How To Feed the TikTok Algorithm Content That Goes Viral

Key Takeaways

The TikTok algorithm in 2023 changed a lot. If you want your videos to gain traction and stand out from the 1.67 billion users on the platform, you need to:

What’s working and not working on TikTok going into 2024?

5 Tips To Get Rewarded by the Algorithm in 2024

At the time of writing this, these tips have helped countless others grow their accounts and get their content seen on TikTok. And the first tip is one that has made a dramatic shift for creators:

1. TikTok is Encouraging Longer Form Video

TikTok recommends creators create longer videos of 1+ minutes. You can find this on the creator portal, and it makes a lot of sense. The platform wants to:

Storytelling offers creators the opportunity to have their content be more in-depth. Did you know that the number of creators grew by 60% in the last year? Longer videos will empower you to connect with your audience, create engaging content and still hit the “for you page.”

TikTok still recommends longer videos, just like they do short videos, and guess what? Viewers will spend 90% more time watching content that exceeds one minute in length.

If you’ve never created a long-form video before, you may be wondering what tools you can use to get started.

After all, you’ll need to edit your videos a bit more since they’re longer.

Tools To Help You Create Long-form TikTok Videos

The following tools will help you edit your videos:

TikTok’s built-in editor will also allow for enhanced long-form video editing, and it’s 100% free for you to use. If you don’t want to do massive editing, the in-app tools will more than suffice.

CapCut has a really nice app that is definitely worth a try if you don’t like the standard TikTok editor.

2. Tell a Good Story on TikTok

If you follow our first tip, you’ll quickly learn that it’s harder to create longer videos because you need to keep viewers engaged for longer. Every story has three main parts:

But, if you start slow or don’t add hooks into the middle, guess what? People won’t watch the entire video.

We’re seeing a lot of people hook viewers in at the start of the video with:

For example, Mr. Beast does this so well on YouTube. He will show you a pool filled with Orbeez to hook you in and then tell a story of how the pool ended up being filled. He starts with the results, shows the realizations and challenges his team faced, and tells an entire story.

It’s a captivating way to tell stories, and it works very well.

Tips To Boost Your Storytelling on TikTok

Storytelling is an art that is mastered in time and with practice. However, you can read books on the topic to help speed things up, such as:

You’ll also find a lot of great tips and resources online that can help you master storytelling. HubSpot has a good resource, but a few good tips that you can begin incorporating into your content right now are:

If you follow these tips, you’ll have a much easier time with longer videos and storytelling.

3. Add Sounds into Your Videos – Really

Your videos may or may not do well with sound. If you focus on financial content, it can be challenging to add sounds, but you’ll find neat ways to add them to the content.

For example, you may add a cash register dinging sound when you show people how much compound interest earns them after 10 years.

Sounds can help hook viewers back in and help with transitions, too.

You can look at trending sounds and add them into your videos to try and gain traction. TikTok has a page with trending sounds that you can review.

TikTok states that sounds are important for creators and can help: Transform your videos from good to great. TikTok provides a very extensive library of sounds that you can begin adding to your videos.

Tip: Add sounds with a purpose rather than without a reason. Sounds can aid in engagement and keep viewers watching, which is exactly what you want.

4. Add a Text Hook To the Start of the Video

Want to know how to hook viewers the moment they open your video? Add text. Tell them what your video is all about before it even starts. 

But don’t write a novel. Make sure that your text is:

Why should you add text to the start of your video? Because viewers can immediately decide if they want to keep watching your content or keep scrolling.

Keep the text for the first few seconds to give viewers a chance to read it.

In a way, this “starter” text acts like a title and helps TikTokers decide whether they want to stick around to see what happens in your video or move on.

5. Learn from a Creator’s Most Popular Videos

TikTok recently updated their platform (if you haven’t updated your app yet, do it now!). With this new update, you can finally see creators’ most popular videos.

Here’s how:

Being able to see a creator’s most popular content is huge. Why? Because it gives you some insight into what people want to see.

So, find a popular creator in your niche and look at their top-performing videos to get inspired.

Inspired is the keyword here. Don’t copy their video.

Instead:

Learn from creators, but don’t ever copy them. Copying other creators is wrong and adds no value for your audience. You can get inspired by their ideas, but always make sure that you’re putting your own spin, thoughts and ideas on the topic.

Be authentic and always focus on value. These are the two keys to growing your audience on TikTok.

Conclusion

The TikTok algorithm is constantly changing, and it will continue to change as long as people are actively using the platform. But one thing that won’t change is the desire for unique and authentic content. Use the tips in our guide to feed the algorithm what it wants and grow your following.