JANUARY 20, 2026

PUBLISHER INSIDER

🚨 What you need to know this week

​1. Facebook just changed how Reels get distributed and it’s a big deal for creators. Meta stopped guessing what people like. They’re now asking users directly. Quick in-feed questions, simple answers. Then the AI listens. The result is - Reels recommendations jumped from about 48% accuracy to over 70%. That’s a massive improvement, and Meta says engagement and retention are already up. What does this mean in real life? Generic viral junk gets less reach. Niche content that actually fits an audience gets more. Stop chasing empty virality and build Reels for a real audience. When people enjoy what they see, Facebook now knows it and keeps pushing it.

​2. Instagram just let users take control of the Reels algorithm (for real this time). Mosseri confirmed it: “Your Algo” is now live for all English users globally. You can directly tell Instagram what you want more of (or less of) inside the Reels tab. And for a limited time, users can even lock in their top three interests for 2026. This is a big shift - the algorithm is being tuned by users themselves. That means creators who stay relevant to real interests will win more consistently, while generic, spray-and-pray content gets filtered out faster.

​3. Facebook wants Groups to talk more with the “Jump back in” feature. They’ve just added the feature that pushes recent Group conversations back in front of members so they can re-enter threads instantly, and it’s live on iOS right now. If you run communities that stall after day one, this is a nudge that actually helps. Expect more replies, more return visits, and fewer dead threads just sitting there.

​4. Meta AI now translates Reels into nine languages. That includes Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, and Kannada, on top of Hindi, English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Creators can review translations before publishing, turn it on or off anytime, and even enable AI dubbing and lip-sync so it looks like you’re actually speaking the language. This matters because India is one of the largest user bases of FB. Huge audience, massive watch time, and historically under-monetized compared to the US and Europe. Meta isn’t adding this for fun, they’re widening the funnel.

📈 Chart of the week

Reels outperform other content types with an engagement rate of 0.23%:

What’s happening? Facebook Reels are outperforming every other content type by a wide margin. Reels average a 0.23% engagement rate, compared to 0.11% for video posts and just 0.03% for link posts. At the same time, users are spending more time on-platform, with average daily usage hitting 31 minutes per day in the US.
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What does that mean for you? FB algorithm is clearly favoring content that keeps users inside the app, and Reels do that best. If link posts were once the traffic workhorse, video is now the distribution engine. Brands leaning into Reels are seeing higher retention and stronger overall reach. This doesn’t mean you should abandon links. The play is using Reels to earn attention first, then converting it downstream.

🧠 Strategy of the week

HOW TO HIT $25K–$40K/MONTH WITH FACELESS FACEBOOK PAGES
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1. Build a small portfolio, not one “perfect” page.

Start with 3–5 faceless Pages so you’re not betting everything on one algorithm mood swing.

Pick niches that monetize and move fast: news, politics, finance, travel, entertainment, celebrity.
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2. Post like a media desk, not a hobbyist.

Your baseline cadence per Page: 6–8 posts/day (timely + viral + breaking).

Don’t overthink originality early. Win by being fast, clear, and consistent.
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3. Add Reels for reach, but make it a daily habit.

Minimum: 1 Reel/day per Page.

Reels are your distribution multiplier. They’re how pages break plateaus and suddenly jump in followers and earnings.
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4. Wait for the Content Monetization invite, but earn it on purpose.

Keep the Page clean: no obvious repost spam, no sketchy looping clips, no constant borderline content.

The invite usually shows up when Meta sees consistent engagement + stable Page quality.
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5. Repurpose across the portfolio to compound output.

Once you have winners, you don’t reinvent. You recreate the same idea across Pages with new:

• hooks
• captions
• images/visuals
• context/angle

This is how you scale without hiring a newsroom.
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6. Track what the algorithm is rewarding THIS WEEK and adjust fast.

Daily check: what posts drove the most shares, comments, watch time, follows.

Then do more of that tomorrow.
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If you do this right, you’re not chasing viral hits. You’re building assets that can clear $25K–$40K/month without a face, a personal brand, or a giant team.

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💰 Get world-class experts to guide you on how to build your own Facebook enterprise through our Facebook Elite Consulting program.
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📢 X posts of the week

Publisher in a Box @publisherinabox you don't need to exclusively focus on breaking news and politics to earn major revenue from FB pages here's an earnings snapshot from a page that earned over $20K last month from the content monetization program it focuses on feel good content and news 7:56 PM • Jan 16, 2026 0 Retweets 61 Likes Read 5 replies

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Publisher in a Box @publisherinabox Facebook content monetization earnings math to generate $19K in monthly earnings (rule of thumb): Reviewing stats on one of our pages... 191.3 million views from 3.7 million interactions generated $19,000 and 97,500 new follows in one month How do your pages compare? If 7:56 PM • Jan 14, 2026 0 Retweets 39 Likes Read 3 replies

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Publisher in a Box @publisherinabox Something like this every day is not bad. Have had a few $2k-$3k+ days since this screenshot was taken 5:56 PM • Jan 13, 2026 0 Retweets 30 Likes Read 3 replies

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