Something's been feeling weird on TikTok lately, right?
You spend an hour filming, another hour editing, nail the trending sound, post it at peak time… and then it just dies. Twelve views. Three likes. One comment from your mom asking if you ate lunch.
At first, I thought it was just me having an off week. Maybe I was posting at the wrong times. Maybe my content suddenly sucked. Maybe everyone just decided they hated me all at once (which, let’s be honest, is a very real fear when you’re a creator).
But then I started talking to other people. Friends who’d been consistently hitting 50k views were suddenly stuck at 800. Accounts that had been growing steadily for months just… stopped. People were panicking in group chats, DMing each other like “is it just me or is everything broken?”
It wasn’t just us. TikTok changed something. Again.
And the frustrating part? They did it quietly. No announcement. No creator update video. No helpful little notification saying “Hey, we’re tweaking things!” They just flipped a switch somewhere in their massive server farm and let us all figure it out the hard way.
What Actually Changed
Here’s what I’ve pieced together after weeks of testing, talking to other creators, and basically treating my account like a science experiment.
TikTok isn’t just measuring watch time anymore. That’s old news. Now they’re obsessed with what happens after someone watches your video.
Did they replay it? Did they visit your profile? Did they share it to their group chat? Did they leave a comment, even if it’s just “lol” or a string of emojis? That’s what matters now. The algorithm wants to know if your video made someone do something, not just passively consume it.
Think about it from TikTok’s perspective. They don’t just want people watching videos, they want people addicted to the app. And what makes someone addicted? Interaction. Conversation. Feeling like they’re part of something. A video that gets shared or rewatched or sparks a comment section full of arguments? That’s gold to them. That keeps people on the app longer than anything else.
So if your video gets decent watch time but nobody does anything with it afterwards? The algorithm sees that as mediocre content. It stops showing it. Sometimes within the first hour.
I tested this with two nearly identical videos. Same topic, same energy, same hook. One ended with me asking people to comment their opinion. The other just ended. The one with the question got pushed to 10x more people. Same content, different ending, wildly different results.
The Consistency Trap Nobody Warned You About
Here’s the other thing that’s been screwing people over. TikTok is now tracking what kind of content you post more aggressively than before.
Let’s say you’ve spent the last month posting makeup tutorials. Your audience knows you, they expect makeup content, the algorithm knows what to do with your videos. Then one day you decide to post a vlog of you hiking. Totally innocent, right? Just showing a different side of your life.
Wrong. TikTok sees that as inconsistent behavior. It doesn’t know what to do with you anymore. Are you a makeup creator? A travel creator? A lifestyle creator? It gets confused, and when the algorithm gets confused, it just stops promoting your stuff.
I’ve seen this happen to so many people. They post one random video outside their niche, and suddenly their next five videos perform terribly. Even when they go back to their regular content.
It’s like TikTok is saying “pick a lane and stay in it.” Which is honestly kind of suffocating for anyone who doesn’t want to be boxed into one tiny category forever. But that’s where we’re at right now.
The platform wants predictable creators who feed their viewers a steady diet of one specific thing. It makes their algorithm’s job easier. It keeps viewers in their bubbles. It’s better for them, even if it’s limiting for us.
What’s Actually Working Right Now
I’ve been deep in the trenches testing different approaches, and here’s what I’ve learned.
Shorter is better, but only if it’s packed with value
A ten-second video that makes someone laugh, think, or feel something will destroy a perfectly edited 45-second video that’s just fine. People’s attention spans are cooked, and TikTok knows it. If you can’t hook someone in two seconds and deliver something worth their time in under fifteen, you’re fighting an uphill battle.
Raw beats polished almost every time now
This one hurt to accept because I used to spend hours editing. But videos I’ve filmed in one take with zero editing have outperformed my “perfectly crafted content” by insane margins. People want to feel like they’re watching a real person, not a commercial. The more your video looks like it could’ve been a FaceTime call with a friend, the better it tends to do.
Controversy works, but you have to be smart about it
I’m not saying to be an asshole or spread misinformation. But if you can say something that makes people have opinions? That’s valuable. “I think pineapple belongs on pizza” will get more engagement than “here’s a pizza recipe.” People love having opinions. Give them something to react to.
The comment section is everything
I’ve started responding to every single comment in the first hour after posting. Not just liking them, actually responding with something that invites more conversation. The algorithm sees that activity and interprets it as “this video is sparking engagement” and pushes it to more people.
Looping matters more than it used to
If you can structure your video so that the end flows naturally back to the beginning, people will rewatch it without even realizing. TikTok sees those rewatches as a signal that your content is valuable. I’ve had videos with 70-80% average watch time that flopped, and videos with 120% watch time (meaning people rewatched) that went viral.
The Retention Spike Thing Is Real
This is a newer concept, but it’s important. TikTok is now tracking where in your video people rewatch.
If you say something shocking at the 8-second mark and a bunch of people scroll back to hear it again, the algorithm notices that spike. It sees that moment as high-value content and is more likely to push your video to new audiences.
I accidentally discovered this when I made a video where I casually dropped a wild statistic halfway through. People kept replaying that specific moment to process what I’d said. The video blew up. I’ve been trying to recreate that effect ever since by putting “wait, what?” moments strategically in my videos.
It’s not about making the whole video perfect anymore. It’s about creating one or two moments that make people hit replay.
What You Should Actually Do About All This
First, don’t panic. I know it’s easy to spiral when your numbers tank. I’ve been there. I’ve had the 3am existential crises wondering if I should just delete everything and become a full-time Uber driver.
But here’s the thing. Everyone’s numbers are weird right now. Even the big creators. Even the people with millions of followers. This isn’t a “you” problem, it’s an “everyone” problem. The algorithm is in a testing phase, and we’re all just lab rats trying to figure out the maze.
Stop trying to go viral
I know that sounds counterintuitive, but hear me out. The more you chase virality, the more you end up making content for the algorithm instead of for actual humans. And ironically, content made for humans tends to perform better in this new system than content made for the algorithm.
Pick your lane and commit to it
At least for now. I know it’s limiting, but if you want consistent reach, you need to be consistent with your content type. You can evolve slowly over time, but sudden jumps between niches will kill your reach.
End every video with a reason for people to interact
Ask a question. Say something slightly controversial. Create a cliffhanger. Tell people to follow for part two (and actually make part two). Give them a reason to do something other than just scroll past.
Make content that starts conversations, not content that ends them
This is the biggest mindset shift. Your video shouldn’t be the final word on something, it should be the opening statement. Leave room for people to add their thoughts, disagree, share their experiences. The algorithm loves content that generates discussion.
Post consistently, even when it feels pointless
The worst thing you can do is stop posting. The algorithm rewards consistency above almost everything else. Even if your videos are getting less reach than usual, keep going. The ones who survive these algorithm changes are always the ones who didn’t quit.
The Part Nobody Wants to Hear
TikTok doesn’t want us to figure this stuff out. They don’t want creators reverse-engineering the algorithm and finding ways to game the system. They want the algorithm to be mysterious and unknowable so that only “natural” content succeeds.
Which means that by the time you’ve fully adapted to this change, they’ll probably change something else. It’s exhausting. It’s frustrating. Sometimes it makes me want to quit entirely.
But here’s what I keep coming back to. The creators who last on this platform aren’t the ones who chase every algorithm hack or follow every growth guide perfectly. They’re the ones who stay human through all the changes. The ones who build real connections with their audience instead of just chasing views.
Because at the end of the day, algorithms change constantly. But people? People stay pretty much the same. They want to be entertained, informed, or made to feel something. If you can consistently do that, you’ll figure out whatever TikTok throws at you next.
So yeah, your reach probably sucks right now. Mine does too. But we’re going to figure this out, make some adjustments, keep posting, and come out the other side. We always do.
The algorithm will change again. It always does. But the creators who treat their audience like actual people instead of metrics? Those are the ones who’ll still be here when the next update rolls around.
Now go make something real. Something that makes people feel something. Something that starts a conversation. The algorithm might be confused right now, but it’ll eventually catch up to good content.
It always does.
Disclaimer: Articles contains affiliate links