How the TikTok algorithm works is one of the great mysteries of the universe, along with the Bermuda triangle or where all those mismatched socks end up.

Although they have not made public the data on how their algorithm works, they have given several clues, and many users have done their tests buy comments on tiktok photos. We have also investigated it in the TikTok account of our marketing agency.

How the TikTok algorithm works
On average, when a user opens the app, they are consuming content for 10 minutes. It is three times more than on Instagram. This is due to TikTok’s algorithm, which shows the content that the user will like the most on the ‘For you’ or ‘For you’ page.

The goal of understanding how the TikTok algorithm works is to appear on that page and reach thousands of users.

But how do you decide if something is worthy of being featured? The most popular theory is that it does a kind of A/B testing. That is, it shows the content to a small number of users, and depending on how they interact with it, it shows it to more people in ‘For you’ or leaves it only for your followers.

How many users are shown at first?
The number of users your video is shown to depends on two factors:

• Your number of followers
• Your ‘profile rating’, which is calculated by the number of interactions on your previous posts.

What does TikTok take into account to promote content?
In order of importance, the application takes into account:

• Views (if it has been viewed in its entirety or viewed multiple times)
• Shared
• Comments
• Likes

Is each user shown different content?
As the user watches and interacts with videos, the application learns and gets to know their tastes. So it knows what content you will like the most depending on its duration, hashtag, song… And it shows you a personalized feed with videos that may interest you, and that will make you stay on TikTok for a long time.

11 TikTok Tricks
So it all depends on users seeing and interacting with my content? Not at all. You can make sure your video reaches more people with a few tricks to optimize your content. Again, there is nothing confirmed by the social network, but it has worked for many users.

1 – Help classify your content
When TikTok learns which videos a user likes the most, it takes into account the description, the texts within the video, the audio, the hashtags, and they even say that it takes into account what happens in the video, distinguishing a person dancing or a dog.

Keep this in mind, and take advantage of it to reach your target audience.

2 – Use popular music
Use popular music, with which many users have interacted.

3 – Use hashtags
TikTok also collects videos using hashtags, so whenever relevant, be sure to add your own.

Some users also claim that if you use the hashtags #foryou #foryoupage or #parati, there are more chances of appearing on this page, although we have not verified this yet.

4 – Duration of the videos
Even though you can make videos up to one minute, it doesn’t mean you should. Each audience is different, but in general it is best to limit it to 15 seconds, because there is a greater chance that the user will see it in its entirety.

5 – Get what users stay in the video
For TikTok to understand that your video is interesting, make sure users stay until the end. Videos that add “Wait for it” or “Look what happens now” text are very successful.

On the other hand, when a video ends, it plays again. If the user sees it again, TikTok gives you a pin and understands that you have a cool video. To motivate this, you can opt for ‘seamless loops’, that is, your video ends in the same way it begins.

6 – What is the best time to post on TikTok?
In Spain, the busiest hours on TikTok are usually from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., when people have already finished work/school and are looking to entertain themselves at home.

Overall, it follows a similar schedule, although a little sooner.

Again, every community is different, so pay attention to your stats. Maybe you find your niche from 2 to 3, when people break to eat, or maybe you have a large audience from a country on the other side of the pond and you have to adjust your publication hours.

7 – How much to post on TikTok?
Quality before quantity. If you can offer quality and dedication to publish every day of the week, go ahead. If posting two a week works for you, go ahead.

Of course, if you publish more than one a day, keep in mind that your content will be fighting against itself to appear in users’ feeds.

8 – Encourage interaction
As we have seen, it is very important that users watch the entire video, but also that they actively interact with it. That is, like it, share it, or comment on it.

So you can boost it by asking a question for users to comment on, or with a final call to action like “Send it to a friend who I reminded you of.”

9 – Join challenges
There are many people exploring challenges. Make sure you are there and contribute something unique. If you are a company, you can also try creating your own. The League has done it and they have achieved more than 10 million views.

10 – Investigate
Of course, quality content adapted to the social network is vital. Research and explore intensively to learn about the latest trends, and make sure you understand the unique dynamism and unique style of this network.

11 – Follow us
If you found what we have told you interesting, and you want to continue learning about marketing and TikTok, we recommend that you follow our account.