Since its acquisition by Elon Musk, X (Formerly Twitter) has changed in many ways. From its rebranding from Twitter to X to its content moderation policies and the commercialization of the verification badge, many changes have occurred on X. The platform also changed its algorithm, with reports indicating that it now prioritizes content from verified accounts. 

Additionally, it is claimed that it now gives prominence to the sensational and right-leaning content. This indicates that what used to work in the Twitter algorithm may not work in 2026. In this article, we examine how the X algorithm works in 2026 and offer tips for gaining more visibility on the platform.

How the X algorithm Works

On the 1st of April 2023, the X algorithm was open-sourced and released on GitHub. This code showed how X ranks content on the user’s feed. Additionally, Twitter’s algorithm seems to suggest that it considers the following factors:

• Recency. As a platform that focuses more on trends and news sharing, X prioritizes content consistent with the latest tweets.
• New tweets. The platform is more likely to show you tweets you hadn’t seen earlier, since tweets quickly become outdated.
• RealGraph. Twitter also uses the RealGraph score to determine your chances of engaging with a Tweet. This is a logistic regression model that considers factors such as your frequency of previous interaction, engagement history, and more. If a creator has a high RealGraph score, the chances of their tweets appearing in your feed increase.

How Twitter Ranks Content From People You Don’t Follow

X will also show you tweets from accounts you don’t follow if they think it will be relevant to you. So, how does it decide what is relevant to you? It considers several factors such as:

• Social graph. Twitter analyzes the activity of the people you follow and those you share interests with. For instance, if you liked or replied to a tweet about home workout tips, Twitter assumes that these types of tweets will be relevant to you.
• Embedding space. X will also consider your preferred topics to determine the tweets you will likely enjoy. Twitter used SimClusters to classify issues on the platform into 145k clusters. All tweets are mapped in the communities, which may include categories such as soccer, news, NBA, and Bollywood. As a user, you can become part of several communities. X suggests that many of their out-of-network recommendations result from the embedding space, with the Social Graph accounting for about 15% of the recommendations.

How Twitter’s Ranks Determine Tweets’ Chronological Order?

The above sections show how X determines the Tweets you will likely see. But how does it decide which tweet you will see first, second, third, and so on? This can be tricky, but overall,  the platform’s machine learning determines the ranking order. It tries to determine the tweet you are more likely to like, retweet, reply to, or share.

However, some actions have more weight than others. For instance, a reply to an original tweet in a conversation gets the highest score, i.e., if someone replies to a tweet, and you also respond to them. Liking a tweet is given the lowest score, which is understandable, as it doesn’t take much effort to enjoy a tweet. The platform will, therefore, consider the Tweet you are more likely to engage with.

How Twitter Ranks Longform Content?

In the past, many brands used to leverage Twitter Threads to increase their reach and engagement. In recent times, X has approved posting long-form content up to 4000 characters, but this feature is only available for people who subscribe to X Premium. 

No algorithm code shows that these long-form posts perform better than single tweets or threads. Therefore, there is no need to stress yourself trying to understand long-form content, but it's essential to have a strategy for creating more long-form content. Rather than just adding words, you must ensure you hook your audience from the beginning to the end.

When you create long-form content on Twitter, you want to position yourself as an expert. You need to create a narrative that hooks your audience and keeps them engaged from start to finish. You can take a different approach with long-form X content, such as:

• Sharing a story.
• Providing in-depth insights.
• Explaining some complex ideas.
• Establishing yourself as an authority.

You should also note that long-form posts often result in higher engagement. People are more likely to comment, share, or reply to posts when they see them offering value. Ensure you add that aha element, providing your audience with something new or inspiring them to take action.

If you create complex long-form content, you can break it down into threads to make it more approachable and encourage users to follow easily. Doing so will increase your credibility and encourage your followers to remain connected for more insights.

Tips to Work with the Twitter Algorithm

We have already seen how Twitter ranks tweets. The good news is that you can work around the algorithm to increase your Tweet's visibility. Here are some top tips on doing that:

Post Consistently

As noted earlier, the X algorithm considers post recency when recommending posts. That means if you frequently have fresh content, you will show the algorithm that you have something valuable. Additionally, when your X followers see you have something valuable to offer, you will give them a reason to return to your account to interact more.

The algorithm will start prioritizing your posts by continuously creating fresh content your followers can engage with regularly. It will also show the content to other creators interested in it.

Drive Engagement

Another key factor that affects X's visibility is the engagement rate. If people engage with your posts through likes, replies, and shares, the algorithm has a higher chance of showing them to people. To increase your engagement on social media, you need to drive it.

After creating a post, remain around to reply to people’s comments. When a user likes your posts, also like theirs back. If they share a post, you can replicate it by sharing and commenting to assist or just thank them.

Use Trending Hashtags and Comments

As noted earlier, the conversations on X change very quickly. Since it’s a social media platform with a public forum style, people are always searching for the next big thing. This also means that one of the best ways to increase visibility is to use trending topics related to your business and to participate in conversations to improve your engagement.

It is easy to find trending content on Twitter. All you need to do is visit the Explore page and click the Trending tab. When you click on each tab, it will show you trending news, entertainment, and sports topics. If you are in a tiny niche that may not trend on X, you can follow relevant key industry players to understand what is happening, a key part of brand social listening.

When posting trending content, make sure you post it before it peaks. You can leverage social media tools to help you find trending topics when they arise instead of reacting to them later. Ensure you also use relevant viral hashtags to make it easier for people to find your content. 

Don't always use trending content for your Twitter posts. Instead, mix it with different kinds of content, such as case studies, thought leadership, and repurposed evergreen content.

Add More Videos and Images

Like other social media platforms, X loves visuals such as videos, images, and GIFs. According to users, an analysis of the X open-source code shows that tweets containing videos and photos receive a larger boost than posts without them. X also suggests that people prefer engaging with posts that include visuals. Videos, images, and GIFs will signal to the algorithm that you have something interesting to offer your audience.

You can experiment with different media to determine which are driving the highest engagement for your audience. You can then go ahead and replicate it in your posts.

You can use different tips to add more multimedia content, such as:

• Showing customer testimonials.
• Carousels for adding multi-image elements.
• Adding user-generated content.
• GIFs to drive engagement.

Remember that videos receive the highest engagement on different social media platforms, even though X is primarily a text-based platform. Instead of using images as standalone content, you can use them to enrich your social media plan. Also, make sure that the images fit in your overall social media strategy rather than forcing them into your content.

Understand Your Optimal Posting Time

Another key factor that can improve the engagement rate on X and, in return, higher visibility is the posting time. When considering when to post on X, choose a time when your audience is mostly online so that they will see your posts. 

You can leverage the X analytics feature to analyze the post traffic. As a premium subscriber, you will see post metrics such as impressions, reposts, and likes. However, if you need more granular analytics, you can use a third-party tool to see which post performed best.

If you are a beginner on Twitter without much historical data, consider posting between 9 A.M. and 12 P.M. on weekdays, as these times are the most effective. Of the weekdays, Wednesdays and Fridays have the highest engagement. This can be a good starting point as you refine your data to determine when your audience is most active. You can also pay attention to the competitor posting times to see which posts perform best.

Create a Variety of Content Formats

If you create a similar content structure in all your posts, it can be hard to keep your audience interested. This is why you must experiment with different content, such as videos, polls, creating engaging Twitter threads, text updates, and live streams. One of the benefits of dynamic content is that it helps you reach a diverse audience and keep them engaged. This can enable you to move up the X algorithm.

Here are several content formats to consider:

• Visual content stands out well in your feed, making it perfect for capturing the user’s attention. You can add videos, images, and GIFs to increase your engagement rate.
• Polls are a great, interactive way to drive audience engagement and gather opinions and feedback. They can help improve participation and spur more conversations. 
• Threads. If your message can't fit in a single tweet, you can use a thread. These are excellent choices for diving deeper into a topic and increasing your audience’s engagement with longer content formats.
• Retweeting other people’s content. You can add commentary to other people's tweets.`

Create Concise and Engaging Posts

While the tips above will help drive engagement, they must be backed by high-quality content, so check the data to see what content your users find interesting. Remember that you may not have much time to make your point clear, so you should focus on creating concise content. Remember that the first few words matter a lot; thus, you must start with a hook.

You can consider several tips to make your X content more engaging.

• Start with a hook. Ensure that the start of your Twitter posts can easily grab the viewer’s attention. You can use different kinds of hooks, such as a bold statement, a shocking statement, or a compelling question.
• Make your posts brief. Keep your post short and clear so that each word has an impact. If you create very long content, users may lose attention. If you are making a topic that needs to be discussed in depth, try threads, which consist of replies collected in a single post. This will enable your audience to explore the topic deeply.
• Consider your brand voice. Ensure that your tone matches your brand voice and reflects your personality. The X tone can range from conversational to casual. 
• Add a call to action. Use a call to action to encourage users to interact with your post. Ensure you add these naturally in your posts and ask users to provide answers, give their opinions, or share the tweet.

Track the Performance of Your Posts

After you have created outstanding tweets, you need to track their performance. You can track various metrics such as:

• Engagement metrics. Check various engagement metrics, such as likes, replies, quote posts, and shares. If your tweets have a high engagement rate, it indicates that they are resonating with your target audience.
• Reach and impressions are good metrics for tracking how many people can see your post. If your tweets receive high engagement but a low engagement rate, this could indicate that you need to add strong CTAs or hooks.
• Click-through rate. If your posts have links, you can track the number of people who click on them by paying attention to the click-through rate.
• Engagement rate. To calculate the engagement rate, divide the impressions by the engagements. A high engagement rate shows that your audience strongly interacts with your content.
• Engagement time. Pay attention to when your posts receive the most interactions. You can then use this data to optimize your posts better.
• Follower growth is a good metric for determining whether your content is gaining new followers. A spike in subscribers indicates that your content is performing well.
• Performance of different content formats. Pay attention to how the various content formats, such as videos, polls, and text posts, perform. This will enable you to identify the content that performs best with your audience.
• Top analysis. Pay attention to the topic that is bringing the most interest. You can then double down on some of your popular themes or try variations of your successful content.
• Audience insights. X analytics will show various metrics, such as your followers' demographics, interests, and locations.
• Sentiment analysis. Pay attention to how your audience replies to comments or replies. If you get positive interaction, it clearly indicates that the content aligns with your audience’s needs. On the other hand, negative feedback can indicate that you need to improve certain areas.

Ask Your Audience’s Thoughts

One of the best ways to get your audience talking is to ask for their thoughts. You can use polls to encourage people to respond to your question within an opinion. A poll can keep people engaged as they only need to click once to react without having to stick around. However, when creating a poll, ensure it is relevant to your target audience. 

Here are some ideas to encourage people to respond and engage in conversation:

• Ask open-ended queries. You can nudge your audience to respond by asking them open-ended questions such as “What is your favourite colour?” or “What mistake did you make that makes you ashamed today?” You can also keep the conversation going by adding your own thoughts.
• Leave your thoughts hanging. You want to spur your audience’s curiosity by leaving your thoughts hanging. For instance, “we are still trying to determine if investing in the stock market is worth it. What’s your thought?”
• Share something shocking, controversial, but professional. Sharing a bold opinion is another great way of sparking debate, but you must be careful not to alienate your users. This is why you need to understand your target audience deeply. You can use a statement like "Unpopular opinion" (followed by a controversial statement). Do you agree?
• Strategic polls/surveys. This should align with what your audience is already discussing.
• Create a challenge. It could be something like “Day 1 of a no-carb diet. Can you do it?”
• Acknowledge replies for the current tweet. When your audience replies to your tweet, create an acknowledgement tweet and use it to ask some follow-up questions.
• Host an “ask me anything” or Q&A session. This can be a good strategy for bonding with your audience. You can ask questions like, “What have you always wanted to ask about me?” I will respond to every comment.

Leverage Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing can help you drive engagement and encourage conversation with communities in your industry or niche. It is a good strategy for bringing a broader community together by creating a focused space for meaningful interactions. This will add to your credibility and visibility on the X account.

When you work with an influencer in your niche, you can have meaningful interactions and conversations with new members. You don’t have to choose a mega influencer if you are a small brand. In fact, smaller influencers with smaller audiences are perfect for creating smaller and more tightly knit niche communities. They can enable you to create a dedicated group of people who believe in your mission.

Take Advantage of X Space

The X space enables Twitter creators to host live discussions, similar to radio or podcasts. It can allow you to connect effectively with your audience. You can use it to answer questions, invite guest speakers, or host conversations. You can also use it to interview users concerning your products and services. You can then post likes to your space or send direct messages to users who might be interested.

Final Thoughts 

To master X (Twitter algorithm), you must combine strategy and knowledge. While changes have been made to the Twitter algorithm, the algorithm aims to connect users with their desired content. By conducting your research and paying attention to analytics, you can improve your business and connect more effectively with your target audience. You can also read our guide on decoding the Instagram algorithm.