<b>The engagement signal hierarchy nobody publishes</b>

<b>The engagement signal hierarchy nobody publishes</b>

The question: not all engagement is equal — so which actions actually move reach, in what order?

An analysis ranked engagement signals by their association with downstream reach, controlling for post size. Method: partial correlations — measuring each signal's link to reach while holding the others constant, so credit is not double-counted.

Three findings:
— Saves and shares (effortful, intent-signaling actions) associated most strongly with extended reach.
— Comments sat in the middle; likes near the bottom — likes are cheap and the model appears to price them accordingly.
— Reshares with added commentary outperformed bare reshares, implying the platform rewards new content creation, not pass-along.

Caveats: signal weights likely shift over time and by surface; correlational — treat as directional.

What it means for B2B: a call-to-action of 'save this for your next planning cycle' may do more for reach than 'agree?'. Design the ask around the high-value action, not the easy one.

Bottom line: chase saves and qualified shares. Likes are applause; saves are intent.