TikTok Algorithm: Secrets To Going Viral
If you haven’t yet, you should read my article: How To Get 1,000 Followers On Tik TOk In Your First 5 Days. Those tips are necessary for success with the Algorithm. But I wanted to discuss with you the reasoning behind it as well as some other considerations to better your chances at going viral on TikTok.
How to Hashtag For Growth
Some of the best advice I have heard on Hastags has come from Keenya Kelly who has only been on Tik Tok for 1 year and has over 400 thousand followers and 6 million likes. Not only that but she gives free tips on how you too can grow on TikTok, I highly recommend checking out her page.
One of the tips Ms. Kelly gave in one of her videos that I started using is to focus on niche hashtags that have to do with what I am posting. She said to think about who you are making the video for, and then what hashtags would define/find those people. In other words, identify your audience and use the appropriate hashtags.
Another very definitive goal she gave was to find hashtags with 2 million or less views that way it is more likely for your video to get more play time with that hashtag instead of competing with people who have millions of followers using the main hashtags.
I am so impressed by her accomplishments in such a short time, she really explains things in a clear and entertaining way. An interesting fact that I found out in one of her recent live sessions is that she started training with a personal trainer, convinced her trainer to get on TikTok and with the advice Ms.Kelly gave her trainer has seen amazing success on the platform. I will definitely be active with both of their content moving forward.
Best Video Length
Short and sweet is best. In my previous article I mentioned Robert Benjamin, he recommends making videos 10 – 15 seconds in length. I of course have ignored this advice many times lol.
I joined TikTok coach @Johnyblueeyes during one of his live sessions and asked him for guidance on a recent post I made. He watched it on the live and gave me immediate feedback (good job making a relatable story, too many transitions need to cut it down). So incredibly nice of him to do this for me.
So it is confirmed by two TikTok coaches that shorter videos tend to do better on the platform. People are there for a really short but impactful visual stories. I have taken this advice to heart now and moving forward will be focusing on being concise in my story telling and sticking to 15 second or less videos. I will also be very active with @Johnyblueeyes content moving forward because I am so grateful that he reviewed my video for me and gave me tangible advice.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you want enough view time to get the algorithm to push your video to more for you pages. Therefore, it is believed that videos 5 seconds or less may not be long enough to truly go viral. This is something many of the TikTok strategist have said and it makes sense to me.
Create New And Unique Content To Go Viral
Most of the advice about how to go viral focuses on mimicking trends already working on TikTok, which I can understand but did not feel very inspiring. Until I came across Sam Sheffer who said to truly go viral you need to be creating original content that TikTok has never seen posted. He says, “posting things inherently interesting and not yet on TikTok” is the key!
I have come across two content creators on TikTok that do just that! Christine Snaps has 4.5 million followers and 113 million likes on TIkTok because she creates original funny unique content. She has been able to parlay that onto Youtube and even sell her own Merch (merchandise). Her followers are very active and very loyal, rightly so, she is FUNNY! I believe she has only been on TikTok for one year.
The second unique content creator I enjoy following is @lootenantmusic he has seen amazing growth in a short period of time. I think he was able to monetize his account by obtaining 10,000 followers in just 1 month. All of his content is incredibly unique, creative and funny. I’m looking forward to seeing his continued growth and productions on the platform.
These two creators could not have more different content from one another and yet they are both seeing quick success on the platform because they are producing content no one has seen put together before and that is exciting! Being inspired by these I created two videos so far being the first to use the #airpodsurvivalstory and I plan to make more (I guess depending on how they go). Be sure to check them out and don’t forget to follow me!
Go Live!
Once you have 1,000 followers on TikTok you are able to go live. To do this you will click the plus sign on the bottom of your screen and then on the bottom right hand corner will be a live button. You can see how many people are active online. With approximately 2,000 followers right now there are over 400 people following me online at any given time.
Now, this is a live feed. Anyone coming across your live feed sees and hears you. So you want to be sure nothing inappropriate could possibly happen during your live feed or TikTok will ban you.
When you go live it is another way for you to interact and engage with the community you are building. It is also a great way to get new followers because you live feed will show up in people’s For You page. I also feel TikTok likes for people to go on Live because it increases the users time on the ap, so I feel the algorithm then rewards you for going live by pushing your recent videos more.
I have gained new followers on Live and also had people with many more followers then I have jump on my live and encourage me.
Attending other people’s live sessions is another way to gain followers. They will shout out your profile name, you can see if other people are in your area and follow them or just talk with people have a conversation. You can also ask the person running the live for advice on how to grow on TikTok. Many are very forthcoming and give great advice.
Every opportunity to actually have a back and forth with people on the ap is the best way to build a genuine relationship and community of people you grow with.
Do not forget to use the TikTok image below to check out my videos, follow me and most importantly connect!