The TikTok Algorithm in Practice: What You Should Do
The only thing to understand
The TikTok algorithm asks one question of every video: "Do people watch it all the way through, and re-watch it?". If yes, it shows it to more people. If no, it stops. Everything else follows from that.
graph LR
A[Video posted] --> B[Tested on ~200-500 people]
B --> C{Watched in full?}
C -->|Yes| D[Shown to 1000, then 10000...]
C -->|No| E[Distribution stopped]
The 4 numbers to watch (and what to do for each)
Go to your analytics. Here are the 4 metrics that decide everything, with the matching concrete action:
| Metric | What it measures | If it's low, do this |
|---|---|---|
| Completion rate | % who watch to the end | Shorten the video (aim 15-25s) |
| 0-3s retention | % who don't scroll instantly | Redo your hook (chapter 4) |
| Replays | Video re-watched on loop | End on a loop / a detail worth re-seeing |
| Shares | Sent privately | Add an info "too good to keep to yourself" |
Practical rule: an 18-second video watched at 95% beats a 60-second one watched at 30%. When in doubt, cut.
The "before posting" checklist (stick it on the wall)
Before each publish, check:
- The hook lands in the 1st second (gripping image + text)
- No "soft" second (you cut the silences and "ums")
- Captions present (80% watch without sound)
- The video is under 30s (unless a specific reason)
- A trending sound is used (see below)
- The caption asks a question or creates curiosity
- 3 to 5 hashtags: 1 broad + 2 niche + 1 specific
Sounds: your free accelerator
TikTok pushes videos that use trending sounds. This is a lever you don't have on Instagram with the same strength.
How to find a rising sound (2-min method):
- Open the app, watch 10 videos in your niche.
- Spot the sound with the little ↗ "trending" arrow next to it.
- Save it (tap the sound → "Add to favorites").
- Use it before it saturates (ideally under 50,000 videos on it).
Put a trending sound in the background, even at low volume, on a talking video. You tick the "trending sound" box without hurting your message.
Psychology in 30 seconds (only what's useful)
Why do people watch to the end? Three levers you can trigger on purpose:
| Lever | What you do concretely |
|---|---|
| Open loop | "Wait, the 3rd one is the worst…" at the start |
| Unresolved tension | Show the result BEFORE explaining how |
| The "that's so me" effect | Describe an ultra-precise situation your target lives |
Bust the "shadowban" myth
When a video flops, it's almost never a "shadowban." It's:
- A weak hook (90% of cases)
- A video too long / too slow
- A topic of no interest to your niche
Action when a video flops: don't delete it, don't blame the algo. Open analytics, look at the retention curve. The drop-off tells you exactly where it breaks.
Exercise: analyze 3 viral videos in your niche
- Find 3 videos > 500k views in your topic.
- For each, note: the hook (first line), the length, the moment of the "twist," the call to action.
- Spot the common thread. That's your template for tomorrow.
Summary
The TikTok algorithm pushes what's watched in full and re-watched. Watch 4 numbers in your stats — completion, 0-3s retention, replays, shares — each tied to a concrete action (shorten, redo the hook, loop, add a shareable info). Use a pre-post checklist, exploit trending sounds (your free accelerator), and deliberately trigger open loop + tension + the "that's so me" effect. Forget shadowbans: when it flops, read the retention curve. In chapter 4, we build the video content step by step.