How To Change Your TikTok Algorithm: Enhance Your Experience

Social media, as a whole, is addictive because there’s no shortage of new and interesting content to discover. TikTok, in particular, is addictive because its algorithm is highly effective in recommending content you’ll enjoy. However, it’s also possible for TikTok’s algorithm to deliver too much of the same thing. If you know how to change your TikTok algorithm, you can enjoy a TikTok do-over any time you want! 

Keep reading to find out how to hit the refresh button on the video-sharing platform to enjoy a completely new TikTok experience! 

How Does TikTok’s Algorithm Work?

TikTok is leagues ahead of other social media platforms when it comes to delivering a satisfying user experience. And this is all thanks to its impressively effective and intuitive algorithm, which is quite genius in its simplicity!

The For You Feed (FYF), also known as For You Page (FYP), algorithm recommends content based primarily on user interactions and interests on the platform. Like all AI algorithms, TikTok’s continuously learns about a user’s content consumption preferences as the user views and engages with more content. As it learns, it personalizes the user’s FYP recommendations. 

Unlike other social media algorithms, TikTok does not take into consideration an account’s popularity and follower base or a post’s view and engagement numbers. This is consistent with the algorithm’s priority — user interests. And, of course, if you give people what they want, they’ll keep coming back. 

TikTok’s algorithm is far from perfect, however. While it gives you more of what you like, it also limits your experience. And variety on social networks is just as important to user experience as consistency. 

When your TikTok feed becomes predictable, what are your options?

How To Fix TikTok Algorithm

Before rebooting your entire TikTok experience, you can try to recalibrate and enhance your FYP. It’s easy to readjust the algorithm’s recommendation filters for your feed. Here are five tips for how to fix your TikTok algorithm:

1. Step out of your comfort zone. Follow new pages that complement your usual interests but are not too similar to them. If your usual TikTok staple is beauty care videos, for example, you can start exploring videos and creators on self-care topics. 
2. Engage with a wider variety of content. Don’t limit yourself to liking posts only from people you follow. But you can use your followed accounts to discover new types of content you can engage with. Just go to their profile page and check out their liked videos. 
3. Explore trends within and outside your niche and industry. Use TikTok’s search function. Just tap the magnifying glass, and TikTok will immediately show you the latest trending searches or topics you may be interested in. Or try Creator Search Insights to find out what users in any niche are currently searching for.
4. Let TikTok know what you don’t like. Occasionally, TikTok recommends content that’s not 100% relevant to your interests but it thinks you might like. If the algorithm gets it wrong and you don’t like the video, long-press on it, then tap Not interested. Tell the algorithm what you don’t like to help it improve your FYP experience.
5. Clean up your Following list and Likes folder. Open your Following list and identify accounts you’re no longer interested in. If you haven’t engaged with a page’s posts for weeks or months, perhaps it’s time to unfollow it. You should also review your Likes folder and unlike posts that no longer resonate with you. 

How To Reset TikTok Algorithm

Knowing how to change algorithm on TikTok by redefining your content preferences can be tedious work. Fortunately, there’s a quicker way to give your FYP a complete overhaul.

Here’s how to reset your TikTok algorithm

1. Go to your Profile. 
2. Tap the Menu/three-line icon in the top right. 
3. Tap Settings and privacy. 
4. Under Content & Display, select Content preferences. 
5. Tap Refresh your For You feed. 
6. Tap Continue. 
7. Tap Refresh. 

Remember that this only resets your FYP. The interests you selected when you first created your account and the accounts you follow will remain intact. These will continue to shape your FYP recommendations. The Refresh option only gives you “a new set of popular videos, as if you’ve just signed up for TikTok.”

Refreshing your FYP allows you to delete your previous FYP interactions. It reboots the algorithm’s recommendation settings, basically wiping the slate clean. The algorithm will start from scratch, learning your content preferences based on how you interact with your new FYP recommendations. 

Why Is My TikTok Algorithm Messed Up?

You may also want to know how to change TikTok algorithm because its recommendations suddenly don’t make any sense. You may wonder, “Why is my TikTok algorithm messed up?” If you’re suddenly seeing questionable content with minimal engagement, it’s possibly spam. 

You can refresh your FYP, but if you’d rather not clean your FYP slate, you can try the following:

• Long-press on the video and tap Not interested. 
• Report the content to TikTok. 
• Clear your TikTok cache. 
• Uninstall and reinstall your TikTok app. 
• Submit a report to TikTok. 

How To Change Your TikTok Algorithm: Need a TikTok Do-Over?

As effective as TikTok’s recommendation algorithm is, it also tends to become redundant and limiting. This usually happens when a user doesn’t interact much with other users’ content. Knowing how to change your TikTok algorithm is helpful when your interests on TikTok change or you simply need a new experience. 

If you’re a creator or brand starting from scratch, make sure you begin your TikTok journey on the right track. Sign up for a High Social plan to match with your target audience consistently. 

High Social’s advanced, proprietary AI targeting solution reinforces TikTok’s algorithm, effectively doubling your targeting power. Start growing your TikTok today!