How the TikTok Algorithm Works, according to TikTok
Want to know how the TikTok algorithm works?
Well I'm about to tell you, and my source is NOT some 18-year-old whose gone viral a couple of times and thinks they therefore know the algorithm. The information below came from TikTok themselves.
The New York Times managed to get a copy of TikTok Algo 101, which is a document TikTok uses to explain how the algorithm works in layman's terms to any of their non-technical employees. After all, if you work for a software company, you should know how that software works, right?
The four main goals of TikTok
There are four main goals to the TikTok algorithm, user value, longterm user value, creator value and platform value. TikTok looks at the app from a wholelistic point of view. Without users, there’s no app. Without creators, there are no TikToks for users to watch. Without a decent platform experience, there won’t be creators wanting to create, and users to use the app.
The ultimate goal of TikTok as a company is…
As a company, their ultimate goal is daily active users.
The more creators on a given day, the more content there is to push on the app. The more content there is, the more variety they can provide users so they stay on the app longer.
The longer a user stays on, the more ads they can feed to them.
That shouldn’t sound like new news at all. That is, in essence, how any social media platform works.
The two main things TikTok pays attention to
So there are two things that the algorithm is going to really pay attention to. These are especially important for the content creators, and you’ll understand why in a minute.
These are time spent and retention.
How long someone spends on the app, and whether a user comes back on the app and how often.
The longer someone stays on the app, the more often they come back, the better it is for the app.
The longer someone stays on your TikTok and the more often they come back and engage with your TikToks, the better it is for you as a creator on the app.
This totally proves the theory, that the TikTok algorithm is almost based on gambling addiction, slot machines are designed to get you to come back. And to stay there and spend your money.
How your TikToks are scored
“Plike X Vlike + Pcomment X Vcomment + Eplaytime X Vplaytime + Pplay X Vplay”
The above formula shows how your video is scored. The higher your score, the more people are going to see it. This is a highly simplified version of the formula, but the formula is based on comments, playtime and likes. Essentialy, your video is scored by how well it gets people to watch, react and engage.
TikToks that are a part of a series are better
You know all those part one and part two and part three videos you might get sucked into? Or those TikTokers that you love and you can go into their profile, watch all their videos, on after another (hopefully I am one of them!)?.
TikTokers that end up subconsciously motivating other users to spend time on their profile instead of scrolling through the feed score higher in the algorithm.
The series end up having a higher value than the videos being watched individually and their individual value added up.
What the TikTok algorithm doesn’t like
One of the biggest takeaways from this article is that the algorithm will in fact suppress like bait.
Videos explicitly asking people to like them will be surpressed. So stop that now if you’re doing it!
The algorithm will devalue content that is really repetitive and that causes the user to get bored and leave the app. Guess which platform is doing A LOT of that lately. It starts with an I and ends in nstagram.
Is the TikTok algorithm unique?
The New York times even interviewed an expert on algorithms and they looked at this document. And they said that this algorithm is really nothing new. It just happens to be good at learning who you are.
How to apply these learnings to your TikToks
So what are some key takeaways?
Don't explicitly ask people to like your stuff. That makes you look desperate.
Don't do the same thing over and over and over again. That’s boring.
Grab the viewer from the beginning. Use hooks like “How to…", “Here’s how I…,” “This is why you shouldn’t…”
Most of all be yourself. The number one thing the algorithm DOESN’T tell you is that there’s a community on the app for everyone. Let your hair down a bit, show you know your stuff, and show what happens day-to-day in your business.
If you want to learn more about how to apply TikTok and short videos into your business, get in touch.