TikTok Algorithm 2023: A Deep Dive

The TikTok algorithm has been the talk of the town for years, and for a good reason. It has propelled countless individuals and businesses to viral success, leading to an influx of popularity on the social media platform. But what can we expect from the TikTok algorithm in the coming years? In this blog post, we will be taking a deep dive into the inner workings of the TikTok algorithm of 2023. By shedding light on how the algorithm works, we aim to provide valuable insight for premium brands. So sit tight and prepare to unravel the mysteries of TikTok's algorithm! Of course, as a TikTok agency is you need more support, please get in touch.

What is the TikTok Algorithm?

There are many ways to describe the TikTok algorithm. The TikTok algorithm is an evaluation system that picks up the latest and best video content by factoring in a combination of factors like engagement, user preferences, video information, and device settings. It will compile information about your interests and how interesting they are to determine which videos you see on your For You page.

What has changed in the TikTok Algorithm for 2023?

TikTok's algorithms for displaying content on the For You page before 2023 are not publicly disclosed, but it's widely known that the old algorithms took a range of different factors into account. In the end, the TikTok algorithm always focuses on personalisation, and engagement was what led to the TikTok landscape we know today.

It has recently been announced by TikTok CEO Shou Chew, some of the new ways the algorithm is selecting content that will be pushed to wider audiences:

In a speech, he spoke about how the power of 3 users is used within the platform to then serve those users more content that is similar.

Here is an example:

- User #1 liked videos A,B,C and D

- User #2 liked videos A,B,C and E

- User #3 liked videos A,B,C and F

Once 3 users like a piece of content at the same time, the TikTok algorithm will notice this and show User #1 videos E & F.

- User #1 will be suggested videos E and F

- User #2 will be suggested videos D and F

- User #3 will be suggested videos D and E

That process is very scaleable on the platform and will grow to more users over time.

How can Premium brands make the algorithm work for them in 2023?

As you might have experienced, there are so many factors that contribute to content performing well on TikTok. Even if you do all of the suggestions below, sometimes a piece of content won't hit the algorithm, and sometimes you won't do half of the list below, and it will.

Remember that there are 1000's of pieces of content being uploaded every minute on the platform, so our biggest piece of advice would focus on being consistent with your posting and also the list of suggestions below:

Audiences Behaviours:

TikTok's Algorithm uses multiple data signals to consider if content is going to liked by wider audiences, we have found that the following metrics have lead to greater success:

• Retention time
• Saves
• Likes
• Comments (Replying to each comment from a brand account is a must!)
• Hashtags
• Accounts your brand accounts follows

An important element to really consider in this list, is the retention time of content, how long users have watch a video for is a massive factor for the algorithm, so consider this when you produce your creative.

Video Information:

As well as the behaviours above, the TikTok algorithm also considers the meta content within your creative. This is where often understanding TikTok SEO is massively important for your brand account to consider. TikTok will use this information to better distribute your content to the right audience:

• Keywords - Title, Description, Captions - Make the most of these, TikTok has increase the amount of copy you can have within a post so that you can use their SEO features to reach better audiences.
• Content - Making sure your content is well scripted and targeted to topic or niche is very key for TikTok to then categorise your content. Being very vague and giving to much information can often work against you.
• Sound/Music - Use sounds that could be trending, there are a few apps you can use to help here.
• Hashtags - Been detailed here, using lots of hashtags just for the sake of it, isn't going to help. Focus on hashtags that are relevant to you brand.