The TikTok algorithm is no longer a secret!
Wondering how TikTok decides which of its clips make it to the top of your For You feed? TikTok has revealed exactly how its algorithm works.
Understanding what a specific social media platform’s algorithm is crucial to finding success and reaching a larger audience, and TikTok is no different. When it comes to TikTok’s algorithm, everything you do on the platform is important – from your choice of hashtags, to the first video you ever liked.
Knowing how TikTok’s algorithm works is important information for content creators and brands, especially for those wanting to increase their engagement and get their content in front of more people. And that’s, like, everyone, right?
Let’s take a look at exactly how the TikTok algorithm works.
What Influences the For You Page Video Suggestions?
If you’re familiar with TikTok, you’ll know there are two areas where you’ll spend the majority of your time: Following and For You.
The key to getting more eyes on your TiKTok videos revolves around hitting it big on as many users’ For You feeds as you can. But how do you get there? How do you stay there? And how do you keep doing it?
Conquering the TiKTok algorithm and getting onto that coveted For You feed comes down to a number of factors.
Hashtags
Like just about all social media platforms, it may not surprise you that hashtags carry a lot of wait with TikTok’s algorithm. And that’s why you’re likely to user after user filling their videos with #foryou #fyp #foryoupage.
Of course, simply spamming those two hashtags on all your videos isn’t going to magically make you appear on everyone’s For You page. You’re going to need to work a little harder than that.
One of the strategies you’ll see people using on TikTok all the time is trying to tap into the popularity of trending hashtags. It’s the reason you’ll see videos with hashtags that don’t really relate to the content they’re posting.
That sounds like cheating, right? Well, that’s because it is. And we’re here to tell you to avoid doing it as much as possible. Adding an unrelated hashtag to your video may seem like a good idea, but it has the potential to backfire in a big way.
Where you can, go for related hashtags that will help people discover you and is an honest representation of the type of content you’re trying to create.
Captions
While you may be tempted to upload a huge caption with your TikTok videos, it’s best to keep your essays for the classroom.
Captions on TikTok should be short and sweet. Try asking a question or making a joke. And don’t forget to include a relevant hashtag.
You can make your caption a little bit of a mystery or even try and get a conversation going in your comment section.
Trending Songs and Sounds
It’s no secret that music plays a huge role on TikTok, so it’s no surprise that music and sounds carry a lot of weight with the algorithm.
Whether it’s a dance challenge or a simple lip-syncing video, music and sounds play an integral part of many TikTok videos, and they trend like crazy.
Keep an ear out for what songs and sounds are popular on the platform, and try incorporating them into your next video.
Follower Activity
This one may seem obvious, but you should be trying to post your content at a time when your followers are most active. While TiKTok’s analytics may not be as in-depth as some other social media platforms, a TikTok Pro account offers a bunch of valuable analytics and insights into how your followers interact with your content and the platform.
Your Location
Although TikTok is truly a global platform, it looks like the algorithm is tending to favour showing users content posted close to them. Location doesn’t seem to be a huge factor on the platform, but it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on.
For what is such a relatively new sensation in the world of social media platforms, TikTok appears to be being pretty open and honest with how their algorithm works. If you want to be successful on the platform, it’s certainly worth paying attention to what the platform actually wants you to be posting.
