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How the Twitter Algorithm Works [2023 GUIDE]
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Twitter can be unpredictable, but one thing remains certain — you gotta respect the algorithm if you want to make big moves. That means if you want to boost engagement, drive traffic to your website and generally build awareness for your brand, you’ll need to understand how to work with the Twitter algorithm.
Unlike other apps, Twitter allows its users to decide what they see. Users can choose between the algorithmically driven default timeline (Top Tweets) or viewing Tweets in reverse chronological order (Latest Tweets).
But even if some users aren’t opting for Top Tweets, the algorithm still determines virality on the site. After all, content still spreads further when actual users are spreading it. Even if the algorithm only serves a select group of people, posts will spread as people start retweeting, replying or liking them.
Leveraging the Twitter algorithm is crucial to any brand presence. So let’s dig in and figure it out together.
Bonus: Download the free 30-day plan to grow your Twitter following fast, a daily workbook that will help you establish a Twitter marketing routine and track your growth, so you can show your boss real results after one month.
What is the Twitter algorithm?
The Twitter algorithm is a set of rules that rank content on the platform, determining each post’s value based on a set of rules.
In essence, the algorithm is a central brain that powers what we see on Twitter and how we see it. These decisions are based on many factors, including location, virality, personal interests, recency and whether or not the post contains media. Don’t worry, we’ll break it all down shortly.
c’mon twitter algorithm! daddy needs a new pair of shoes! pic.twitter.com/xrfHFJ3aHz
— Cameron Bradford (@camerobradford) September 22, 2020
Like most social media sites, the Twitter algorithm changes all the time — and is actually a combination of several algorithms. Regardless of the updates, however, there are some evergreen truths that will help you use the algorithm to reach its maximum potential.
If you learn what drives trending topics, timeline Tweets and everything in between, you can use Twitter’s algorithms to their full potential.
How the Twitter algorithm works in 2023
One of the most fascinating things about Twitter’s algorithms is also one of the scariest — they really do have a mind of their own.
That’s because Twitter, like most other social media companies, uses “black box” algorithms. That means the inner workings of the algorithms are kept secret from users, though we do know they use machine learning to sort content based on different ranking signals.
As CNN explains, “Even those who can understand the code that goes into an algorithm don’t necessarily understand how it works…. The people who build these systems don’t always know why they reach their conclusions, which is why they’re commonly referred to as ‘black boxes.’”
That might be changing. Before purchasing Twitter, Elon Musk asked his followers to vote on whether Twitter’s algorithm should be open source. 1.1 million people voted, and the result was an overwhelming “yes.”
Twitter algorithm should be open source
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2022
As CNN reported, Musk repeated his goal to open up Twitter’s source code at a TED conference in Vancouver. His reason? He wants to “unlock” Twitter’s “extraordinary potential” by making it easier for users to know why their Tweets are being promoted.
This transparency might also help fend off repeated reports that the Twitter algorithm is biased, which the company has worked hard to refute.
Home vs. Latest Tweets
Twitter users can toggle between two different timelines: Home or Latest Tweets.
To follow what’s happening in real time, tap the ✨ located at the top right of your Home timeline to change from seeing top Tweets to latest Tweets first.
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) May 31, 2020
Latest Tweets shows you a real-time, reverse chronological timeline of Tweets from people you follow. If you don’t follow a lot of people (or you follow a ton of people and are hopelessly addicted to Twitter), this is the best view because it will show your friends’ Tweets even if they don’t get a lot of traction.
Home uses Twitter’s ranking algorithm to display posts based on what the algorithm perceives as more important to you. Multiple factors play into what makes a Tweet appear on the Home timeline.
As Twitter explains, “Home, or top Tweets, are ones you are likely to care about most, and we choose them based on accounts you interact with frequently, Tweets you engage with, and much more.”
“This means you will sometimes see Tweets from accounts you don’t follow,” they continue. “We recommend Tweets to you based on who you already follow and Topics you follow, and don’t recommend content that might be abusive or spammy. We share recommendations via push notifications, your Notifications tab, and by adding them to your Home timeline.”
To switch between the Home timeline and Latest Tweets, click the star symbol at the top of your Twitter timeline. The star symbol can be found on both desktop and mobile.
If you’re reading Twitter for your own enjoyment, you might prefer one timeline over the other. But if you’re attempting to market a brand, you’ll want to learn how to get your content into the Home timeline.
Twitter Topics
Since 2019, Twitter has allowed users to follow Topics in addition to individual Twitter accounts. That means users can opt-in to receive Tweets about their favorite celebrities, musicians, sports teams or general conversation topics without having to find specific accounts or manually search for hashtags.
To see what Topics you currently follow or explore those you might be interested in, you can click the three dots at the side of your Twitter home page, then click through to the Topics page.
On mobile, the Topics button will already appear on your navigation menu.
“We want Topics on Twitter to reflect the broader, lasting conversations people have about the events, people, and things they discuss,” Twitter explains.
“So we use machine learning to find related Tweets from these conversations. This could mean they Tweet a lot about the Topic or interact a lot with Tweets about the Topic. From there, we find the Tweets that are most interesting to those people, using algorithms, keywords, and additional signals.”
From the suggested topics above, you can see that Twitter’s algorithm has determined that I like cats (true!), funny tweets (definitely true!) and Jin (I’m much more of a Jungkook fan…).
The Topics you subscribe to will become another factor in how Twitter’s algorithm shapes your experience.
The Explore tab
Twitter used to organize all of its content based on hashtags, but the site has become more complex the more it’s grown. Now, a curated selection of recommended content appears under the Explore tab.
To get to Explore, click the hashtag on Twitter desktop or the search icon on Twitter mobile.
The Explore page’s content caters to your location, but you can make it global instead. Tap the settings icon on the Explore page and turn off Show content in this location. You can also click around to see what’s trending in other locations.
The Explore tab itself actually has several tabs within it, including For you, Trending, News, Sports, Fun and Entertainment.
For you
Much like TikTok before them, Twitter has a For you tab too. It contains suggested Tweets, accounts, topics and other content that the Twitter algorithm has determined you might be interested in.
It’s not entirely tied to your chosen Topics, but the For you page will make selections and recommendations based on your Twitter history. The more you use Twitter, the more accurate it will be.
Trending
The Trending tab is where, well, all of the beauty and chaos of Twitter occurs.
It contains a list of the top 30 trending topics in your country — you can tap through to each one for more information.
Twitter’s trending algorithm ranks topics by volume of Tweets, replies and retweets, but that’s not the only factor. As Twitter explains, “This algorithm identifies topics that are popular now, rather than topics that have been popular for a while or on a daily basis.”
In other words, the Trending tab is for emerging conversations.
That explains why you might see a celebrity’s name trending and not know whether they’ve passed away, gotten a messy divorce or just got photographed with their fly down on a red carpet.
News, Sports, Fun, Entertainment
The Explore section is rounded out by tabs dedicated to News, Sports, Fun and Entertainment. Each of these tabs will display trending topics and top Tweets in their respective fields.
If you’re curious about what’s happening in the world of sportsball or feel like keeping up with the Kardashians, you can click the Sports or Entertainment tabs. And if you’d rather avoid those things like the plague, you can try to focus on the News or see what kinds of ridiculous things are popping off in the Fun tab.
Twitter algorithm ranking signals
We’ve learned that Twitter loves to recommend content, but then the question remains — how do you get Twitter to recommend your content?
According to Twitter, top Tweets are chosen “based on accounts you interact with most, Tweets you engage with, and much more.”
That’s a little vague, but here’s what Twitter has shared about its Home timeline, Trends, and Topics ranking signals:
Recency
- Twitter prioritizes Trends based on “topics that are popular now, rather than topics that have been popular for a while or on a daily basis.”
- Current events and topics may appear in a section at the top of the Home timeline called What’s Happening.
Relevance
- Twitter will build a profile for you based on previous actions like your own Tweets and Tweets you’ve engaged with.
- The app will also prioritize accounts you often engage with and topics you follow and engage with most.
- Your location is also a key element in what content will be pushed toward you.
- Twitter also keeps track of the number of Tweets you’ve made that are related to a topic.
Engagement
- Twitter will prioritize a Tweet based on how popular it is and how people in your network are interacting with it.
- If you follow a certain Topic, Twitter will look at how many people are Tweeting, retweeting, replying, and liking Tweets about that Topic.
- In the Trending tab, Twitter will keep count of the number of Tweets related to the Trend.
Rich Media
- Twitter will organize tweets based on what kind of media it includes, like images, videos, GIFs or polls.
In all of their press materials, Twitter specifically says they will not recommend “content that might be abusive or spammy.” So, y’know… don’t do that.
10 tips for working with the Twitter algorithm
1. Maintain an active Twitter presence
Twitter is a lot of things, but one thing it isn’t is precious. You should obviously think before you tweet, but don’t overthink it. If you’ve got an idea for a post, just do it. Either it’ll work, or it will flop, and the timeline will keep moving.
Hootsuite generally recommends posting at least 1-2 times per day and a maximum of 3-5 times per day (with multiple Tweets in a thread counting as one post). That’s the best way to keep your followers engaged.
It’s also important to stay in the algorithm’s good graces. If you only tweet once a week, it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to be pushed to the Home Tweets page.
2. Get verified
In theory, it’s never been easier to get verified. That’s because the service now allows anyone that pays for a Twitter Blue subscription service to get all the benefits of a blue check.
we’re relaunching @TwitterBlue on Monday – subscribe on web for $8/month or on iOS for $11/month to get access to subscriber-only features, including the blue checkmark 🧵 pic.twitter.com/DvvsLoSO50
— Twitter (@Twitter) December 10, 2022
Yes, you read that right — anyone who signs up for Twitter’s new program will now be eligible for verification.
According to the new rules for Twitter Blue, all you need to do is pay $8 a month on your web browser or $11 a month to have the service on iOS. Then, you’ll get features like the ability to edit tweets and post longer videos than everyone else — in addition to the other perks of verification.
This means, of course, that you’ll do better with the algorithm. As Twitter puts it, verification will allow you to “rocket to the top of replies, mentions and search,” adding that “Tweets from verified users will be prioritized.”
In the past, users were verified because they were notable in their field (such as celebrities or journalists), but Twitter now says it will only verify users when they subscribe for Twitter Blue.
There are a few new checkmarks on Twitter now, too. Business accounts will receive an official gold checkmark, while government accounts will receive a gray one.
we’ll begin replacing that “official” label with a gold checkmark for businesses, and later in the week a grey checkmark for government and multilateral accounts
— Twitter (@Twitter) December 10, 2022
3. Tweet at the right time
Sure, the Home Tweets algorithm will push out relevant content long after it was first posted, but it’s still best to post strategically so you have a better chance of snowballing into virality.
Hootsuite research shows that, in general, the best time to post on Twitter is 8 a.m. Pacific on Mondays and Thursdays, so you could save your best content for then. But keep in mind that Twitter is a global platform, meaning every timezone is relevant.
If you want to discover your best time to post, try retweeting your best content at different times throughout the day to see when you gain the most traction.
4. Use tags purposefully
They might seem quaint or even cringe (especially if you’re still using #YOLO or #Winning), but hashtags are still an excellent way to gain traction on Twitter.
Twitter data shows that a Twitter ad gets almost 10% more attention when it includes branded hashtags.
Are you a #SmallBusiness? Here are some tips & tricks from your friends at Twitter:
⏰ Share updates early and often
👋 Showcase the people behind your business
📲 Start and join conversations, like #TweetASmallBiz
✨ Lean into your differentiators pic.twitter.com/Qq440IzajF— Twitter Business (@TwitterBusiness) October 11, 2021
Keep an eye on trending hashtags and use them organically with your posts. But don’t overdo them — the algorithm hates spam.
You can also tag other users, which will naturally encourage them to retweet or engage. Mentioning someone in a tweet is a great way to spread your reach and appease the algorithm. But again — spamming is a no-no.
5. Use photos, videos, GIFs
A boost in engagement can help your Tweet’s ranking with the Twitter algorithm. And it’s well known that Tweets with photos, videos, and GIFs tend to get more attention.
And while you used to be limited to one video or GIF per Tweet, Twitter recently made it possible to add up to four pieces of media per Tweet. You can mix and match videos, GIFs and photos. It’s a great way to get creative with your posts.
You should also add captions to any videos, as they result in a 28% longer view time. And while you’re at it, make sure you include alt text so that your media posts are accessible for everyone.
— Sopranos World (@SopranosWorld) October 6, 2022
6. Encourage followers to engage
When it comes to soliciting engagement on Twitter, it’s simple. Ask, and you shall receive.
Ask an open-ended question or invite your followers to share photos or videos with you. Start a light-hearted debate. Maybe try engaging in a risky reply or two.
Steak-umm says send the risky tweet https://t.co/JccPoZrj0V
— Hootsuite 🦉 (@hootsuite) September 23, 2022
An open-ended question that encourages quote-tweets is one of the best, easiest ways to get people to engage. Music publicist Eric Alper is the master of this art form:
What’s the greatest opening lyrics to a song that you’ve ever heard?
— Eric Alper 🎧 (@ThatEricAlper) November 19, 2022
7. Try a Twitter Poll
Another thing you can ask for? Votes. Polls are a quick and easy way to ask for input on something. It could be anything from an on-brand survey to a request for concrete feedback.
Quiz Time!
According to an Accenture survey of over 10,000 consumers, what is the top concern for people buying products directly through social media?
— Hootsuite 🦉 (@hootsuite) November 17, 2022
Or, you could use polls to really have some fun with it.
Ask a controversial question, and people will feel personally responsible for making their side win. Better than that, they’ll come back to make sure their side won. And if it’s losing, they may even share the poll with their followers to demand more votes.
Like most social networks, Twitter loves to promote its own features, so polls do well in the Twitter feed algorithm. And doubly so if people are up in arms about them.
Sooooo we should probably figure this out now with #Thanksgiving tomorrow… is #turkey delicious or overrated? 🍗🍽️
— STRAWBERRY (@STRAWBERRYradio) November 23, 2022
8. Join relevant trends and topics
Look for trends and topics that your brand can contribute to — or lead. You could plan ahead with Twitter’s regularly updated marketing calendar or, better yet, bookmark Hootsuite’s complete list of social media holidays.
Keep an eye on the Trending tab on the Explore page for the latest trends in real-time. But don’t trend-jack or news-jack your way into every conversation on Twitter. Find the topics and themes that make sense for your brand.
9. Repackage top content
Even if you tweet at peak times, chances are many followers may have missed your Tweet. And if it performed well the first time, it likely will again.
There are plenty of ways you could keep the ball rolling for the algorithm. Over the years, self-retweets have grown more common — you could do this if your initial tweet gained some traction and you want to keep the ball rolling.
You can also re-share the same content but word it differently or approach it from a totally different angle. Find creative ways to repackage and re-share what works.
For example, if you’re sharing a blog post, you could highlight different elements of the same content at different times. You can consider it another way to A/B test and discover which approach your audience finds most compelling.
Below you’ll see two different ways Vulture promoted their 2021 Jennifer Coolidge profile, including a viral quote from the piece and another more recent share of the piece to coincide with The White Lotus season 2.
“What would I want? I don’t know. More tequila.” —@JENCOOLIDGE (📸: Irina Rozovsky) https://t.co/nNvwpuTKJR pic.twitter.com/Jgk3HgbG6j
— Vulture (@vulture) July 6, 2021
The joke was never on Jennifer Coolidge. Revisit @e_alexjung‘s profile https://t.co/h2mnvtkVJW
— Vulture (@vulture) October 14, 2022
10. Apply insights from analytics
When it comes to algorithms, there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. Use Twitter Analytics to track what works and what doesn’t for your specific account, and keep testing.
And for a bird’s eye view of how your content is performing across different social media platforms, choose a social media management tool like Hootsuite.
Hootsuite allows you to pretty much do it all:
- Build and schedule custom analytics reports so you’re always on top of your performance
- Track and benchmark your posts against your competitors and industry averages
- Keep an eye on trending topics and hashtags so you can plan your next campaign
- …oh, and you can also compose, schedule, and publish posts for every social platform, including Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube
Manage your Twitter presence alongside your other social channels and save time using Hootsuite. From a single dashboard, you can schedule and publish posts, engage your audience, and measure performance. Try it free today.
Do it better with Hootsuite, the all-in-one social media tool. Stay on top of things, grow, and beat the competition.
![how-to-schedule-tweets-[3-methods-+-bonus-tips]](https://www.social-ping.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/133227-how-to-schedule-tweets-3-methods-bonus-tips-400x240.png)
![how-to-schedule-tweets-[3-methods-+-bonus-tips]](https://www.social-ping.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/133227-how-to-schedule-tweets-3-methods-bonus-tips-80x80.png)
Responding to messages quickly is a huge part of social media customer service—and it’s no different whether you’re dealing with messages on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram. Luckily, Instagram has an easy-to-use option that can cut down on your team’s time responding to questions.
With Instagram auto reply, you can easily set auto-responses to common questions and messages. This feature cuts down on the time your social media support team needs to spend monitoring and replying to customers.
In this article, we’ll talk more about the Instagram auto reply feature, how it can be used, and a few message examples for inspiration.
Bonus: Get a free, easy-to-use Customer Service Report Template that helps you track and calculate your monthly customer service efforts all in one place.
What is Instagram auto reply?
Instagram auto reply is a feature available in your Instagram message settings that allows you to send automatic responses to frequently asked questions.
For example, if you regularly get a question like, “Do you offer free shipping?” your team can set up an auto reply that will answer the question instantly rather than forcing the customer to wait for a real person to respond.
There are a few different ways you can do this:
- Instagram tools: Set automatic responses for frequently asked questions or craft canned messages that your team can easily send out via Instagram DM.
- Meta Business Suite: Set up messaging automations for both Instagram and Facebook.
- Third-party inboxes: Use tools like Hootsuite Inbox to easily monitor and manage your Instagram direct messages and comments.
Learn more about how a social inbox like Hootsuite’s can help streamline your social media communication in this video:
There are several ways to take advantage of Instagram’s auto reply feature. Here are just a few types of automated responses you might consider setting up:
- Welcome messages
- Away messages
- Frequently asked questions
- Share contact information
- Share business hours of operation
- Provide shipment and payment details
- Offer discounts
- Explain wholesale pricing information
- Tell customers how to handle issues with their orders
- Share links to additional resources
Pros and cons of using Instagram auto reply
So why use Instagram auto reply? Is it the best option for creating automated responses and freeing up your team’s time? As always, it depends on your needs.
Let’s cover some basic pros and cons to help you decide.
Pros
- Make a good impression. Instagram shows your followers how quick your team is to respond. A faster response time is a better look for your business.
- Answer questions before they’re asked. Create an auto-responder that gives your customers a clear idea of when they can expect to hear from a real person—unless your auto replies can give their answer immediately.
- Save your team time. Stop writing the same reply over and over again. Automated messages give your team more time for escalated messages and other customer support issues.
- Never miss a message. You don’t have to worry about time zones when you enlist auto reply. Even when your team isn’t working, customers can get answers as soon as they send a message.
Cons
- Only for Instagram and Facebook. Instagram/Meta’s built-in features only work for these two platforms. You’ll have to enlist the help of external tools for other social media platforms—don’t worry, we’ve got more on that below.
- You have to connect your Facebook and Instagram pages. In order to access some of the more advanced tools, you must use Meta Business Suite, so you’ll have to connect your Facebook and Instagram pages.
Reduce response time (and your workload)
Manage all your messages stress-free with easy routing, saved replies, and friendly chatbots. Try Hootsuite’s Inbox today.
15 Instagram auto reply message examples
Not sure what types of auto replies to set for your Instagram messages? Here are 15 examples to help inspire you.
Welcome message
Send one of these options to all new incoming Instagram DMs whenever your team is unavailable for a quick response:
- Thank you for getting in touch! Our team is available from 10am-3pm CT. We’ll get back to you within those hours!
- Hey there—thanks for reaching out! Your message is important to us. Someone on our team will get back to you within the next 12 hours.
- Sorry we missed you! Our team is currently unavailable, but we’ll be back around 8am GMT.
Basic business information
Use one of these when someone messages you on Instagram to ask about hours of operation or contact information:
- Our hours of operation are 11am-11pm ET Monday through Saturday.
- To get in touch with a representative directly, please give us a call at [###-###-####].
- To learn more or request a demo, email us at sales@company.com.
- Our offices are located at 1234 Business Street.
Frequently asked questions
Here are a few common questions and answers you might want to incorporate into your Instagram auto replies.
How long does shipping take?
- You can expect your items to arrive within 3-5 business days of your order.
How can I cancel my plan?
- To cancel, go to the “Account” section of your dashboard and find the “Cancel plan” button.
- We’re sad to see you go! To cancel, please call one of our representatives directly at [###-###-####] or send an email to cancellations@company.com
Do you offer any discounts?
- We love that you asked! Use promo code INSTA for 10% off your purchase.
What services do you offer?
- We offer accounting services for small businesses.
How much do your services cost?
- We work on a monthly retainer basis. Packages start at $1,000/month and go up to $15,000+ depending on your needs.
Are you taking new patients?
- Yes, please head to our website to fill out the form for new patients.
- Unfortunately, our therapists are fully booked at the moment. Please check back next quarter to see if any spots have opened up.
There are two ways to set up auto replies on Instagram. The first is pretty easy—do so right inside the Instagram app. The second involves digging into the Automations option in Meta Business Suite.
We’ll walk you through each process.
How to set up auto replies via the Instagram app
First, open the Instagram app. Tap the messages icon in the top right corner of the home feed. Then, tap on the ellipses in the top right corner of your messages dashboard and select Tools.
Here, you can set either saved replies (canned responses your team can tap on to send manually) or auto replies for frequently asked questions.
Tap on Frequently asked questions to access the auto reply feature. Instagram will typically include a few starter questions. You can customize these or use them as is—just add answers.
Add as many questions as you want. You can even show these questions in chat, so customers who want to message you have options to choose from.
How to set up auto replies in Meta Business Suite
If you have your Facebook Business Page set up and optimized and your Instagram business profile connected, you can use Meta Business Suite to create automations like this.
First, head over to your Facebook Business Page, then click on Meta Business Suite in the left-hand sidebar.
You’ll then be taken to the Meta Business Suite dashboard. From here, click on Inbox in the right-hand sidebar.
This inbox section will hold all messages and comments from Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. If you’re looking for a single place to manage these, Business Suite is a great place to do so. The biggest downfall is that those are the only platforms you can monitor here (more on that later).
To set up your auto-reply messages, click the atom icon to access Automations.
Here, you can set up a number of automations relating to your direct messages across all of Meta’s platforms. If you haven’t previously set up Frequently asked questions, it will appear as one of the Suggested for you options. Click on it to get started.
Select your Instagram account from the list of places you want to turn this automation on. Then, start adding questions. You can preview them in the left-hand sidebar.
Once you’re done, click Save changes and toggle this automation into the On position. And voila! You’ve got your frequently asked questions set up.
Other automations you can create are:
- Away messages
- Instant replies
- Follow ups
How to auto-respond to messages and comments on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn
We mentioned that Meta Business Suite is great for managing your messages and comments on Facebook and Instagram. But if your brand uses other platforms, like X (formerly known as Twitter) and LinkedIn, you’ll need additional support.
Good news—you’re in luck! With Hootsuite’s Social Inbox, your entire social media and customer support team can monitor, manage, and respond to messages across all social media platforms in one space.
You can store information about various customers so you never start a new interaction as strangers, helping customers feel seen and valued. Assign messages and interactions to certain team members so the most-equipped person can handle each specific issue.
Use Hootsuite Inbox as your social media help desk, resolving messages as soon as they’ve been responded to and keeping notes on customer issues.
Create auto-responders for every social media platform you manage with Hootsuite.
Book a free Hootsuite demo and try Inbox today
Why should you use Instagram auto reply?
Instagram auto reply is a great way to minimize wait time for frequently asked questions. If you know common questions your audience has, and there’s a set answer you can provide, set it as an auto-response.
This saves your team time and ensures your Instagram followers don’t have to wait for a response.
How do you turn Instagram auto reply off?
There’s no quick on-off toggle for Instagram auto reply. Instead, you’ll have to go into your Instagram messaging tools and remove any frequently asked question responses you’ve input.
What is a saved reply on Instagram?
A saved reply is a similar tool to auto replies. Instead of sending instantaneously, though, saved replies are simply stored in your Instagram messaging settings for your team to manually send out. This works if the question someone asks has different answers depending on the time of year. You can save replies for a quick response, but you don’t want to have the response be automatic.
Keep your customers happy with faster message responses, thanks to Hootsuite. Respond to questions and complaints, create tickets from social conversations, and work with chatbots all from one dashboard. See it in action.
Save time on social messaging with automated responses, smarter workflows, and friendly chatbots — all in the Hootsuite Inbox.
Ever seen an Instagram emoji fail IRL? Maybe your grandma used an eggplant emoji in a… compromising place. Or, your uncle was trying to be funny and added the poop emoji to his bio.
Yikes.
Whatever the case, emoji etiquette exists. Understanding the meaning and placement of emojis is essential to avoiding terrible, embarrassing communication mistakes.
Here’s everything you need to know about Instagram emoji meanings.
BONUS: Want to learn more ways to wow your fans on social? Check out our article on secret TikTok emojis.
Craft perfect posts in seconds
OwlyWriter AI instantly generates captions and content ideas for every social media network. It’s seriously easy.
Instagram emoji translator
Pro tip: if you’re stuck with emoji translation, we’ve got the perfect tool for you. Hootsuite’s emoji translator is free to use and will help you crack the code on any emoji string.
Not only does the translator break down each pictogram’s meaning, but it also details how viewers typically react to the combo. Super helpful if you don’t want to send an unintended message!
Please note: This tool may display inaccurate or offensive material that doesn’t represent Hootsuite’s views. You’re solely responsible for use of any content generated using this tool, including its compliance with applicable laws and third-party rights.
What are Instagram emoji?
Instagram emoji are pictograms, icons, or small images used to express an emotion, idea, or feeling. Some emoji are universal (most people know that the heart symbol means love), while others have their own unique interpretations based on regional culture and language.
Popular emoji symbols include:
- Smiley face
- Sad face
- Clapping hands
- Thumbs-up
- Heart
- Fire
There are literally thousands of emoji characters available on Instagram—from dragons and lizards, people exercising, and even ice cream cones. You can find Instagram emojis in two places: your native Instagram app and the world of third-party keyboard extensions.
What are Instagram reactions?
Instagram reactions are a way to quickly express your feelings without typing out a response. For example, if someone posts a funny meme, you can tap the laughing face emoji reaction instead of typing out “lol” or “haha.”
Instagram reactions are generally used as a reply to Instagram Stories and Instagram direct messages.
When watching a Story, click on the Send a message box to reply. You’ll then see a pop-up of six popular emoji to choose from.
You can also choose your own emoji by clicking on the small smiley face icon on your keyboard.
To use Instagram emoji reactions for direct messages, hold your finger down on the sent message, and a list of emoji will pop up. Choose from this list, or click the plus button to use your own emoji.
Where can you use Instagram emoji
You can use Instagram emoji in comments, captions, direct messages, as replies to Stories, and even in your Instagram bio. Basically, anywhere that allows for text input.
When you’re in a comment thread or writing a caption, a list of your most-used emojis will appear at the top of your reply.
If you want more, tap the smiley face icon to access Instagram emojis. If you’ve recently used an emoji, it will usually appear at the top of the list so you can easily select it again.
Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a fitness influencer used to grow from 0 to 600,000+ followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.
Stuck at home thinking, “Why can’t I react to Instagram messages with emojis?” No worries. You may need to update your messaging app. Follow Instagram’s easy how-to here.
How to change your emoji reaction
Wondering how to react with emoji on Instagram? There are six default Instagram emoji reactions:
- Crying face
- Wow face
- Heart eyes
- Laughing face
- Clapping hands
- Fire
If you use custom emoji, they will show up in your reactions, allowing you to choose from a larger selection.
To choose a custom emoji, tap the smiley face icon on your mobile keyboard. Scroll through the list of options and tap to select the emoji you want. Once selected, it will appear in your reaction selection.
BONUS: Check out our full list of Snapchat emoji to snazz up your snaps.
Instagram reaction meanings
To avoid any potential misinterpretations, it’s important to remember the meanings behind Instagram reactions.
Here’s what each emoji reaction stands for:
- Crying face (😢) = Sadness, disappointment
- Wow face (😮) = Surprised or amazed
- Heart eyes (😍) = Love or admiration
- Laughing face (😂) = Funny or humorous
- Clapping hands (👏) = Encouragement or applause
- Fire (🔥) = Approval or agreement
Remember, the reactions you use should be appropriate for the context. For example, don’t express sadness at a funny meme. Similarly, don’t use a fire emoji to comment on your teacher’s vacation beach photo.
Popular Instagram emoji meanings
Tired of deciphering the meanings of emoji for Instagram? Here’s a quick reference sheet to keep on file.
- Thumbs up (👍) = Positive sentiment.
- Thinking face (🤔) = Curiosity, pondering ideas.
- Laughing with tears (😂) = Something is so funny you’re crying.
- Red heart (❤️) = Love, affection.
- Puke face (🤢) = Disgust or disapproval.
- Skull (💀) = Death, danger, or something is so funny you died.
- Hot face (🥵) = Passion or admiration.
- Smirk face (😏) = Flirting, teasing.
- Poop (💩) = Joking around.
- Party popper (🎉) = Celebration.
- Cat (😸) = Cuteness or someone acting like a cat.
- Drooling face (🤤) = Desperation, wanting something badly.
- Nail polish (💅) = Girl power.
- Sunglasses (😎) = Coolness, acknowledgement of a job well done.
- Eyes (👀) = Watching or paying attention.
- See-no-evil monkey (🙈) = Embarrassment or hiding something.
- Money bag (💰) = Wealth, success, or materialistic desires.
- Smiling devil face (😈) = Naughtiness or reckless behavior.
- Hugging face (🤗) = Appreciation, affection.
- Wink (😉) = Flirting or playful teasing.
- Silly face (🤪) = Fun or being goofy.
- Nerd face (🤓) = Intelligence, nerdiness.
- Confused face (😕) = Bewilderment or uncertainty.
- Money mouth (🤑) = Greed or wealth.
- Handshake (🤝) = Agreement, making a deal.
- Fist bump (👊) = Support or agreement.
- Woman dancing (💃) = Joy or celebration.
- Man dancing (🕺) = Letting loose, having fun.
- Tropical island (🏝️) = Relaxation or vacation.
- Plane (✈️) = An upcoming journey.
- Rainbow (🌈) = Optimism, happiness, pride.
- Globe (🌎) = Unity, the world coming together.
- Praying hands (🙏) = Asking for blessings or help.
- Rocketship (🚀) = A great success or achievement.
- Disco ball (🪩) = Partying or having a good time.
- Peace sign (✌️) = Affirmative, agreement, or a sign of peace.
- Heart (💖) = Love, care, and affection.
- Cat with heart eyes (😻) = Happiness due to love.
- Birthday cake (🎂) = A celebration of life.
- Star (⭐️) = Stardom, achieving greatness.
- Four-leaf clover (🍀) = Luck or fortune.
- Sparkles (✨) = Magic, beauty, and awe.
- Trophy (🏆) = Accomplishment or success.
- Shooting star (🌠) = Wishes coming true.
- Lightning bolt (⚡️) = Power, energy, and excitement.
Looking for fun emoji to use on Discord? Check out our full list of Discord emoji, complete with customizations and tricks.
Instagram emoji caption ideas
If you want to get creative with your Instagram bio, here are a few cute emojis for Instagram bios:
- Chasing dreams and sunshine. ☁️🌈
- On a seafood diet: I see food and I eat it! 🍣🍕🍔🍰
- Life’s a game 🎮, and I’m the master of figuring out the rules as I go 🤷♀️.
- Bringing a little sparkle wherever I go. ✨
- Hoping for a year where all my socks find their soulmates. 🧦❤️🔍
- Sunkissed and heart full of joy. 🌞❤️
- Nature doesn’t hurry, yet everything is accomplished. 🌲🕰️🌳
- Collecting memories like seashells. 🐚📸
- Plotting world domination 🌍, one project 📁 at a time.
- Life’s a blend of chaos ⚡, caffeine ☕, and a pinch of serendipity ✨.
- Lost in the pages of a good book and a happy heart. 📚❤️
- Radiating good energy, one smile at a time. 🌟😊
- Exploring new places with a skip in my step. 🗺️💃
- Happiness blooms from within. 🌻🌱
- Living life unapologetically and loving it. 🌟💖
- Sunset state of mind. 🌅🧡🌴
- Embracing adulting like… wait, how do you adult again? 🤷♀️👩💼
- I take mirror selfies because my reflection understands me. 🤳👯♀️🪞
- Wearing my invisible crown and ruling the day. 👑💁♀️🌟
- Professional napper and aspiring world traveler. 💤✈️😴
- Dressed to impress 💃, ready to conquer deadlines 📊 and dance floors 🕺.
- Spreading positivity like glitter – it gets everywhere! ✨😄💫
- Slaying the day one caffeine molecule at a time. ☕⚡️👊
- Living that “I’m not a morning person” stereotype proudly. 🌅☕😴
- Exploring the world, one food coma at a time. 🌍🍔🍟🍦
- Absolutely loving the sunshine on my face. ☀️
- Embracing the little moments that make life big. 🌟
- Laughing at my own jokes like… 😂
- Dancing through life’s ups and downs. 💃🕺
- Finding joy in the simplest things. 🌼
- Balancing dreams 💭, goals 🎯, and the occasional pizza slice 🍕.
- Hiking trails and chasing sunsets – that’s my kind of therapy. 🥾🌅🏞️
- Adventures and smiles, that’s my kind of therapy. 🌄
- Savoring the sweetness of today. 🍭
- Life’s a puzzle 🧩, and I’m collecting moments 📸 to complete the picture
- Living life with a little bit of sugar, spice, and everything fried. 🍔🍟🍦
- Spreading positivity like confetti. 🎉
- Collecting memories around the world, one destination at a time. 📸❤️
Life’s too short for a boring adventure. Let’s get lost! 🌟🌍 - Living in a world of filters, but my personality is 100% real! 😂📸🙌
- Lost in a world of good vibes. 🌈
- Living for the moments that steal my smile. 💖
- City lights and late nights. 🌆🌙 Chasing waves and dreams. 🌊🌌
- Living life in full bloom. 🌸🌼
- In a world full of trends, be a classic. 👗👓
- Sweatpants enthusiast with a PhD in Netflix. 📺👖🍕
- Taking each day one cup of coffee at a time. ☕❤️
- Exploring art, one brushstroke at a time. 🎨🖌️
- Adventures are calling, and I must go. 🌄🌍
- Counting memories, not calories, on this vacation. 🏖️🍕📸
- Finding joy in the rhythm of everyday life. 🎶😊
- Living life like a work of art in progress. 🎨🌟
- Weekend warrior on a quest for relaxation. 🌴🌴
- Capturing moments that make my heart skip a beat. 💓📷
- Trying to adult, but my snacks keep distracting me. 🍕📚🤔
- Chasing goals and catching smiles along the way. 🏃♀️😄
- I’m not procrastinating, I’m just giving my ideas time to marinate. 🤔🍳🧠
- Flipping my hair and conquering the day. 💁♀️💪
- Exploring the great outdoors and my own backyard. 🏞️🏡
- Celebrating life’s beautiful mess one day at a time. 🎉🤹♀️
- Making my own sunshine because I can’t find the remote. ☀️📺🤷♂️
- Happiness is homemade, and I’m the chef. 🍳👩🍳
- When life gives you lemons, add tequila and have a party! 🍋🍹🎉
- Living life like a perpetual DIY project – mostly Pinterest fails. 🛠️📌😅
- The only drama I enjoy is in my lashes. 👁️🗨️😂
- Current status: Coffee in one hand, confidence in the other. ☕🙌
- Facing challenges with the determination of a honey badger 🦡 – fearless and a little bit sassy 💁♀️.
- My bed and I have the perfect relationship – we’re always in a good sleepover. 🛏️💤😴
- I’m not arguing, I’m just explaining why I’m right. 💁♀️🗣️🤣
- Taking life one cup of coffee at a time, with a splash of sarcasm. ☕️🙃
- “Adulting” was a typo, and I’ve been trying to “adult” ever since. 🤦♀️👶👩🍳
- When in doubt, add more glitter. And then some more. ✨✨✨
- Living life like it’s a marathon, but I’m definitely built for sprinting. 🏃♀️🍕😅
- Behind every great person is a pile of laundry they’ve been avoiding. 🧺🤷♂️👑
- I put the “elusive” in exercise. 🏋️♀️🤷♀️😆
- My superpower? Turning pizza into energy. 🍕⚡️🦸♀️
- If I were a superhero, my power would be finding the last piece of chocolate. 🍫🦸♀️
- My horoscope said I should do something crazy today. So I wore mismatched socks. ♒🧦😜
- I’m not clumsy, I’m just participating in the floor’s obstacle course. 🤸♀️🤦♂️😂
- Too glam to give a damn, but not too glam to eat leftovers. 💅🍛😉
- When life gives you lemons, trade them for coffee. ☕🍋🤝
- My life is basically a series of unfinished DIY projects. 🛠️🙈🤷♀️
- Life update: Still using “adulting” as a verb, still unsure how to do it properly. 🤷♀️👩💼📆
- I’m not lazy, I’m in energy-saving mode. 🛌💤💡
- Currently taking applications for a personal chef, laundry fairy, and motivation guru. Any takers? 🍝🧚♂️🧘♀️
- Life’s a rollercoaster, and I’m the one screaming in the front seat. 🎢🙀🤪
- I run on caffeine, chaos, and a dash of lipstick. ☕💄🌀
- Wander often, wonder always. 🚶♀️🌍🤔
- Trading WiFi for wide-open spaces and unforgettable moments. 📶🏞️📸
- Counting down ⏳ to Friday like it’s a rocket launch 🚀 to the weekend.
- Juggling tasks like a circus performer 🎪 – except with more coffee ☕ and fewer acrobatics 🤹♀️.
Start building your Instagram presence using Hootsuite. Schedule and publish posts directly to Instagram, engage your audience, measure performance, and run all your other social media profiles — all from one simple dashboard. Try it free today.
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Have you ever heard the phrase, “all sizzle, no steak”? It’s the perfect “meaty” metaphor for social media vanity metrics.
It can absolutely be exciting to rack up the likes or see your follower count jump. Of course you want to shout your reshare rate from the rooftops!
But be careful. any social metric can turn into a “vanity” metric if you’re bragging about it without any context.
Social media metrics are incredibly important for a social media manager and shouldn’t be ignored. They can be key performance indicators: numbers that inform and measure your social media strategy and help your team see where you’ve been and where you’re going.
But here’s the thing. Not all social stats are created equal. For a metric to be meaningful, it has to tie back to your business objectives.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you cut through the vanity-metric hype to find those beefy, meaty metrics that help you prove the true value of your social media marketing.
#1 Analytics Tool for Growth
Beautiful reports. Clear data. Actionable insights to help you grow faster.
What are vanity metrics?
A social media metric is a number that quantifies a particular action or behavior related to your social media account. A vanity metric is a social media metric that looks impressive at a glance but doesn’t necessarily indicate a company’s overall success in reaching its goals.
In the words of the all-mighty Hootsuite glossary:
A vanity metric is an analytics item that can be measured but is not a signifier of real return on investment. Examples include the number of followers, likes, or comments on social media posts. These metrics are best contextualized by more concrete numbers such as click-through rate or visitor-to-lead conversions.
For example, the social media manager at the Acme Alarm Clock Company might be able to show the CEO that there are 200,000 followers on the brand’s Instagram account. But the goal of the company is actually to sell alarm clocks. And sales haven’t improved at all with this growth in followers.
So, in this case, follower count is actually a vanity metric. Sure, it sounds good on paper, but ultimately, it’s not helping the CEO move those clocks.
The moral of the story: any social media statistic from any social media platform can be a vanity metric, depending on the situation.
The number of likes on a TikTok video isn’t meaningful if your target audience isn’t on TikTok.
The number of comments on your Instagram Story doesn’t mean much if they’re all from spam accounts.
A brand’s follower count can skyrocket, but if those followers aren’t engaging with your content, what good is that? (Which reminds us: never buy followers. Trust us.)
In other words, a “vanity metric” for one brand will be totally different from a vanity metric for another brand. It all ultimately depends on what business success you’re hoping to get from your social media strategy.
Vanity metrics vs. actionable metrics
Now that you’re crystal clear on what a vanity metric is, you’re probably curious about what an actionable metric might be. Don’t be embarrassed, it’s only natural.
Actionable metrics are social media metrics that are all meaningful — important social media metrics that help you measure, analyze, and strategize. Actionable social media metrics provide concrete insights and can be directly tied to specific actions that drive business growth. Really, an actionable metric is just the opposite of a vanity metric.
While much of life exists on a spectrum, for social media metrics, a number is either pure vanity or truly actionable. But what side of the binary any given social media metric sits on, of course, will depend on the social media account. We’re all beautiful flowers, et cetera, et cetera.
Vanity metrics examples
We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again: It’s important to note that any metric can be a vanity metric without proper analysis. And any metric can be meaningful when presented in context with the proper analysis. That being said, the following metrics are most commonly prone to being viewed as vanity metrics for any given field.
Vanity metrics in social media marketing
In social media marketing, vanity metrics include follower count, likes, and comments. Sure, these numbers can offer a quick ego boost, but the truth is, they often fail to reflect the true engagement and influence of your brand on your business’s bottom line.
This might lead you to ask: so, what are the actionable metrics for social media marketing? Engagement metrics like engagement rate are probably meaningful numbers that can offer you and your team some insight. Shares also say more about whether your content is resonating with your audience than likes (try putting your posts through Rachel Karten’s shareability test).
But at the end of the day, it really depends on what your specific goals are with social media and your business.
Bonus: Get a free social media report template to easily and effectively present your social media performance to key stakeholders.
Vanity metrics in digital marketing
Digital marketing encompasses a wide range of channels, including social media, email marketing, and advertising, so this is a pretty tough one to identify vanity metrics for. In some cases, vanity metrics for digital marketing could be likes; in another case, it could be page views.
If you’re tracking the ROI of digital marketing, you need to identify vanity metrics specific to each channel to make sure that you can prioritize actionable metrics that align with your unique business goals.
Vanity metrics in content marketing
Social media can be a great tool for driving traffic to your blog posts, articles, whitepapers, or research docs… and content marketing, in turn, can be an effective conversion or branding tool. This leads many people to assume that pageviews or click-throughs are the metric for measuring success. In reality, these can be vanity metrics.
Is your bounce rate low? Is the time spent on the page high? Those are numbers that can provide context to the pageview stats and let you know if those views are actually valuable. (Metrics like conversion rates, in this case, can be far more informative about the impact of your content on audience behavior.)
Vanity metrics in email marketing
People are opening your emails! That’s wonderful news!
But are they actually reading those emails? Are they clicking on your links?
Is anyone actually buying any of those alarm clocks you’re still trying desperately to sell? If not, your high open rate might actually not be that impressive after all. (Sorry!)
Open rates and click-through rates are commonly mistaken as the ultimate indicators of email marketing success. But the truth is that conversion rates and revenue per email are more actionable metrics that reveal the true ROI of your email campaigns.
Vanity metrics in advertising
The online advertising industry is built on the back of impressions. After all, if Meta tells you you’ve reached 300,000 people, that certainly sounds like a good use of $100. But impressions and click-through rates in advertising can be deceiving.
A more concrete way to measure the success of a social media advertising campaign would be to concentrate on metrics like cost per acquisition (CPA) and return on ad spend (ROAS). These are stats that will more accurately allow you to assess the profitability of your advertising efforts.
Vanity metrics in brand management
While they can be really important and helpful, metrics like social media reach and sentiment scores can also be misleading out of context.
Just because someone has seen your post doesn’t mean they care for your brand or products. Just because you have a positive sentiment score doesn’t mean that your target audience likes you more than your competitor. (Oof.)
To gauge brand perception accurately, consider metrics like brand awareness, customer lifetime loyalty, and Net Promoter Score (NPS). But, again, a meaningful brand management metric really will vary from brand to brand, depending on what you’re trying to accomplish with your brand management strategy.
Vanity metrics in search marketing
You’d think measuring the success of search marketing efforts would be simple: did people find you when they searched for you? But metrics like rankings and organic traffic numbers can be surprisingly superficial.
Instead, focus on metrics like organic conversion rate and keyword ROI to measure the actual impact of your SEO efforts. (Psst, while you’re here, maybe brush up on your social SEO skills?)
Vanity metrics in public relations
In the PR world, metrics like media mentions may seem like an obvious mark of success. But that number is really just a surface-level impression of the success of your efforts.
To really see the impact of public relations work, you might be better off focusing on metrics that demonstrate the impact on your brand’s reputation and credibility — think sentiment analysis and share of voice.
So there you have it: everything you ever wanted to know about vanity metrics for social media. Please, please, no need to thank us. Just go forth and practice analysis with all this info!
Go beyond vanity metrics and track the real value of your social media performance with Hootsuite. Publish your posts and analyze the results in the same easy-to-use dashboard. ROI has never been easier to prove. Try it free today.
All your social media analytics in one place. Use Hootsuite to see what’s working and where to improve performance.
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