TikTok‘s “For You” recommendations have long been a source of mystery and fascination for creators on the platform. Even the most experienced TikTok stars don’t always understand why some videos go viral and some don’t. And there has long been a lot of speculation about what content is acceptable to the app’s recommendation algorithm and what content is not.
Now the company is looking to provide authors with more transparency in their recommendations. TikTok is testing a “content check” feature that will allow creators to preview whether their videos have issues that could prevent them from appearing in the coveted “For You” feed.
TikTok is starting with a web feature called Content Check Lite, which will be available on the desktop in TikTok Studio. This feature will check uploaded videos against the “For You” criteria and flag potential issues before publishing. The company also says it is in the “early stages” of experimenting with a “broader” content review feature that can check “content for compliance with all of our Community Guidelines before it appears on the platform” and offer specific feedback on changes that can help correct inappropriate content. According to the company, a “small group” of authors is currently participating in the testing.
TikTok has already tested a version of this feature for TikTok Shop merchants and says it has already led to a 27 percent reduction in “low-quality uploads” to the app. The feature could also help the company build trust with creators, who often speculate about “shadow bans” and why some videos don’t get as many views as they expect.
“Ultimately, our goal is to help creators understand our rules and make sure they know how to best engage their audience and build a thriving network of TikTok followers,” said Adam Presser, TikTok’s Head of Operations, Trust and Safety, during the press event. “We are excited to learn from the pilot and hope to have more to share in the next few months.”
The company is also adding several other updates for creators, including new mute and filtering features that make it easier to filter out certain terms from live comments and other posts. The app also introduces a special “author inbox” to make it easier to manage messages in the app. Authors who want to have a separate space to communicate with their followers will also be able to use “author chats,” which allow their accounts to create a dedicated space for chats with up to 300 followers.
