To be successful on TikTok, social media managers need to understand how the TikTok algorithm works. This is especially true since the 2025 TikTok algorithm update, which changed the algorithm in important ways. To help you navigate this update and its effects, we will explain what has changed and offer some tips to take advantage of these updates.

How the TikTok Algorithm Works in 2025

So, how does the TikTok algorithm work today, following the 2025 TikTok algorithm update? In the simplest terms, the TikTok algorithm works on a trial-and-error basis. The algorithm recommends a video and then learns from the user’s engagement with the content. Newly posted videos are test-run by showing them to a small group of users, whose engagement with the video determines whether a video will be rolled out to a more diverse audience. Some of the key signals of engagement are video completion and interactions, or even likes, comments, and shares. 

However, the 2025 update refined which initial tester group new videos are shown to and how content and users are evaluated. With the new TikTok algorithm point system, interactions are graded based on quality and value, not quantity. 

What does this mean for content creators on TikTok? Below we highlight the 4 most important TikTok algorithm changes of 2025 that all creators should pay attention to:

1. The micro-niche push
2. Watch times
3. Meaningful engagement vs. shallow interactions
4. Post Times and Content Frequency

1. User Interactions: The Micro-Niche Push

TikTok has introduced a micro-niche push strategy, meaning that the first people who see a new video are now part of a highly targeted audience. However, that does not mean that the initial exposure group consists of fewer people than prior groups of testers. The updated TikTok algorithm merely matches the video to the most relevant group. To do this, it analyzes several elements, such as:

• Visuals
• Captions
• Audio and keywords
• Speech recognition signals

Based on these factors, the video is shown to interest groups that have already shown strong engagement with similar content. If the video performs well in these groups, it is then shown to related communities. Most people will now encounter content that fits their niche interests, which means fewer unexpected viral videos appearing on the feed.

Also keep in mind that metadata has become even more important. Captions, sounds, and hashtags are signals that help the system categorize videos. TikTok also evaluates on-screen text, subtitles, visual details, thumbnails, upload quality, and video length. Providing clear and specific metadata increases the chance that a video reaches the right test group and performs well in its targeted interest groups.

2. User Interactions: Watch Times

Watch time has become one of the strongest signals of interest, which marks a major shift from earlier practices. The old 3-second retention rule no longer suffices, since total watch time now plays a central role in determining whether content reaches audiences beyond the initial test group.

Alongside watch time, video completion rates and rewatch ratios have become more significant. But this doesn’t mean that a near-perfect completion rate will ensure the success of a video. A video with a lower completion rate can still perform well if overall watch time is higher, since that is the primary cue for the system.
A notable change is how watch time is analyzed. The TikTok algorithm no longer reviews this data on an individual level alone but evaluates it across entire interest groups. If a group spends more time than average on your video, TikTok identifies your account as a reliable source for that topic. Your future content will be tested on a focus group made up of users with exceptionally high watch times, which can boost early performance and increase visibility during rollout.

3. User Interactions: Meaningful Engagement vs. Shallow Interactions

With the new focus on watch time, you might wonder to what degree TikTok still considers other signals. The system has shifted, but the core logic remains: the quality of engagement carries more weight than the volume. The updated TikTok algorithm point system now prioritizes meaningful actions like comments, saves, and shares over shallow engagement like likes.

But not all comments contribute equally. The system evaluates how valuable a comment is, not just how many there are. This reinforces TikTok’s quality-over-quantity approach, where only comments that add substance have a positive impact on performance.

The same principle applies to saves and shares. The updated TikTok point system assigns higher value to content that users save because it signals usefulness or relevance. Sharing a video is also weighted more heavily, since it indicates that viewers found the content worth recommending to others.

 4. Post Times and Content Frequency

The TikTok algorithm update does not include a strict best-time-to-post rule. Yet following the logic of niche-community engagement, user activity time became an indirect signal. Strong engagement from your micro-niche early on can help the video gain momentum.

Posting frequency is another key factor. There is no exact number of posts that determines success, but consistency is essential. Publishing content regularly while maintaining quality increases your chances of reaching your audience. What matters most is that higher output volume does not come at the cost of strong, reliable content.

How To Use The TikTok Algorithm Update To Your Advantage

Rethinking how content is created and posted is now essential for anyone who wants to maintain strong views and engagement. One immediate outcome of the TikTok algorithm update is the need to center content creation around the niche. Creators who consistently deliver high-quality posts within their niche have a better chance of being recommended. 

Brands will also need to reconsider how they measure success. Saves and shares now hold greater value, since the TikTok recommendation algorithm treats these signals as stronger indicators of relevance. Social media teams should reflect this shift in their reporting and performance goals.

So, how can you use the TikTok algorithm changes of 2025 to your advantage? Here are 8 TikTok algorithm tips for 2025 to help your content perform:

 1. Find the Ideal Video Length

While short-form and concise videos still hold more attention, seconds spent watching a video count towards the value of your content. Of course, hooking your audience is still critical, but, depending on the length of your video, you might also want to rehook your viewership. This can keep your watch time up and provide more opportunities to generate reactions or other types of interaction. 

 2. Use Metadata Strategically

Metadata such as captions, hashtags, sounds, and on-screen text needs to fit the content of your video to have a positive impact on the recommendation system. For that, you want to include relevant keywords and work with sounds that add context to help the algorithm identify your niches.

In the same vein, viral songs have become increasingly associated with specific trends or types of content. If a song is overwhelmingly used in one context, viewers may have built an expectation that the video will be based on the trend it is tied to. Once viewers have seen enough content using a particular song, the music itself becomes a hook and signals what kind of content the user can expect to see. Lastly, using thumbnails including important keywords can make your content more discoverable.

 3. Ensure High Production Value

Make sure that your production setup gives you the best possible video and audio quality. Your videos should have good lighting conditions, and the image should be clear. Allowing TikTok to upload content in HD is essential since TikTok’s algorithm and your audience prefer videos uploaded in high resolution.

 4. Edit Your Content With a Purpose

TikTok is a platform driven by visual content. As such, you need to ensure that the editing of your videos keeps your audience watching. Using different sequences can help retain interest. For instance, movement and changing visuals can help retain the interest of your viewership. Hence, editing your videos to be more dynamic by including cuts and changing perspectives or scenery can help you retain viewer attention.

 5. Be Aware of What Metrics Are Relevant on TikTok

Following the 2025 update, shallow interactions such as likes have a smaller effect on the TikTok recommendation algorithm. As a brand or creator, an understanding of what metrics count on TikTok is crucial. Analyzing factors such as watch time, saves, and shares can tell you more about the success of your TikTok account than the number of likes.

 6. Focus on being Authentic, Consistent, and Relatable

Following the spirit of “show, don’t tell,” videos on platforms such as TikTok benefit from creative storytelling. Users are more likely to engage with content that presents itself as an experience than an ad. This also makes your brand more relatable since TikTok users often want to see the human side of a company on TikTok more than corporate professionalism. For that reason, companies like to post behind-the-scenes videos of content creation or events. Increasingly, brands also use trending videos as inspiration and create their own take on them.

 7. Be Active and Engage With Your Audience

Organic reach can be achieved through community engagement and building genuine connections. By talking to your audience in the comment section and participating in relevant trends, you allow a glimpse of what is going on behind the scenes. This sort of transparency can show your brand values and gain you trust in your community. While remaining active can be difficult if your community grows, there are tools for community management that you can consider using to help you with this.

 8. Add Value to Your Community

Every video you upload to TikTok should be worthwhile to your audience, and you should aspire for your content to be entertaining, informative, or inspiring in nature. Generally speaking, valuable content generates more reactions. But how can you determine what makes a video especially engaging? One technique you can use is a tagging analysis, which can help you look for correlations between various characteristics of your videos (i.e. the tone, number of people, subject matter) and your audience’s engagement. Such an analysis helps you look for deeper patterns as to why users engage with your content. By reviewing the characteristics of previous successes, you can refine your strategy to fit the needs of your viewers.

 9. Add Subtitles

Subtitles are relevant for viewers who don’t speak the language or simply can’t turn up the volume. Including subtitles in your videos can be important not to lose these potential viewers by making your content inaccessible to them. Another reason that subtitles are especially valuable is because users often scroll with the sound off, so clear text helps your video grab attention. Importantly, this also gives you a chance to explicitly add calls to action so you can prompt your viewers to comment, save, and share.

 10. Additional Strategies to Keep Viewers Engaged

Some creators or brands use techniques to keep viewers on a video longer, boosting their engagement. Here are a few additional ideas to help keep your viewers engaged longer:

1. Text that takes longer to read than the video lasts allows creators to gain higher watch times and rewatches. 
2. Expandable lists in the caption, which require the users to unfold them, generate extra interaction. 
3. Countdown sequences that keep the viewer engaged until the last number in the count appears.
4. Seamless loops that connect the end of the video to the start, making the restart of the video unnoticeable. 

Opportunities and Challenges of the 2025 TikTok Update

The TikTok algorithm update reshapes how brands and creators need to approach content. With a stronger focus on meaningful engagement and the micro-niche push, creators must balance producing content specific enough to resonate with a niche while still appealing to related audiences.

As metadata becomes more important, social media managers need to think carefully about keywords and search intent when planning videos. Relying on viral sounds or trends will no longer guarantee visibility unless they fit the creator’s existing content and audience. Despite these changes, it is essential to remember that content is created for people, not only for the system. Authentic, consistent, and audience-focused content will always perform better than posts designed solely to chase quick attention.

Social media management tools can help social media marketers with a number of concerns around content creation. When adapting content for the new 2025 TikTok algorithm update, you might want to leverage Fanpage Karma’s powerful publishing and community management tools to navigate the upload and stay on top of all communication flowing in through your social media accounts. On top of that, the integrated analytics will provide you with the insights that matter for your TikTok strategy. 

If you want to learn more about how to use Fanpage Karma to improve your performance, you can join a free weekly webinar or try out the free social media scheduling tool to plan your posts for several social media platforms in one place.