality: The search algorithm decides a pin’s quality for ranking by considering its engagement and popularity ratio. The more users interact with your pin, the more the algorithm improves its visibility and ranking.
3. Pinner quality: The Pinterest algorithm considers your domain, pin quality, and activity as a pinner. Your pinner quality improves as you receive more interactions on your profile and with your pins.
4. Topic relevance: The algorithm uses topic relevance to determine whether to show your content when users search for relevant topics. It achieves this by evaluating your pins’ keywords, hashtags, and other elements.

7 Tips to Outsmart Social Media Algorithms for Growth

Whether running a small business or aiming to enhance your online influence, social media algorithms influence your content visibility and online presence across platforms.

These algorithms are like digital bakers and can make or break your social media marketing effort. To gain traction and maximize performance, you must break the code.

Here are seven proven ways to outsmart the algorithms:

1. Post quality content regularly

Quality is a compelling magnet in all business types; that’s why the algorithms prioritize high-quality materials to entertain human users and boost engagement.

Your target audience craves quality content—their Achilles heel and algorithm bots prefer quality. Therefore, engage them by consistently delivering value.

Whether the content is informative, entertaining, or inspiring, incorporate readers’ interests, needs, and preferences to stir emotions and connect better.

How to create high-quality social media posts

Crafting high-quality social media posts is like seasoning a delectable dish—each element matters.

Here are some proven tips:

• Audience clarity: Define your target audience to understand the particular segment of individuals or brands interacting with your posts.
• Needs and preferences: Understand what they seek and give them a compelling reason to follow you. This strategy involves knowing their interests, needs, and preferences, which helps you tailor your posts accordingly.
• Problem-solving: This part is critical for social media marketing success. It involves identifying your audience’s key challenges and producing marketing content that solves those struggles, enhancing value and relevance for your audience.
• Compelling messaging: Craft resonant messages your target audience can’t resist. A captivating message grabs attention, conveys your brand’s unique value, and inspires action.
• Emotional storytelling: Establishing emotional connections is a valuable strategy for crafting content that deeply resonates with your audience. Stories can evoke emotions, forge meaningful bonds, and make your brand relatable and unforgettable.

Since you’re the chef—serve up irresistible posts to gain approval from the algorithms.

2. Encourage audience interaction

Boost posts’ engagement by incorporating meaningful, related questions and persuasive calls to action (CTAs) to encourage user engagement. You can also create polls to drive engagement. Please see the screenshot in the Twitter algorithm example section.

Here’s an example tweet that encourages audience interaction:

You can also encourage interactions by timely responding to your audiences’ comments, mentions, or direct messages (DMs).

Engaging content drives more traction, such as:

• Likes
• Comments
• Shares
• Bookmarks
• Newsletter signups

These KPIs signal the algorithm that your post is worth promoting in users’ feeds.

3. Post more videos

Video content tends to reach more people than static posts. Many social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, are visual websites that prioritize motion content over static images.

Their respective developers designed their algorithms to display more video content in users’ feeds. They promote short videos (3-15 seconds) because they drive more engagement and require less creativity.

Besides, engaging users with video materials aligns with most social media platforms’ objectives of retaining users on their feeds. This trend leads to a higher post reach and makes videos a must-have social media marketing strategy.

4. Post content at the correct times

Post timing is crucial in how social media algorithms prioritize content in followers’ feeds. The primary factors influencing post visibility are recency and quality.

The algorithms usually favor recent posts and rank them higher than older ones, ensuring improved visibility. Therefore, it’s important to consider optimal posting times on social media to maximize audience engagement and reach.

However, recall that each social media site has its unique optimal posting time. So, analyze your insights and adapt accordingly.

For example, here’s Facebook’s best posting time and frequency:

The infographic below demonstrates the best time to post on TikTok and the optimal posting frequency for the visual-driven social media platform.

Note that the best timing considers the audience’s time zone and availability to maximize results

5. Boost social media traction with trend-focused content

Algorithms in social media platforms prioritize trending topics because they drive user engagement. These algorithms aim to display more trending content to keep users scrolling through their feeds.

While you can follow only some trends, exploring those that match your brand messaging is worthwhile.

How to stay current with trending content for increased visibility

To follow top social media trends today, use automation tools like Google Trends to identify what’s trending online in your industry. It will give you insights into popular topics and keywords.

You can also use social listening apps to understand industry-specific trends. Monitor conversations, hashtags, and mentions related to your niche to stay informed about what’s happening within your industry.

Another practical way to follow social media trends is through relevant hashtags. Find trendy hashtags that resonate with your content. For example, if you’re a fashion brand, explore fashion-related hashtags.

Besides the already mentioned tips, following Instagram Reels is a fantastic way to stay up-to-date with popular trends. This strategy helps pinpoint trending sounds and effects to keep your posts fresh and engaging.

So, staying informed about trends and adapting your content strategy will help maximize your social media impact.

6. Understand your audience

Content relevance is algorithms’ secret sauce for ranking posts across social media platforms. Social media algorithms aim to present users with high-quality content that aligns with their interests.

Otherwise stated, content relevance is social algorithms’ North Star. These apps analyze users’ past interactions with your posts and tailor the content on their feeds accordingly.

Have you ever wondered why particular posts pop up on your Feed? It’s all about relevance. Content relevance is not a guessing game—it’s a science.

Algorithms sift through the noise by analyzing keywords, context, and user behavior to curate personalized feeds or present what’s most relevant to users.

So, understand your audience to create content that speaks their language and resonates with their preferences and aspirations.

How to understand your audience

Consider the following tips:

• Engage your audience on social to build connections
• Use social media analytics to monitor engagement and trends
• Employ Google Analytics to gain more valuable insights
• Use interactive materials (polls, surveys, quizzes, and more) to learn more about your audience.
• Stay up-to-date with industry trends
• Segment your audience based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.

7. Master social media SEO

Understanding social media SEO is critical for improving post visibility. As you may know, algorithms impact search engine results.

What does this mean for your business?

It implies that SEO and social media algorithms are closely related. So, understanding social media and SEO concepts is crucial to achieving significant results. Social SEO plays a vital role in helping your posts reach more people.

Social SEO improves your content’s popularity and provides positive signals to the algorithm. It enhances user experience and content findability by using relevant keywords in posts and adding applicable alt text in images.

How to optimize social media SEO

Social SEO helps your content be seen by people actively searching for relevant information on social platforms.

Consider these five optimization practices to enhance SEO for social media:

1. Optimize your profile: Include applicable search terms (keywords) in your name and bio. Choose a clear, descriptive username and display name. Also, include a link to your website.
2. Keyword usage: Include relevant keywords and hashtags in captions, titles, and descriptions. Tag your location to appear in social search results.
3. Quality content: Regularly post about relevant topics. Create shareable, high-quality content on your social channels.
4. Engage and monitor: Interact with others to boost engagements and followers. Stay informed about trending topics and contribute value whenever possible.
5. Stay updated: Monitor algorithm changes and adapt your strategy accordingly.

How to Hack The Algorithms With Social Media Automation 

Although the algorithms can be tricky, you can make them work for your business and drive results with the right social media strategies. However, you may wonder; each social media algorithm differs and has applicable techniques to beat the system.

So, how is that possible?

It’s because they all react positively to certain marketing hacks. For example, using social media automation effectively will help you hack the algorithms.

Here are six social media automation strategies for outsmarting the algorithm:

1. Automate active engage

The algorithms place particular emphasis on active engagement, which means engaging with your audience on all networking sites. It involves replying to DMs and comments and joining relevant discussions.

The following apps can help you automate likes, follows, and comments:

• Jarvee
• Later
• Combin
• Agorapulse
• FollowLiker

While personally engaging with your followers is great, you can simply the process by using social media automation tools.

Automation lets you use applicable tools to create automated responses on multiple social sites, including Facebook and Instagram. This strategy allows you to give instant replies to audience queries and improve their online experience.

2. Content/posts scheduling

As mentioned above, social algorithms prefer profiles with active engagement, meaning consistency is crucial. Social media automation tools allow you to maintain posting frequency and schedule posts to go live at optimal times.

This technique ensures regular posting, which helps you maintain consistency. The algorithms will reward you for being consistent and active.

You can use reliable social media automation tools like:

These scheduling apps will help you plan and automate your posts in advance. They guarantee a constant posting schedule, which helps build trust and brand loyalty.

3. Blog posts and website content

Several WordPress plugins allow you to automate your blog articles so that they post on social media instantly when you hit the publish button on your WordPress blog.

For example, Blog2Social is a WordPress plugin that can help you achieve this step. When you download and install your desired plugin, your social media posts will appear on your website.

This feature lets users and visitors engage with your posts and quickly share them on their profiles. As a result, you improve content reach and increase engagement.

4. Content creation and curation

Some tools offer AI-powered content generation, which lets you create entertaining content your followers will find exciting. They also let you curate relevant, engaging content from other sources that resonates with your followers.

Further, these technologies or applications can automate different content types, including text, images, and videos. They can perform 85% to 100% of content creation tasks for growing your business on social media sites.

5. Analytics and reporting

The best tech-driven processes or automated systems provide automatic reports that reveal how your content is performing on various platforms.

How?

They monitor your post, analyze its social media performance, and provide valuable data. This data helps you understand which content strategy works best for your business.

Moreover, the insights will help you make data-driven decisions about what topics and formats to create and curate to increase social media tractions and drive better business results.

6. Avoid over-automating

Although social media automation is valuable for growth, over-automating or relying too much on computerization can be detrimental.

Why is that so?

Because the algorithm may view too much automation as inactive. Social algorithms frown at inactive accounts and prioritize those that actively interact with their audience.

So, try balancing authentic interactions with social media automation.  For more details, please read our article about the social media tasks you should automate.

Ready to Drive Results With Social Media Algorithms?

Understanding how the algorithm in social media works is vital as it empowers you to optimize content visibility and engagement. It informs strategic decisions on posting times, content types, and audience targeting.

This knowledge improves post reach and interaction rates to achieve your social media marketing goals effectively.

Social Media Algorithms’ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Let’s dig into some vital questions users ask about Social Media Algorithm Updates in 2024:

What is a social media algorithm?

From the social media algorithm definition above, these AI tools comprise rules and signals that rank content. The purpose is to improve user experiences (UX) based on preferences, interests, and interactions.

Why do social media algorithms matter?

These software apps are vital because they determine content visibility and rank posts on users’ feeds accordingly. These steps are crucial for brands to connect with followers and potential audiences.

How do these algorithms function?

Algorithms on social media use machine learning and artificial intelligence to personalize users’ feeds. A user’s interactions with similar posts influence content recommendations.

What drives post ranking on social media?

Engagement history, content relevance, and user behavior are factors brands should align with to improve rankings.

How can I adapt to social media algorithm updates?

To adapt and thrive on social media, you must stay informed about industry trends, create valuable content, and engage authentically.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping industries worldwide, ushering in a new era of innovation, efficiency, and competitive advantage. As this transformative technology continues its relentless march forward, businesses that successfully integrate AI into their operations and strategies will be well-positioned to thrive in an increasingly digital landscape. However, effectively leveraging the power of AI Tools requires a strategic and forward-thinking approach.

This comprehensive guide explores proven strategies for seamlessly integrating AI into your business model, providing a roadmap for organizations seeking to harness the full potential of this game-changing technology. From identifying high-value use cases and building the necessary infrastructure to developing in-house AI capabilities and ensuring ethical deployment, this article offers a holistic framework for embracing AI responsibly and strategically.

Real-world case studies from diverse industries illustrate how leading companies have successfully implemented AI solutions, driving operational excellence, enhancing customer experiences, and gaining a competitive edge. Whether you are an established enterprise or an ambitious startup, integrating AI is no longer a luxury – it’s a necessity for future-proofing your business and thriving in the digital age. By embracing AI thoughtfully and proactively, you can unlock new levels of efficiency, innovation, and growth, solidifying your position as an industry leader in the era of artificial intelligence.

Exploring the AI Tools Directory for Blogging

One key resource for bloggers looking to integrate AI into their workflow is the AI Tools Directory. This directory provides a comprehensive list of AI tools specifically designed to enhance various aspects of blogging, from content creation and SEO optimization to social media management and analytics. By leveraging the AI Tools Directory, bloggers can easily discover and implement the latest AI technologies to streamline their processes, improve content quality, and boost engagement with their audience.

The AI Tools Directory helps identify the most suitable tools for specific needs and offers insights into how these tools can be effectively utilized to achieve blogging success. Embracing the resources available in the AI Tools Directory allows bloggers to stay ahead of the curve, ensuring they remain competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

AI-Powered Content Creation

One of the most notable impacts of AI in blogging is its ability to generate content. AI writing tools like OpenAI’s GPT-4 can produce high-quality articles, blog posts, and even entire eBooks. These tools analyze vast amounts of data to understand language patterns, tone, and context, enabling them to create coherent and engaging content on various topics.

Real-Time Example:

Imagine you run a tech blog and need to cover the latest laptops and gadget releases. Using an AI tool like Jasper or Writesonic, you can input key details about the product, and the AI will generate a comprehensive blog post within minutes. This not only saves time but also ensures you stay ahead of the competition by quickly delivering the latest news to your readers.

Benefits:

1. Time Efficiency: AI can significantly reduce the time it takes to produce content. Bloggers can use AI tools to generate drafts or complete articles quickly, allowing them to focus on other critical aspects of their business.
2. Consistency: AI ensures consistent output, maintaining a steady flow of content to keep the audience engaged.
3. Idea Generation: AI tools can assist in brainstorming by suggesting topics and providing outlines, helping bloggers overcome writer’s block.

Challenges:

1. Originality: While AI can produce content, ensuring that it is original and not repetitive can be challenging.
2. Human Touch: AI-generated content may lack the personal touch and unique voice that human writers bring, which can be critical for building a loyal readership.

SEO Optimization

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial for the success of any blog. AI tools have made significant strides in this area, offering advanced SEO analytics and optimization techniques.

Real-Time Example:

Tools like Surfer SEO and SEMrush use AI to analyze your content and suggest improvements. For example, if you’re writing a blog post about healthy eating, these tools can recommend keywords, and headings, and even suggest how long your article should be to rank higher on search engines.

Benefits:

1. Keyword Research: AI tools can analyze search trends and suggest relevant keywords that can help improve a blog’s visibility on search engines.
2. Content Optimization: AI can optimize blog posts for SEO by suggesting improvements in keyword density, meta descriptions, and internal linking.
3. Performance Tracking: AI-powered analytics tools can monitor a blog’s performance, providing insights into traffic patterns, audience behavior, and engagement metrics.

Challenges:

1. Algorithm Changes: SEO practices need to adapt to frequent changes in search engine algorithms, and relying solely on AI tools might not always keep a blog ahead of these changes.
2. Over-Optimization: There is a risk of over-optimizing content, which can lead to penalties from search engines.

Audience Engagement

Engaging with readers is vital for the success of a blog. AI tools are enhancing how bloggers interact with their audience through personalized content and automated responses.

Real-Time Example:

AI-driven chatbots like Chatfuel or ManyChat can engage with your readers in real-time. If someone visits your travel blog and asks for recommendations on places to visit in Paris, the chatbot can provide instant, personalized suggestions based on the content of your blog.

Benefits:

1. Personalization: AI can analyze reader behavior to deliver personalized content recommendations, enhancing user experience and engagement.
2. Chatbots: AI-powered chatbots can handle routine inquiries, provide instant responses, and engage with readers in real time, improving customer service.
3. Social Media Management: AI tools can schedule posts, analyze social media trends, and manage interactions, allowing bloggers to maintain a strong online presence.

Challenges:

1. Authenticity: Maintaining an authentic and genuine interaction with readers can be difficult when relying heavily on AI.
2. Data Privacy: Collecting and analyzing user data for personalization raises concerns about data privacy and security.

Content Repurposing and Translation

AI tools are enabling bloggers to repurpose content for different platforms and translate it into multiple languages, reaching a broader audience.

Real-Time Example:

Services like Lumen5 can turn your blog posts into engaging videos, complete with animations and voiceovers. Similarly, translation tools like DeepL or Google Translate can convert your content into multiple languages, expanding your reach to a global audience.

Benefits:

1. Content Repurposing: AI can convert blog posts into videos, podcasts, and infographics, making content more versatile and accessible across different platforms.
2. Translation: AI-powered translation tools can translate content into various languages, breaking language barriers and expanding a blog’s global reach.

Challenges:

1. Quality Control: Ensuring the accuracy and quality of repurposed and translated content can be challenging.
2. Cultural Nuances: AI may not fully grasp cultural nuances, which can affect the effectiveness of translated content.

Workflow Automation

AI is streamlining the blogging workflow by automating routine tasks, allowing bloggers to focus on more creative and strategic activities.

Real-Time Example:

Platforms like Zapier or Integromat can automate tasks such as content scheduling, email marketing, and data analysis. For instance, you can set up a workflow where new blog posts are automatically shared on social media, saving you time and ensuring consistent promotion.

Benefits:

1. Task Automation: AI can automate tasks such as content scheduling, email marketing, and data analysis, saving time and reducing manual effort.
2. Enhanced Productivity: By automating repetitive tasks, bloggers can increase their productivity and focus on creating high-quality content.

Challenges:

1. Dependence on Technology: Over-reliance on AI tools can lead to a loss of essential skills and creativity.
2. Technical Issues: Technical glitches and AI malfunctions can disrupt the workflow and impact productivity.

Conclusion

AI tools are undoubtedly transforming the blogging industry, offering numerous benefits that enhance content creation, SEO optimization, audience engagement, and workflow efficiency. However, bloggers must also be aware of the challenges and limitations of AI to leverage its full potential effectively. By striking a balance between human creativity and AI capabilities, bloggers can stay ahead in the ever-evolving digital landscape and deliver exceptional content to their audience.

Social media has become a reliable tool for networking, customer loyalty, brand advertising and market research. So for smart businesses that want to stay ahead, it’s an indispensable platform. Next-gen marketing tools help your business stay at the top.

But here’s the deal: keeping up with social media means riding the wave of constant change.

As we dive into 2024, exciting new next-gen tools are shaking up how businesses connect with their audiences online.

Check out what’s hot and set to trend this year in social media tools.

Social Media Next-Gen Marketing: What’s Different?

So, what actually is next-gen marketing?

Just as the name suggests, next-gen or next-generation is pretty much all about innovation and adopting the latest tech to connect with social media users in fresh, exciting ways. For companies like MGK Asia, which focuses on energy-efficient solutions and cutting-edge technologies, staying ahead means embracing these new approaches.

Now that attention spans are only getting shorter– thanks to TikTok, gone are the days when a single social media post would do the trick. We’re talking about AI-driven content and hyper-personalized ads that seem to read your mind.

One major shift is the integration of advanced analytics. Businesses can now dive deep into data to understand social media user behavior and preferences like never before. This means more targeted strategies, more relevant posts, and– of course, better ROI.

Email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM and DMARC are also playing a critical role in ensuring that marketing emails reach their intended audience without being marked as spam.

Plus, with the rise of influencer marketing, brands collaborate with social media personalities to create authentic and engaging content that resonates with their followers.

And let’s not forget about the power of video marketing. Short-form videos, motion graphics, live streams, and interactive content dominate the social media scene, making it easier for brands to capture and retain attention.

Next-Gen Marketing Tools That Make It All Easier

Next-gen social media marketing needs next-gen tools to keep you ahead of the game. Simply posting pretty pictures and catchy captions just won’t cut it anymore. To truly stand out and make an impact, you need the right arsenal of cutting-edge tools.

Here are some worth considering next-gen social media tools for your next-gen social media marketing.

Blog2Social

If you’re tired of juggling multiple social media accounts and posting schedules, Blog2Social is here to save the day. This nifty tool offers both a WordPress plugin and a WebApp.

With the plugin, you can craft customized social media posts from any text, links, images, or explainer videos on your site and share new content seamlessly across your connected platforms.

Whether you’re a blogger or a WordPress development company, the Blog2Social WebApp takes it a step further by personalizing your posts and letting you choose whether to publish them immediately or schedule them for later. Just click “Share,” and it handles the rest.

With Blog2Social, scheduling, customizing, and sharing your blog content across all your social media platforms becomes effortless. Say goodbye to logging in and out of different accounts and trying to remember which post goes where.

FeedHive

FeedHive claims to be a ChatGPT for social media. This tool uses AI to help you craft engaging content, analyse performance, and optimise your posting schedule for maximum impact. All in just one single click.

But, this tool helps you more than just posting. Its built-in analytics also gives you insights into what works best for your audience and fine-tuning your approach.

Its sleek interface and intuitive features make it easy to plan, schedule, and automate your social media activity. It can be your go-to tool, especially when you invest in content recycling and conditional posting.

Keyhole

Keyhole is a top-rated social media tool that is loved by the likes of Amazon, Google, WWF, Ogilvy, and more. Some of its amazing features include auditing social media presence, social listening, competitor analysis, trend audits, and influencer management, along with a free publishing tool.

Right from posting to tracking your brand mentions, you can do it all with a comprehensive tool like Keyhole. Using its QuickTrends feature, check a trend’s popularity and make a call to see if it’s worth hoping on or not. Next up, add all your social media channels and publish at times when your audience is most actively scrolling through their feed.

If you have ongoing campaigns, then consider adding hashtags or keywords to see how the world reacts to them and how it engages with them. Have influencers onboard? Just add their profiles to the account watchlist and see how they contribute to your branding.

Canva

Canva stands out as a premier social media design tool thanks to its user-friendly interface and a robust suite of features that cater to both beginners and seasoned designers.

One of Canva’s biggest strengths is its drag-and-drop functionality, which makes creating stunning visuals simple and intuitive. Even when you don’t have any design skills.

You can start with pre-designed templates tailored for various social media platforms. Other than that, the tool also allows you to customize these templates with ease, adjusting colors, fonts, and images to align with your brand’s aesthetic.

Canva offers an extensive library of assets, including millions of high-quality photos, illustrations, icons, and videos. The platform also features advanced tools like the ability to create animations and interactive posts, which can help your content stand out in crowded social media feeds.

Brandwatch

To give what your audience wants, you need to understand their preferences and behaviors in the first place. What they say about you, about the overall market, or even about your own competitors matters in shaping a strategy that resonates with them effectively.

This is where the social listening tool comes in. And when we talk about social listening, we talk about Brandwatch. This powerful platform goes beyond basic metrics, offering advanced features like sentiment analysis, trend tracking, and competitive benchmarking.

You can dive into what people are saying about your brand across various social media platforms. That’s how you gauge public opinion and identify emerging trends. You can also keep an eye on your competitors, seeing how you stack up and spotting opportunities to outshine them.

In short, this tool allows you to monitor your brand’s online presence, engage with your audience more effectively, and make data-driven decisions that propel your marketing strategy forward.

ContentStudio

Staying on top of everything that’s happening on all the topics you work with can be challenging, especially because social media platforms could be better for analysis.

To make it less painful, you need a robust content analytic tool, and ContentSTudio is one of the most popular ones in the market.

This versatile tool is designed to simplify your content management and social media strategy by offering powerful analytics and insights. It goes beyond basic scheduling and posting. It helps you discover trending content, monitor keywords, and analyze performance across multiple channels.

Whether you’re managing one brand or several, ContentStudio’s intuitive interface and comprehensive features make it easier to curate engaging content and drive meaningful interactions with your audience.

Wrapping Up

Remember that having a robust social media marketing tool means nothing if you don’t know how to harness its full potential. This is why understanding your audience, analyzing data effectively, and adapting your strategy based on insights is crucial.

At the end of the day, the success of your social media efforts hinges on your ability to consistently engage with your audience, deliver valuable content, and stay agile in response to market trends. With the right tools and a strategic approach, you can elevate your brand’s presence and drive meaningful results in today’s competitive digital landscape.

Visuals play a big role in today’s social media marketing. It’s easier to capture attention with an image or even to tell an entire story. An appealing visual is what will stop the user’s scroll and make them look at and engage with your content. So, creating visuals can be quite a daunting challenge in the sea of images on social media that all want to get the users’ attention. Which makes it that much more important to ensure that your image has the right size for each network you post on. This way nothing important is cut off when you post, and your target audience gets all the information they need at first glance. With the sheer amount of different networks out there, it is easy to lose track of all the different image sizes each one recommends. Which is why we have compiled all the best image sizes for 8 major social media networks for you!

Why are the best image sizes for your social media posts so important?

Social media is one of the most important marketing channels. Most social networks have grown their number of monthly active users over the last years. More and more users rely on social media to research and shop new products, or use them as search engines instead of Google. So, social media is becoming more and more about showing your brand and product. But what’s that got to do with image sizes? Here’s what: image posts tend to outperform text posts. Images can function as literal eyecatchers. How often have you stopped scrolling because you saw an appealing visual? Probably more times than you can count. Visuals don’t just speak to our sense of aesthetic, they evoke emotions and tell stories far quicker and much easier than text does. By using the right image size for each of your networks you ensure that your content is presented in the best way possible. The risk of your image getting cut off or being stretched to fit the specs is reduced to zero. Your audience will see the entire image as you intended and will much more likely engage with it.

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The right image sizes help you avoid the following situations:

• Your images are blurry or pixelated
• Parts of your images are cut off
• Your images are not displayed in the correct format
• Your images are not displayed at all

Images for your social media profile

Profile Pictures

A profile picture is a great way to show who you are. Whether it’s a photo of you, or a brand or business logo, it’s the image that you identify yourself with on social media. All the activities you perform will show your profile picture. Whether you chat, post, or comment, your profile picture appears everywhere, making it an important image.

Cover Images

In addition to your profile picture, you can also add cover images to many of your social media accounts. Unlike your profile picture, the cover image is only displayed on your profile. It is located at the top of your profile on most social media. With the cover image, you have the opportunity to let your profile shine in the look and feel of your corporate identity/design. You can place additional or newsworthy information about your company prominently and use all the display options of your profile. Choosing the right image size for your header is crucial to perfectly showcase the information you want displayed.

Images for your social media posts

Images are displayed in social media feeds. There are two ways to include images in your posts: image posts and link posts.

Image posts

Image posts emphasize the visual because the message is in the visual. Your image should contain everything the audience needs to know. Text (in form of captions) is not necessary but can offer additional information. Some networks crop the images in the preview and only show them in full when the user clicks on the post. This is especially the case when you post several images in one post. Keep that in mind when you post.

Link posts

A link post, as the name suggests, contains a link that redirects to where you want the user to go. Social networks automatically generate a link preview when you include a link in your posts. A well-chosen thumbnail allows you to visually reinforce your content for your followers, giving them more incentive to go to follow the link. Clicking on the thumbnail will forward directly to your landing page instead of enlarging the image. Some content works better as an image post, some as a link post. Therefore, test both formats regularly and optimize your social media strategy.

What are the best image sizes for Facebook?

Facebook is still the #1 social network with 3,065 billion monthly active users as of April 2024. Among them are also more than 200 million businesses that address their target audience through profiles, pages, groups and ads. Facebook offers entrepreneurs, self-employed and private individuals a large potential reach to spread their topics, content, news and events. You can post images as image posts and link posts in your newsfeed. When posting an image, your image will be added to your photo album on your profile at the same time.

These are the best image sizes for Facebook

• Cover image: 851 x 315 px
• Profile picture: 196 x 196 px
• Image post (portrait): 1080 x 1350 px
• Image post (landscape): 1200 x 630 px
• Link post: 1200 x 630 px
• Multiple images: 1200 x 1200 px
• Aspect ratio: 1:1 (square), 4:5 (portrait) or 1.91:1 (landscape)

What are the best image sizes for Pinterest?

Pinterest, unlike other social media, works like a search engine and online pinboard. The platform is designed to redirect to your websites, which is why many bloggers and businesses post blog articles, information about products or infographics on Pinterest. Companies use Pinterest for their e-commerce to offer their products and services. With 522 million monthly active users, Pinterest is a traffic generator whose users spend 80% more money than users of other networks. Posts, profiles and pins also rank well in Google searches and generate good visibility. Video pins, story pins and collection pins offer new opportunities to present your offerings comprehensively and vividly.

These are the best image sizes for Pinterest

• Cover image: 1440 x 810 px
• Profile picture: 165 x 165 px
• Standard & Carousel Pin: 1000 x 1500 px
• Long Pin: 600 x 1260 px or 1000 x 2100 px
• Story Pin: 1080 x 1920 px
• Square Pin: 1000 x 1000 px
• Board Thumbnail: 600 x 600 px
• Aspect ratio: 2:3, 16:9 (for cover image), 9:16

What are the best image sizes for X (Twitter)?

X (formerly known asTwitter) is a fast-moving social network that focuses on the ongoing flow of information. According to X’s (Twitter’s) internal data, people are three times more likely to engage with a tweet when it contains an image. Through short and concise tweets, companies and self-employed people can position themselves well on current topics and contribute to discussions that are relevant to you and your target group. There are even corporate influencers from companies who share personal experiences and adventures from their everyday work. The success is also reflected in the user figures. With 611 million monthly active users worldwide, X (Twitter) continues to be one of the most popular social media networks.

What are the image sizes on X (Twitter)?

As with all social media, the profile and header image play an essential role on X (Twitter). Your profile image is attached to every post you create, be it an original one or a reply to someone else’s. Your header image – as the name implies – is shown prominently at the top of your profile. It gives you the chance to display ongoing promotions, as an example. You can add up to four images or GIFs to your tweet. These visuals will enlarge when a user clicks on them, and they are added to your profile’s media tab in your profile. Since 2021 Twitter shows single in-feed images in full without cropping them. You don’t have to painstakingly make sure that the preview image shows what’s most important anymore. However, stick to the recommended sizes as aspect ratios for the best X (Twitter) experience.

These are best image sizes for your X (Twitter) posts

• Cover image: 1500 x 500 px
• Profile picture: 400 x 400 px
• Image post: 1600 x 900 px, 1080 x 1080 px, 1080 x 1350 px
• GIFs: 1280 x 1080 px
• Cards (Link Previews):
  • for Videos: 350 x 196 px (minimum, better more but keeping in line with the aspect ratio 1:1 or 16:9)
  • for Links: 4096 x 4096 px (max.), aspect ratio 1:1 or 3:1
• Aspect ratio: 3:1 (for cover images and links), 1:1, 1.91:1 (landscape)

What are the best image sizes for Instagram?

Instagram has been part of Facebook since 2012 and, with around 2 billion monthly active users, is the third largest social media network worldwide. As a visual network, Instagram’s focus is on videos and images. Many companies use Instagram for their corporate communications to generate more awareness for their products and services, and – more recently – to set up shops.

These are the best image sizes for your Instagram posts

Although Instagram has been testing a vertical grid preview in users’ profiles, the majority of accounts still have the square grid. So keep centering all your important messaging in your images so it is seen even in the grid preview on your profile.

• Profile picture: 320 x 320 px
• Image post (square): 1080 x 1080 px
• Image post (portrait): 1080 x 1350 px
• Image post (landscape): 1080 x 566 px
• Story: 1080 x 1920 px
• Live & Reels: 1080 x 1920 px
• Aspect ratio: 1:1 (square), 4:5 (portrait), 1.91:1 (landscape), 9:16 (reels/stories)

What are the best image sizes for LinkedIn?

LinkedIn has reached more than 1 billion members worldwide.  On LinkedIn you will find private profiles, company pages, various groups on different topics, ads for job offers and many online events and seminars for which you can register directly via LinkedIn. All of this makes it the go to network for B2B marketing and business networking.

These are the best image sizes for LinkedIn

The profile picture has a special significance on LinkedIn. Since LinkedIn is primarily used for networking with business contacts, your profile picture is like a job application photo. Regardless of whether you are actually applying for a job or trying to acquire new leads or customers, your profile picture is the first impression your business contacts have of you. On your profile page, you can also choose a cover photo on LinkedIn that, in the best case, represents you as a person or your brand. In addition to the profile pictures, there are the pictures that are displayed to your followers and contacts in the feed. Your page can quickly appear unserious due to distorted images or incorrectly displayed graphics. A real no-go in business networks. Therefore, pay attention to the optimal image sizes for LinkedIn.

• Cover image: 1128 x 191 px (for companies), 1584 x 396 px (for personal profiles)
• Profile picture: 400 x 400 px
• Link post: 1200 x 628 px
• Image post: 1104 x 552 px

LinkedIn is somewhat flexible when it comes to the height of your image. Square images like on Instagram work on LinkedIn just as well. So feel free to try different formats to see what works best for you.

What are the best image sizes for Tumblr?

Tumblr is a blogging site that focuses on sharing text and content. You can create text posts and add images to it, you can post images with no text at all, or you can share video and audio files. There are 519 million – half a billion! – blogs on Tumblr as of 2024. This makes Tumblr an interesting social media for businesses and entrepreneurs, such as bloggers, to showcase your content, services and products and provide content.

These are the best image sizes for your Tumblr posts

• Profile picture: 128 x 128 px
• Cover image: 2048 x 1152 px
• Image post: 1280 x 1920 px (in-feed view: 540 px in width)

Generally speaking, Tumblr is flexible when it comes to the height of your image. You can work landscape, portrait and square images, they will all look fine. Keep in mind however that on your dashboard, images are shown with a width of 540 px. The image will enlarge to its original size when the user clicks on it.

What are the best image sizes for Google Business Profiles?

Granted, a Google Business Profile isn’t really a social media network, but it’s still a tool where you can use impressive visuals to generate more reach for your business. A Google Business Profile is a business listing for your company and is the direct way into Google’s search index. In addition, your Google Business Profile entry is displayed in Google Maps. With the new features of Google Business Profile and Google Posts, you can publish your blog posts, pictures, videos, news, events and announcements directly through Google and place them prominently on Google Search. With active use and regular posts, your site will rank for your relevant keywords on page 1 at the top right of Google. This makes your Google Business Profile an important part of your website marketing and complements your marketing activities via Google Adwords. A Google Business Profile is available to you free of charge.

These are the image sizes for Google Business Profiles

Similar to other social networks, you can add a profile picture or logo on your Google Business Profile, as well as a supplementary background picture, which is similar to a cover image. As a profile picture you should choose your company logo. The background image can be found at the top of your profile and should contain additional content about your business. Google may not display your background image as the first image. Using the new Google Business Profile features, you can now post image posts, videos, news, blog posts, events and announcements. You can upload different image posts and highlight different aspects of your business that will appeal to your customers and provide information. According to Google, this is the best size for your images:

• Image post: 720 x 720 px
• Cover image: 1024 x 576 px

What are the best image sizes for Meta Threads?

Meta launched its micro-messaging app Threads on July 5, 2023, so just a little over a year ago. By now, Threads has reached 175 million monthly active users – and it’s still growing. Threads is messaging service like and an alternative to X (Twitter). Users can share text posts with up to 500 characters, post images, links and videos. Unlike most of the other social networks, Threads doesn’t crop or cut off images within the feed.

These are the image sizes for Meta Threads

• Profile picture: 320 x 320 px
• Images: 1440 x flexible

Seeing as Threads doesn’t change your images within the in-feed display, the height of your image can be whatever you want or need it to be. However, keep in mind that images wider than 1440 pixels will be scaled down to that size.

How to optimize your images for your social media posts

To help you take advantage of visual content for your content marketing on social media, here’s an overview of how to optimize your images: 1. Choose images with strong visual language

• Pay attention to a good image quality and the optimal image sizes on social media
• Choose image elements with a recognition value
• Add a watermark or your company logo
• Add your most important keyword in the image descriptionUse different image formats

2. Use different image formats

• Create and share infographics
• Make smart use of memes and GIFs
• Add supplementary images of products and processes at the right place

3. Use the optimal image size for social media

• Mind the different aspect ratios and (preview) crops of each network
• Be sure to center the most important information

How can I create images with optimal image size for social media?

There are many tools you can use to create images and graphics for social media. One advantage of using such tools is that the optimal image sizes for social media are already stored and predefined. You can also crop your existing images to the perfect size. Here you can find an overview of the most popular tools for images and image editing:

Canva

Canva is the ideal tool for everyone who can’t or doesn’t have the time to work with big creative suites. The tool offers a huge selection of templates for different formats and content types. You can also upload your own graphic elements to Canva and incorporate them into your graphics. Make use of a selection of AI tools to craft the visual you need.

Giphy

With Giphy you can easily and quickly create animated GIFs and memes. Also GIFMaker.me is a good alternative for short animations.

TinyPNG

TinyPNG helps you reduce the file size of your image without losing quality. This is helpful when you’ve got an especially large image file that you may not be able to upload to some networks.

Tool tip: Share images on social media quickly and easily

Many different networks and accounts with many different image sizes means having to spend a lot of time uploading and publishing each post. But it doesn’t have to be! Here’s your time-saver: Blog2Social, your tool for social media automation. Share all your images quickly and easily on all your social media channels from a single space – your Blog2Social dashboard. You can schedule your posts and let the tool auto publish them for you at the best time. Whether you want to share an image or a link post, whether it’s a TikTok or an Instagram story, Blog2Social simplifies your social media workflow and saves you valuable time every day.

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