Short answer: The Facebook algorithm is a set of ranking systems. For your Feed, it gathers every post you could see, uses signals such as who posted, what type of post it is and how you have behaved before to predict how likely you are to engage meaningfully with each one, then orders posts by that score. Since October 2026 people can also steer recommendations directly with Meta’s “Your Algorithm” controls.
Meta has published more about Feed ranking than most platforms, which makes Facebook easier to reason about than its reputation suggests. This article sums up what Meta itself says, the changes from 2025 and 2026 that matter for Pages, and what you can realistically influence.
How does Facebook decide what appears in your Feed?
Meta describes Feed ranking as a process that runs every time you open the app. In its own explainer, it breaks it into four steps:
- Inventory: the system collects eligible posts from friends, Groups and Pages you follow. It can also bring back posts you have not seen yet and posts that have since started conversations among your friends. Meta says each person typically has more than 1,000 candidate posts.
- Signals: each post is described by signals such as who posted it, when, whether people are tagged, the post type and how it compares with things you have liked, shared or commented on.
- Predictions: machine-learning models estimate how likely you are to take various actions, such as reacting, commenting, sharing or watching.
- Relevance score: the predictions are combined into one score. Integrity checks run first, a lighter model narrows the pool to about 500 posts, a larger model scores them and a final pass adds variety so you do not see several similar posts in a row.
Meta also says it weights predictions using surveys that ask people which interactions they find meaningful or worth their time. That is why a long comment thread between friends can outrank a post with more passive likes.
Which signals matter most for your posts?
Meta does not publish exact weights, and they differ from person to person. The table below summarises the signal types Meta describes and what you can do about each.
| Signal type | What it means | What you can influence |
|---|---|---|
| Relationship | How often the viewer interacts with you | Reply to comments and build regular conversations |
| Content type | Whether the viewer usually engages with video, photos, links or text | Use the formats your audience already responds to |
| Timeliness | When the post was published | Post when your followers are active |
| Predicted actions | Likelihood of reacting, commenting, sharing or watching | Give people a genuine reason to respond |
| Integrity | Whether the post breaks rules or uses demoted tactics | Avoid engagement bait and unoriginal reposts |
Timing has its own guide: see why the first hour after posting matters.
Friends, follows and recommendations: what changed in 2025 and 2026?
Your Feed mixes “connected” content from friends, Groups and Pages you follow with recommended content from accounts you do not follow, including Reels. Two recent changes affect that mix:
- The Friends tab (March 2025): Meta relaunched the Friends tab to show only friends’ posts, Reels, Stories and birthdays, with no recommended content. It launched first in the United States and Canada.
- Your Algorithm (13 October 2026): Meta began rolling out a space where people describe in their own words which topics they want more or less of in Feed and Reels. Large language models interpret that text and combine it with existing signals such as likes, comments and watch history, and the three-dot menu on posts now offers “Interested” and “Not interested”.
For Pages, the takeaway is that viewers have more direct ways to tell Facebook they are tired of a topic. Posts that people actively mark as not interesting are likely to travel less, whatever your follower count. The same idea runs through other Meta apps, as our guide to how the Instagram algorithm works shows.
What does Facebook push down?
Some tactics are demoted on purpose. The two most relevant to Pages are:
Engagement bait
Posts that push people to like, comment, share or tag purely to boost reach (“Like this if you’re an Aries”) are demoted, and Pages that do it repeatedly face stronger demotions across their content. Meta makes an exception for genuine requests for help, advice or recommendations.
Unoriginal content
In July 2025, Meta announced tougher action against accounts that repeatedly repost other people’s videos, photos or text without permission or meaningful changes. Those accounts can lose access to monetisation for a period and see reduced distribution on all their posts, and detected duplicate videos get less reach so the original creator is favoured. Reacting, adding commentary or joining a trend with your own take is still fine, and Meta says you can share your own content across your own Pages and profile.
How can you work with the Facebook algorithm?
None of this calls for tricks. Based on what Meta describes, the most reliable habits are:
- Post mostly original material you filmed or created, and make real changes to anything you did not.
- Write posts that invite real replies, such as a question your audience has an opinion on, rather than “comment YES”.
- Reply to comments quickly: conversations are a strong sign of meaningful interaction.
- Keep captions relevant and use hashtags sparingly; Meta’s originality guidance suggests five or fewer.
- Check which formats get views and engagement for you, then post them on a sustainable schedule. Our guide to how often to post on each platform helps set one.
For a wider growth plan, from Page set-up to content ideas, see how to grow a Facebook Page. Some Page owners also use services such as StreamElevate’s Facebook growth options to give a brand-new Page some initial social proof, but Feed ranking is driven by how real people respond, so that should never replace original posts.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Facebook algorithm show my posts to all my followers?
No. Following makes someone eligible to see your posts, but each post competes with hundreds of others in their inventory. Only posts that score well for that person appear near the top of their Feed.
Can I reset what the Facebook algorithm shows me?
Meta has not described a single reset button, but the Your Algorithm controls, the “Interested” and “Not interested” options and unfollowing accounts all change what you are shown, and Meta says recommendations can adapt within the same session.
Is it bad to post the same video on my Page and my profile?
Meta’s originality guidance says sharing the same content across your own Pages and profiles is fine. The penalties target repeatedly reposting other people’s content without permission or meaningful changes.
Does the Facebook algorithm favour Reels over photos?
Meta does not say one format always wins. Ranking predicts what each viewer is likely to engage with, so if your audience usually watches video, your Reels may score better with them than photos.
Sources: Meta: How Does News Feed Predict What You Want to See?, Meta: Your Algorithm on Facebook, Meta for Creators: Combating unoriginal content, Meta: Fighting engagement bait on Facebook