Have you ever puzzled why TikTok seems to know exactly what you want to watch next? Whether it’s a funny meme, a culinary tutorial, or the current dancing fad, TikTok’s algorithm has an incredible ability to deliver you videos designed just for you. The secret to TikTok’s addicting experience is a system that customizes your For You Page (FYP) depending on your individual interactions and preferences.

Understanding the inner workings of TikTok’s algorithm can be game-changing, especially for brands trying to boost their presence on the platform and reach a larger audience. After all, it is one of the most popular social media sites, with users scrolling through videos for an average of 58 minutes and 24 seconds per day.

In this article, we’ll explain how the TikTok algorithm works, explore how it learns from your behavior, and reveal the key strategies to optimize your content for maximum visibility.

What is the TikTok Algorithm?

The TikTok algorithm is a clever system that customizes content for each user. It powers both the For You Page (FYP) and the Explore Page, helping to shape the platform’s user experience. The FYP recommends videos based on your previous interactions, whilst the Explore Page allows you to explore new trends and creators.

Machine learning is fundamental to the algorithm. The more you interact with TikTok, such as liking, sharing, and commenting, the better the algorithm recognizes your interests and refines its recommendations. It examines everything a user does in the app, including the accounts they follow and the amount of time they spend watching each video.

This also implies that the types of movies you see may alter as your preferences and state of mind evolve over time. The TikTok algorithm will instantly detect changes in your behavior and propose the most appropriate material for the moment.

As you develop a new cooking hobby and begin to watch more food-related videos, you may notice an increase in the number of cooking TikToks on your For You page. However, if you lose interest a few months later, you may notice a decrease in these types of videos as you interact less and less with the cooking videos recommended on your For You page.

How the TikTok Algorithm Works

If TikTok is all about connecting videos with people who are most interested in them, you may wonder “Why can’t I simply put my video up and hope for the best?”

Well, you can. And it can work. After all, this is why accounts seem to go viral on TikTok, seemingly randomly, all the time. But that’s the thing – this approach is random. If you want traction, you need to understand the principles at play behind the TikTok algorithm. If you know what the recommendation system is looking for, you can reach bigger, better audiences without having to rely on chance.

Landing on the right strategy for your brand on TikTok isn’t one-size-fits-all, but there are fundamentals that underpin every viral video, and every great brand campaign we’ve run on TikTok. So – what are they?

The winning principles are based on TikTok’s own insights. TikTok themselves shared how content reaches your For You Page by explaining that the TikTok algorithm assesses “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.”

Below, we’ll dig into these factors. Plus: we’ll explain how you can use these factors as a brand, so you can get on the For You Feed of your ideal audience.

Factor 1: User interactions

As a TikTok user, the way you behave when you see a video on the app tells the TikTok algorithm a lot about how ‘good’ the video is, plus your own interests. If you seem to enjoy the video, TikTok will show that video to other people who are like you – and it’ll also show you more similar videos.

These are the user interaction signals the TikTok algorithm assesses:

• Likes, Shares and Follows – If you see a video and actively engage with it, it indicates to the TikTok algorithm that you are interested in this type of content – and that this video is a good example to show to other TikTok users like you.
• Comments: Did you know that 77% of TikTok users say they often or always read the comments on TikTok posts? If you leave a comment yourself, this is a key signal to the TikTok algorithm that you’re deeply interested in this content.
• Completions and Re-watches – TikTok’s algorithm takes into account whether you’ve watched a video right to the end (completion rate), and whether you’ve re-watched it, to determine whether you found it engaging – and whether you’d like to see more videos like it. However, this is a lower priority.

How to use this:

Get to understand the kind of content your ideal target audience likes to see on their TikTok feed. This is easily done: simply act like your target audience. Set up a non-business account and start following hashtags and TikTok creators and similar brands in your niche. When you see relevant content, like or comment. You’ll start to see exactly the kind of video that the TikTok algorithm considers ideal for your target customer.

Read Also: How to Run a Successful TikTok Content to Unlock Your Brand Potential

The more you explore this way, the more insight you’ll gain into what features encourage the TikTok algorithm to showcase videos in your niche. You’ll see trending sounds, filters and even trending hashtag combinations to use. Make a note of what’s working and use this to fuel videos you create on your TikTok business account.

You’ll often see advice saying to prioritise shorter videos on TikTok. This is because shorter videos are more likely to get a high completion rate. However, this guidance is somewhat out of date, as TikTok is pushing some longer video formats. Instead, we advise getting to understand your existing community, and what kinds of videos get more engagement from them.

Factor 2. Video subject matter & compatibility

We’ve clarified how TikTok determines whether you like the content it shows you. But how does it know what the content is actually about?

The TikTok algorithm uses several video information factors to index your content – i.e. to work out what the topic of the video is. The key signals at play are:

• Captions, Hashtags and in-video text – Marketers have used relevant hashtags to label content and help it find the right audiences for a long time. TikTok goes further. Hashtags tell the TikTok algorithm what the video is about – but the caption and even in-video speech also do this. Yep – the TikTok algorithm is assessing most of your text for relevant keywords.
• Sounds and Effects – TikTok shares videos featuring trends centring on sounds and effects amongst similar users. This means the way you use TikTok’s tools, including the trending songs or audio you use, tells the algorithm about what content niche you’re in.
• Similar accounts that are liking the video – if the video is popular with accounts that like similar content to you, this indicates to the algorithm that this is a relevant video to showcase.

How to use this:

You may think that your principle job is to find trending hashtags here – but there’s more to do. Use a hashtag to tell the algorithm what your video is about, then combine it with a relevant trending hashtag or two to increase visibility. Keep your caption engaging and easy to read, but try to include one or two relevant keywords here too. If you speak or use voiceover, ensure subtitles are on.

TikTok is doubling down on its search functionalities, so a search engine optimisation mindset will help you influence the TikTok algorithm here. If you’re not sure what keywords to include, a good tip is to look at previous high performing videos on the same subject, or even to look at the blue highlighted text in related video captions.

Factor 3. TikTok users’ device and account settings

The user’s device and account settings are technical factors that inform the TikTok algorithm. These don’t have as great a weight as interactions or topic information, but they are still important factors that make the TikTok algorithm work. They are:

• Mobile device type
• Location or country setting
• Language preference.

Sound is integral to the TikTok user experience, so the TikTok algorithm assesses language preferences to ensure you’re understanding what’s being said on the video. For a smiliar reason, it will also factor which country you’re in. This is also what helps users interact with more local businesses and trends: again, Tiktok is prioritising relevancy here.

How to use this:

Firstly, ensure your TikTok business account is set up correctly with the account settings TikTok associates with your target audience – otherwise, you may find you’re reaching the wrong people.

Regarding language preferences, this can be influenced by your user interactions, so be careful to create and engage with content in the same language.

Finally, as a brand it’s important to work with influencers in the same market as your target audience. If your brand operates only within the UK for instance, it may be better to work with a UK-based influencer.

How to Get the Most of the TikTok Algorithm

So now that you understand the science behind what causes a video to appear on the right side of the TikTok algorithm, let’s look at some brief best-practice guidelines to get you started.

1. Encourage engagement

When you share a video on TikTok, the algorithm ‘tests’ it by sending it to a random group of users’ ‘For You’ pages – but not for long. In this short time period, the algorithm will scrutinise how these users engage with your video.

Remember how we said the algorithm is looking out for interactions? Now’s the crunch time. You need to make content that’s irresistably engaging, so that users can’t help but like, comment on, or share your video. But how do you encourage people to react in this way?

If you’re new to TikTok, this is actually a blessing: use your video as an opportunity to ask questions and get to know your audience better.

If you’re more established on TikTok, consider this: TikTok is where people connect with their peers, often to discuss trending subjects. Is there fresh, interesting news in your niche that you can comment on? Keep a look out for hot or newsworthy topics and create a space for people to connect.

Mixing up this topical content with more evergreen or playful Tiktok videos will help you surface regularly on For You feeds.

2. Optimise your content for TikTok SEO

We mentioned above that TikTok is doubling down on search. In 2024, TikTok’s algorithm is increasingly becoming a hybrid:

• The familiar For You Page serves users a tailored, passive feed of content recommended by the original TikTok algorithm framework.
• But the search engine function serves users who are more actively searching for content. The TikTok algorithm here is guided by search engine principles, such as keywords, but is also underpinned by more social media platform-first principles, such as the social key ranking signals we discussed above.

Most TikTok experts will tell you that to optimise your video content for TikTok SEO, you need to include keywords in your content. But this video information is only part of the story. Hashtags and descriptive copy will help the TikTok algorithm index your content, but you also need to make great social video content. If your particular video bores your audience to tears, it’ll never beat the TikTok algorithm – even if it’s super relevant to your topic.

3. Embrace what makes TikTok “tick”

What’s TikTok known for? Why are your audience going to TikTok?

TikTok is all about fun. Whereas social media platforms like Instagram demand perfection, TikTok is more laid back. It’s known for vertical (i.e. upright) videos, where you’ll find trending songs, hilarious trending audio, and often entirely viral video content that gets people talking or joining in.

Everything you do on TikTok should go back to this. This means:

• Keep your videos upright. Did you know that vertically-shot TikTok videos have a 25% higher watch-through rate? If you’re shooting a TikTok video, keep your phone upright!
• Don’t force yourself to be perfect. 64% of TikTok users say they can be their true selves on the platform, and they expect you to do the same. Use TikTok to showcase your fun side. If you can show the real people behind your brand, even better: it doesn’t have to be the big boss, either – in fact, we’ve seen interns go viral!
• Be creative. TikTok is where people take inspiration from one another – so if you can start a trend rather than follow them, you’re onto even more of a winner. For example, don’t just keep an eye out for trending sounds – create one yourself. Think about how this sound could be easily co-opted by other TikTok users as fun and easy videos to recreate.
• Be chatty! Use TikTok’s own tools like the ‘duet’ or ‘stitch’ feature to respond to other people’s content, comment on other people’s videos, and encourage conversation in your own comments.

Remember: when you see people chatting in your comment section, it’s a huge opportunity: respond in a humorous way to encourage more people to comment. You can also use comments as prompts for new videos, to show that you’re listening to your community.