Twitter’s new feed algorithm will surface opportunities for marketers

The reverse chronology of the Twitter feed reached its end on Wednesday. Twitter announced that an algorithm would now give priority to Tweets with high engagement potential, placing them atop the feed before returning to the traditional reverse chronology. It is similar to the “While You Were Away” feature but it surfaces more Tweets and is less obvious to the casual user.

The 360i blog did a good job of analyzing the details and motivations of the change, along with some marketer implications. TechCruch argues that the algorithm will boost follower counts since users will be less concerned about crowding out their favorites.

The main takeaway for marketers is that they can trade engagement for additional exposure; earning a chance to be seen even by people who follow tens of thousands. EverSpark listed six strategies that marketers can follow and Twitter recommended its own best practices section.

The change is being rolled out but anyone can turn it on by selecting “Show me the best Tweets first” in their settings page.

— —

Reprinted from the Feb 12 2016 edition of the newsletter Who’s Blogging What , along with a curated list of the week’s most useful digital marketing posts covering social media, search, user experience, email marketing and analytics.