People Can Now Tell Facebook What They Want to See. That Changes Your Content Plan.

For years, social media worked like this.
You scrolled.
The algorithm watched.
It guessed what you liked.
Sometimes it guessed right.
Often it didn’t.

That is starting to change.
Quietly, the big platforms are letting people tell the algorithm what they want.
In their own words.

What changed this month

Facebook launched a control that lets people describe what they want to see in plain language.
It works in the main feed and in Reels, and it uses large language models to understand the request.
So someone can say something like “more home renovation ideas, less celebrity news”, and the feed adjusts.

TikTok added “Manage Topics” and “Smart Keyword Filters”.
People can push certain topics up in their For You page and filter out videos with keywords they don’t want.
TikTok also added voice comments of up to 60 seconds for adults, along with polls and carousels in comments.

Instagram now supports Reels up to 20 minutes and lets people add posts they’re tagged in to their own grid.

LinkedIn started letting colleagues vouch for each other’s job history.

B2 the 7 and Gain have good roundups if you want the details.

Why this matters for businesses

When the algorithm was guessing, a lot of content got shown to people who didn’t really want it.
A controversial hook.
A trending sound.
A post designed to get comments.
The algorithm saw engagement and pushed it further.

When people can say what they want, that changes.
Someone who asks for “practical marketing tips for small businesses” isn’t asking for drama.
Someone who filters out a keyword isn’t going to see your post about it, however clever the hook.

The feed becomes less about tricking attention.
And more about matching what people have actually asked for.

What to change in your content plan

Be clear about your topic.
If someone has to watch half a video to understand what it’s about, it’s harder to match to a request.
Say it early.
Say it plainly.
“Three mistakes on restaurant websites that cost bookings” beats “You won’t believe what we found”.

Pick a lane and stay in it.
Accounts that post about everything are harder to match to anything.
If you’re an interior design studio, be the account people want when they ask for interior ideas.
Not a general lifestyle page with occasional design posts.

Use words people actually use.
Captions, on-screen text and spoken words all help platforms understand content.
Your customers don’t say “bespoke spatial solutions”.
They say “small apartment storage ideas”.

Stop leaning on engagement bait.
“Comment YES if you agree” may still get comments.
But if people can steer their own feeds, content that annoys them gets steered away.

Make the comments worth reading.
Voice comments, polls and carousels in comments turn the comment section into part of the content.
Answer questions properly.
Some of your best future posts are sitting in there.

The bigger shift

Across platforms, reach is increasingly earned through proof.
Proof of identity.
Proof of expertise.
Proof that you actually make useful things.

That’s good news for businesses that know their subject.
And bad news for accounts that only know how to game the feed.

If you want help building a content plan for feeds people steer themselves, our social media team can take a look at what you’re posting now.
And if short-form video is part of your plan, start with how B2B brands are using Reels, Shorts and TikTok.