Over the last few years, TikTok quickly skyrocketed in fame and cemented itself as a social media staple. Users cite one of its main benefits: the high quality of its ‘For You’ page, a space that curates a collection of videos specifically for each user by TikTok’s algorithm. You might be wondering now, ‘So how exactly does the algorithm work? What’s so great about it?’ Continue reading to find out the answers to these questions and how to really get TikTok’s algorithm to work for you.
How the For You Page Works
While the company has been secretive regarding the specifics of its algorithm, last year, TikTok released a blog breaking down the algorithm and how the For You page works. Here are the basics you need to know:
- User interactions play a big part in TikTok’s algorithm. TikTok’s algorithm gathers info based on your liked and shared videos, comments, the accounts you follow, and the kind of content you create.
- TikTok also gathers video information. The algorithm scans things like captions, sounds, and hashtags from the videos you interact with and post.
- Your device and account settings are factored in to help optimize app performance. This includes your language preference, country, and device type. Note that these do not play as huge a role as the other factors in the For You page’s recommendation system.
Make the Algorithm Work For You
For a content creator or brand, your content needs to land on someone’s For You Page. This is the easiest, quickest, and most organic way to foster a following and gain exposure on the app. While it’s impossible to monitor how many users For You pages your content has been introduced to, some best practices can help boost your content.
#Hashtags
Hashtags are there for a reason. Use them! A great way to find trending hashtags is to look through TikTok’s Discover page. However, there are some things to keep in mind when using hashtags. It can be frustrating for some users when they scroll through hashtags looking for specific types of content and random videos completely unrelated show up, so it’s important to make sure the hashtags you use are relevant to what’s in your content.
Utilize your captions
Keep your captions short and sweet. Unlike on Instagram and Facebook, where it’s actually better to write longer captions, having long captions is not the best idea for TikTok. Since the app’s interface is designed for mobile use, it’s best to keep your captions as short as possible while still using relevant hashtags.
Create high-quality, engaging content
Since TikToks are limited to a maximum length of 60 seconds (the latest update is slowly rolling out 3-minute videos), it’s vital to make sure the content within that limited time truly captures your audience. Figure out what type of audience you want to reach, are they broad and diverse, or do they have a very niche interest. Once you figure these out, you can start crafting videos that cater to your audience’s specific needs. Also, grainy and low-definition footage isn’t appealing to users, so make sure that you’re shooting and editing your videos so that they have the highest quality possible.
What’s Next?
Just like all other social media platforms, it takes patience and commitment to build a following. Figuring out how to utilize TikTok’s algorithm for your benefit can help with this task. The more you’re featured on users’ For You pages, the more interactions and visibility you’ll get.
Don’t work against the algorithm; let it work for you. No Time for Social can also do the work for you to build an online social media presence for your business. For more information, contact us today.
