From the SocialPro Conference in Seattle, Washington, June 20-21, 2016. SESSION: Decoding The Facebook News Feed . PRESENTATION: Decoding the Facebook News Feed: Modern Day Code Breakers - Given by Maggie Malek, @MagsMac - MMI Agency, Head of Public Relations & Social Media. #SocialPro #14A

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Modern-day Code Breakers
Decoding the Facebook News Feed

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• Started with GeoCities
• Sports marketing
• Traditional PR
• now?
Social media + experience junkie
Maggie Malek
Head of PR and Social

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2006

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The one thing that stays the same…

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timeline
Facebook’s News Feed
ranking based on
feedback from users.
2004
2007
Simple EdgeRank
algorithm is launched.
EdgeRank is augmented
with a machine-learning
algorithm.
2011
2013
EdgeRank is out. A focus on
high-quality content is in.

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timeline
2014
The linked format is
introduced, replacing
links in captions.
Facebook cracks
down on spammy
posts and like-baiting.
Organic reach slows
due to emphasis on
Facebook ads.
2015
Facebook’s algorithm favors
friend updates and suppresses
posts that contain misleading
or false information.
New reactions
are considered
likes.
2016
Video-ranking
algorithm
rolls out.

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• Number of users
• Average time on site
• Wide range of demographics
• Ability to target like a boss
why Facebook matters

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a social ecosystem

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• EdgeRank is the name commonly given to the algorithm that
Facebook uses to determine what articles should be displayed in a
user's News Feed.
• Affinity score explains the relationship between a brand and each
individual fan.
• Every action that a user takes creates an edge, and each of those
edges, except for clicks, creates a potential story.
• Each category of edges has a different default weight.
• Time decay takes into account how old a story is.
definitions

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• Global interactions: Facebook now looks at global interactions,
which can outweigh personal interactions if the signal is strong
enough.
• Story bumping: This bends the decay rules by giving older, unseen
posts a second chance at News Feed visibility if they’re still getting
interaction.
• Last actor: Facebook considers an individual’s 50 most recent
Facebook interactions and uses them to help rank posts in an
individual’s news feed. A large amount of weight is given to the last 50
actions of a user. More weight is given to the 10 most recent actions
and less weight is given to next 40 actions.
a few new considerations

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Great
content
Posting
time
Edge type
Spacing
edges
Strong
edge
anchoring
Activity
Encourage
interaction
Time decay
Weight
Affinity
Last actor
Story
bumping
Global
interactions

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1. Start with data.
2. Create a content strategy.
3. Experiment, measure, repeat!
our process

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it’s a closed loop

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Step 1: Start with data.

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• What are people searching for in the privacy of
their own Google search box?
• What questions are they asking?
• What trends are you seeing?
lead with the head

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Use social listening tools to
identify key conversation topics.
Facebook
Account Connecter
Facebook
API Connecter
Facebook
Account List
Facebook
Insights Query
Facebook
Select Post
Facebook
List Comments
Facebook
List Posts
Connect to API
Connect to
Account
List Accounts
Get Insights
Select a Post
List Accounts
Get Comments

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• What are people saying about your product to
their friends?
• How are they interacting with your competitors?
• What customer service issues are they having?
• What type of content gets the most
engagement?
and let the heart provide context

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Step 2: Create your strategy.

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• hero
Large-scale, tent-pole events or “go-big”
moments designed to raise broad
awareness
• hub
Regularly scheduled “push” content
designed for your prime prospect
• hygiene
Always-on “pull” content designed for
your core target
you need three types of content

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Step 3: Experiment, measure, repeat!

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Great
content
Posting
time
Edge type
Spacing
edges
Strong
edge
anchoring
Activity
Encourage
interaction
Time decay
Weight
Affinity
Last actor
Story
bumping
Global
interactions
this again

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optimal posting time + edge spacing

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great content + optimal edge type

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strong edge anchoring

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• High organic reach = amplify
• Heavy website traffic = amplify
• Key cultural moment = amplify
look for opportunities to amplify

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• You can get hyper-targeted.
• You can do A/B testing.
• Better guide your organic traffic.
• You avoid ad-only streams.
leverage Facebook dark posts

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Failfast.
Fail forward.

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Break all of
the rules.

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• Chart your course with data, but let your heart lead the way.
• Post content slightly before peak times.
• Post content every five hours, even through the night.
• Use 90-150 characters.
• Rally around content that represents who you are.
• Convert social sensations into content opportunities.
takeaways

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THANK YOU!
SEE YOU AT THE NEXT
MARKETING LAND EVENT!