TikTok has exploded in popularity in recent years, becoming one of the most widely used social media platforms globally. As of 2022, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide. With such a massive user base, notifications play a key role in keeping users engaged on the platform.
One notification TikTok users commonly receive is an alert when someone they follow posts a new video. These notifications aim to keep you in the loop on the latest content from your favorite creators. But why does TikTok go out of its way to notify you of new videos? Let’s explore the reasons behind video post notifications and other notification types you may encounter on TikTok.
What are TikTok Notifications?
TikTok notifications alert users when there is new activity related to their account, such as likes, comments, new followers, and mentions. Notifications appear as badges on the notifications icon in the bottom right corner of the app. Tapping on the notifications icon brings up a feed showing more details about each notification.
There are several main types of notifications on TikTok:
- Liked video notifications – These notify you when someone likes your video.
- Comment notifications – You’ll get these when someone comments on your video.
- New follower notifications – Get notified when a new user chooses to follow you.
- Mention notifications – Receive a notification when another user @ mentions you in their video, caption, or comment.
- Direct message notifications – Get notified when you receive a new direct message.
Notifications allow TikTok users to stay up-to-date on the latest activity happening on their account. Checking notifications helps users engage with their audience and fosters community interaction.
Notifications for Liked Videos
When another TikTok user likes one of your videos, you will receive a notification for it. This lets you know when your content is resonating with viewers.
According to TikTok’s Help Center, liking a video sends the video creator a notification saying that you liked their video (TikTok Help Center). The notification will include your profile picture and username, allowing the video creator to see who liked their content.
However, if you quickly unlike a video after accidentally liking it, the video creator may not get a notification. As noted on Reddit, notifications happen quickly after liking, so if you unlike fast enough the notification may not go through (Reddit). But you can’t always count on this, so unlinking immediately is the best way to avoid unwanted notifications.
Overall, liking a video triggers a notification to the creator, keeping them informed about engagement on their content. But you can control notifications by thoughtfully interacting with videos and unliking as needed.
Notifications for Comments
One of the most common notification types on TikTok is when someone comments on your video. When another user leaves a comment on one of your videos, you will receive a push notification alerting you to the new comment. This allows you to easily see and respond to any comments on your content.
By default, push notifications are enabled for comments on your videos. You can customize your notifications settings in the app to disable comment notifications if desired. However, many users choose to keep them on so they can monitor and reply to any feedback on their videos.
Comment notifications can be helpful for engagement and conversation. According to TikTok’s Help Center, push notifications allow you to “interact with your friends, fans, and favorite creators.” Getting notifications for video comments keeps you in tune with the dialogue happening on your content.
Notifications for New Followers
One of the most common notifications you may receive on TikTok is when you get a new follower. TikTok’s algorithm is designed to notify users in real-time when someone new decides to follow their account. This allows you to stay updated on your growing audience.
By default, you will get an in-app notification from the TikTok app itself whenever someone new presses the “Follow” button on your profile. This notification will show up in your notifications tab with the user’s name and profile photo with text saying “started following you.”
You can also enable push notifications to get alerts on your device via email, SMS or mobile push notification when you gain a new follower. This allows you to be notified even when you aren’t actively using the TikTok app. Push notifications can be enabled by going to your settings and ensuring the “New Followers” option is toggled on under Push Notifications.
Being notified when gaining new followers can be useful for creators and businesses to track their growth. It also helps foster engagement by allowing you to thank new followers or check out their profiles. However, if you find follower notifications annoying, you can disable them in your settings.
Notifications for Mentions
One of the main notification types you may receive on TikTok is when someone mentions you in their video or comment. An @ mention is when another user includes your username in their content with the @ symbol preceding it (e.g. @yourusername). This tags you and links to your profile.
TikTok will send you a notification directly to your inbox whenever you are @ mentioned by another user in their video caption or in a comment. According to TikTok’s Help Center, “You’ll receive a mention notification when another user tags you in their caption or comments on a video” (source).
Getting mention notifications enables you to see when other users are engaging with you on the platform. You can then check out the video or comment where you were tagged and respond if desired. This allows you to stay up-to-date with mentions and conversations relevant to you.
Notifications for Direct Messages
When you receive a new direct message on TikTok, you’ll get a notification to let you know. This allows you to see when someone has sent you a private message and respond in a timely manner.
TikTok will send a push notification to your device when you get a new direct message. You’ll see the notification come through with the TikTok logo and the text “New message from [username].” Tapping on the notification will open the TikTok app directly to your new message.
You can also see your new direct messages by opening the TikTok app and tapping on the Inbox icon on the bottom right of the screen. The message thread with your new message will show up at the top with a red dot to indicate it’s unread.
By providing notifications for new direct messages, TikTok makes it easy to stay on top of your private conversations on the platform. The instant alerts allow you to respond right away when someone reaches out to you directly.
To manage your notifications settings for direct messages on TikTok, go to your profile, tap the three-line menu icon, choose Settings & Privacy, select Notifications, and toggle Direct Messages on or off as desired. You can also customize notifications in your device settings.
Customizing Notifications
TikTok allows you to customize your notification settings and choose which types of notifications you want to receive. You can turn notifications on or off for liked videos, comments, new followers, mentions, and direct messages.
On iOS devices, you can customize notifications by going to your profile, tapping the three dots in the top right corner, selecting “Settings and privacy,” then “Push notifications.” On Android, open the TikTok app and tap on your profile photo. Select “Settings and privacy,” “Notifications,” then “Push notifications.”
From there, you can toggle notifications on or off for the different categories. You can also control notification sounds and whether previews of notifications appear on your lock screen. TikTok lets you granularly customize notifications to reduce disruptions while still staying updated on the activity you care about.
If you want to turn off notifications entirely, you can simply disable all push notifications for TikTok in your device’s main settings menu. This gives you full control over when and how you get notified about your TikTok activity.
Why TikTok Uses Notifications
TikTok sends notifications to keep users engaged on the platform. As Neil Patel explains, “Push notifications are an excellent tool for delivering value to your customers, improving brand loyalty and driving sales. Personalizing your messages based on user behavior increases engagement” (https://neilpatel.com/blog/push-notifications-to-boost-engagement/). By notifying users when someone likes their video, comments on their video, follows them, or sends them a direct message, TikTok incentivizes users to return and interact more on the platform.
According to a blog post on Pushwoosh, “Employing push notifications can boost customer engagement, especially when integrated with behavior-based messaging strategies. This involves sending targeted, personalized notifications based on each user’s preferences and actions” (https://blog.pushwoosh.com/blog/5-reasons-to-use-push-notifications/). TikTok’s notifications keep users coming back by alerting them to relevant activity and interactions tailored to their interests.
In short, TikTok leverages notifications to improve user engagement and time spent on the app. Notifications remind users of all the content and interactions awaiting them, acting as prompts to open the app again and again.
Conclusion
TikTok’s notification system serves an important purpose in driving engagement and retaining users. As we’ve discussed, notifications alert users when someone likes or comments on their videos, follows them, mentions them, or sends a direct message. Without these prompts, users would miss out on key social interactions.
Notifications act as a feedback loop – the more users engage with content, the more notifications they’ll receive about that engagement. This positive reinforcement encourages users to stay active on the platform. TikTok likely sees notifications as crucial for retaining users and keeping them coming back regularly.
In summary, TikTok wants to notify users about relevant activity so they stay engaged with the app. Notifications help convert casual visitors into regular users by promoting social connections and rewarding participation. For TikTok’s continued growth, keeping users engaged through notifications is a strategic priority.