Has Ashton Hall cracked the TikTok algorithm?

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📸 Ashton Hall AKA the Saratoga water routine guy has blown up: has he cracked the TikTok algorithm?

In a word - yes. He has. ICYMI - Ashton Hall is a personal trainer creator, who has been posting regularly for a few years. He’s built an impressive following over that time - but a few months ago, he started seeing exponential growth in views. In his own words - he found a format that worked, and stuck at it.

So how has he achieved it?

We talked about this in our last newsletter - the way to win in social is to focus on maximising watch time. Get a high % of people to watch all the way through, and if possible, watch more than once. That tells the algorithm your content is sticky, it’s keeping users on the platform. The more that happens, the more eyeballs the algorithm gives you.

@ashtonhallofficial

Day 1,461 as an Online Coach (lunch & zoom calls) 4 years of building the life I dreamed of.. now coaching the coaches to do the same 🚀 If... See more

Does it have anything to do with Saratoga water?

All the commentary on LinkedIn is about the fact he’s the guy who pours a bottle of Saratoga water into a bowl, with ice and lemon, and dunks his face in (at 3:50am). But that’s not really what his success is about. The water is only part of the hook - the thing that gets viewers past the first few seconds. Although in more recent The rest is his commitment to techniques that feed the algorithm.

What techniques does he use to get so many views every time?

Ashton Hall has mastered how algorithms think, so he constantly ensures each video keeps people watching every time. In reality, his videos are always pretty similar - his routine is exactly that, a routine. So hidden in each video are techniques that ensure people watch.

His hook is getting straight into his unconventional day routine. It’s some crazy early hour. He’s stood in front of a bowl of ice, and instantly dunks his face in. Yes it’s a hook, but I think his success is down to what happens next.

He uses 3 of the Dark Arts (guide below) - we’ve given them names because we like naming stuff.

Breadcrumbing

Breadcrumbing is all about using a visual device to guide the user and give context on where you are in the video. His content tracks his morning or evening, while he cleverly uses the time of day to keep you engaged. The first thing to note is how early he gets up (3.50am), while the time quickly goes up in small increments as he goes.

No Chill Edit

This technique is very common in many social videos now. Ashton doesn’t waste a single second in his videos. It’s edited to be as lean as he is - no fat at all. A use of quick cuts and clever sounds makes the pace feel high, leaving the viewer no opportunity to swipe up.

Comment Bait

This is where I think Ashton gets most of his success, and why he’s able to keep going with the same format. Comment bait is about leaving “easter eggs” in the content - things people can’t help but comment on. While people write and engage in comments, his video plays in the background, and his viewer retention goes sky high. Read his comments - his tennis swing, his lack of socks, his cars, even the accuracy of his timeline - people can’t help themselves but comment. It sends his views through the roof and allows him to keep making similar videos that get massive views.

A final note - if you look at his comments - how many are actually about Saratoga water? Hint - pretty much none of them.

🥷🏼 Download our guide: 10 Dark Arts of TikTok

We’ve created a guide to help you get more from TikTok. It’s simple really. It doesn’t matter what you’re saying, here are 10 of the most effective techniques creators use to make sure they get great views every time.

The guide has been written alongside some of our favourite creators, who shared some of their secrets. The names - they were written by us.

📈 Trend of the week: #HardLaunch

This is a classic Title Trap trend (read our guide for that to make sense), and couldn’t be more simple. Creators are "hard launching” everything, like an official announcement - but the thing they launch is usually a drink they’ve bought. Or maybe some makeup. Or some lunch. Or a dog.

It starts on the face camera, the creator looking in anticipation. There’s always a title called “hard launch” on screen. And the creator flips their camera to reveal what they’re looking at. That’s it, throw in a track (Spring into summer seems like the track of choice for most) and you have a trend.

Why does it work? First up, the title means you’re waiting to see what’s being hard launched. Once it’s revealed, creators don’t hang about too long (you don’t want people swiping away). The trick is to get the audio to loop nicely, so these videos are around 6-8 seconds long.

Such an easy trend to jump on for a brand. The thing you’re launching isn’t particularly important. Just be quick, as I imagine this trend doesn’t have that many legs.

@saskiaomalley

live laugh red bull #foryou #fyp #foryoupage #trending #redbull

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