Facebook gets behind meaningful video content

May 7, 2019

If you’ve been following our blogs for a while, you’ll know that we rave about video content on social. And no, we’re not done with the raving yet! Video content is something that Facebook really care about, and they’re constantly making changes so that valuable content gets served to the users who are most likely to enjoy it.

Video distribution on Facebook is already very sophisticated (you can read more about that here). But, we want to share the latest update with you so that you know how you will benefit.

Over the next few months, Facebook will be updating its algorithm to further improve how videos are surfaced to users across the News Feed, Facebook Watch, and the recommended More Videos.

Firstly, loyalty and intent. If a user watches the same content creator on a regular basis, they should be more likely to receive their content in their news feed. Facebook will add more weight in ranking to videos and content creators for which a user has repeat viewership.

Longer form content IS valuable on social media, as you’ll know if you already follow us and our blogs. Viewing duration is really important. Facebook is putting more weight in ranking behind videos that users are watching videos for at least one minute, as a sign that the content is keeping people engaged, particularly on videos over three minutes long.

Finally, Facebook will crack down on unoriginal or repurposed content. They’re pretty passionate that this kind of content isn’t adding value, that it shouldn’t be making money, and that Pages involved in sharing schemes should be demoted by their algorithms. We’re certainly aligned with this sentiment, and we’re looking forward to seeing originality fly!

What does this mean?

For users – they’ll have an easier time discovering videos that matter to them and finding video creators who they can keep coming back to for the content that they love.

For video creators – they’ll have an easier time finding their audience, and they’ll also have a better chance of profiting from their content.

We’re looking forward to seeing the benefits of these changes, as media creators and as users! If you’ve got any thoughts about these updates, we’d love to chat about it on our social channels!

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