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The first thing you see when you open TikTok is the platform’s For You page: an endless stream of videos tailored exclusively to each user. No two feeds are exactly alike.
For years, no one has known for sure how the For You page algorithm worked, leaving users to invent their own conspiracy theories and experiments.
Now that we know this, if you also want to know how the TikTok algorithm works and how to use it to your advantage, keep reading because we will explain it to you in this article.
TikTok shared exactly how the #ForYou feed is calibrated and personalized in a press release last year.
According to TikTok: “The system recommends content by ranking videos based on a combination of factors, starting with the interests you express as a new user and adjusting for things you say you’re not interested in as well.”
Each of these factors is individually weighted by TikTok’s recommendation system, meaning each For You page will be completely unique to a user and their level of interest.
For example, TikTok explains that a strong indicator of engagement could be whether a user finishes watching a video from start to finish. This would be given more weight than a weak indicator, such as whether the viewer and the video creator are located in the same country.
Based on these “interest indicators,” videos on the For You page are ranked based on how likely a user is to be interested in a piece of content.
The main factors that influence your TikTok recommendations include:
User interactions
Information about the video video
Setting up your device and account
User interactions
User activity plays a big role in determining which videos TikTok displays, and the following heavily influence your For You feed:
Video Likes
Shared Videos
Accounts followed
Posted Comments
Videos created
The algorithm also takes into account how far a user got into the video and whether or not they watched it in its entirety. Watching a video from start to finish is a strong signal of interest and carries more weight in TikTok’s algorithm than some of the other contributing factors.
Being a regular feature in users' feeds goes beyond simply being a follower. Users will see more content from creators they interact with than from those they simply follow but scroll past.
Information about the video
This covers video attributes and data specific to individual videos, including:
Duration and execution time
Subtitles
Sounds
Stickers
Hashtags
Hashtags in particular are an important component of recommended videos. philippines phone number example Any user who watches or creates a video with a specific hashtag will be more likely to watch videos using that hashtag in the future.
Device and account setup
TikTok has confirmed that its algorithm takes into account device settings and account settings, but clarifies that these factors are not given as much weight as more robust measures indicative of preferences, such as likes and video views, and that these factors are primarily tracked to optimize app performance.
Examples of account and device configurations considered include:
Language preference
Location
Device Type
What content does the TikTok algorithm NOT show?
According to TikTok, to keep your For You feed interesting and varied, its recommendation system works to intersperse different types of content alongside content it already knows you like. For example, the For You feed generally won't show two videos in a row that are created with the same sound or by the same creator.
Content that TikTok’s algorithm prevents from appearing in “For You” feeds includes:
“I’m not interested” content
Duplicate content
Viewed content
Spam
Content that potentially compromises security
6 tips to beat the TikTok algorithm
Now that we have more information about how TikTok’s algorithm works, the next step is to leverage that information to craft videos primed for maximum exposure.
6-tips-to-beat-the-TikTok-algorithm
1. Create shorter videos
The algorithm rewards videos that are watched from start to finish, so try to keep at least some of your videos short to increase your chances of users completing them. 15 to 20 seconds is a good goal.
An added benefit of shorter videos is that you are summarizing the content to make it more impactful and concise. This can improve the quality of your video and increase your chances of getting noticed.
2. Use trending effects