If you’re a short-form video creator on TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube shorts, I’m sure you know how important it is to have your content seen by as many people within your target audience as possible. You will also know how quickly these mysterious social media algorithms are changing, making it a constant challenge to keep up and make sure your videos are being shown to the right audience. In this post, we’re going to share some social media algorithm tips and secrets for short-form success!

First things first, let’s talk about what social media algorithms are and why they matter. Essentially, algorithms are the formulas that social media platforms use to categorise content and audience interest in order to decide what content to show to its users. Ultimately, the more engagement (likes, comments, saves and watch time) your content gets, the more likely it is to be shown to more people, but it’s important to remember that there are other factors at play too, such as how relevant your content is to the audience and how timely it is.

Now that you understand the basics of social media algorithms, let’s get into some tips for optimizing your short-form video content to keep the algorithm on side!

Make sure to use keywords and hashtags that are relevant to your content, this should be included in the video caption but it’s also good to include any relevant keywords within text overlays on your video. This will help ensure that the algorithm categorizes your video accurately and shows it to people who are interested in similar topics and are more likely to engage.

It’s so important to make sure your videos are not only visually appealing, but displayed at a high-quality. Nobody wants to watch a blurry or poorly edited video, so take the time to ensure that your content looks great! You could even try adding another layer to your videos with immersive sound design – check out our favourite SFX library at Epidemic Sound.

READ MORE: How to upload high quality videos to Instagram

Encourage your followers to like, comment, and share your videos to help boost their visibility to a wider audience. One of the best ways you can do this is by offering value in the video itself or in the caption , incentivising your viewers to save the video for later or even share it with their friends.

From our own experience and from observing other creators, showing the algorithm that you’re an active and engaged creator by posting as consistently as possible is without a doubt one of the most important factors for growth on social media platforms.

READ MORE: Viral short form video ideas for travel creators

Make sure that you are regularly monitoring your video statistics and utilizing the analytics features of the platform to measure the success of your content. You shouldn’t rely on the numbers alone but it can definitely help give you a better understanding of what’s working and what’s not, with data straight from the algorithm itself.

READ MORE: How to Determine the Best Time to Post on Instagram & TikTok

Finally, make sure you’re paying attention to emerging video trends and viral audio for each social media platform that you’re posting on, this can give you a sense of what’s resonating with audiences and help you come up with content that’s more likely to go viral. 

Optimizing your short-form video content for social media algorithms can be difficult and unpredictable at times, but with the right approach, it’s definitely worth the effort. Keep these tips and secrets in mind, experiment with different approaches, and most importantly, have fun with it! After all, social media is all about connecting with others and sharing your own creative ideas, it doesn’t always have to be about getting the highest numbers (although it certainly helps!).

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