From your favorite creators to your go-to brands, creatives are increasingly leveraging TikTok for their marketing goals. 

While brands and influencers alike are using the short form video platform to connect with younger audiences through trending content, how are their efforts actually measuring up? Reaching your target demographics requires going further than viral content and actively monitoring and capitalizing on the metrics that matter most. 

In this article, you’ll learn how to navigate the TikTok Analytics dashboard, which metrics to focus on, and how they can help shape your content strategy.  

1. Switching to TikTok Pro
2. TikTok Analytics: Overview
3. TikTok Analytics: Content
4. TikTok Analytics: Followers
   

Switch to TikTok Pro 

RyanAir, a popular airline known throughout Europe for having the lowest fares for traveling, is incredibly  popular with Gen- Z and Millennials, especially prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. While travel restrictions remain for the foreseeable future, their brilliant TikTok videos keep them front of mind with their target audience, with over 4.6 millions likes and over 206K followers. Not only are they up to date with the most popular trends but they are actively monitoring their metrics and most importantly, capitalizing on them. The first step is to switch your TikTok account to pro. 

@ryanair

✍️ don’t ✍️ clap ✍️ when ✍️ landing ✍️ #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #ryanair

♬ sweet dreams – beyoncé🐝

Anyone with a TikTok account can easily access their analytics just by simply switching their profile to a TikTok Pro Account – and the best thing about it? It’s free! 

Step 1 – Go to your profile

Step 2 – Go to settings and click Manage My Account and Switch to Pro 

Step 3 – Select a category for your profile account

Step 4 – You’ve got yourself a TikTok Pro Account!

You can view your analytics on either desktop or mobile. TikTok Analytics provides data accumulated over the last seven days, so it’s important to keep up with your reports on a weekly basis. 

TikTok Analytics: Overview

The TikTok Analytics overview page is dedicated to showing you personalized data on three key metrics:

Video Views: the amount of times your videos were viewed

Followers: the amount of followers you either gained or lost

Profile Visits: the amount of times your profile was viewed. Profile visits is the most insightful metric to monitor, giving you an idea of what days your audience is tuning into your content. 

TikTok Analytics: Content

The fast-paced nature of TikTok can often blur the results of your content. To dig deeper on the content you’re producing and trends on the FYP, head over to the content tab in TikTok Analytics. Here you will find insights in the top 9 videos you produced over the week and the top trending videos you posted outside the seven day period. This data can help support content decisions for the future and provides a deeper understanding of the trends that captivate your followers. 

Video Posts 

@nataliataylorofficial

Please share to save someone’s fresh set of acrylics

♬ original sound – Natalia Taylor

To get the most insights out of your shared videos, we suggest that you examine individual posts for their performance. Engagement metrics such as likes, comments and shares offer value into how content is resonating with your audience. It’s a key sign of whether your content is engaging enough to stop them from scrolling on. There are also three other important metrics to keep tabs on:

Views

Setting realistic performance benchmarks for your videos requires keeping a pulse on your views. This includes Total Time Watched, Total Views and Average Time Watched which are crucial to increasing your audience retention goals. 

Audience Overview

How is your audience finding your videos? Are your viewers following your account? Are viewers searching up your profile in the search bar, or, are they finding you on the For You Page? Audience Overview sheds light on how your content is being discovered and could help shape how you’re promoting your TikTok content on and off the platform. 

Traffic Sources

Location, location, location. Finding out where your video traffic is coming from based on country and region is beneficial in understanding your audience demographics and behavior. The more you know about who’s watching, the more you can tailor your content and programming schedule to fit their needs. 

TikTok Analytics: Followers

Dive deeper into your audience demographics with these key metrics: follower activity, videos your followers watched and sounds your followers listened to. Targeting your audiences by adjusting small details in your content strategy will go a long way in grabbing and keeping their attention. 

@cjsocoolyt

#wipeitdown

♬ #WIPEITDOWN – BMW KENNY

• Follower Activity: sheds light on when your followers are inactive and active.
  •  Use this metric to choose your best posting times. You’ll be able to see when your audience is most active to gain the most engagement and traction on your videos. 
    
• Videos Your Followers Watched: the most popular and trending videos based on your followers. 
  • Use this metric to see which similar videos are performing well and try to recreate them yourself. This is a key metric to use since Trending Videos are foundational to the platform.
    
• Sounds Your Followers Listened To: the most popular and trending sounds based on your followers. 
  • Use this metric to see which sounds are performing well and try to incorporate them into your videos. This would be the second most popular metric to follow since music plays a huge role on TikTok. 
    

Metrics are the backbone to successful content strategy. Top influencers across platforms have a deep understanding of their audiences and the type of content that is being consumed, primarily by keeping a pulse on their metrics. Don’t create content in the dark. Instead, make informed decisions based on real data to go further and reach more viewers. 

Happy TikTok’in!