Photograph: Dado Ruvic/Reuters

After putting forward the videos on our news feed, Facebook announced a new version of its algorithm that favors publications of close friends rather than followed Pages. This is good news if you like to follow the news of your friends. However, if you are a brand, it does not augur well. 

Facebook wants a more harmonious newsfeed in which there would be as many publications of your friends that content published by brands.

To do this, Facebook will highlight the content of your close friends, referring to how you have categorized your friends: family, close friends, friends you follow publications of, etc. 

Also, Facebook wants to improve the experience of users with few friends. Indeed, it was rare to see several publications from the same person on Facebook. It will now be possible so that people can then spend more time on their news feed.

So far nothing unusual. But following complaints from multiple users, the contents liked and commented  by friends (Discussed Photos by your friends, but also publications from a Facebook Page which you were not subscribed) will less appear on your feed. According to Max Eulenstein, product manager at Facebook,  this change will cause a decrease of reach and commitment on publications, since they will be less showcased. This decline of Pages visibility therefore encourage brands to invest in paid advertising to increase their reach.

But beware, advertising is not the solution to everything! Facebook continues to encourage companies to publish quality content, relevant to its audience. It is ultimately the best way to reach new subscribers and increase your reach!