The ranking signals in X's algorithm, and what each one is worth

The ranker doesn't score your post on a single "engagement" number. It predicts the probability of each action a viewer might take, multiplies each by that action's weight, and sums them. Understanding those weights tells you exactly what to optimize for.

The positive signals (earn these)

• Author replies back to a reply - the heaviest positive weight; a genuine conversation the creator joins.
• Replies received - conversation is worth far more than a passive like.
• Reposts - the post is worth spreading to someone else's audience.
• Long dwell time and profile clicks - people stopped to read, and wanted to see who you are.
• Likes - positive, but a small fraction of a reply's value.

The negative signals (avoid these)

• "Show less often", mutes, blocks, reports - large negative weights that can sink a post fast.
• Spam and low-quality classifiers - patterns that look automated or engagement-baiting.
• External links in the post body - deprioritized because X wants to keep people on-platform.
• Hashtag stuffing - reads as low-quality to the ranker.

Probability times weight is the whole game

A draft that slightly raises the chance of a heavily-weighted action (a reply-back) beats one that chases a lightly-weighted one (a like). This is why "write to start a conversation" consistently outperforms "write to get likes" - the math literally favors it.

How to use this when you write

Before you post, ask: does this invite a reply? Is it worth stopping to read to the end? Would someone repost it to their own audience? If yes, you are pointed at the heavy weights. Scoring a draft against the real signals turns that gut check into a number you can improve.

X Radar drafts every post in your cloned voice and scores it against these exact signals in under a second, then runs your growth on Autopilot. Sign in with X to try it free.