Adam Mosseri details TikTok's 'exploration-based ranking,' which systematically auditions new content by guaranteeing initial views (e.g., 100, then 1,000). This methodical system for surfacing hits from unknown creators has been adopted by Instagram and YouTube as the primary way to break new talent.
Actively coach the algorithm by following top creators in your niche, engaging with their viral content, and marking irrelevant videos as "not interested." Within minutes, your feed will transform into a curated stream of high-performing content ideas to model for your own channel.
Social media platforms heavily promote new features to drive adoption. By being an early user of TikTok's 'Bulletin Boards'—a feature similar to Instagram's broadcast channels—brands can gain a significant, temporary advantage in reach and visibility before the feature becomes saturated and algorithmic priority fades.
Due to the "TikTokification" of platforms, algorithms now favor a single piece of content's potential to engage anyone, regardless of who created it. This means sticking to a strict niche is no longer required for high views and reach, though it remains important for gaining followers.
Instagram's algorithm is expected to evolve, placing more weight on watch time over simple interactions. This change will favor the rise of longer, unscripted, "FaceTime-style" storytelling content that has proven successful on TikTok, signaling a move away from short, highly-edited Reels.
Users can now manually add or remove interest categories to customize their feed algorithm. This allows creators with a well-defined niche to be directly recommended to users who have explicitly expressed interest in that topic, leveling the playing field for smaller accounts to get discovered.
The common frustration of being stuck at 200 views isn't a punishment. It's TikTok's algorithm testing your content on a small sample audience. This "safety zone" allows you to experiment and refine your skills without widespread visibility until you create something that resonates.
By natively embedding a full suite of AI tools for video generation, editing, and ideation, TikTok is evolving beyond a content distribution platform. It is becoming a self-contained creation engine, reducing creator reliance on third-party apps and positioning itself to challenge YouTube's dominance.
The algorithmic shift on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook towards short-form video has leveled the playing field. New creators can gain massive reach with a single viral video, an opportunity not seen in over a decade, akin to the early days of Facebook.
TikTok's key metric, "play duration," is a combination of watch time and finish rate. This means a 60-second video watched to completion is more valuable to the algorithm than a 5-minute video that viewers abandon halfway through. Aim for high completion percentages, not just length.
Unlike platforms with longer content shelf lives, TikTok's algorithm needs a constant stream of new videos on popular topics. This creates an opportunity for new creators to succeed by identifying and producing content that fills this immediate, algorithm-driven demand.