How TikTok Decides if Your Video is a Viral Hit or a Flop
In a very short period of time, TikTok has managed to grow into a social network people cannot imagine their lives without. But, being so “young” makes it quite difficult for people to create content that will go viral. As you already know, a short video format is what is being spread on this network, so algorithms used on other platforms like YouTube, for instance, are entirely different.
Like most social networks, this one also does not fully disclose how it works. Nevertheless, enough time has passed for different users to test it, and get some insights on what might be a perfect recipe for a viral video. Based on the sharing of experiences by other people, here are some of the things that make your content viral.
Based on what does TikTok judge your content?
You have experienced how random content is being served to you when you use the app. Once you finish your content and post it, it will be randomly served to a minimum of 300 users, based on the hashtags you’ve posted. These 300 are absolutely crucial in the decision of the platform on whether or not your video is viral. This will be no random audience, though. Your video will be served to those who have been watching similar content in the past.
Besides views, shares and likes are also important. This is a relatively easy task to handle since you can utilize services like Goviral.Pro.
One other criteria play a huge role in your video’s success. It’s the assessment of whether or not people are viewing or watching your video. There’s a big difference between these two. Viewing the content for a couple of seconds only, and watching the whole thing through has a different value. Those 300 people we wrote about earlier have to be viewing your video for a minimum of 8 seconds (if its duration is 15 seconds), in order for it to be counted as watched.
The order of things
Once you are satisfied all the above, you’ll also have to face with the order of TikTok. This is the first page you see when you open the app. It consists of people you follow, content you might be interested in, and new users you may be interested in following. So, your aim is to somehow appear in this “order”.
To achieve this, we have prepared a couple of useful pieces of advice you can read below
1. Come up with original content that is entertaining or provides great value
Depending on what suits you better and what kind of profile you want to have, you can come up with or dig up an idea on other platforms for a challenge that you will start or in which you will participate, or you can also identify a problem and offer people useful tips for solving it off the same. This is the format that usually works because videos that people find useful or interesting will be shared a lot and will easily go viral.
2. Be innovative and unique
On a network where you will come across a bunch of different videos with an identical style, standing out with originality catches the eye and attracts the attention of the network of people, not just a single individual. Instead of creating a video that is the same as one that has gone viral already, and has been copied by who knows how many people before you, come up with new content that will be so good that hundreds and thousands of other network users will want to copy.
3. Identify your audience
If you want your content to go viral, it’s a good idea to decide on the kind of content you want to upload in the future. Decide on a niche, because if you don’t even know what you post and what you do on your profile, why should anyone follow you? In addition, identify the target group for which you want to create content, study their interests and try to predict what types of videos will appeal to that audience and make them share your content further. With a built network of followers, your profile will gain weight in the eyes of the algorithm, and this will increase the visibility of your posts and the popularity of your videos.
4. Look for inspiration from other networks
After a few videos, the inspiration for new content slowly fades, and your profile gets lost in the sea of videos posted every hour, every day. To keep your profile fresh and unique, use social networks to your advantage – in your spare time, look for inspiration, always keeping in mind the end viewer and what you yourself would share, imitate, and preserve.
5. Background music
One of the best ways to make your videos go viral on this network is to create content with a popular song in the background. Since these songs are used by the most popular profiles on the platform, they have a large number of people following that content behind them. Take advantage of this trend on your profile as millions of people searching for that topic will be able to see your content. Also, it is good to follow the most famous profiles and have them as inspiration for your content, so you will find new and fresh ideas that will help you create attractive content for millions of people. Creativity and authenticity is the key to any successful video.
Sometimes, creating viral content doesn’t happen overnight, but requires persistence, a lot of uniqueness, and innovation. Don’t despair if you don’t succeed in the first few attempts, sometimes it takes time to knock people off their feet who spend hours every day on this network and have already seen everything. And invest in your skills to create good content, since there are new tools you can utilize being developed every day. By continuously learning about them, you’ll always be one step ahead of others.
