Decoding the New Twitter Algorithm.
How to Grow with Elon Musk's recently Open-Sourced Twitter Algorithm!
Hey Guys,
Aaditya here!
So last week — the Twitter Recommendation Algorithm was Open-Sourced. Creators on the platform went crazy!
Have you still not understood it?
This Newsletter will give you complete insights into:
How does the algorithm function?
How you can leverage it for growth?
Let’s Begin!
Going Open-Source
Whenever an algorithm or code goes open-source, it essentially means it was made available to the public.
In this case, we have the Twitter Recommendation Algorithm open-sourced on GitHub by Twitter. This algorithm goes through over 500 Million Tweets posted daily to decide the ones which will show up on your screen.
Why did Twitter Open-Source the Algorithm?
Elon Musk is an advocate of Free Speech, and this was a move at making the platform more transparent for users & developers who can contribute and improve the functioning of the app.
Here’s a basic rundown of how this algorithm works:
Twitter uses the recommendation algorithm to show you the most relevant tweets on your timeline.
The algorithm has three stages:
Candidate sourcing, where the algorithm retrieves the best tweets from different sources.
Ranking, where the algorithm scores and ranks each tweet based on its relevance.
Filtering, where the algorithm applies heuristics and filters to remove unwanted tweets.
Based on the tweets interaction with these three stages, it is assigned a rank for every individual user. Based on these ranking, tweets are seen on your profile.
The objective of the algorithm is simple, show you relevant tweets & keep you scrolling on the app.
Twitter Growth insights
Based on the analysis of the source code from twitter & various articles that I’ve been through — here are a few ways to leverage the algorithm & grow your Twitter Brand:
Engagement
The performance of your tweet, depends on how people interact with it. Here’s the amount of boost you get from:
• Likes — 30x
• Retweets — 20x
• Comments — 1x
Verification
Subscribing to Twitter Blue and getting the verified tick will help you increase visibility. Elon also announced that the “For You” tab on user’s feeds will contain tweets only from verified users!
External Links
Twitter deprioritizes links that take users away from the platform. Avoid including them in important tweets & threads. Instead, attach them in your profile or delay posting them — especially for Newsletters.
Multimedia
Twitter boosts tweets that include images & videos. Try and add more graphics to your tweets & thread hooks to leverage this. Don’t end up using images every single time — instead priorities.
Following : Follower Ratio
Twitter demotes content from users with a bad Following : Follower Ratio, i.e. they are following a lot of people but have slow follower growth themselves. Try and be selective about who to follow and ensure they are in your niche.
Pick your Cluster Well
The Algorithm categorizes users into clusters (similar interests & content). You want to engage with people who are in the niche you intend to be, tweets outside of your cluster will not perform well.
Keep your Content nice & clean
The Algorithm will deprioritize tweets using multiple Hashtags & those which contain harmful/offensive content. Keep your hands clean!
Use the 3 Vs to make the perfect Content Strategy:
Viral - Something that rides the algorithm & brings in impressions.
Versatile - Something that uses images & videos instead of plain text.
Value - Something that adds value to your niche & twitter.
Personal Corner
What am I reading this week?
I picked up Life 3.0 ~ Max Tegmark from the library this week. The book discusses the stages of intelligence & how Humans will accustom to the Artificial Intelligence age.
How was business this week?
I’ve been avoiding Ghostwriting leads for a while — took up 1 LinkedIn client & 1 Twitter consulting client. Consulting is a lot easier & fun. Also testing this new offer with a bunch of OGs in the space — will let you know 👀
What am I doing this week?
Schools been usual — started with my senior year of High School (12th) and figuring out how to go about college. Also watched 1917, it’s just an awesome movie guys!
Alright, that’s a wrap guys!
See you next week — Friday — 6 PM [IST]