How a video goes viral on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube: the signals the algorithms measure
In short: TikTok, Instagram and YouTube do not reward big accounts but each video on its own. All three systems test the content with a small group of users, measure how long they watch it, whether they finish it, whether they share or save it, and only then push it to larger audiences. Watch time and retention in the first few seconds are the strongest signal; shares and saves weigh more than likes. With around 1.9 billion monthly users on TikTok, more than 2 billion on Reels and tens of billions of daily views on Shorts, understanding that logic explains…
