If you consider yourself a TikTok creator, then you will already know how important views are in building a strong and reputable profile.
Having a high view count means that your video is seen by a wider audience, with TikTok picking the most viewed videos to appear on the ‘For You’ page.
But did you know that this high view count works on a cycle – whereby your video will only earn high visibility and gain more views if it performs well enough to be shown to a wider audience.
Confused? Don’t worry, we’re going to unpack exactly what this means and how the algorithm works in that first hour after posting, in this article.
What Happens in the First Hour After Posting?
Once you have posted your video to TikTok, the app’s algorithm steps in.
It assesses and analyses the performance of the video in that first hour, determining how appealing the content is to its audience.
Using this data, and how much engagement the video gets in the first 60 minutes, TikTok will then decide if the video is worth putting on the ‘For You’ page of relevant users, or simply hiding away in a stream of other uploads.
If your video suddenly drops in views and engagement after an hour, then you can safely assume that it did not make the cut and has not been presented to users on the ‘For You’ page.
Why Is the ‘for You’ Page so Important?
The ‘For You’ page is TikTok’s discovery page. If a video appears on this page, then it’s visibility increase ten-fold, showing up in the scrollable feed of all users who show an interest in that kind of content.
The impact that this kind of visibility can have on a profile and on a specific video is huge.
The exposure potential can be great for the video itself and for the creator who posted it, with many influencers making their name from one viral video that they capitalise and build on over time.
How to Boost Views During the First Hour
With that said, how do you boost the views and engagement on a video in its first hour on TikTok, to increase the chance of it performing well and appearing on the ‘For You’ page?
- Create a compelling hook within the first couple of seconds
- Make sure that the video is high in quality
- Encourage engagement to increase visibility
- Make sure that the content is relevant to your core audience of followers. After all, they are the ones that matter in that first hour or so!
- Keep content within the realms of TikTok’s user guidelines and regulations
- Use trending audio and other features to unlock higher visibility without even trying
- Post at the right time for your audience
Armed with these tips, and with an understanding of how TikTok works and the impact that the algorithm has on your video’s performance within and beyond that first hour, you should be able to retain and enjoy a consistent stream of views.
But you need to be smart, because almost as soon as a trend appears and spreads across the app, something new arrives ready to take its place!
