Essential Insights: Understanding the TikTok Algorithm for Creators and TikTok Shop Affiliates

Many friends would say, "This TikTok algorithm mechanism, I just can't seem to wrap my head around it, which is why I haven't quite mastered short video creation on the platform yet." Actually, the fundamentals of the TikTok algorithm are like learning the basic numbers 123456 in mathematics – you need to understand these first before moving onto more advanced concepts. Ideally, you should be thoroughly familiar with these core principles and strategies

The ladder mechanism of TikTok video view

What does the ladder mechanism of TikTok video view recommendations look like? You can take a look at this chart first.

In the initial stage, when you first post a video, you should expect to receive 200 to 500 video views. Then, based on user feedback data, the system determines whether to push it to a larger audience or stop the promotion.
However, many people are puzzled when they're doing marketing: TikTok clearly states that regardless of whether you have followers or not, your video should receive 200 to 500 video views when it's first posted.

So why is my video only getting around 90 views or fewer than 200 views? Does it mean the system didn't recommend my video to 200 to 500 people?

Actually, that's not the issue.
TikTok officials have provided a very clear response during live broadcasts. In simple terms, when a video is posted by a new account, TikTok will indeed push it to be viewed by 200 to 500 people.

However, among these 200 to 500 viewers, only a small portion will stay on your video for a sufficient amount of time. The views from this subset of users who stay for an adequate duration are what you see as the video view count in the backend. It's referred to by another name—effective view volume.

Let me give you an example, and you'll understand.

Imagine you're selling toys, and you go to a park where there are over 500 people passing by. However, only 30 of them actually stop to chat with you, asking about the toys and their prices. For you, even though there were 500 people passing by, only these 30 individuals are considered effective users.

The same concept applies to videos. Even though the system initially gives me a traffic of 200 to 500 people, the actual effective playback volume might be only 30 or even fewer.

TikTok System Intelligent Cumulative Algorithm

The TikTok stacking algorithm consists of the following steps:

1. Initial distribution - Intelligent distribution.

2. Secondary distribution - Data weighting.

3. Tertiary distribution - Stacked recommendations.

Initial distribution - Intelligent distribution.

It distributes content to audiences with matching interest tags based on your content tags #. When our views are possibly below 800,000, topic tags are still very important and must be taken seriously.

Secondary distribution - Data weighting

If the completion rate, like rate, comment rate, and share rate are all good, it will enter the secondary traffic pool. The specific criteria are: a like rate of over 3.5%, a comment rate of over 0.35%, and a 5-second completion rate of 45% or higher. The platform will then proceed with the next level of recommendation.

Here's an example: with 1000 views, you have 35 likes, 3 to 4 comments, and 450 people watched the first 5 seconds of your video. Your video will enter the next round of recommendations, into a traffic pool of 1000 to 5000 views.
Here's a little tip: Some creators might have 40 to 50 likes with 1000 views, but only 1 to 2 comments. You can try adding 3 more comments to improve engagement （ask your friends or realtives ）.

Tertiary distribution - Stacked recommendations.

As long as the performance of secondary distribution data is good, it will start to exponentially stack distribution and enter a fast lane of vide view growth. In simple terms, the video view volume keeps increasing and you'll notice a video going crazy with likes, followers, comments, and shares.

When below the 800,000 traffic pool, precise tagging remains crucial. However, once surpassing this threshold, tags become less significant, and the platform will proceed with all platform recommendations across the tiktok(includes everyone on Tiktok).

On the TikTok "For You" page, you'll come across many creators you haven't previously engaged with or followed. This is because the video has been de-tagged, and it's no longer confined to a specific user group. Instead, it has broken boundaries and reached a wider audience, becoming a viral video across the entire platform.

Common Questions Regarding TikTok System's Intelligent Recommendation Algorithm

Why my TikTok video views are so bad?

In the initial stages of your account, when you post your first video, the system doesn't yet know who your video is intended for, so it makes some random recommendations. For example, if you're targeting college students or those interested in learning, but the system doesn't know your tags initially, it will randomly push your content.

Your target audience is the 16 to 30 age group, but the system might recommend your content to children or middle-aged individuals who might be interested in movies, cartoons, or funny jokes. When they see your content about college growth, they'll just scroll past.

It's like trying to sell toys to elderly people who aren't interested; they won't even look at them, let alone contribute to your video's playback volume in the backend.

So, in the initial stages, when there are no account tags realted to your account （tiktok tag your account with different catergory ）, the video view volume of content tends to be relatively low. However, as long as you maintain content within a vertical niche and consistently publish high-quality videos, the system will assign accurate tags to your content. Next time it's pushed, the recommendations will be more precise.

Why your TikTok video views stopped increasing? Your video views aren't going up?

The traffic distribution mechanism on TikTok is divided into ranges such as 200 to 500, 3000 to 5000, 10,000 to 20,000, 100,000 to 150,000, and 300,000 to 800,000.

Sometimes, you may notice that the views of one of your videos aren't consistently increasing, and the video views stay at around 50,000 plays, then stop. Why is that? Actually, what's happening is that your video has surpassed the initial traffic pool but hasn't broken through to a larger traffic pool.

For example, imagine you're in a small county where everyone says you're richest person in here, and you're considered Number One. But if you move up to the next level, lets say a small city, are you still Number One? Probably not. You might be in the top 100. Then, if you move to an even larger city, like New York or California, you might not even make it into the top 100; you might be in the top 1000.

Similarly, this is why your video's views might plateau at a certain point—because the feedback data from your video isn't sufficient to move you into a larger traffic pool.

When encountering such a situation, there's no need to dwell on or analyze the video. Just continue updating with new video content.

What is the correct process for starting an account on TikTok?

For those influential bloggers and MCN agencies, their initial account-building process was also starting with just a dozen or so likes, maybe a few dozen likes. Out of 20 posts, suddenly one video went viral, and then gradually, they achieved thousands of likes, even tens of thousands.

If you're still confused about TikTok's traffic mechanism or want to learn more about short video strategies, I recommend finding a professional to guide you. They can provide targeted answers to your questions, which is much more efficient than repeatedly trying and failing on your own. Alternatively, feel free to DM me for a discussion on strategies, but I'm not necessarily an expert, LOL. The main thing is for everyone to exchange and learn together!

Tiktok System Review Mechanism

TikTok System Intelligent
Recommendation Algorithm

Tiktok's Dual Review Mechanism After Video Upload

The so-called dual review refers to machine review and manual review. Machine review mainly focuses on three points:

1. Checking whether your content (copywriting, scenes) is plagiarized. If it is too similar to someone else's work, it will be recommended to a lower audience.

2. Determining whether your video is simply shared or is marketing-oriented. If it is advertising or marketing, your video will be intercepted directly.

3. Identifying whether your video involves politics, pornography, gambling, drugs, or prohibited advertising terms. Anything that violates our constitution, laws, and regulations will be intercepted.

What exactly is manual review?

If your content has been flagged by machine review for previous violations, and even after making changes and resubmitting it doesn't pass, that's when manual review comes into play. Manual review introduces more variability, as different individuals may assess your content on different criteria throughout the day. For example, if your video was performing well but suddenly stops, it's likely due to a switch in manual reviewers who may notice issues that were overlooked previously and consequently intercept your content.

The audit process after TikTok video upload

Suggestions to increase the success rate of video audits.

Reduce visual complexity, simpler is better, ideally with a fixed scene. Keep all aspects of the video frame simple.

The four core factors for intelligent recommendation of TikTok video view.

The four factors for TikTok's intelligent recommendation playback volume are completion rate, comment rate, share rate, and like rate. This is a crucial factor in determining whether a video can be distributed multiple times.

Why do we say that you're Number One in a county, but after you move to a small city, you might be in the top 100, and then in New York or California, you become top 1000? Why is that?

TikTok uses four core factors - completion rate, comment rate, share rate, and like rate - to determine whether your video can enter a higher traffic pool. Completion rate carries the highest weight, followed by comment rate, share rate, and like rate. Some may also be concerned about replay rate and follow rate, but these are more related to account growth and the system's "machine algorithm" and have less impact on the stacked recommendation mechanism.

Techniques to improve "video view completion rate".

TikTok uses four core factors - completion rate, comment rate, share rate, and like rate - to determine whether your video can enter a higher traffic pool. Completion rate carries the highest weight, followed by comment rate, share rate, and like rate. Some may also be concerned about replay rate and follow rate, but these are more related to account growth and the system's "machine algorithm" and have less impact on the stacked recommendation mechanism.

1.Keep videos between 15 seconds to 45 seconds.
You might see others posting one-minute or even longer videos that are quite engaging. However, in the initial stages, your data may typically be poor. TikTok platform statistics have shown that videos lasting 30 seconds or less have the highest user retention and best performance. That's why it's encouraged to create videos within the 45-second timeframe.

Guide viewers to watch the video until the end.

① Start by informing viewers about the value of watching your video.
for example ：Today I'm sharing eight quick ways to apply eyeliner. The eighth method is the most time-saving and suitable for everyone.

When you start your video by mentioning that if someone struggles with applying eyeliner, they might prefer waiting until the end to learn the quickest method, I hope this makes sense.

① Spark viewers' curiosity and guide them to watch until the end.

for example ：While discussing the product or introducing elements in your video, you can say something along the lines of, "As we delve further, you'll be in for a pleasant surprise, leaving you thoroughly satisfied." This will keep viewers engaged and their curiosity will drive them to watch the entire video.

However, it's essential to provide viewers with something they care deeply about or find pleasantly surprising. Therefore, the design, shooting, and expression sequence of the content are also crucial. But from what I've observed, most US creators are way too lazy, especially in aspects like video editing and shooting.

With that being said, many people will become curious about what you'll talk about next, and they'll continue watching your video until the end.

Techniques to improve "comment rate".

(1).At the end of the video, encourage viewers to engage in the comments section.

For example:

"If you have any other great study methods, feel free to leave a comment below."

"Out of these study tools, which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments."

"Among these 3 attractions, which one do you most want to visit? Tag your friends in the comments and let's plan together!"

(2) Actively respond to viewer comments.

Once viewers leave comments, we can actively respond to them. This not only increases the likelihood of being recommended by the system but also encourages other users to engage in commenting.

(3) Ask friends around you to help write a few more comments.

You can reference the top comments from viral videos or pick a few highly-rated comments from NetEase Cloud Music and include them in your own comments section.

Techniques to boost "share rate".

Asking your viewers to share or repost your content directly may not be the best approach. Instead, you can focus on improving the quality of your content.

For example, you can create videos that provide valuable information to your viewers, increase the density of information, and address common pain points and needs. When users find these videos helpful, they may save and share them with their friends.

Another strategy is to create content with social value, such as discussing trending topics that many people are interested in. This can create a natural urge to share, resulting in higher repost rates for these types of videos.

Additionally, you can include a call-to-action in your videos, saying something like, "If you found this video helpful, please share it with friends who might need it."

Techniques to increase "video like rate".

If your video is particularly valuable, for example, if it provides helpful content to viewers, is entertaining, addresses consumer pain points, or has unique characteristics, then people will also click the like button. Building on this foundation, you can also encourage viewers to like the video.

For example you can mention this following information on your video ,this is not against Tiktok policy
"If you enjoy my videos, don't forget to like, save, and follow me!"

In the end, I have some study materials that I can provide to everyone for free. I've compiled extremely useful content, especially if you're a creator participating in an affiliate shop program.

This study material includes guidance on how to showcase different products, what to say during filming, and the editing sequence. Based on my experience, I've put together highly useful content. Please help me share this article. (You can repost it on your Facebook, and then you can ask me for this study material later).
I believe this article is very valuable to many people, so I think it's worth sharing and reposting!"

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