How to Conquer the Twitter Algorithm: Tips and Tricks

Twitter is always in the news. If you're a marketing manager or digital growth lead, you  know how this social media network boosts brand presence and engagement.

It can be difficult to stand out on Twitter. Statistics show that in late 2022, 350,000 tweets were sent every single minute.

The best way for you to grab eyeballs is to understand how the Twitter algorithm works. Then, you can follow these tips and tricks and best practices for how to rank on Twitter.

The Twitter Algorithm: What Is It?

The Twitter algorithm is a piece of software that ranks tweets on the platform. It does this by following a pre-set list of principles.

The algorithm plays a vital role on Twitter, as with other social media platforms. It helps to personalize and optimize the user experience.

It determines the tweets that appear on your timeline and their order. This is based on your preferences, behavior, and interactions.

In a nutshell, this is how the Twitter algorithm makes the Twitter experience engaging and immersive for users:

• The algorithm personalizes tweets and shows you those relevant to your interests. These include targeted and promoted tweets.
• The algorithm moderates content. It detects and removes spam, hate speech, and other inappropriate tweets.
• The algorithm also suggests new Twitter users to follow and trending topics you may want to know more about.

You should keep in mind that it is frequently tweaked. New rules can be added and old ones changed.

For example, one recent change is that there are now two tabs on the user interface: ‚ÄúFollowing‚Äù and ‚ÄúFor You‚Äù. The first tab displays tweets from those you follow, and the second one is based on your preferences and earlier engagement 

How the Twitter Algorithm Works

The Twitter algorithm is programmed with factors that determine how to rank on Twitter. These parameters change frequently. Recently, the platform released a guide explaining how its recommendation algorithms source and sort content.  Here are some general parameters.

• The Twitter algorithm uses past behavior and engagement to consider how relevant a tweet is to a user‚Äôs interests. This includes who they follow and the content they engage with.
• The way that other users respond to a tweet is also important. Tweets with more likes, retweets, and replies rank higher.
• New tweets are more likely than old ones to appear in a user‚Äôs timeline or search results.
• Multimedia elements such as images or videos also determine the ranking of a tweet.
• Tweets that contain the keywords, topics and hashtags you follow are also given priority by the algorithm.

Best Practices for Posting on Twitter

Here are some best practices for marketers to boost engagement on Twitter:

Clarity

Twitter has a limit of 280 characters. According to a new rule, those who subscribe to a verified Twitter Blue account can go up to 4,000 characters. This is useful, but it is best to be crisp, clear and concise.

Hashtags

Think of hashtags as a way to make your tweets easy to discover. They should be short and relevant. You can also piggyback on a hashtag that is already trending. 

Images, Videos, and GIFs

As we pointed out earlier, the algorithm can favor tweets with multimedia. Use them for more engagement. Do keep in mind that they should be easy to load and watch.

Engagement

The more you engage with others, the higher the chances of your tweet becoming visible. This means that you should respond to tweets, retweet others, and strike up conversations.

Regularity

Create a tweet schedule so your followers know what to expect and look forward to it. Tweeting consistently is a good way to build followers and engagement.

Brand Voice

Your brand's unique voice is what sets it apart. Make sure your tweets reflect this by aligning with your brand's persona, whether it's a leader, challenger, humorous, or disruptive.

Tools for Optimizing Your Twitter Presence

Various tools help you analyze your tweets and create future strategies. To begin with, the Twitter Analytics Dashboard shows you the relevant activity and impressions.  

Other analytic platforms dive into details of your followers, the tweets they interact with and the ones that receive the most impressions.

Some tools can track competitive activity by finding, filtering and sorting tweets based on location, sentiment, or engagement. Other tools are for social listening and monitoring keywords, hashtags, and social media accounts.

Also read, Twitter Spaces: Drive Engagement with Voice Chat

Blaze is one such analytics platform that helps new-gen brands understand their users better. We help you come up with growth strategies for higher engagement and retention on Twitter, Twitch, Telegram, and Tiktok. To find out more, register with Blaze.