What You Need to Know About Twitter’s New Algorithm

May 17, 2023 - 12 minutes read

A retail and eCommerce business owner’s guide to Twitter

While new social media platforms continue to gain popularity, Twitter is still one of the most popular networks around.

With over 350 million active monthly users (and counting), Twitter is an invaluable hub for retail or eCommerce business owners looking to connect with their audience on a deeper level.

If you use the platform to its maximum capabilities, you can boost your brand awareness in ways that will accelerate your commercial growth and put your brand on the map. But, like any platform in our swiftly shifting digital age, the way Twitter works is constantly changing.

In April 2023, Elon Musk announced a brand new Twitter algorithm—and it’s largely based around building and earning trust.

To help get ahead of the competition and use this most mighty of social media platforms to your marketing advantage, here’s everything you need to know about the new Twitter algorithm.

Let’s go.

What does the new Twitter algorithm do, exactly?

The latest Twitter algorithm is interesting in the way that it drills down deeper into community, authoritative subject matter, niche topics, and creating trusted content more than ever before.

At its core, Twitter values users that tweet with these brand new ranking signals in mind:

Recency: Timely and trending content
Virality: Posts with share-worthy appeal
Relevance: Communications related to your niche
Geographical location: Interacting with accounts relevant to your locale
Personal interests: Sharing as well as showcasing what makes your brand tick

This refreshed set of ranking rules are basically several systems or algorithms rolled into one fast-moving platform.

A new chapter of transparency

What really sets this new algorithm apart from previous releases is the fact that its ‘mechanics’ are now available for public consumption.

Yes, Twitter’s new algorithm is no longer what techies might call a ‘black box’ (secret) system—it’s now open-source. In a public call out for transparency, Elon Musk launched a poll on the platform asking users if they wanted the ability to peek under the bonnet of the new algorithm. As the vast majority of the public voted ‘yes,’ Twitter released the inner workings of the new algorithm on GitHub.

Key Twitter algorithm functions

While it’s true that Twitter has opened up its algorithm for public consumption, many people in the tech and marketing community feel that large sections of the platform’s code lacks the right level of detail or context to get a real sense of its inner workings.

There may be debate over just how transparent the new algorithm really is, but there are certain useful aspects of the new and improved system that are clear. Let’s take a quick look at the three main features.

Data collection and organization: The new version of Twitter collects data based on your followers, the Tweets you’ve published, and how you interact with other accounts. Also, when arranging platform data, Twitter now looks at factors including bookmarks (something that can boost your content by around 30x) as well as post likes. Data is also collected based on visual media, including compelling infographics, videos, and imagery (something that can boost your posts by around 20x).
Feature formation: After collecting and arranging the core data, Twitter segments it into something called ‘feature buckets.’ These brand new ‘buckets’ are based on tweets and users, the likelihood of people engaging with your Tweets, and trustworthiness. This means that the platform analyzes the content you publish based on how likely it thinks that your tweets will prompt positive interactions, given the tweet’s author, recipient, and content, while grouping content into groups based on the subject matter.
Mixing process: The final phase of the algorithm processing journey is the part where everything comes together to create an engaging and relevant feed to your niche or interests. It does this using an initiative called HeavyRanker, which examines tweets based on the probability of them sparking positive actions from you or any potential tweet recipients. If the HeavyRanker thinks that a user or account you’re targeting is highly-likely to respond or positively engage with your tweet, you could enjoy a whopping 75x content boost.

Read: How to scale your business with user-generated content for essential tips on how to drive engagement with customer reviews, opinions, and stories.

Key Twitter algorithm features & ranking signals

We’re up to speed with the main functions of Twitter’s new algorithm—now let’s look at the main functions and signals that will give your content the boost it needs to succeed.

The essential functions

First of all, here’s a glimpse of which functions the new algorithm roll out values the most. Prioritize earning these types of interactions and you could enjoy a healthy content boost, to say the least:

Each reply gains a one times (1x) boost in content reach
Each like gains around a 30 times (30x) improved boost in content reach
Each retweet will land you an improved content reach of 20 times (20x)

The key ranking signals

Here are the main ranking factors or ‘rules’ you should consider when publishing your tweets and interacting on the platform:

Your followers-to-following ratio is now incredibly vital to your ongoing level of trustworthiness and authority on Twitter.
Your overall reach is likely to get down-graded if a rising number of users block you or mark your account as spam. So, never send a tweet out ‘just for the sake of it.’
Any instance of fake or misleading news will seriously downgrade your content reach.
Bad grammar and misspellings are now a huge no-no. Poorly crafted tweets will now hinder your reach and authority, as well as your brand reputation.
Using external links can now actually hinder your reach on the platform if they’re from poor or irrelevant sources. If you are going to share external links, always ensure they’re from authoritative sources and 100% relevant to your content.
If you publish content or talk about things that aren’t directly relevant to your niche, industry, or subject matter, your reach could become downgraded. These days, it’s all about being relevant and authoritative.

How to take advantage of the new Twitter algorithm as an eCommerce or retail business

Now that you know which features to leverage and which ranking signals to use as your guide, let’s look at some additional ways of using Twitter’s new algorithm to your brand-boosting advantage.

Hone in on your brand reputation

First of all, you should think about what Twitter now calls your ‘Reputation Score’—something that can triple your content reach.

To consistently boost your score over time, you should fact check your tweets to ensure they’re 100% accurate, while avoiding any content that might be seen as offensive. Posting content at the times your audience is most likely to engage will also boost your brand reputation.

Cut down your hashtags and level up your visuals

Hashtags were essentially invented by Twitter. But, in this bold new age, overusing hashtags will actually serve to dilute your content and your reach will suffer.

As a general rule of thumb, using just one hashtag per tweet (neatly woven into the copy)—or none if you can’t find a hashtag that is relevant enough—is the way to go.

Focusing more on placing eye-catching visuals into your posts rather than littering them with hashtags will also work to your advantage.

Work with trending topics

Taking a peek at your competitors’ content as well as tweets or accounts that are trending in your niche is a brilliant way of getting inspiration for your Twitter marketing efforts.

You will be rewarded for regularly publishing tweets containing thought-leading content based on your industry, niche, or subject matter. Keep the conversation going and you’ll see your platform reach soar.

Connect with brands and people in your niche

Expanding on the previous point, making the effort to connect with other influencers and authoritative accounts in your niche will help you grow your audience.

Mentioning relevant accounts in your niche while sparking interesting conversations will skyrocket your content reach while bringing you closer to your audience. Using Twitter’s search tool as well as social listening techniques will help you connect with the right people at the right time.

Final thoughts…

“Don’t use social media to impress people; use it to impact people.” – Dave Willis, Author and Motivational Speaker

With the new algorithm in full swing, there’s never been a better time to get tweeting if you’re a retail or eCommerce business owner.

Be consistent, lean on your niche expertise, get visual, stay connected, and you will drive more customers to your business by using the new algorithm to your brand-boosting advantage.

We hope this guide helps you on your journey. If you’re looking to expand your social media horizons even further, check out essential TikTok marketing tips.