10 Dark Arts of TikTok: Revealed

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📺 Squeeze every last view out of the TikTok algorithm without ripping up your content strategy.

Your content strategy is absolutely fine. OK, I don’t know that for sure. But let’s say you do know what you’re doing, and yet your organic social views are a bit rubbish.

It’s annoying, disheartening. Clients, bosses, and smug colleagues suddenly tell you that their ideas for content would be better (even that lovely idea the CEOs wife had). And your soul dies a little. If this is happening, read on, as we have the medicine for this exact problem.

First up, look at your video analytics. Specifically your audience / viewer retention. It probably looks like the one below. Within 2 seconds, 60% of your viewers have left the video and swiped. 6 seconds in, 80% have left. 5% finish the video completely.

Simply put - people aren’t hooked at the start, and the ones who do stick around don’t stick around for long. This tells the algorithm one thing - this video isn’t good or relevant (no matter how good it actually is). And once the algorithm thinks this, it’s game over for the video. If you continue to post videos with poor retention, your profile gets tagged as a source of poor performing content, and compounds the issue.

The solution: get your content algorithmically fit!

It’s time to get fit. Your great content isn’t working hard enough, and it may be as simple as going back into capcut to tighten it all up. That’s what we realised when we went out to some of the biggest creators on our platform to ask them how they maximise view time. Below are 10 key techniques to all achieve one thing - increase your watch time on videos to their full potential. No matter what your content is about.

One point to remember - if your content is short (<15 seconds), you should be optimising towards completed views. If your content is long (>1 minute), it’s important to get your average watch time as high as possible. Both are important, but completion rate % gets slightly less important the longer your content (in order to not penalise longer videos too much).

The techniques (the full deck is available at the bottom)

1. Title Trap

No one's reading your caption in the first 3 seconds. That headline? It belongs on-screen. “POV: Your chaotic mate at brunch” or “Wait for it…” — they’re the new opening credits. Short, sharp, and curiosity-pilled.

2. Snap Start

Ever feel like you missed the beginning of a TikTok? You didn’t. It started that way on purpose. Starting mid-sentence or mid-scene skips the “scroll away” moment. You’re already in it.

3. Result Hook

Cooking videos don’t start with dry pasta. They start with molten, bubbling cheesy heaven. Show the end first, and now we have to stick around to find out how you got there.

4. Breathless Cut

Talking fast is good. Editing so there’s literally no pause between your lines is better. Viewers don’t zone out if you don’t give them space to. Rapid-fire storytelling keeps brains locked in.

5. No Chill Edit

Dead air? Cut it. That one-second pause where nothing happens? Cut it. If there’s a single moment where a viewer’s thumb might twitch — it’s gone. Ruthless trimming is respect for your audience's attention.

6. Breadcrumb Format

“5 reasons your productivity is broken.” You just told me it’s 5 points — now I need to know all 5. Signposting your structure keeps viewers tracking with you, step by step.

7. Comment Bait

A typo. A weird sock. A wildly inaccurate timeline. Viewers have to comment. And while they do? The video loops. Rage, pedantry, or curiosity — it’s all engagement. And that’s gold.

8. Cut & Run

Don’t fade out. Don’t wrap up. Just end. Abruptly. The moment someone senses you’re “done,” they swipe. So beat them to it. Stop talking 1 second earlier than feels natural. View complete.

9. Infinity Cut

The end is the start. When the last frame flows perfectly into the first, the viewer just keeps watching — often without realizing. Their brain’s catching up while the video’s already replaying.

10. Everloop

This is the final boss. Video + audio, crafted to loop so smoothly it’s better the second (or fifth) time. Shorter vids. Seamless beats. Zero exit points. 500% view rate. You’ve ascended.

🥷🏼 Download our guide: 10 Dark Arts of TikTok

Here’s the deck in full. And what’s better, it’s a link straight to the Google Docs version where you can make a copy and claim it as your own.

Just don’t forget us when you’re rich and famous.

Here’s the deck!

📈 Trend of the week: Aussie Twins

I’m not even sure if this is a trend yet, because it only really broke in the last 24 hours. Aussie twins recount the moment their mum distracted a gunman to escape, but did it in almost total harmony.

Just wait for the memes, there’ll be loads. And it’s a moment any brand could jump on, for a bit of fun.

@metrouk

How are they so in-sync?! Identical twins Bridgette and Paula Powers have gone viral with their 7 News interview, recounting the moment th... See more

Thank you for reading this. To talk creators to us, email Will and Tim on [email protected]. Chat soon!