Understanding the TikTok algorithm

So you’re getting into the TikTok game and you want to know more about the platform. Here’s how TikTok works and some other information about its algorithm.

the For you page

First, if you’re curious about FYP aka the For You Page or don’t know what it is, then start by reading this post.

So now you want to learn more about how the For You Page works…

According to TikTok, “The system recommends content by ranking videos based on a combination of factors – starting from interests you express as a new user and adjusting for things you indicate you’re not interested in, too – to form your personalized For You feed.”

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TikTok picks the For You feed based on videos you like or share, accounts you follow, content you create, your video details like hashtags and sounds as well as your account settings (where you live and what language you speak).

But have no fear, even if you’re a new TikTok user you can still get on the For You Page: “While a video is likely to receive more views if posted by an account that has more followers, by virtue of that account having built up a larger follower base, neither follower count nor whether the account has had previous high-performing videos are direct factors in the recommendation system.”

how to Personalize your feed

Make sure you select categories you’re interested in when setting up the app. If you don’t select any, the app will show you “a generalized feed of popular videos to get the ball rolling.”

As you interact with the content the app learns about you and your likes. Using the app more teaches it what to recommend to you.

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If you don’t like the content you’re seeing you can also tap and hold on a video and select the “Not Interested” button that appears. It enables you to hide content from the user or content using the sound in that video. Other options appear as well when you tap and hold (shown in the YouTube video above) like how to Favorite an item.

The app doesn’t only learn what content to share with you, it also knows when to share it: “Your For You feed generally won’t show two videos in a row made with the same sound or by the same creator.”

TikTok also said that it will purposefully put videos into your feed you may not expect in order to diversify content for you.

Getting more followers

The TikTok algorithm likes hashtags.

You can use #fyp, #foryou and #foryoupage – but you should also look at what other hashtags are trending. Tap the discover button on the bottom of your app and it’ll show you trending ones there. You can also start typing in a hashtag in the search bar, press enter and the navigate over to “Hashtags” to see what pops up.

Keep your captions short.

TikTok favors short captions over long ones. Include your hashtags here too. Hooking your audience with things like questions in your captions can help boost engagement.

Music is important.

Sound is a big part of TikTok. Find out more about sounds with this post on adding sounds to your TikTok videos.

Be creative with your content.

Good editing, trying new things and thinking outside the box will help you on this platform. Be consistent, learn new things (like TikTok Duets) and try all of the features on the app.

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And if you’re really wanting to get more views then do some more research. Learning little things like how the app favors videos watched until the end can help, because then you may want to create shorter videos of 10 to 15 seconds, for example.

Hopefully all these TikTok algorithm tips will help you see some growth in the future!