How to Win the TikTok Algorithm for More Views
Tricia Lim
Tricia Lim
The TikTok algorithm isn’t some mysterious force that we can’t reckon with. In this article, we’ll be spilling the tea on how the algorithm works and ultimately, how you can gain more views and engagement.
Table of Contents
What is the For You Page on TikTok?
The first thing you see when you open TikTok is the For You feed. This is where you can find a stream of potential videos curated to your specific interests, dedicated for you. Similar to Instagram’s Explore page, the For You page gives users an endless feed of curated content. Unlike Instagram, where the Explore page is a secondary tab, the For You page is the app’s homepage.
How the TikTok algorithm works
The more you use TikTok, the better the algorithm is at curating videos that tailors to your interests. The algorithm–also known as ‘Recommendation system’ by TikTok–depends on a few factors:
- User interactions – the more engagement and views, the better
- Likes
- Shares
- Accounts followed
- Comments
- Completion and re-watches
- Video information – to categorize content based on the user’s interests
- Captions
- Sounds (TikToks with trending audio will serve as a great way to reach new audiences, as the algorithm will show your video to people who have already engaged with the trend.
- Hashtags
- Effects
- Device and account settings – to make sure the algorithm is optimized for performance, but it’s less important when compared to the aforementioned factors.
- Language preferences
- Country setting
- Device type
- “Not Interested” feedback – to show less of what viewers are not interested in
- Videos marked as “Not Interested”
- Users you’ve hidden
- Videos you skip through
Most TikTok creators want to be featured on as many For You pages as possible, especially if they want to increase their reach and brand awareness. With each For You page being completely unique, there’s an opportunity for you to play with the algorithm to get more views!
The TikTok algorithm also aims to keep their users’ For You feed interesting and varied; so sometimes they present viewers videos that are from new content categories, new creators, and new perspectives as they scroll through their feed.
TikTok is continuously developing to improve your viewing experience. Its algorithm is ultimately powered by viewers’ feedback to improve, correct, and learn from their engagement to curate more personalized recommendations to their For You feeds.
How to play with the algorithm
1. Make the first few seconds count
Due to our shortened attention spans, TikTok considers videos that are watched in full a strong interest indicator for the algorithm. People expect to be entertained on the app from the get go so you have to make the first few seconds count. Whether it’s with the use of text overlays, voiceovers, or sound effects, your content should immediately show viewers the value of your video.
One of the ways to do this is to make your video intriguing or edit it as a seamless loop. Viewers are more likely to watch content like this till the end, or even on repeat! That can be a huge plus to win the algorithm because it shows that people are enjoying your content and as a result will be shared to others.
Pro tip: create videos that are easy-to-digest and add hooks that play with their curiosity. Hooks like “how to ____”, “3 lessons I learned from ____”, or “you need this ____ hack”. Plus, if your video offers value to your viewers, they’re more likely to watch till the end.
2. Use trending audio
It goes without saying that audio plays a huge role in a TikTok video’s performance. This is the platform where songs and sounds quickly become viral through dance trends and more.
With the TikTok algorithm favoring videos with trending audio, it’s best to jump on them while they’re hot. However, remember that it needs to be relevant for your videos and niche.
When someone interacts with a video that uses a certain audio track, the TikTok algorithm will take it as a cue to recommend other videos with the same audio. Hence, using trending audios could help improve your content visibility.
Here’s how to find trending audio on TikTok:
- When you’re scrolling through TikTok, take note of repeated audio clips. If you think a sound is trending, you can tap on the music to see how many users have created videos with the sound.
- From the homescreen, tap the + icon at the bottom to go to the video editor. There once you tap “Add sound”, you’ll see a list of top trending sounds. There’s also a tab called “TikTok Viral” where you can see the latest trending audio tracks.
3. Post at the best time
With social media, time is of the essence. While it’s not the most important ranking factor on TikTok, posting at the best time will definitely boost your content to your community.
However, there’s no universal time for posting on TikTok because it all comes down to your audience, their scrolling habits, and their location. You can find out your best time to post on TikTok via the analytics within the app of your Business or Creator account. In your TikTok Analytics, you’ll access information on your Overview, Content, Followers, and LIVE. With these numbers, you can see what type of content is working, where your audience is located, and more.
4. Use relevant and effective hashtags
Hashtags aren’t just for Instagram or Twitter. In fact, using hashtags for social media is an effective tool to increase brand exposure and content discoverability. Similar to Instagram, using the right hashtags in your TikTok captions can help the algorithm categorize your content, making it easier for the intended users to search for content.
The key here is to use relevant hashtags. If you want TikTok to show your video to the right users, you should use hashtags that are relevant to your video and your brand. Think of them as signals to tell the TikTok algorithm what your content is about.
For example, as digital marketers ourselves, our hashtags revolve around keywords such as #socialmediamarketing, #contentmarketingtips, #digitalmarketerlife, or #lifeinsocial. These hashtags act as signals to the algorithm, to share our digital marketing content to interested users!
5. Make shorter videos
Over the last few years, creators had more freedom in how long their TikTok videos were–from 15 seconds to one minute, to three and now 10 minutes*! While it is great for more storytelling opportunities or in depth tutorial content, it’s definitely long for a platform renowned for its short and easy-to-watch videos.
Plus, with the algorithm favoring content that is watched all the way through, leaning to shorter 15-30 second videos is a good place to start! However, that shouldn’t stop you from experimenting with long-form videos, especially if they’re better aligned with your brand identity, messaging, and goals.
*If the 10 minute option doesn’t appear for you, that means the feature is coming soon to your region.
10 minutes is a damn tedtok https://t.co/tLway2iNV4
— hunter harris (@hunteryharris) February 28, 2022
Plus, with the algorithm favoring content that is watched all the way through, leaning to shorter 15-30 second videos is a good place to start! However, that shouldn’t stop you from experimenting with long-form videos, especially if they’re better aligned with your brand identity, messaging, and goals.
*If the 10 minute option doesn’t appear for you, that means the feature is coming soon to your region.
6. Don't delete old content
Similar to Reels, TikToks have a long lifespan! Some TikToks can go viral weeks after it’s been posted. So there’s a good chance with the right strategy for your TikTok video, they might land a spot on the For You feed. If that old video does gain traction, you’ll have other content ready for them to scroll through.
7. Be creative in your niche
Once you’ve set your eyes on your niche, be sure to consistently share videos that are creative, relatable, and engaging for your audience. Build upon your content pillar strategy to brainstorm content themes that resonate with your target audience best.
Pro tip: find inspiration from other creators outside of your niche! That’s the beauty of social media and the booming creative platform. There’s always a new trend or idea to adopt for your own.
The bottom line
Sure, the TikTok algorithm is complex and always changing. But! If you want to make the algorithm work for you, these are the few tricks you can implement to work with the algorithm.
- Make the first few seconds count
- Use trending audio
- Post at the best time
- Use relevant and effective hashtags
- Make shorter videos
- Don’t delete old content
- Be creative in your niche
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Are you looking to save time and improve your TikTok strategy? We’d love to see how we can help. Get in touch with us at hello@medianetic.me, or drop us a message via our chatbot below! We look forward to partnering with you.
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