TikTok has grown into a platform with 1.2 million active users, and its algorithms have made the social platform a sensation.
It's the ultra-personalized collection of videos it offers each user on its For You Page (FYP), a platform that instantly adapts to your interests and viewing habits, that has led TikTokers to use the app an average of 1.5 hours a day.
How exactly does TiKTok decide what to recommend to each person?
If you use TikTok for marketing, you must be looking for ways to grow on the platform. How do you get more views and followers? How do you get your content in front of the right people? To answer these questions, you need to understand how the TikTok algorithm works.
In this blog, we'll go into detail about what the TikTok algorithm is, and how it works, and we also provide some useful tips on how to use the TikTok algorithm.
1.What is the TikTok algorithm?
The TikTok algorithm is a proprietary formula that determines which videos users are likely to enjoy based on their personal interests, and displays them on the users' "For You" page.
No two TikTok users will see the same combination of TikTok videos on their For You page— the "For You" page is highly personalized for each user, and the content you see on your "For You" page is different from what your friends or colleagues see on theirs.
For example, people who watch a lot of sports and gaming content naturally see more recommendations for similar videos. However, these videos are less likely to appear for individuals primarily consuming content related to beauty and makeup.
Similar to other social media platforms, the types of content you see on your For You page will evolve over time as the algorithm recalibrates based on your changing viewing preferences. When you develop new interests, such as pets, the algorithm will begin showing you more pet-related videos on your For You page. This happens as you watch or interact with content in the pet category.
Here's how TikTok itself defines the TikTok For You page algorithm:" A stream of videos curated to your interests, making it easy to find content and creators you love … powered by a recommendation system that delivers content to each user that is likely to be of interest to that particular user.”
2.How does the TikTok algorithm work?
Most social media companies don't like to reveal how their algorithms work, and one point of consideration is that it could affect the entire TikTok ecosystem if characters like spammers got hold of specific strategies for viral video success.
The TikTok algorithm also takes into account a variety of factors to determine which videos users are likely to like, but TikTok hasn't shared any details about its algorithm as of yet, so we'll have to speculate on its algorithm using the information we've been given.
Here are the most important TikTok ranking factors we analyzed on the Recommended for You page:
1) Engagement
One of the most important ranking factors for TikTok is engagement. This includes the following metrics:
- Videos you like or share on the app
- The comments you post
- Videos you watched in their entirety
- Videos you add to your favorites
- Videos you marked as "not interested"
- Accounts you follow
- Content you created on your account
2) Video Information
The TikTok algorithm also collects information about the videos you find through your search, including:
- Captions
- Sounds
- Hashtags
- Effects
- Trending topics
3) Device and account settings
TikTok also looks at each user's device and account settings to optimize performance, including:
- Country/Region Settings
- Language Preferences
- Mobile Device Type
- Interest category selection
If you are not satisfied with the recommendations you get, you can reset your own personal algorithm.
3.What’s not included in the TikTok algorithm
According to TikTok, the platform aims to keep its users'“For You ”pages ”interesting," "diverse," and "safe“. Therefore, the types of content TikTok recommends need to be considered alongside the types of content it does not recommend. This includes:
- Duplicate content
- Content you've already seen
- Content that is considered spam
- Content that may be offensive or unsafe
- Videos that have just been uploaded
- Videos that are under review
TikTok also mentions that their algorithm does not directly consider the following factors when ranking or recommending videos:
- Number of followers
- Previous high-performing content
This is great news for new TikTok users or those with a small number of followers. Anyone can be successful on the platform because TikTok doesn't recommend any content based on how many followers you have or the performance of your previous videos.
4. 10 tips for getting picked up by the TikTok algorithm
Based on these ranking factors above, we can be sure that the most important way to hit the TikTok algorithm is to increase TikTok engagement.
If you're trying to figure out how to make followers grow or you're new to the TikTok platform, this is definitely a challenge for you.
Here are some tips to improve your chances of using the TikTok algorithm (increase engagement):
1) Maximize the first moments
Capture your viewer's attention in the first few seconds, the first two seconds are crucial for recall and brand awareness.
If you can provoke a sense of curiosity in those first few seconds, you're 1.4 times more likely to keep them hooked throughout the video, then the video's retention time goes up, and the TikTok algorithm determines that it's content worth sharing with other viewers.
2) Optimize your TikTok hashtagsLevel up your TikTok hashtags
If you want TikTok to show your videos to the right users, you should use hashtags that are relevant to your videos and brand.
You can also take advantage of trending TikTok hashtags that have gained a lot of visibility and engagement, which can be found in the TikTok Creative Center. Click the Analyze button next to any trending hashtag to see a full breakdown of its popularity.
3) Interact with other TikTok users
Interacting with other TikTok users is a great way to boost engagement, by answering popular questions in a way that boosts your exposure and engagement - as this in turn tells the algorithm that you're an account worth putting on people's FYP.
4) Post at the right time for your audience
The right time to post maximizes high engagement, and you need to understand your audience through analytics to find out when your audience is most active in TikTok - be in front of your audience when they are active.
5) Utilize TikTok Trends
Utilizing TikTok trends can recommend your content to communities and accounts that you would normally never have access to. It's important to note that the trends you use need to be highly relevant to your personal brand.
6) Use TikTok Analytics to Track Video Performance
Use TikTok analytics as to refine your strategy. Here are some key metrics:
- Video views Video views
- Play time
- Likes, comments and shares
- Traffic sources
- Profile visits
7) Produce high quality videos
Clear sound, crisp visuals and keep the content simple.
8) Use popular sounds and music
Sound is a big part of TikTok culture, and audio has its own unique impact. Two-thirds (67%) of TikTok users say they prefer branded videos featuring popular or trending songs.
9) Optimizing search content
Google has begun displaying more TikTok videos in search results, including select clips.
TikTok SEO can be improved by creating descriptive, keyword-rich titles and subtitles that clearly summarize visuals and highlight key topics to maximize the appearance of TikTok videos in search results.
10) Work with TikTok Influencers
Collaborating with TikTok creators with large followings and high engagement can introduce your brand to a whole new community. Even influencers with small audiences can be valuable partners. However, it's important to note that the process of choosing who to partner with needs to be carefully considered and vetted by analyzing audience quality, typical engagement rates, follower sentiment, and overall brand consistency to avoid unnecessary risks.
