How to Catch the Algorithm

Struggling to get views? Use these tips to catch the ever-so-powerful algorithm.

Anyone who’s strived for the goal of becoming an influencer or going viral understands how difficult it can be to get your video to over 100 views. The rise of For You Page’s and Explore Page’s has resulted in the development of complex algorithms used to deliver consumers with content that will keep them entertained. The confusing, and sometimes brutal, algorithm is a blockade for many who yearn for internet success. The following tips will help you defeat the algorithm beast and deliver your content to the masses.

Post a Lot

As Wayne Gretzky once said, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Same goes for content creating: the more chances you give yourself to succeed, the more likely you will. However, this doesn’t mean you should be putting out sub-par content; this will cause your page to receive a negative image and dilute your desired message. To have the best chance to catch the algorithm, a ton of work needs to be put in to make sure you are posting enough while still ensuring high-quality content that accurately reflects your page’s niche.

Research Trends

Internet trends can change overnight. One day you could be seeing the same trend over and over again for it to be a thing of the past the next day. Since For You Page’s and Explore Page’s are curated to deliver you content that is relevant to other content you have previously engaged with, paying close attention to patterns you see in videos or viral audios will help you know which trends to utilize in your own content to hop on the trend while it’s still relevant. There are some trends that are resilient and can last for a whole month; identifying which one’s you think will have this prolonged success can help you make sure your video won’t succumb to the cycling of trends.

Define Your Target Market & Understand How to Reach Them

Being able to distinctly define and understand your target audience is crucial to keeping your content relevant. You should have a description of their demographics, a list of their interests, what other content they consume, consumer lifetime value (CLTV), and how often they’re actively consuming content. Understanding your target audience’s demographics such as their age, gender, race, and region will help you know what social media platform to utilize, what message to deliver, whether to do blogs or videos, etc. For example, targeting Gen-Z on FaceBook with a link to a Pinterest post would not be effective. Knowing what their interests are and their content preferences will help you develop your own content and come up with new ideas. CLTV is how long on average a consumer will continue to engage in your content and indicates how loyal they are to your page. Determining this will aid in gauging how sustainable your audience will be, how often consumers will turn over, and which ones are worth cultivating your content towards or continuing to pursue. It’s also important to identify how often your target audience utilizes certain platforms. This can be done through finding credible resources that have released data about social media usage by platform and age. If your target audience spends most of their time on TikTok but also uses Snapchat and Instagram, put most of your effort into TikTok posts but also maintain a presence on the other platforms. Being able to clearly define and understand your target audience will help you make sure your content is reaching them, leading to more shares and views.

Shorter is Sometimes Better

With short-form videos becoming the default since the rise in popularity of TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and others, keeping your content to a short and engaging length will help ensure that users are watching the video fully and not skipping through them. A video that starts with an attention getting hook will get users engaged initially, but a long and drawn-out video will lose their focus and cause them to mindlessly skip to the next video. Coming up with a creative way to convey your content without dragging the video on is essential to increasing engagement and catching the algorithm.

Content creation is undoubtedly hard work. You need to be ready to devote the time and effort it requires to attract the algorithm and engage users. Following these tips will give you a step-up against others and lead you to internet fame.