X has shared a fresh overview of how it ranks content for the “For You” feed, the primary timeline where most users discover posts.
And while you can still opt into the chronological “Following” feed, the ranking signals behind “For You” reveal what X believes drives engagement and keeps people scrolling.
Spoiler: it’s all about conversation.
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According to X’s documentation, here are the current key factors, with their relative weighting (out of 100), that determine whether your posts make it into more timelines:
- +75 – The probability that the user replies to the Tweet and that reply is then engaged with by the Tweet author
- +13.5 – The probability that the user replies to the Tweet
- +12.0 – The probability that the user opens the Tweet author profile and Likes or replies to a Tweet
- +11 – The probability that the user will click into the conversation of this Tweet and reply or Like a Tweet
- +10 – The probability that the user will click into the conversation of this Tweet and stay there for at least 2 minutes
- +1.0 – The likelihood that the user will Retweet the Tweet
- +0.5 – The likelihood that the user will favorite the Tweet
- +0.005 – The probability (for a video Tweet) that the user will watch at least half of the video
The weighting speaks volumes. Replies, and especially replies that spark responses from the author, dominate the ranking system. Retweets, Likes, and even video watch time barely move the needle by comparison.
For brands and creators, the takeaway is clear: don’t just post for passive engagement, post to start conversations. If you want reach on X, focus less on broadcasting and more on dialogue, because the algorithm rewards the posts that pull people into exchanges.