Reference · Cheat Sheet
What Every Feed Rewards
Compressed from Lesson 2. The shared model behind Instagram, YouTube & LinkedIn — keep it in mind before every platform-specific lesson.
The one idea
A feed is a prediction engine. For every candidate post it asks: "How likely is this person to engage with this right now?" — shows its best bets, then learns from what you actually do.
The 3 signals → your 4 blocks
| Signal | What it measures | Metric name | Your lever |
| Stop | Did they halt the scroll / click? | CTR | Hook |
| Stay | How long did they watch / read? | AVD / retention | Value + Payoff |
| React | Like, comment, save, share? | Engagement rate | CTA |
Signal strength — not all reactions are equal
- Share — loudest. "Worth passing to someone else."
- Save — very strong. "Worth keeping / re-reading."
- Comment — strong, and buys extra reach on LinkedIn especially.
- Like — weakest. Cheap tap, low intent.
Rule of thumb
Signals are read in order. A weak Stop means the feed never even tests your Stay or React. Fix the earliest weak signal first — usually the hook.
Metric definitions vary by platform (a "stop" on a text post ≠ a video click). Per-platform detail comes in the next lessons; this card is the shared frame they all hang on.