Recommendations in the WordPress.com Reader

Discover content through the WordPress.com’s Reader.

Jetpack sites can be included in the WordPress.com Reader, which suggests posts and websites through a combination of curation and automated algorithmic processes. This guide explains where recommended content can be found and how it is selected.

Where Recommended Content Appears

Jetpack content is recommended across the Reader and in the Discover section, tailoring suggestions based on your interactions and popular posts within the community.

Discover

The Discover menu showcases content from both WordPress.com and Jetpack sites. Within Discover, you will see several categories:

• Freshly Pressed: A handpicked collection of favorite content chosen by the WordPress.com team.
• Recommended: Popular posts matched to the tags you follow. If you don’t follow any tags, recommendations default to the “dailyprompt” and “WordPress” tags.
• First Posts: Initial posts from new bloggers.
• Tags: Posts tagged with popular topics.
• Latest: The newest posts related to the tags you follow.

Other Locations in the Reader

Recommendations also appear throughout the Reader experience:

• Reader Search: Shows the most popular matches for your search terms.
• Post Recommendations Feed: Personalized suggestions based on your recent likes and comments, shown on the Reader search page.
• “More on WordPress.com” Related Posts: Popular posts related to the current post, displayed at the end of posts you view in the Reader.

You can also enable the Related Posts feature on your own site, which surface content from within your site according to title, content, and engagement metrics.

How to Appear in Recommended Content

The curation of recommended content happens in two ways: manual selection for Freshly Pressed and algorithm-driven recommendations influenced by user behavior.

Appearing in Freshly Pressed

The editorial team selects posts for Freshly Pressed to highlight exceptional blog content. To improve your chances of selection:

• Create original content: Develop your own material and properly credit any sources you quote or reference, using quotation formatting and links.
• Showcase your unique voice and style: The community embraces a wide range of content types and writing styles, from personal essays to fiction, poetry, and academic writing.
• Include images: Adding a featured image enriches your post’s appearance in the Reader. You can use Openverse Media Library to find free images for your site.
• Ensure readability: Use short paragraphs, break up text for easier reading, avoid distracting visual elements, and proofread your work.
• Add appropriate meta data: Use relevant tags and categories alongside clear, descriptive headlines.

For inspiration, explore blogs featured in Freshly Pressed.

Appearing in Reader Recommendations

Algorithmic recommendations analyze many factors such as:

• Post titles, content, tags, and categories.
• Information about the site and its users, including usernames and site names.
• The number and identity of likes and comments.
• Subscriber counts and subscriber relationships.
• Recency and regularity of posts.
• Your own like and comment activity.
• Inclusion of links, images, or videos in posts.
• History of site rejections from recommendations.

Your engagement with other blogs influences the recommendations you receive. You can have a look at your Likes activity to have an idea on what kind of content you might see. To avoid your comments affecting recommendations, consider logging out before commenting.

Content Excluded from Recommendations

Certain content types are filtered out by recommendation algorithms, including:

• Spam or suspicious sites.
• Sites with mature or objectionable content.
• Content published in languages other than yours.