Likes and favorites are two ways for users to interact with videos on TikTok. When viewing a video, you’ll see a heart icon to “like” the video and a bookmark icon to “favorite” it. Liking a video shows the creator you enjoyed their content, while favoriting saves it to a private list to watch again later.
Likes and favorites work similarly to other social media platforms. On Instagram, you can like a photo or save it. On Twitter, you can like or retweet a tweet. On YouTube, you can like a video or add it to a playlist. TikTok combines these concepts with its own spin – the ability to quickly like or favorite videos as you scroll through your For You feed.
How Likes Work on TikTok
On TikTok, tapping the heart icon under a video indicates that you “like” that video. Liking is a way for TikTok users to show appreciation and support for content they enjoy watching. When you like a video, the creator of that video gets notified that you liked it. Likes are public, so other viewers can see how many likes a video has received.
The number of likes a TikTok video receives relates to its popularity and viewer engagement. Videos with more likes tend to perform better in TikTok’s algorithm and get more views. This is because a high number of likes signals that a video resonates with viewers and keeps them engaged. As this article points out, likes indicate how well users respond to and interact with certain content.
How Favorites Work
Favorites allow TikTok users to bookmark videos they want to watch later. When you favorite a video, it gets added to your “Favorites” collection on your profile. You can access your Favorites collection by tapping the bookmark icon on your profile page.
Favoriting a video saves it so you can easily find and watch it again later. It also removes that video from your main For You feed, since you have already seen it. This helps keep your For You page fresh with new videos.
Unlike likes, favoriting a video does not notify the creator. It is a private way to bookmark content you enjoyed and want to revisit.[1]
Favorited videos remain in your Favorites collection indefinitely, unless you unfavorite them. You can organize your favorited videos into different Collections on your profile.
Favoriting is the best way to save videos on TikTok to watch later when you have more time. It also allows you to create playlists around topics or vibes you want to revisit.
[1] https://later.com/blog/tiktok-favorites/
Where You Can See Likes and Favorites
On TikTok, you can see the likes and favorites for your own videos as well as other people’s videos in a few places:
On your profile page, the number of likes and favorites you have received across all your videos is shown under your bio. You can tap on “Likes” or “Favorites” to see a feed of all the videos you’ve posted that have received likes and favorites.
On an individual video page, the number of likes and favorites is shown directly below the video. For your own videos, you can tap on “Likes” or “Favorites” to see a list of people who have liked or favorited it.
For other people’s videos, you can see the total number of likes and favorites but cannot see a list of individual people who interacted.
When watching your Favorites feed, you see thumbnails of all the videos you have favorited. The number of likes on each video is also displayed.
So in summary, likes and favorites are visible on your profile, on individual video pages, and in your Favorites feed according to this source.
Impact on Visibility
Likes play an important role in boosting the visibility of TikTok videos, especially in the For You feed which surfaces content to users based on TikTok’s recommendation algorithm. Videos that receive a high number of likes in a short period are signals to the algorithm that a video is resonating with viewers. This increases the likelihood that TikTok will show that video to a wider audience in the For You feed. According to TikTok, “The more engagement and views a video receives, the more likely it will be served to larger audiences” (source). Likes essentially give a video momentum to reach more people organically. This effect can be magnified when the likes come from a diverse group of accounts. In short, likes are key for visibility since TikTok’s algorithm favors videos that are being positively engaged with by users.
Impact on Rankings
Many people wonder if likes and favorites impact how a video ranks in TikTok’s algorithm. According to TikTok, the algorithm looks at a variety of factors, but favorites don’t directly influence rankings.
The main elements that impact ranking are user interactions like comments, shares, completes and replay rate. Video information like captions, sounds and hashtags matter too. Some sources suggest that favorites may be a minor signal, but not a direct ranking factor like likes and comments.
Overall, TikTok has not stated that favorites directly influence how a video ranks. The algorithm is focused on assessing genuine user interest through metrics like retention and engagement. While favorites may indicate interest, direct interactions seem to be much stronger signals. So creators should focus on encouraging comments, shares and profile visits rather than just favorites.
As explained on Reddit (source), videos with more favorites often perform better because they are already ranking well. But the favorites themselves aren’t making the video go viral or get onto the For You page.
Who Can See Your Likes
On TikTok, likes are public by default – this means anyone who visits your profile can see all the videos you have liked. There is no option to make your likes private.
According to TikTok’s post on controlling privacy settings, “The videos you like are public and visible to anyone on or off TikTok” (source). So if you don’t want certain people to know what videos you enjoy, liking them publicly may not be the best option.
In contrast, favorites are private. Only you can see the videos you have favorited in your “Favorites” section of your profile. Favoriting is the better option if you want to bookmark videos without anyone else knowing.
Per TikTok, “Only you can see your Favorites, but anyone can see your Likes” (source). So liking and favoriting serve different purposes – one public, one private.
Like vs. Favorite – Key Differences
There are some notable differences between likes and favorites on TikTok:
Likes are a quick way to show appreciation for a video, while favorites allow you to bookmark videos to easily find them later. Favorites are private, while likes are public.
Likes contribute to a video’s overall engagement and can help increase its visibility in feeds and search. Favorites do not directly impact a video’s reach or rankings. However, favorites may indirectly help creators by allowing fans to rewatch videos later.
You can only favorite videos from your For You page feed. Likes can be given to any video on TikTok. There is no limit to the number of favorites you can save, while likes are capped at 100 per day for users without a verified account.
When favoriting on desktop, you’ll see a bookmark icon. On mobile, tap the share icon and then “Add to Favorites.” For likes, simply double tap or hit the heart icon.
Overall, favorites enable curating and revisiting favorite videos while likes demonstrate enjoyment and support for creators. Both are valuable tools, but serve different core purposes on TikTok. The key is understanding when each is most appropriate.
Best Practices for Using Each
When deciding whether to like or favorite TikTok content, there are some best practices to follow:
Use likes when:
- You enjoy a video and want to show appreciation for the creator
- You want to bookmark something to potentially watch again later
- You want to boost a video’s visibility and help it rank higher in feeds
Use favorites when:
- You love a video and want to save it to easily find later
- You want to curate content to refer back to often for inspiration or entertainment
- You want to bookmark videos privately so only you can access them
Likes are public and help with rankings, while favorites are private and for personal organizing. Knowing when to use each allows you to engage with content in the way you intend.
Conclusion
In summary, the main differences between likes and favorites on TikTok are:
- Likes are public and increase a video’s visibility and ranking, while favorites are private and don’t affect metrics
- You can see who has liked your videos, but not who has favorited them
- Favoriting lets you save videos for later in a private collection, while liking shows public appreciation
- Favorites are only visible to you, while likes appear on videos and in profiles
- Strategically liking content you want to support and favoriting videos to watch later are best practices
In the end, likes and favorites serve different purposes – engagement vs. bookmarking. Understanding how each works allows creators and viewers to use them effectively on TikTok.
