How the Facebook algorithm affects your social media strategy in 2025

Advertisers often blame the Facebook algorithm for working against them, denying their ads enough visibility to secure user engagement and conversions. The AI-powered algorithm on Facebook determines which content is displayed on the News Feeds, personalizing the user experience based on behaviors and interests.

If you’re looking to grow your Facebook audience and boost conversions, it’s important to adapt to the ever-changing Facebook algorithm. Meta’s algorithm is a cutting-edge system that categorizes and displays content based on several ranking elements, including engagement, interest and relevance.

Advertisers must understand how the Facebook algorithm works to curate masterful social media strategies with well-optimized content for greater visibility. This article offers valuable insights on how Facebook reels algorithm work and how you can manipulate the Facebook algorithm to boost user engagement.

What is the Facebook Algorithm?

Meta has designed a highly sophisticated algorithm on Facebook, powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. This algorithm is a series of rules and standards that determines the content and the order in which it is displayed on a user’s News Feed. This AI-powered system analyzes user activities, behaviors and data to personalize News Feeds based on past interactions and in-app actions.

The Facebook algorithm has one underlying goal: tailoring the user experience to display content and posts that are most relevant and align with the content users are most likely to enjoy. Meta continues to innovate the algorithm on Facebook with cutting-edge advancements to enhance the user experience and display highly personalized content.

The Facebook news feed algorithm and Facebook reels algorithm are designed differently, considering the differences in content and target audiences.

Facebook Algorithm for News Feed

As of 2025, the Facebook algorithm has undergone various advancements to evolve into a highly advanced system powered by AI and machine learning to deliver a hyper-personalized user experience. Meta is aware that the system isn’t entirely devoid of flaws and remains committed to continuous advancement to enhance user experience and empower advertisers and creators.

In order to understand how the Facebook algorithm works, we need to examine the main ranking factors that determine which content is displayed on the News Feeds.

Here are the ranking factors:

Inventory

Facebook maintains a detailed inventory of all content and posts available to be displayed to a user, including posts from family and friends, pages and groups, and advertisements. The algorithm on Facebook maintains an inventory for every user, and routinely filters through this inventory to display the most relevant posts.

Predictions

The Facebook algorithm utilizes predictive analysis to determine how users will engage with certain content and posts, drawing information from their past activities and interactions. Facebook predictions focus on the likelihood of user engagement based on clicks, comments and shares. If the Facebook algorithm predicts that a user will find a post relevant, the post will be showcased first in their News Feed. 

Relevance

A crucial metric in determining the order of posts, the Facebook algorithm assigns a relevance score to every piece of content based on the user’s interests and past behaviors. The algorithm on Facebook selects posts and determines their order based on the relevance score assigned to each piece of content. The more relevant a post is, the higher it is displayed on the News Feed.

Signals

Facebook collects signals to analyze user activities, behaviors and interactions, such as comments, likes, time spent watching videos and reels, and the types of content users are most likely to interact with, such as reels, videos and images. Signals are designed to gather user data regarding their geographic location, usage patterns and schedules, and types of devices used to access the app.

These elements combine to create the Facebook algorithm and determine which content users are most likely to enjoy and filter out posts that users have ignored in the past.

How Does Facebook Reels Algorithm Work?

Meta has a dedicated team to continually improve and enhance the Facebook algorithm, and the social media giant is focused on harnessing advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The Meta Team aims to improve the algorithm on Facebook in order to connect the platform’s user base with the most meaningful and valuable content.

Since its inception, the Facebook algorithm and content ranking signals have undergone innumerable adjustments with many ranking elements removed and replaced with newer versions.

In 2025, the Facebook reels algorithm focuses on the following elements to determine content relevance:

Post Source

Users are most likely to see posts and reels from sources and creators they routinely interact with, such as family, friends, influencers and brands.

Content Type

The Facebook reels algorithm is based on relevance and past activities, showing users more of what they like to see and enjoy. If users interact with reels from a specific source or on a certain topic, such as cat videos, they will be shown more of similar reels and videos.

Likelihood of User Engagement

The Facebook reels algorithm determines how likely users are to engage with a certain reel and respond to it in order to determine its relevance. If the Facebook algorithm predicts a user is likely to like, comment or share a reel, then it’s most likely to be displayed on their News Feed.

Likelihood of User Interest

Facebook algorithm deploys machine learning and AI-powered predictive analysis to determine how interested users will be in a particular post or reel. The algorithm on Facebook is designed to determine if a certain post or reel will prove meaningful for a user, resulting in likes, shares and comments. The collected data is often used for Facebook interest targeting while running campaigns.

Changes to Expect in Facebook Algorithm in 2025

Now that we’ve understood how the Facebook algorithm is designed, let’s examine how Meta intends to change and improve this system in 2025. The algorithm on Facebook isn’t static; it’s constantly evolving and improving to continually enhance the user experience.

It’s pertinent to note that artificial intelligence is a significant and pivotal element of the Facebook algorithm. Powered with futuristic machine learning components, the Facebook algorithm meticulously tracks user data to analyze activities and behaviors and deliver a hyper-personalized user experience.

Here are some changes to expect in Facebook algorithm in 2025:

Meta Prioritizes Meaningful & Valuable Content

On multiple occasions, Meta has clarified its stance to prioritize meaningful interactions across the platform and strengthen connections between family, friends and like-minded audiences.

Facebook wants to regulate the content space to grant higher visibility to conversion-sparking and thought-provoking posts. Naturally, this shift will decrease the reach for meaningless ads, misleading promotions and posts that receive low engagement.

Predictions based on Past Actions

Facebook algorithm utilizes artificial intelligence to predict user behaviors and the time they’re likely to spend interacting with a piece of content. These predictions are drawn from signals on past interactions with similar types of content and posts.

This is where the Meta Conversions API comes into play, enabling advertisers to send accurate and reliable event data directly from their servers to Facebook. By bypassing browser limitations, the Conversions API ensures that critical interactions, such as purchases or form submissions, are captured effectively, allowing the algorithm to make even more precise predictions and optimize ad delivery for better performance.

Relevance Scores & AI Calculations

Meta is improving its relevance score calculation metrics, assigning a relevance score to each piece of content to determine the order in which it will rank in the News Feeds.

Multiple factors come into play while calculating the relevance score of a post. For instance, Facebook algorithm analyzes user engagement with similar content, the type of content added to the post, and the duration users engage with similar posts.

Predicting User Engagement

The Facebook algorithm is becoming more reliant on AI-powered predictive analysis to determine how likely users are to engage with certain content types, Facebook pages, and groups. This analysis is based on data drawn from past user interactions with groups and pages, and the time they spend participating in page activities and groups. 

Ensuring a Balanced Mix of Multiple Content Types

Facebook is a strictly regulated social media platform and Meta doesn’t want the social media space to be overcrowded with one or two types of content. Currently, Facebook Reels are the most popular content form but Meta aims to ensure a balanced mix of various content forms.

In 2025, Meta aims to promote a mixture of images, videos, articles, text-based posts and reels to avoid monotony that will discourage users from using the platform.

Determining the Value of Each Post

In efforts to regulate the content stream and ensure a free flow of new and original content, Meta is deploying machine learning algorithms to determine the worthiness of all content uploaded to Facebook. Multiple factors come into play while determining the worthiness and value of a post, such as the engagement level of the post’s author, number of views and comments, and the number of shares.

Facebook also takes into account posts hidden by users and uses this data to reduce visibility for intrusive ads and content types that are hidden from the News Feed.

Shifting the Control to the Users

As social media continues to become an oversaturated playing field for advertisers, Meta aims to shift the control to the users by offering greater transparency. The Facebook algorithm is shifting to offer more autonomy and transparency to its users, allowing them to control which posts they want to interact with and hide posts they don’t prefer.

Meta has introduced a wide host of tools that allow users to personalize their News Feed and determine their own order of interacting with posts. For instance, the Favorites list allows users to prioritize visibility for content posted by their favorite influencers, family and friends, and groups.

Meta is continually publishing detailed information on the ongoing changes in Facebook algorithm, and advertisers are strongly advised to stay abreast with these changes.

Adapting to the Ever-Evolving Facebook Algorithm

As we step into 2025, Meta has adopted a much more aggressive approach toward regulating the Facebook algorithm and social media space in an attempt to ensure an abundance of meaningful, new and original content. Which goes to show that advertisers should also start determining the best time to run Facebook ads.

The social media giant is inclined to support the formation of private user-led communities and groups, focusing more on interactions between family, friends and like-minded users. The Facebook algorithm seeks to undermine intrusive ads overshadowing posts from family and friends, focusing more on strengthening connections between family and friends.

In order to adapt to these major shifts in the Facebook algorithm, advertisers and brands must adopt a family-oriented approach and utilize their local communities to boost their social media presence. Ranking high on Facebook in 2025 is bound to prove challenging for brands that fail to personalize the ad experience and maintain a vibrant social media presence.

For instance, brands that rely solely on ads and don’t build meaningful connections with organic posts will experience reduced visibility for their ads. It’s important to connect with the target audience with organic content, engaging them with articles and posts and piquing their interests with Stories regularly.

Here are some tips to improve your adaptability to the shifts in Facebook’s algorithm:

• Actively participate in Facebook groups relevant to your industry sector, location and target audience.
• Boost post engagement by encouraging comments and throwing conversation starters your audience will enjoy.
• Maintain user engagement with regularly posted Stories, Live Streams and behind-the-scenes content.
• Prioritize the creation of organic content to humanize your Facebook presence.
• Engage the audience with a mix of images, videos, articles, local news references and other relevant content mediums.

Hacking the Facebook Algorithm: Driving Meaningful User Engagement

As Meta becomes more and more tilted toward driving meaningful interactions, advertisers must adapt to this shift by prioritizing their organic reach. If you use Facebook as a platform solely for running ad campaigns, you’re bound to notice a major decline in ad visibility in 2025.

Moving forward, Meta aims to prioritize genuine connections between its users, and advertisers who fail to create valuable content will face innumerable restrictions.

Here are some tips to revive user engagement and foster interactions:

• Curate high-quality creative assets in the form of high-definition imagery, videos, podcasts and live streams.
• Stay connected with your audience on a daily basis to increase organic reach and connect with individuals on a personal level.
• Host giveaways and contests to incentivize the target audience to connect with your brand and explore your offerings.
• Encourage users to like, comment and share your posts and respond to comments to boost user interactions.
• Conduct thorough research into audience preferences and interests, and create hyper-tailored social media content plans that balance organic and paid content to maintain engagement.
• Don’t limit yourself to one or two content types that enjoy higher user engagement. This approach creates a monotony that modern-day users will eventually tire of and disengage with your page. Instead, take advantage of all immersive content mediums and types Facebook has to offer and engage users with a wide variety of content.

Maintaining user engagement is the key to hacking the Facebook algorithm and ensuring higher visibility for your organic posts and paid ads. If your target audience is connected to your brand and regularly engages with your creative assets, you won’t have to worry about shifts and changes in the Facebook algorithm.