What is the TikTok algorithm?

The TikTok algorithm is a system that determines what videos you see on the “For You” page. It delivers curated content to each user, so they can see more TikTok videos they like.

How does the TikTok algorithm work?

If you find yourself wondering, “how does the TikTok algorithm work,” you won’t get a clear answer. Many social media companies, including TikTok, keep their algorithm a secret to prevent people from manipulating it to promote their content unfairly.

Like other algorithms, there are a few well-known ranking factors that you can keep in mind trying to boost content visibility on the platform. While these aren’t all the factors, they’re some important ones to keep in mind:

Interactions on the platform

A significant factor in the TikTok algorithm is user interactions. TikTok provides personalized recommendations for users based on the content they view and interact with on the app.

TikTok will curate content based on:

• Who you follow
• Where you’ve commented
• Videos you favorited, liked, or shared
• Videos you watch in their entirety
• Content you create on your account
• And more

TikTok also takes your negative actions into consideration when curating your content. They look at actions like:

• Creators you hid
• Videos you marked as “Not Interested”
• Videos you reported

It takes these negative actions into account to ensure it doesn’t show you content you don’t want to see.

Account settings

Another piece of the TikTok algorithm is your account settings. While it doesn’t have a massive role in the algorithm on TikTok, it does have a small impact on the type of content you see.

It looks at settings like:

• Country
• Language preference
• Categories of interest you selected
• And more

Video information

The algorithm on TikTok also takes video information into account. If you interact with certain types of videos in the Discover tab, it’ll analyze those video features to try and deliver more relevant content for you.

Some of these features include:

• Hashtags
• Effects
• Sounds
• Captions
• And more

How to optimize for the TikTok algorithm

Want to help your content perform better on TikTok? Here are TikTok algorithm tips to help more people see your content!

1. Find your community

Now that you have an answer to “How does the TikTok algorithm work,” it’s time to start taking steps to help your content perform in on TikTok’s platform. The first step is to find your community.

TikTok is a community-based platform that allows people to connect with others with similar interests. Whether a mom, food service worker, or a college student, there’s a community sharing experiences and relatable content.

To reach the right people, you need to decide who you want to reach with your videos. Determine who would like your videos the most. Then you can move on to finding the right hashtags, which is next on this list of TikTok algorithm tips.

2. Choose relevant hashtags

If you want to optimize for the TikTok algorithm, you need to find relevant hashtags for your posts. Hashtags help TikTok’s algorithm determine the context of your videos and show them to the right people so that you can reach your target audience.

You can look at content in your niche and see what types of trending hashtags people use. It’s a good idea to compile some hashtags you can use in your content to attract and engage TikTok viewers.

3. Make sure your video content is high-quality

If you want to know how to optimize for the TikTok algorithm, start by creating high-quality video content. You don’t want to craft videos that are grainy or low-quality.

That doesn’t mean you need fancy equipment to shoot your videos — your phone is the perfect tool for recording your videos. You need to ensure you have good lighting and a clear microphone to pick up your audio.

When you create high-quality videos, people are more likely to engage with them, which will lead to better results with your TikTok marketing plan.

Bonus tip: When you’re creating your high-quality videos, stay mindful of the length of the video. While you can have videos up to three minutes long, you don’t want to make every video super long. Consider making videos that are 30 seconds or less to keep your audience engaged with your content.

4. Catch your audience’s attention immediately

To optimize for the algorithm on TikTok, you need to catch your audience’s attention immediately. With so much video content to check out on the platform, you must make an impression immediately and get them to engage.

Don’t waste time doing lengthy intros. Jump right into the meat of your content so you can hook your audience into what they’re watching.

You can catch your audience’s attention with the video or the text within your video. It’s up to you to create an engaging way to keep your audience watching your video.

5. Write eye-catching captions

Next on our list of TikTok algorithm tips is to write eye-catching captions. Your captions play a vital role in telling viewers about your video.

You can use your caption to serve as:

• A preview of your video (Ex. “This is what happens when you call my dog…”)
• A reaction to your video (Ex. “And that’s why I don’t walk my dog anymore…”)
• A comment on your video (Ex. “This is why I love my dog”)

You can also add hashtags to your captions to help boost engagement.

6. Find the right time to post

If you want to master the TikTok algorithm, you need to find the right time to post your content. Your timing has a significant impact on how your audience receives your content. If you post when your audience isn’t on the app, you’ll get lost in a sea of content.

You can find the right time to post your content by looking at your Analytics. If you go into the Business Suite and click Analytics, you’ll see metrics on when people engage with your content. It helps you focus your posting on times when your audience is engaged so that you can drive better results for your business.