My TikTok recommendations got a little off last month. I was used to a pretty dialed-in For You page, and then suddenly I was seeing stuff that didn’t really match my interests. It made me curious about how the algorithm actually decides what to show you, so I started looking into it.
If you’ve been there, you’re in good company. Thousands of people look this up every month, either because their feed stopped making sense or their videos aren’t landing the way they used to. I have some really good news: TikTok is surprisingly trainable. Once you see how it responds to your behavior, you can steer it where you want.
Quick background: I co-founded Viraly, where we help creators and agencies schedule content across TikTok and other platforms. Algorithms are kind of our thing. But what I’m sharing here isn’t theory. I intentionally broke my own feed and rebuilt it from scratch just to see what TikTok actually pays attention to.
The short version: TikTok’s algorithm is more trainable than I expected. But the way it learns is different from what most guides tell you. Here’s what I found.
What Is the TikTok Algorithm?
The TikTok algorithm is a recommendation system that decides which videos appear on your For You page. Unlike Instagram, where your existing followers heavily influence who sees your content, TikTok evaluates each video on its own merit. A brand-new account with zero followers can reach millions if the video resonates.
I didn’t fully believe this until I watched it happen. I set up a test account, posted three videos, and got 12 followers total. The third video hit 47,000 views. I kept refreshing the analytics thinking something was broken. Nope. People just watched it all the way through, and the algorithm pushed it. That was a genuine “wait, really?” moment for me. TikTok really does evaluate content independently of who you are. That’s huge if you’re just starting out.
According to TikTok’s official newsroom, the system “recommends content by ranking videos based on a combination of factors.” No two users see the same For You page, and your feed evolves as your interests change.
The 3 Signals TikTok Uses to Rank Content
TikTok’s algorithm ranks videos using three signals: user interactions, video information, and device settings. Here they are, in order of how much they matter.
1. User Interactions
Every action you take teaches the algorithm what you want. Videos you like, share, comment on. Accounts you follow. Content you add to favorites. Even videos you skip or mark as “Not Interested.”
The algorithm pays extremely close attention to watch time. I tested this by intentionally watching certain types of videos all the way through. Within a day, those topics started dominating my feed. The speed caught me off guard at first, but once I understood it, I realized that responsiveness is actually a good thing. It means you can shape your feed quickly when you’re intentional about it.
2. Video Information
TikTok scans everything about a video: captions, hashtags, sounds, on-screen text. It even processes spoken words. I noticed something cool here: I posted a video without any hashtags but mentioned “photography” in the audio. It still got pushed to photography accounts. The algorithm understood the topic from what I said, not what I typed. Pretty cool, right?.
3. Device and Account Settings
Language, country, and device type play a role, but TikTok says these receive “lower weight” since you didn’t actively choose them. Makes sense. They’re defaults, not preferences.
Here’s the part that matters most: follower count is NOT on this list. TikTok explicitly says it’s not a direct ranking factor. That 12-follower test account hitting 47,000 views? That’s not a fluke. It’s the system working as designed. Once I understood this, I stopped worrying about follower count entirely. It’s actually freeing. You can focus on making great content instead of chasing followers first.
Watch Time Is Everything
Watch time is the single most important factor in TikTok’s algorithm. Not views. Not likes. How long people actually watch your video determines whether it gets pushed or buried.
According to multiple industry analyses, watch time and completion rate account for approximately 40-50% of the algorithm’s weighting. I tested this directly: after my reset, I watched certain types of content all the way through while quickly swiping past anything I didn’t want. Within a few days, my feed was almost entirely the categories I’d watched completely. Nothing else I did had as much impact. That taught me something important: the algorithm is listening closely, which means you have more control than you might think.
What counts as “good” retention depends on video length. I noticed this pattern:
- 15-second videos need almost full watch-through to signal interest
- 30-second videos can succeed with about 70% retention
- Longer videos (1 minute+) can work with lower percentages if shares and saves are high
A 2024 Metricool study analyzing over 1 million TikTok videos found that videos between 2-5 minutes actually receive the highest average views (around 50,000). But here’s the thing: those longer videos only work once you’ve built an audience that sticks around. Starting shorter made more sense while I was figuring out what worked.
The Hashtag Myth
Generic hashtags like #fyp and #viral don’t boost your reach. I used to load up my posts with them, convinced it was the key to visibility. It wasn’t.
I ran a test: posted similar content with and without the generic hashtags. Same topics, same quality. No difference in reach. What actually mattered was whether people watched the video through. Hashtags help TikTok categorize content, but they don’t push it further. Once I stopped obsessing over them, I could focus on what actually matters: making videos people want to watch. That felt like a weight off.
What actually works: 3-5 niche hashtags that accurately describe your content. #BookTok, #FitTok, #SmallBusinessTips. These help the algorithm find the right initial audience (the people most likely to watch your video all the way through). That watch time is what drives broader distribution, not the hashtags themselves.
How TikTok Distributes Videos in 2026
TikTok tests every video in three phases before deciding whether to push it wider. Your followers see it first. Then a small batch of non-followers. Then, if engagement is strong, broader distribution kicks in.
Phase 1: Follower Test
New videos are first shown primarily to your existing followers. TikTok watches how they respond. Do they watch the whole thing? Share it? Save it? This initial response determines what happens next.
Phase 2: Small Batch Testing
If your followers engage well, TikTok shows the video to a small batch of non-followers who have similar interests. The algorithm measures how this new audience responds.
Phase 3: Expanded Distribution
Strong performance in the first two phases triggers broader distribution. This is where videos can go from hundreds of views to hundreds of thousands.
Here’s what this taught me: your existing audience matters more than it used to. Posts where my followers engaged quickly got pushed further. When they didn’t engage, the video stalled early. This is a shift from how TikTok used to work, where pure content performance mattered more than follower engagement. Understanding this changed how I thought about my content. I started asking what my existing audience actually wants, not just what might go viral to strangers.
Another major change: shares and saves now outweigh likes. Think of it this way. A like is easy. A share means someone found the content valuable enough to send to a friend. A save means they want to watch it again. These signals carry more weight in 2026, and I saw this play out clearly in my testing.
5 TikTok Algorithm Myths
Most advice about the TikTok algorithm is wrong. I believed a lot of it before I started testing. Here’s what actually holds up.
Myth 1: Only big accounts can get on the For You page
I already mentioned the 12-follower account that hit 47,000 views, but it’s worth sitting with this one. Follower count genuinely doesn’t determine reach on TikTok. Each video gets its own chance. The algorithm cares about whether people watch, not who posted it. If you’re just starting out, that’s really exciting. You’re not behind.
Myth 2: Watching your own video repeatedly helps it go viral
I tried this. Felt a little silly doing it, and watched the view count barely move. TikTok focuses on unique views and genuine engagement. The algorithm knows when the same device watches repeatedly, and it doesn’t weight those views the same way. Lesson learned.
Myth 3: You should delete underperforming videos
This one surprised me. I had a video get 200 views, forgot about it, checked back three weeks later: 15,000 views. Out of nowhere! TikTok evaluates each video individually. Old videos don’t drag down new ones. But deleting removes potential for that kind of delayed discovery. So glad I didn’t delete that one.
Myth 4: Posting too frequently hurts your reach
I was a little nervous about this one, so I tested it carefully. Posted 3x daily for a week, then once daily the next week. No penalty for higher frequency. If anything, more posts meant more chances for something to hit. The Metricool study backs this up: larger accounts often post 2+ videos daily. Good to know!
Myth 5: The algorithm suppresses certain types of content
This one’s more nuanced. TikTok does reduce distribution for content that violates guidelines or contains misinformation. But when people tell me their content is being “suppressed,” I usually ask them to check their completion rate first. Nine times out of ten, the video just isn’t holding attention. That’s an engagement issue, not suppression. I’ve fallen into this thinking myself, blaming the algorithm when the video simply didn’t hook people. It’s easier to see in hindsight.
How to Reset Your TikTok Algorithm
TikTok has an official reset feature. Go to Profile → Settings and privacy → Content preferences → Refresh your For You feed. Here’s the step-by-step:
Step 1: Open TikTok and tap your Profile icon
Step 2: Tap the three-line menu icon in the top right
Step 3: Select “Settings and privacy”
Step 4: Tap “Content preferences”
Step 5: Select “Refresh your For You feed”
Step 6: Confirm the refresh
TikTok asked me to confirm a few times. After I confirmed, my feed immediately started showing completely different content. The first few hours felt random, almost like a brand new account. But here’s the fun part: That randomness is your opportunity. The algorithm is ready to learn from scratch, and you get to teach it exactly what you want.
A few things I learned during my reset:
- Your followers, following list, drafts, and posted videos remain unchanged
- Your Following feed and inbox aren’t affected
- The reset doesn’t delete data from TikTok’s servers. It tells the algorithm to serve fresh recommendations while it relearns your preferences
What I Learned From Rebuilding My Feed
The first week after a reset is when the algorithm is learning fastest. It’s trying to figure you out quickly. This is your window to shape what you’ll see for months.
I ran a controlled retraining for a week. Watched photography and business content all the way through. Swiped past everything else within the first second. Saved videos I wanted to see more of.
By day three, my feed was almost unrecognizable from where it started. By day seven, it was dialed in. The speed surprised me at first, but it made sense once I thought about it. The algorithm is designed to adapt quickly. That’s actually great news. It means if your feed ever goes off track, you can fix it fast.
Here’s something that caught me off guard: the algorithm doesn’t know if you’re paying attention. I left a video running while I grabbed coffee. Maybe 20 seconds on a topic I had zero interest in. The next day, that category started showing up everywhere. I had to actively push it back out with “Not Interested” taps. The lesson? Watch time is watch time, even when it’s accidental.
There’s a real difference between scrolling on autopilot and scrolling with purpose. When I just let my thumb do whatever, my feed got messy. When I spent even 10 minutes actively liking and saving stuff I wanted more of, the feed tightened up fast. It actually changed how I think about using the app.
Alternative Methods to Retrain Your Feed
If a full reset feels like too much, you can gradually shift your algorithm. These methods worked in my testing, just more slowly:
- Use “Not Interested” – Long-press on videos you don’t want and select “Not Interested.” I did this consistently for about a week before my reset, and it helped, though not as dramatically as the full reset.
- Clear cached data – In Settings > Free up space, clear the cache. This removes temporary files that may influence recommendations.
- Follow accounts you want to see – The Following feed gives you direct control. Use it to train the algorithm on your interests.
- Search and engage intentionally – Search for topics you care about and engage with that content. The algorithm learns from your search behavior.
When You Shouldn’t Reset Your Algorithm
If your feed is mostly good with a few annoying videos mixed in, don’t reset. I learned this on a secondary account. Reset it because maybe 20% of the content annoyed me. Took two weeks to get back to where I’d started. In hindsight, I should have just used “Not Interested” more consistently. The gradual approach would have been enough.
A full reset throws away months of learning. For minor issues, gradual retraining works better.
A reset makes sense when:
- Your interests have fundamentally changed
- The majority of your feed is irrelevant
- You’re seeing content that’s harmful or distressing
- You’re experiencing the recycled content bug (your feed is showing videos from months ago)
For most other situations, gradual retraining through consistent “Not Interested” taps and intentional engagement works better. It’s slower, but you keep the algorithm knowledge that was working well.
7 Ways to Work With the TikTok Algorithm
After all this testing, here’s what I’d actually tell a friend who’s trying to figure this out. These are the strategies that made the biggest difference for me.
1. Hook viewers in the first second
The algorithm starts measuring watch time immediately. I went back through my best-performing videos trying to figure out what they had in common. Every single one had movement or a question in the first second. The ones with slow intros didn’t perform. Once I noticed this pattern, I started planning my openings more carefully.
2. Optimize for completion, not views
This one changed everything for me. I had a video with 1,000 views and 85% completion rate. Another video got 8,000 views but only 25% completion. Guess which one brought more followers? The smaller one. By a lot. The algorithm rewards quality of engagement, not just quantity. Once I got that, I stopped chasing view counts.
3. Create content worth saving and sharing
Saves and shares carry more weight than likes now. I noticed my most-saved videos kept getting pushed for weeks after posting, long after the initial spike died down. It made me rethink what I was creating. Educational content gets saved. Entertainment that makes people think “my friend needs to see this” gets shared. Likes are easy. Saves and shares mean someone found it genuinely useful.
4. Post consistently
Research says 1-2 videos per day, minimum 4-5 per week. But what I noticed was that consistency mattered more than frequency. When I posted every day for a stretch, then skipped a few days, my next video underperformed. The algorithm seemed to “expect” content from me at certain intervals. Once I got into a rhythm, things picked up. Finding a sustainable pace matters more than pushing for maximum volume.
5. Use niche hashtags over generic ones
#FYP has billions of videos competing for attention. #SmallBusinessBookkeepingTips? Far fewer. When I switched from generic to niche hashtags, my videos reached people who actually cared about the topic. They watched longer, engaged more. The generic hashtags made zero measurable difference. I stopped using them, and nothing changed except I stopped overthinking hashtag strategy.
6. Pay attention to your followers
The algorithm now tests videos with your followers first. This was a shift I had to adjust to. I used to think every video was a fresh lottery. Now I see the pattern: when my followers engage quickly, the video gets pushed further. When they scroll past, it stalls early. Understanding this changed my approach. I started thinking about what my existing audience actually wants, not just what might go viral to strangers.
7. Experiment with video length
I went back and forth on this one. Longer videos (2-5 minutes) get more total watch time when they work, but they’re harder to pull off. Shorter videos (15-30 seconds) make it easier to get high completion rates. After testing both, I landed on 30-60 seconds as my sweet spot. Long enough to say something useful, short enough that people actually finish. Your sweet spot might be different. Worth experimenting to find out.
The December 2024 TikTok Algorithm Change
In late December 2024, many users (including me) saw their For You page suddenly fill with old, recycled content. Videos from months ago. Random topics that had nothing to do with their interests.
This coincided with TikTok’s announcement of a new US joint venture with Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX. While TikTok hasn’t confirmed a direct connection, the timing suggests the transition work may have affected how the algorithm was serving content.
If your feed is still affected, the reset feature I described above should help. That’s actually what prompted my deep dive into all of this in the first place.
The Bottom Line
The TikTok algorithm is more responsive than I expected going in. It learns fast, which means you can teach it fast too. That’s genuinely exciting once you realize it.
After two weeks of testing, my For You page shows exactly what I want to see. The reset plus a week of intentional engagement was all it took. And for creators? TikTok’s engagement rate (2.50% average) is five times higher than Instagram’s. The platform is built for discovery. Your content can reach people who’ve never heard of you, if you give them something worth watching through to the end.
The algorithm isn’t a mystery. It’s a system that learns from you, and now you know how to teach it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the TikTok algorithm work?
TikTok ranks videos based on three signals: user interactions (what you watch, like, share), video information (captions, hashtags, sounds), and device settings (language, location). Watch time is the most important factor. Videos you watch completely show up more. Videos you skip disappear.
How do I reset my TikTok algorithm?
Go to Profile → Settings and privacy → Content preferences → Refresh your For You feed. Your followers, drafts, and posted videos remain unchanged. The first week after resetting is when the algorithm is learning fastest, so be intentional about what you engage with.
Why is my TikTok FYP showing content I don’t like?
The algorithm interprets any pause as interest, even accidental ones. A 10-second pause on a random video can bring that content back into your feed. To fix it: use “Not Interested” consistently, swipe away quickly from content you don’t want, or do a full reset if your feed is mostly irrelevant.
Does posting time matter for the TikTok algorithm?
Posting time affects initial engagement, which influences broader distribution. 6 PM to 10 PM local time tends to work well. But quality content can succeed at any time because the algorithm continues pushing videos that perform well, regardless of when they were posted.
How many hashtags should I use on TikTok?
Use 3-5 relevant niche hashtags that accurately describe your content. Generic hashtags (#fyp, #viral) don’t boost reach. Niche hashtags help the algorithm find your target audience, which improves completion rate, which is what actually drives distribution.
Can a video go viral after posting?
Yes! TikTok continuously evaluates content and resurfaces older videos that start gaining engagement. I’ve seen a video with 200 views sit for three weeks, then suddenly hit 15,000. Don’t delete underperforming videos. You never know.