TikTok FYP top-exposure guide — the 8 signals the algorithm watches

The 8 signals the algorithm cares about most

1. Completion rate — the single strongest signal. Above 70% finished, FYP exposure shoots up.
2. Replay — share of viewers who watched twice+. Short, high-impact videos win here.
3. Engagement — likes + comments + shares + saves combined. Shares and saves carry 5–10× the weight of a like.
4. Comment depth — comment length and reply count. Discussion-style threads beat short emoji comments.
5. Profile click-through — share of viewers who went to your profile after the video. Video → profile → another video flow boosts your channel score.
6. Follow conversion — viewers who follow after watching. A new viewer following is the biggest reward signal.
7. Upload consistency — channels with a steady weekly cadence get more algorithmic trust.
8. Trending music / hashtags / effects — using currently-trending sounds, tags, and effects adds discovery weight.

Optimal length — 15 vs 60 seconds

Since completion is the top signal, shorter is generally better. Data on Korean audiences:

• 9–15s: completion 75–85% — highest FYP probability
• 15–30s: completion 60–70% — works for informational / series content
• 30–60s: completion 40–55% — needs a strong hook to land
• Over 60s: completion drops below 30% — recommendation stalls

Exception: highlights from your own live convert best at 30–45 seconds, because you need enough time to drive viewers toward your live channel.

The first 3 seconds — the whole hook game

Most viewers decide to swipe within the first 3 seconds. About 70% of FYP exposure hinges on those 3 seconds. Effective hook patterns:

• Question — "Did you know this only works in Korea?"
• Shock — show the result/reaction first, then explain the process
• Conversation snippet — open with a striking line from your live
• Before/after — quick transformation cut

Patterns to avoid: greetings or self-intro openings, logos / title cards, "turning the camera on" footage, slow build-up before the actual content starts.

Hashtags — the 3+3 rule

The combination that works on Korean TikTok:

• 3 broad / generic — #fyp #foryou #추천 etc. (traffic signal)
• 3 niche — your content category, e.g. #먹방챌린지 #코노먹방 #홍대먹방 — these reach viewers of similar content
• Too many hashtags (10+) actually look like spam to the algorithm and reduce exposure.

Upload times (Korean audiences)

Korean viewer activity windows:

• Weekdays 7–9 AM (commute / school) — short, light content
• Weekday lunch 12–1 PM — food / mukbang
• Weekday evenings 7–10 PM — the biggest window (pre/post-live)
• Weekend afternoons 2–5 PM — leisure content

Posting a "live announcement" Short 2–3 hours before your main live often raises concurrent live viewership by 30–50%.

Shadowban — when reach suddenly drops to zero

If your reach falls below 10% of normal for several days, suspect a shadowban. Common causes:

• Banned words, profanity, or sensitive keywords in the caption
• Copyright-protected audio (e.g. YouTube tracks instead of the in-app library)
• Repeating duplicate / near-duplicate videos
• Other-SNS links or external URLs in the caption
• IP patterns that look like VPN / location-evasion

Recovery: 7–14 days of normal activity with the offending pattern removed. For suspect videos, set them private instead of deleting — the goal is to stop their evaluation data from dragging down the channel.