Gaining an in-depth understanding and making rational use of social media algorithms is a “must-have skill” that every business needs to master. Especially on platforms like TikTok, its algorithm determines the popularity and exposure of content. By mastering TikTok’s algorithm, companies can better understand users’ content consumption patterns, open up new promotional paths, and thus enhance user engagement and brand influence.

What is the TikTok algorithm?

TikTok’s algorithm decides which videos to display on the “For You” page based on each user’s personal preferences. In other words, it can determine which video content you might be interested in.

Therefore, the “For You” page is highly personalized for every user, and no two users will see exactly the same content. This algorithm can very accurately recommend content based on users’ specific interests. For example, NFL fans will see videos related to American football rather than general sports content.

This means that as your interests and psychological state change, the types of videos you see may also change. The TikTok algorithm can quickly capture changes in your behavior and recommend content that best fits the current moment.

Screenshot of the NFI account and related videos on TikTok

Factors Influencing the TikTok Algorithm

1. User Interaction

The TikTok algorithm places great importance on how users interact on the platform. In other words, it observes users’ behavior to understand what they might like. The key data considered includes the following 8 points:

· Videos liked by the user

· Videos shared by the user

· Accounts followed by the user

· Content created by the user

· Comments posted by the user

· Videos saved by the user

· Creators hidden by the user

· Videos marked as “Not Interested” by the user

To further refine user interest preferences, TikTok also considers the length of time users watch videos.

If a user watches a video in its entirety, this is a strong signal indicating interest in the content, and such videos carry more weight in the TikTok algorithm.

Additionally, the TikTok algorithm tends to recommend content from creators with whom users frequently interact. In contrast, content from creators that users follow but often quickly skip over will not be recommended as frequently.

2. Video Information

Apart from user activity, TikTok also considers information about the video itself to identify the content’s theme and assess which content might interest users. It often checks details such as:

· Identifying keywords in the title that may indicate the content’s theme

· Using tags to categorize content or inform the algorithm about the video’s topic

· Using audio, such as sounds and songs, to identify popular audio content and push it to a wider audience

These elements help the TikTok algorithm more accurately understand and recommend content, enhancing the user experience.

3. Device and Account Settings

TikTok also considers your device and account settings, although these factors are less important than user activity and video information. These are mainly used to optimize performance rather than as signals for content recommendation, since users do not explicitly express these as preferences. Some device and account settings considered by TikTok include:

· Device type

· Country settings

· Language preferences

These combined factors work together to enable TikTok to provide each user with more personalized and high-quality content recommendations.

Content Not Shown by the TikTok Algorithm

To continuously optimize user experience, TikTok excludes certain content from the “For You” page to ensure users do not repeatedly see the same videos or videos they have explicitly indicated they are not interested in, such as the following:

· Content already viewed

· Spam content

· Duplicate content

· Content marked as “Not Interested”

· Potentially harmful or disturbing content

How Can the TikTok Algorithm Serve Overseas Businesses?

If overseas businesses want to expand their influence through TikTok, they must understand and learn to make good use of the TikTok algorithm. Here are 6 tips for using it:

1. Focus on a Subculture/Niche Market

“Thematic content” holds a place in the TikTok algorithm, so it is very important to consistently create content within a relevant niche market. The more videos an overseas business creates in its niche, the greater the chance its content will appear on the target users’ “For You” page.

For example, Elf Cosmetics has accumulated a large fan base (1.7 million) by sharing short tips, customer reviews, tutorials, and relatable videos on TikTok.

Screenshot of Elf’s account page on TikTok

2. Keep Videos Short

As mentioned earlier, the TikTok algorithm allocates weight based on whether users watch a video in its entirety. Based on this, creating short videos of just a few seconds may be an advantage for overseas businesses.

Although TikTok allows videos up to 60 seconds long, if businesses want to increase the complete view rate, they should shorten the video length, and it is recommended to keep most videos between 15 and 20 seconds.

3. Make the First Few Seconds of the Video Count

Since people’s attention spans are short, if the first few seconds of a video do not attract them, they will quickly swipe past your video. This makes the first few seconds of the video crucial; only if you capture attention in these seconds will viewers continue watching.

Specifically, use text overlays, visual elements, and audio in the first 2-3 seconds to grab users’ attention. Only keep interesting content and cut out anything unnecessary.

For example, Levi’s does this very well. Their videos are short and punchy, always immediately attracting users in the first few seconds.

Screenshot of Levi’s account video on TikTok

4. Use Trending Hashtags

Using trending hashtags in videos can also increase the chances of overseas businesses appearing on relevant users’ “For You” pages. You can look for trending hashtags under the “Discover” tab to see if there are any suitable ones to use.

For example, New Story Charity used the #learnsomethingnew hashtag in a video to raise awareness about the failure of social housing projects. The video has now received 5.2 million views and 774,100 likes. Normally, most of their videos get between 500 and 700 views.

Screenshot of New Story Charity account video on TikTok

5. Use Trending Audio

It’s not just about hashtags; TikTok is also a platform where you can use audio elements to discover trending content. As shown below, besides using hashtags, TikTok also allows you to search for trending songs to find popular content.

Image source: TikTok Creative Center

6. Run TikTok Ads

In addition to the five tips above, overseas businesses can also run TikTok ads to make better use of the TikTok algorithm.

As a global social media platform, TikTok has over 1 billion active users. By advertising on it, overseas businesses can quickly cover the global market and reach more potential customers. Specifically, you can run the following 8 types of ads:

· TopView

· In-Feed Ads

· Branded Hashtag Challenges

· TikTok Creative Challenge (TTCC)

· TikTok Spark Ads

· Branded Effect Ads

· Video Shopping Ads

· Branded Mission

Monos brand TikTok advertising results

Conclusion

We have now shared how the TikTok algorithm works and how overseas businesses can use it to better attract traffic and customers. With these skills mastered, we believe everyone can take their marketing on TikTok to the next level and achieve even better results.