What is the Tik Tok algorithm?
The TikTok algorithm is a recommendation system that determines which videos will appear on your For You tab page.
Different users will see different videos on their For You tag page, and the videos you see may change based on your viewing preferences or even your current state of mind.
The following is TikTok’s definition of a TikTok For You tab page.
“A stream of videos curated to your interests, making it easy to find content and creators you love … powered by a recommendation system that delivers content to each user that is likely to be of interest to that particular user.”
How does the TikTok algorithm work?
TikTok initially kept its algorithm secret. This is because the recommendation system is a proprietary technology that helps keep TikTok unique.
The algorithm is a key reason why TikTok is able to engage us and keep our attention. TikTok doesn’t want spam and other shady content to be able to use the algorithm to gain more attention.
However, as people become more familiar with the inner workings of TikTok, TikTok has revealed the basics of how its algorithm works .
This means that we now know some of the algorithm’s key ranking signals directly from TikTok . They are：
1. User interaction
Much like the Instagram algorithm, the TikTok algorithm makes recommendations based on the user’s interactions with the content. Any interaction that provides clues about the type of content the user likes or dislikes is taken into account.
For example, your “For You” tag page recommendations are based on：
- Which accounts do you follow
- Your hidden creators
- The comments you post
- Videos you have liked or shared in the app
- Videos you’ve added to your favorites
- Videos you’ve marked as “not interested”
- Videos you reported as inappropriate
- Longer videos that you watched until the end (also called video completion rate)
- Content you’ve created on your account
2. Video information
User interaction signals are based on how you interact with other users, while video information signals are based on what you tend to find on the “discover” tab.
Includes details on：
- Subtitles
- Sound
- Tags
- Effects
- Hot Topics
3. Device and account settings
These are the settings that TikTok uses to optimize performance. However, because they are based on one-time setting choices rather than active engagement, they do not have as much impact on the content you see on the platform as user interaction and video messaging signals.
Some of the device and account settings included in the TikTok algorithm are：
- Language Preferences
- Country/Region settings (you may be more likely to see content from people in your own country/region)
- Mobile device type
- Interest categories selected by new users
What is the algorithm that TikTok does not contain in
The algorithm will not recommend the following types of content.
- Duplicate content
- Content you have already seen
- Content that the algorithm marks as spam
- Content that may be disturbing (TikTok uses “graphic medical procedures” or “legal consumption of regulated goods” as examples) regulated goods” as an example)
This is good news for all new TikTok users or those who have not yet built a large follower base.
Of course, accounts with more followers will probably get more views because people are liking the content the creator is posting. But if you create great content that speaks directly to your target audience, then even the biggest TikTok stars will have a chance to land on their For You tag page.
Here’s the scoop straight from TikTok：
“You may come across a video in your feed that doesn’t appear to … have amassed a huge number of likes…. Bringing a diversity of videos into your For You feed gives you additional opportunities to stumble upon new content categories, discover new creators, and experience new perspectives.”
And to finish on…
Your goal is to become one of the new creators for your target audience. Next week we’ll share 9 tips for using the TikTok algorithm, see you next week.
