A new article on
Social Media Today sheds some light on how some videos go viral.
Reels is now the fastest-growing engagement surface across Meta's apps, already taking up more than 20% of the total time that people spend on Instagram. In fact, video in general is Meta's most engaging content format, occupying some 50% of the time that people spend on Facebook.
As such, it makes sense to know how to get noticed when posting videos on a Meta platform. So, it's fortunate that Meta recently published a new overview of the key elements that it factors into its video ranking algorithms.
You can thank me later!
You can check out the entire overview
right here - but here's a quick look at what matters.
The first element in its video ranking equation is 'Originality', which aligns with Meta's broader push to amplify original creators, and provide more exposure potential in its apps:
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"Original videos reflect the unique voice and value of the content creator. They are distinctive and are produced in a manner that's never been made before. We prioritize original video to reward the hard work of crafting authentic content."
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The second element Meta notes is 'Capture and Retain Attention.'
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"Retention is one of the indicators of how well the content was received by the audience - a slow and gradual decline in the audience retention graph can show that the topic and structure of the video match well with what your audience wants to see, while an early drop off may mean that the content isn't what the viewer expected."
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Also important - despite the focus on retention, Meta says that content length is not a key consideration.
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"Content should only be as long as it needs to be so that it is relatable and engaging and keeps the audience interested for the entire duration."
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'Loyalty and Intent' is the next key element, with Meta putting emphasis on repeat viewership.
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"When people regularly come back to view an account's videos, we take it as a strong, positive signal for distribution. This is especially true when we see that people actively search for your content or seek it out on video-first destinations like Facebook Watch or directly on your account."
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Meta also suggests that creators look to optimize their content for Facebook search.
"This includes writing clear titles, descriptions for your posts, and adding a few relevant tags. This can help more people see your content, both via Search results and via the recommended videos that we show to people in Feed and in Facebook Watch."
The final element that Meta highlights is 'Engagement' - i.e. Likes, Shares, Comments.
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"We prioritize content that sparks conversations and meaningful interactions between real people. To do this, we increase distribution for videos that inspire friend-to-friend or person-to-person interactions."
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Now, I'm guessing this won't be an exhaustive list, so what else works for your video content?
Please feel free to spill the beans!
