There’s something we all would like to know, how does Facebook’s news feed AI decide which posts to show you and when? Well, Facebook has released a full explanation and, as you may assume, the system is actually very complex.

However, if you’re interested in hearing the Facebook engineering team’s perspective, you’ll get to learn more about the way the multi-layer algorithm code is built.

“Designing a personalized ranking system for more than 2 billion people (all with different interests) and a plethora of content to select from presents significant, complex challenges. This is something we tackle every day with News Feed ranking.”

Heads up, be prepared for a lot of this: Vijt = wijt1Yijt1 + wijt2Yijt2 + … + wijtkYijtk.

Moreover, Facebook’s tech team, as well as the newsroom, do a nice job of explaining the algorithm methodology besides the news feed ranking system from a higher level.

How Does Facebook’s News Feed Predict What We Want To See?

Below, you’ll see in the video how the algorithm analyzes our behavior along with activity, continually taking in new information and recalculating, to determine what it thinks we want to see next. Everything is individualized and team building this algorithm is conducting interviews and doing lots of research to better understand what our actions really mean.

Moreover, all of this is actually very interesting to think about, however, the question is, what does it mean from a marketing perspective? Learning how the algorithm works will help you strategize better.

There aren’t any tricks you’ll learn to cheat the system here, anyhow, the algorithm is designed in order to deliver value. Facebook determines this value by learning what people like and dislike through their interactions with content.

In light of Facebook’s News Feed matter, that means that there’s only one real way to get your content in front of your audience on Facebook (as well as Instagram).

• Know your audience and what they value: This takes time, research, listening as well as a careful analysis of your audience.
• Deliver that value: Once you actually understand what your audience wants, it’s time to deliver engaging, high-quality content.

Regarding Facebook’s News Feed, you can learn more about how Facebook’s research team is actually thinking about AI here.