What is TikTok?
TikTok is a popular video sharing app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It launched in 2016 and quickly gained popularity, especially among Generation Z users. TikTok is best known for its short videos, usually around 15 seconds to 3 minutes long, featuring dances, comedy sketches, stunts, and viral challenges.
TikTok’s interface makes it easy for users to create, edit, and share short videos with built-in effects and music. Its algorithm is very adept at surfacing trending content and tailoring an endless “For You” feed based on each user’s interests and engagement. This keeps users coming back to scroll through TikTok for hours at a time.
TikTok has been downloaded over 3 billion times globally and has over 1 billion monthly active users as of 2022, making it one of the fastest growing social media apps in history (Musically, 2023). While it started out as a platform for teens and young adults, TikTok has expanded far beyond that demographic and transformed into a mainstream sensation and hub for internet culture.
The For You Page
The For You page is TikTok’s main discovery feed that aims to show each user a personalized set of videos tailored just for them. It uses artificial intelligence and complex algorithms to recommend videos based on a user’s interests and engagements (TikTok Creator Portal). When a user first joins TikTok, the For You page shows a variety of popular videos across different topics and categories. As the user starts liking, sharing, and interacting with certain videos, TikTok’s AI begins to understand the types of content the user prefers and customizes the For You feed to show more of that content.
The For You page is designed to be an endless stream of fresh content. As users scroll down, TikTok’s recommendation system loads new videos it thinks they will enjoy. This creates a highly addictive, personalized viewing experience where people can discover new videos and creators for hours on end.
Following Hashtags and Challenges
One of the best ways to discover new videos and trends on TikTok is by following popular hashtags and challenges. When you tap on a hashtag or the “Discover” tab, you’ll be taken to a page showing a feed of videos using that hashtag or challenge.
TikTok creates curated compilations or playlists of trending hashtags and challenges like #pose, #WAPChallenge, or #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt. By tapping on these hashtags or browsing the Discover page, you can find curated videos of TikTok creators participating in viral trends and challenges.
According to TikTok’s blog, branded hashtag challenges like #ShareTheMic can help businesses engage audiences by having them participate in a branded campaign. The compiled videos with the branded hashtag allow for community engagement and participation in a marketing campaign.
Overall, browsing trending hashtags and challenges is a great way to discover new content as TikTok surfaces popular and timely videos around exciting viral trends.
Following Other Users
One way to discover new content on TikTok is by following other popular users that create content you find interesting or entertaining. When you follow an account, videos posted by that user will show up in your For You feed. This allows you to customize the kind of content you see on TikTok based on your interests and preferences.
To find creators to follow, visit the official TikTok creators account. This account regularly features up-and-coming creators across many categories like comedy, dance, food, beauty, sports, DIY, and more. You can follow creators that catch your eye to start seeing their content.
You can also check out lists like TikTok’s Top 100 or this list of most followed accounts to discover top creators on the platform. Following categories, hashtags, or sounds related to your interests is another way to find creators active in those spaces.
Once you follow an account, you’ll see an option in your feed to only view videos from creators you follow. This focuses your For You page around content created by the accounts you’ve chosen to follow.
Searching Keywords
One of the easiest ways to find videos about specific topics on TikTok is by using the built-in search feature. You can search for keywords, phrases, hashtags, or sounds to discover content. According to TikTok’s Help Center, when you search on TikTok it looks through video captions, sounds, usernames, and hashtags.
TikTok’s search allows you to filter results by duration, upload date, and more. For example, if you only want to see short videos about baking, you could search for “baking” and filter the results to only show videos under 60 seconds. The advanced filters give you more control over the search results. You can Surface videos uploaded in the last week, month, or year to find the most recent content.
Browsing Sounds
One of the best ways to discover new content on TikTok is by browsing popular and trending sounds (TikTok). TikTok makes it easy to find viral songs, audios, and sound effects being used in videos across the platform. The Sounds page shows a feed of trending sounds that you can tap on to view associated videos. It’s a great place to uncover the latest viral memes, dance challenges, comedy bits, and more that are taking off on TikTok.
When you select a sound, you’ll be taken to a page showing a feed of all the videos using that particular track or audio clip. This allows you to quickly find a huge range of content centered around specific viral sounds or songs. You can discover brand new challenges, trends, and memes just by exploring the videos using currently popular sounds. It’s also a useful view to see how different creators utilize the same sounds in their own unique videos.
The Sounds page is updated frequently, so it’s a reliable source to stay on top of the latest viral sounds and music moments on TikTok. Checking regularly can help you discover fresh content and trends before they explode in popularity across the app.
Location Pages
One way to discover content on TikTok is by browsing videos taken at certain locations. TikTok has Location Pages that aggregate videos that have been tagged with a specific location. This can be useful if you are traveling somewhere and want to get a feel for the vibe and sights, or even if you just want to explore videos from your local area.
To access Location Pages, tap the “Discover” tab on the bottom navigation bar. You will see a map view where you can drop a pin and browse videos taken near that spot. You can also search for specific locations like “Paris” or “Times Square.” Tapping on a location brings up its Location Page showing the most popular videos.
Browsing Location Pages lets you visually explore an area through the lens of TikTok users. It’s a great way to get an on-the-ground look and discover new content. For travelers, it can help plan an itinerary or identify sites and restaurants to check out. Overall, Location Pages make the world feel a little smaller by connecting you with videos from places near and far.
Following Trends and News
One of the best ways to discover new and emerging content on TikTok is by following trending news, events, and hashtags. When major events or news stories unfold, hashtag pages quickly populate with related videos covering the event as it happens. For example, during the 2022 World Cup, the #WorldCup hashtag was flooded with live videos, reactions, and commentary captured in the moment at matches. According to TikTok, the World Cup hashtag generated over 75 billion views during the tournament.
TikTok’s LIVE feature allows creators to broadcast events live as they unfold. Viewers can discover these LIVE videos on the main feed, hashtag pages, or through TikTok’s recommendations based on interests. Additionally, creators can schedule a LIVE event in advance and promote it so interested viewers can register for notifications and easily tune in when it starts. TikTok recently broke records with its TikTok In The Mix livestream concert which drew over 33.5 million viewers, making it the platform’s biggest LIVE event to date.
By tapping into trending hashtags and LIVE events, TikTokers can stay on top of emerging trends, pop culture moments, current events, and breaking news stories as they develop in real-time. The platform’s algorithm quickly surfaces popular and relevant content to niche interests, allowing users to easily discover videos capturing topics resonating most across TikTok.
TikTok’s Recommendation System
TikTok uses a sophisticated recommendation system powered by artificial intelligence to personalize the content that each user sees in their For You feed (Source: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/how-tiktok-recommends-videos-for-you). The system analyzes a wide range of signals to determine which videos to recommend to each user.
Some of the key factors considered by TikTok’s recommendation system include:
- User interactions – What videos you like, share, comment on
- Video information – Video captions, sounds, hashtags
- Device and account settings – Language preferences, country setting, device type
- User interests – Topics you engage with, accounts you follow
TikTok’s AI analyzes these signals in real-time to build an interest and preferences profile for each user. It then matches this profile to an expansive collection of videos in order to recommend relevant, personalized content. Location is also a factor, allowing TikTok to showcase regionally popular content.
By leveraging advanced AI, TikTok can deliver a tailored feed for every individual user. The system continuously learns as it ingests more data on viewing patterns and engagement. This allows the recommendations to become more precise over time based on each user’s evolving interests and preferences (Source: https://blog.hootsuite.com/tiktok-algorithm/).
Optimizing Your Feed
One of the best ways to discover new content on TikTok is by optimizing your For You feed. TikTok’s recommendation algorithm is constantly learning about your interests based on how you interact with videos. By proactively following creators, hashtags, and topics you enjoy, you can improve the relevance of videos being recommended to you. Here are some tips for optimizing your feed:
Like videos that you find enjoyable or relevant. Liking videos is a strong signal to TikTok that you want to see more of that type of content. The more you like, the better TikTok can cater to your tastes.[1]
Follow hashtags and challenges for topics you’re interested in. Whether it’s #BookTok for book lovers or #ArtTikTok for amazing artwork, following hashtags exposes you to a stream of popular content around those themes.
Follow creators that make videos you love. TikTok will start recommending similar creators and content once you follow accounts posting your favorite kinds of videos.
Use TikTok’s search and discovery tools like keywords and sounds to find new content. Diving deep on specific searches can reveal whole new categories of videos you may enjoy.[2]
The more you engage with the app, the better TikTok gets at recommending your new favorite videos on the For You page.
