There are many benefits to having a TikTok account as a small business owner (read more here). But half the battle is making sure you’re posting at the right time to get the best engagement. How can you optimise your posting to get the best possible results from TikTok? Well, it starts by understanding the algorithm.
Social media algorithms can be tricky to wrap your head around at the best of times, especially when considering the changeable nature of social media and the fact that every platform has its own proprietary algorithm (read more here).
However, understanding the algorithm can give you the upper hand when creating your content.
Here’s everything you need to know about the TikTok algorithm.
According to TikTok, its recommendations are not based on follower count or a previous history of high-performing videos. Instead, the algorithm looks at several factors before recommending content to a user.
These are:
- User Interactions – TikTok’s algorithm considers several factors based on how a user interacts with content on the platform. These factors include accounts you’ve followed, creators you’ve hidden, comments you’ve posted, as well as videos that you’ve liked or shared, video completion rate and content created.
- Video Information Signals – Based on the content you actively seek out, Video Information Signals tell the algorithm what content you’re interested in based on information found in the videos themselves, information such as captions, sounds, trends, hashtags and effects.
- Device/Account Settings – These factors are based on one-time settings choices rather than active engagement. These include country setting, language preference, device type and categories of interest selected when creating your account.
The algorithm doesn’t include things such as content that has been flagged as spam, duplicated content, content you’ve already seen or potentially upsetting content, such as graphic medical procedures.
Accounts with high follower counts aren’t prioritised over those with fewer followers, however, they are likely to receive more views as they will have more people actively seeking out their content.
Struggling with your social media strategy? Charlie Puffin Digital is here to help. Drop us an email at [email protected] or call 01462 558537 to book your free discovery call today.