How does the TikTok algorithm work in 2025? Tips to boost visibility

The TikTok algorithm in 2025 is built around communities, not random viral hits. Hootsuite’s Social Trends 2025 Report calls this “micro-virality,” and it’s changing how brands grow on TikTok.

Here’s what the algorithm looks at, and how you can work with it to boost reach and results.

What is the TikTok algorithm in 2025?

The TikTok algorithm is the technology that decides what TikTok videos to recommend to each user. It studies what you watch and how you interact, and then suggests videos you’re most likely to enjoy.

No two TikTok users will see the same combination of TikTok videos on their For You Page — this feed is unique and highly personalized. In fact, the type of content you see on your FYP will evolve over time, as the algorithm catches on to changes in your interests and viewing preferences.

According to TikTok’s own documentation (updated 2025), here’s how the algorithm works:

“We use recommender systems to offer you a personalized experience. These systems suggest content based on your preferences as expressed through interactions on TikTok, such as following an account or liking a post.”

How does the TikTok algorithm work in 2025?

The TikTok algorithm looks at three main signals when ranking content:

1. User interactions: What you watch, like, share, comment on, or skip.
2. Video information: Captions, hashtags, sounds, effects, and views.
3. User information: Language, country, device type and settings.

Here’s a quick look at the three main types of signals the TikTok algorithm uses to rank content. We’ll dig into each one in more detail below.

Signal type	Examples	Weight in algorithm
User interactions	Likes, shares, comments, watch time, “Not Interested” clicks	High – most important
Video information	Captions, hashtags, sounds, effects, trending topics	Medium
User information	Device type, language, country, account settings, time zone	Low — less impact

1. User interactions

Every action you take on TikTok provides the app with information about what kind of content you’re most interested in.

Here are some of the user interactions that will impact what shows up on your For You feed:

• Videos you’ve liked or shared on the app
• Videos you’ve added to your favorites
• Videos you’ve marked as “Not Interested”
• Videos you’ve reported as inappropriate
• Interests you’ve expressed by interacting with organic content and ads
• Which accounts you follow
• Comments you’ve posted
• Creators or sounds you’ve chosen to hide
• How long you spend watching a video
• Content you create on your own account

Positive signals tell the algorithm to show you more of the same kind of content,, while the negative ones will prevent similar content from showing up in your feed.

2. Video information

The TikTok algorithm also collects information about the videos you look for in search and the types of videos you watch in general.

Video information signals include:

• Captions
• Sounds
• Hashtags
• Effects
• Trending topics
• Video length

3. User information

User information doesn’t have as much influence as user actions or video details, but they still play a role. Some of the user information triggers included in the TikTok algorithm are:

• Language preference
• Country setting (you may be more likely to see content from people in your own country, or videos that are particularly popular in your country)
• Device type
• Categories of interest you selected in your new user preferences
• Time zone and day

These are the settings that help TikTok run smoothly. But, because they’re based on one-time settings, rather than ongoing activity, they aren’t as important to the algorithm.

9 tips for getting picked up by the TikTok algorithm

Looking to get your content seen by more people, more often? Here are our top tips for winning the TikTok algorithm in 2025.

1. Find your community

Connecting with existing communities is more important on TikTok than other social networks. Unlike Facebook, where people mostly engage with friends or accounts they already follow, TikTok’s For You feed is built around fresh content from strangers.

But those strangers can quickly turn into a community. In fact, TikTok users are four times more likely to say that TikTok is the best platform for being part of a community. And 72% of women on TikTok say it’s easy for new communities to connect and bond over shared life experiences on the platform.

Tap into an existing community and you’ll likely find your content amplified to that audience. Fortunately, TikTok subcultures tend to congregate around hashtags.

Some of the fastest-growing communities on TikTok include:

• #BookTok: This community of book lovers saw more than 1.2 million posts in the first ten months of 2024. Note that the more niche #Romantasy community saw a 300% increase in posts in 2024.
• #SportsOnTikTok: This hashtag saw a 350% increase in posts in 2024. Meanwhile, #WomenInSports saw a more than 2400% increase!
• #Science and #STEMTok: TikTok’s dedicated STEM feed, which became available to all users by default late in 2024, partly explains the 45% increase in posts with the #Science hashtag in 2024.

Understanding your most valuable subcultures can also help you plan your content creation that connects authentically with TikTokers, creating greater credibility, brand loyalty, and even more exposure. TikTok users want brands to take this approach: 76% say they like it when brands are a part of special interest groups on the platform.

TikTok’s Audience Insights can help you find your subculture by identifying the interests and hashtags most relevant to your target audience. You can even find the “Bottom 10” interests for your audience so you can avoid creating content in those categories.

To access Audience Insights, open TikTok Ads Manager and hover over Analytics, then click Audience Insights. Note that you don’t have to be a TikTok advertiser to use this tool.

To go more in-depth, check out our full guide to audience research.

2. Hook viewers in the first 3 seconds

TikTok moves fast. This is not the platform to add a wordy intro before you dive into the meat of your video. The hook needs to inspire viewers to stop scrolling.

Remember: Watch time tells the TikTok algorithm that this is content worth sharing with other viewers.

According to TikTok itself, the first three seconds are critical. To grab attention, TikTok suggests:

• Starting off with a question that your video will answer
• Using a timer or countdown in your title overlay
• Flashing ahead to a quick preview of the end result

This video from the Met Museum walks users through getting to the Cloisters, but it starts with beautiful shots of the destination. The preview makes people want to go — and watch the full video to learn how.

3. Use TikTok SEO strategies

As important as hashtags are for your TikTok strategy, don’t forget about the importance of keywords. TikTok SEO is critical to teach the algorithm just what your content is about. And to allow interested TikTokers to find it, of course.

Destination Madison created a TikTok series called Madison’s Iconic Eats, playing off pop-culture themes like set-jetting:

“Social search and TikTok SEO is a huge focus for us,” says Sarah Warner, PR & communications manager at Destination Madison. “We want to anticipate what people are looking for and make sure that when they’re looking, they find us first. Doing so gives our content longevity and helps new people find us every day, even when we aren’t posting.”

You could search for trending keywords that match with your content. Or, like Destination Madison, you could use trending topics and keywords to inspire your content.

TikTok captions can be a maximum length of 4,000 characters, which means you’ve got plenty of room to work with. Start looking for trending keywords by region and industry in the TikTok Creative Center. (And if you’re stumped about what to write, try Hootsuite’s free social media caption generator.)

Keep in mind that your caption is not the only place to include keywords. TikTok can also pick them up from your voiceover or text overlay.

Key takeaway: You can optimize for TikTok search by using clear keywords in captions, voiceovers, and text overlays. The algorithm relies on these signals to understand your content and match it with people looking for it.

4. Create high-quality content specifically for TikTok

This should be an obvious one, right? Low-quality content is not going to find its way to the For You feed. But just in case you need proof, TikTok’s internal data shows that high-quality content creators get 72% more watch time per video view, and more than 40 times greater follower growth.

And since TikTok is unlike other social platforms, high-quality content is TikTok-first content. In fact, 79% of TikTok users prefer brands that understand content creation specifically for TikTok.

You don’t need any fancy equipment. In fact, TikTok research shows audiences prefer a “less-polished, authentic aesthetic.”

What you do need is decent lighting, a good microphone if you’re going to record audio, and some quick edits and transitions to keep the visuals moving. Here are ways to embrace the TikTok-first aesthetic:

• Try different video lengths. Videos recorded in TikTok can be up to 10 minutes long, while uploaded videos can be up to 60 minutes long.
• Experiment with aspect ratio. Yes, you can now upload horizontal videos to TikTok, and they’ll play in full screen mode on phones. These will also work well with TikTok’s improved desktop interface. We’re not suggesting you abandon vertical videos, but it’s worth testing both formats, especially for different lengths.
• Dive into editing. Play around with TikTok’s built-in features like effects and text treatments. According to TikTok: “These native features help keep your content feeling native to the platform which can also help get it on more For You pages!”
• Try different formats. 76% of TikTok users say they enjoy a mix of images and video on the platform. Carousels are great too, like this example from @chipotle:

• Showcase expertise. Specialized content that highlights unique knowledge and expertise elevates the quality of your TikTok offering and connects to your niche. A couple of suggestions straight from TikTok are to solve a problem, share a hack, or teach something step by step.
• Add text to your video. Captions are in general a best practice for accessibility. Text like headlines and intro cards can also help draw viewers in and keep them engaged. And heads-up: More than 30% of TikTokers watch videos on mute and need captions for content. Leave them out and you’re missing out on a third of potential viewers.

Key takeaway: High-quality TikTok content is authentic, easy to watch, and made for the platform. Use clear sound, good lighting, captions, and quick edits, and test different lengths and formats to keep people watching.

5. Post at the right time for your audience

Posting at the right time is important for all social media platforms, and that includes TikTok. (That’s why we made this handy cheat sheet of the best times to post on every social platform.)

Engagement is a key signal to the TikTok algorithm, and the best way to get it is to post when your audience is most active on the app.

Hootsuite’s research with Critical Truth shows that overall, the best time to post on TikTok for engagement is either Thursday midmorning or Saturday midday.

But for best results, you need to know the best time to post for your specific audience. And for best results with the TikTok algorithm, you need to post at the best time to extend reach, which is not always the same as the best time to maximize engagement.

Psst… do keep in mind: the average engagement rate for brands on TikTok is 2.2%.

Fortunately, reach is a key goal available in Hootsuite’s Best Time To Publish feature. This handy tool provides custom recommendations based on your past performance and tailored to your unique audience and their activity patterns on TikTok.

When planning your posting times, consider that the average brand posted on TikTok around four times per week in Q1 2025.

Key takeaway: Posting when your audience is active helps the TikTok algorithm push your content further. Research shows Thursday midmorning and Saturday midday are strong times to post, but your own data will reveal the best schedule for your content.

6. Boost reach with duets, stitches, and LIVE

Interacting with other TikTok users is a surefire way to build engagement… which in turn will tell the algorithm you’re an account worth putting on people’s FYP.

Features like duets, stitches, comment replies, and LIVE streams keep people involved and send strong signals that your content is worth sharing.

Here’s how to use them:

• Duets: Record your video side-by-side with another creator’s.
• Stitch: Clip part of another video and add your own take.
• Comment replies: Turn audience questions or comments into new videos.
• LIVE: Go live to get real-time comments, likes, and gifts.

The default settings on TikTok allow others to create Duets and Stitch videos using your content. If you want to change this for any particular video, tap the More options icon on the video, tap Privacy settings, then toggle off Allow reuse of content.

You can also turn off these features for your whole TikTok account, but that would limit the opportunities for other TikTok users to engage with your content, decreasing discovery potential.

Finally, be sure to engage with your audience in the comments. 76% of TikTok users say brands that post or reply to comments on TikTok feel like part of the community, and 68% of TikTok users say brands should use the comments section to better understand their audience.

Key takeaway: You can get the TikTok algorithm to favor your content by using interactive tools like duets, stitches, comment replies, and LIVE. More interaction means more reach.

7. Use trending and relevant hashtags

As you’ve seen, hashtags are an important way to connect with communities and new audiences on TikTok. But don’t go overboard. TikTok recommends just two or three relevant hashtags per video.

To find trending hashtags, head to the TikTok Creative Center. Click on the Analytics button next to any trending hashtag to see a full breakdown of its popularity, including audience demographic details and related interests.

Source: TikTok Creative Center

Keep your eyes peeled for hashtags related to challenges. These can help you come up with new ideas for content. The algorithm will appreciate the participation, too. Plus, users want to get involved: 77% of TikTok users say they like it when brands create new challenges, trends, or memes.

8. Add trending sounds and music

Like we’ve already said, participating in any kind of trend is a good bet when aiming for the For You feed. Sounds are a big part of TikTok culture, with audio clips that take on lives of their own.

TikTok specifically says that using trending sounds or music can help make your videos more discoverable. Bonus: Videos with background music get an average of 98.31% more views than those without.

You can get a sense of the latest trending sounds just by keeping an eye on your For You feed. But to get more specific, you can find trending songs by region in the TikTok Creative Center.

Keep in mind: Sounds can shift in meaning quickly. If you’re an enterprise brand on TikTok, take a moment to check that a trending sound still matches your values before you use it. That way you can ride the trend without taking on extra risk.

Just like for trending hashtags, you can find analytics data like audience demographics and related interests. Note that this section of the Creative Center only includes songs, not user-generated original sounds.

For a deeper dive into TikTok trends to lean into, try using the TikTok Symphony Assistant. This platform-native AI tool can help you source trending sounds, music, and themes that fit your specific creative needs.

Key takeaway: You can get the TikTok algorithm to favor your content by using trending sounds and music. TikTok says these make videos more discoverable, and data shows background music can nearly double your views.

9. Be real — and have fun

TikTok just isn’t the place for buttoned-up, overly polished content. The most popular content on TikTok is playful and unpredictable, so have some fun.

After all, TikTok users want to see brands experiment and have fun on the platform. 40% of TikTok users say brands that show personality are more relevant.

Like Hootsuite’s Social & Influencer Marketing Specialist Eileen Kwok says, TikTok is where people go to be entertained. So, it’s up to you to give them what they want.

How to reset or retrain your TikTok recommendations

If you’re not happy with the recommendations you’re getting, it’s possible to reset your own personal TikTok algorithm. Head to Settings and privacy, tap Content Preferences, then Refresh your For You feed. You’ll start with a fresh slate of popular new content.

You can also train your algorithm with the Not interested feature. Press and hold a post or tap Share, then tap Not interested. You can also set up filter lists to remove content containing specific words and hashtags.

Content TikTok won’t recommend in 2025 (and why)

When planning your content strategy, it’s just as important to understand what types of content the TikTok algorithm will not recommend.

The following types of content are ineligible for recommendation in the For You Feed. They may also be harder to find in search.

1. Content created by anyone under 16 years old
2. Hate speech and hateful behavior
3. Disordered eating and body image
4. Dangerous activity/dangerous challenges
5. Nudity and body exposure
6. Sexually suggestive content
7. Shocking and graphic content
8. Misinformation
9. False or unverified claims about civic and election integrity
10. Fake engagement (such as “like-for-like”)
11. Unoriginal content (such as content uploaded with a watermark or a simple GIF)
12. Gambling
13. Promoting tobacco or drugs, or showing excessive alcohol consumption
14. Live content with the main goal of driving people off-platform.

Content not suitable for young people may be restricted to audiences over 18. And content that violates the Community Guidelines will be removed altogether (and could result in a strike against your account). If you post content that falls into any of these categories, you’ll see that information in TikTok Analytics, where you can also file an appeal.

FAQs about the TikTok algorithm

How does the TikTok algorithm work?

The TikTok algorithm uses a recommendation system to decide which videos to show you. It looks at what you watch, like, share, and comment on, plus details like hashtags, sounds, and captions. Together, these signals create a personalized feed for every user.

What factors influence TikTok’s For You Page?

The For You Page is influenced most by user interactions (watch time, likes, comments, shares), video information (hashtags, captions, sounds), and user settings (language, device, location). Watch time in the first few seconds is especially important.

Does TikTok collect and use my data?

Yes. TikTok collects data like your interactions, device type, and location to recommend content.

How can I improve my TikTok reach using the algorithm?

You can improve your TikTok reach by posting strong hooks in the first 3 seconds, using trending sounds and relevant keywords, and engaging with your niche community. High watch time, shares, and comments tell the algorithm to show your videos to more people.

How can businesses optimize for the TikTok algorithm?

Businesses looking to optimize their content for the TikTok algorithm should focus on TikTok-first content: quick edits, clear captions, trending sounds, and authentic storytelling. Posting at the right time and engaging in comment threads with a social media management tool like Hootsuite also helps to boost visibility.

Grow your TikTok presence alongside your other social channels using Hootsuite. Schedule and publish posts for the best times, engage your audience, and measure performance — all from one easy-to-use dashboard. Try it free today.