What is TikTok Discover?
The TikTok Discover page is the portal for exploring new content and finding creators on TikTok. It shows a personalized feed of trending videos, popular creators, hashtags, and sounds to follow based on your interests [1]. The Discover page aims to help users discover new entertaining videos and creators to follow. It includes several sections:
- Trending videos and hashtags
- Popular and recommended creators
- Search and hashtags to follow
- Live videos
- Shorts
The Discover feed shows content tailored to each user. TikTok’s algorithm analyzes your interactions to determine your interests and preferences. It then populates your Discover page with relevant trending content. This provides a personalized experience to help you find new videos and creators related to what you already enjoy watching.
Why Use the Discover Page?
The Discover page on TikTok allows users to find new creators and content that they may not come across in their regular “For You” feed. Here are some of the key benefits of using the Discover page:
Find new creators and content – The Discover page surfaces videos, hashtags, and sounds that are trending or popular. This exposes you to new topics and creators that the TikTok algorithm may not show you based just on who you already follow and engage with.1
Break out of your bubble – Since the For You feed shows content similar to what you already interact with, it can create a “filter bubble.” The Discover page pushes you outside of this by highlighting different viral content.2
Discover trending content – The Trending section of Discover highlights the latest popular sounds, hashtags, and video challenges sweeping TikTok. Stay on top of the latest viral content.3
Accessing the Discover page on TikTok is easy and allows you to explore new videos and creators that match your interests. Here are the main ways to get to the Discover feed on TikTok:
How to Access the Discover Page
The most direct way to access the Discover page is to tap the search icon at the top right of the app. This will open up the search screen. At the top, you’ll see tabs for Search, Discover, and Inbox. Tap on the Discover tab to access the page.
You can also swipe right from the For You feed to quickly open the Discover page. The For You page shows videos based on your interests, while Discover gives you more control to find new content.
Finally, you can access Discover by swiping left across the bottom menu bar. The icons include Home, Discover, Create, Inbox, and Profile. Tap the Discover icon to view recommended videos, trending content, suggested hashtags, and more.
Personalized Recommendations
The TikTok algorithm learns your interests based on the content you engage with and then recommends personalized content on your Discover page. According to The TikTok Algorithm Explained + Tips to Go Viral, the algorithm tracks the videos you like, share, comment on, and other engagement metrics to understand your preferences. It then populates your Discover feed with content similar to what you’ve interacted with before in order to keep you engaged.
The more you interact with certain types of videos such as dance challenges, cooking recipes, or humor skits, the more the algorithm will show you related content. TikTok’s recommendation system is highly personalized and no two users will have the exact same Discover feed. The key is consistently engaging with content you enjoy so the algorithm can continue tailoring your recommendations.
Trending and Popular Content
One of the best features of TikTok’s Discover page is the section for trending and popular content. This section shows what’s currently blowing up and going viral in your area and among the topics you follow.
TikTok’s algorithm is constantly analyzing what content is spiking in popularity. It identifies viral trends, songs, hashtags, effects, and more that are seeing huge growth and engagement. The Discover trending section surfaces this content so you can stay on top of the latest viral sensations.
For example, you may see dance challenges, comedy sketches, meme songs, filters and effects, and other content types that have recently gone massively viral. Tapping into trending content is a great way to find creators, songs, and video ideas that are resonating at the moment.
You can also filter the trending section based on your specific interests. So if comedy and DIY are topics you follow, your trending feed will highlight rising trends among those niches. This personalization helps surface content that’s trending among the communities you care about.
Checking out what’s trending on TikTok is a fun way to get inspiration and ideas for your own videos. You can also join in on trending challenges and topics as a way to expand your reach. So be sure to regularly review the popular and trending sections of Discover to stay on the pulse of what’s hot on TikTok right now.
Search and Hashtags
One of the best ways to discover new content on TikTok is by using the search feature. You can search for specific creators, topics, sounds, hashtags, and more. To use search, tap the magnifying glass icon at the top of the app.
Type a keyword into the search bar, like “cooking” or “travel.” TikTok will instantly pull up results related to your search term. You can browse videos, see top hashtags and sounds, and discover new creators that match your interests.
Searching for creators by name is a great way to find new people to follow. You may discover talented creators that you never would have found otherwise. Following creators builds your personalized For You feed over time.
Searching hashtags like #cooking or #art reveals popular videos on those topics. Clicking on a hashtag opens a page showing top videos using that tag. This lets you dive deep into niche interests and communities.
You can also search for specific sounds or songs. This finds TikToks using that exact audio. It’s perfect for locating new dance trends, meme songs, and more. TikTok’s powerful search makes the platform easily navigable.
In addition to the main search bar, there is also a Discover tab with curated trending searches. This showcase popular searches among the TikTok community. Checking the Discover tab provides inspiration and highlights rising trends.
Following New Creators
The Discover page makes it easy to follow new creators you discover on TikTok. The “Following” tab shows a personalized feed of suggested accounts to follow based on your interests. You can scroll through creator recommendations and tap the “Follow” button on any profiles you want to start following.
TikTok’s algorithm looks at the types of videos you engage with and accounts you already follow to suggest relevant new creators to follow. So the more you interact with content on TikTok, the better the recommendations become. Following new creators is a great way to diversify your For You feed and discover more of the content you love.
In addition to the Following tab, you may also come across interesting new creators to follow as you explore trending content, hashtags, or sounds. When viewing a creator’s individual profile, you can tap the “Follow” button to add them to your Following list and see their new videos in your feed.
Following creators directly gives you more control over your TikTok experience. It supplements the algorithmic For You feed with content from accounts you choose to follow. So make sure to regularly check out suggested creators in Discover to find entertaining, informative, or inspiring new accounts to follow.
Interact with Content
The main way to engage with videos on the Discover page is by liking, commenting on, and sharing content. When you tap the heart icon, you are liking a video which helps it get promoted in ranking. Leaving comments is a way to provide feedback, ask questions, or have discussions about videos. Tap the comment bubble icon to leave a comment on any video. To share content, tap the arrow icon which allows you to send videos to friends or post them in your own feed. Liking, commenting and sharing are key ways to interact and engage with creators and content on TikTok.
According to TikTok’s support article, engagement on the platform refers to “the number of likes, comments, shares, views, and traffic to a user’s profile that a specific video receives.” Engagement helps videos get recommended by the algorithm. Top videos with high engagement can end up on the For You page and go viral. The discover page recommends content partly based on what is trending and receiving high engagement. So interacting by tapping like, comment, and share on videos helps boost their engagement.
As explained on TikTok’s website, the discover page algorithm aims to serve each user content that is most likely to interest them. By liking, commenting on, and sharing videos that appeal to you, over time the Discover feed becomes more personalized with content that matches your interests and engagement history.
Managing Your Discover Feed
One of the best ways to control what you see on your Discover feed is to manage your watched history. When you watch a video all the way through on your For You or Discover feeds, TikTok takes that as a signal you want to see more of that kind of content.
To clear your watch history and refresh your recommendations, go to your profile and tap the menu icon in the top right. Then go to Settings > Content Preferences > Clear Watch History. This will remove the videos you’ve previously watched so TikTok can start recommending fresh content to you.
You can also like or dislike videos to further tune your Discover feed. When you tap the share icon on a video, you’ll see options to Like or Dislike. Liking videos will cause TikTok’s algorithm to show you more of that type of content, while disliking will decrease recommendations for similar videos.
Additionally, you can tap the Not Interested button on any video to remove that specific video and help avoid content like it in the future. Using these controls consistently helps train the TikTok algorithm over time.
Source: https://support.tiktok.com/en/account-and-privacy/account-privacy-settings/refresh-your-for-you-feed
Customizing Discover
TikTok allows you to customize your Discover feed to better control the content you see. There are a few ways to do this:
You can adjust your interests and preferences in the app settings to influence the recommendations you get. Go to your profile, tap the three dots in the top right corner, choose “Settings and privacy,” then select “Recommendations” and adjust the categories and interests. This will help tailor your For You feed over time [1].
You can also follow more accounts that post content you like. The more creators you follow, the more videos similar to their style you’ll see. Interacting with videos by liking, commenting, and sharing will also improve recommendations [2].
Finally, you can easily switch between your Following feed and For You feed from the Discover page. Tap the magnifying glass icon in the bottom toolbar to toggle between the two. This lets you choose between an endless stream of recommendations or just posts from those you follow.
