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What is "Other" in TikTok Analytics?

Cody Schneider•

Scrolling through your TikTok Analytics can be exciting, but seeing a large chunk of your traffic labeled simply as "Other" can feel like a dead end. If you've wondered what this mysterious category is and if it’s helping or hurting your strategy, you’re not alone. This guide will break down exactly what "Other" means, which sources it includes, and how to use this insight to create even better content.

First, a Quick Refresher on TikTok Analytics

Before diving into the specifics of "Other," let's quickly review where you find this information. TikTok Analytics is a powerful free tool available to all Creator or Business accounts that gives you direct insight into your account’s performance. To access it, go to your profile, tap the three-line menu in the top-right corner, select "Creator tools," and then tap "Analytics."

Your analytics are typically broken down into a few key tabs:

  • Overview: A high-level look at your video views, profile views, and follower count over a specific period.

  • Content: Deeper insights into your individual video posts, showing which ones are trending and how they're performing.

  • Followers: Information about your audience demographics, including gender, location, and their most active times on the app.

  • LIVE: Data related to your TikTok LIVE sessions, if you use this feature.

You'll find the "Traffic sources" breakdown by tapping on any individual video within the Content tab. This is where you'll see a chart showing exactly how viewers discovered that video and where the "Other" category lives.

Decoding Your Known TikTok Traffic Sources

To understand what "Other" is, it helps to first understand what it isn't. The majority of your views will likely come from a few standard, well-defined sources that TikTok reports clearly.

For You page

This is the big one. The "For You" page (FYP) is TikTok's main algorithmic feed, where users discover new content based on their interests and past interactions. A high percentage of traffic from the FYP means your video has been successfully distributed by the algorithm to a wide audience who doesn't already follow you. It's the primary engine for viral growth on the platform.

Following feed

The "Following" feed shows content exclusively from accounts that a user already follows. Views from this source come from your existing community. While typically a smaller percentage than the FYP, a healthy amount of traffic here indicates that your followers are engaged and you're building a loyal audience.

Profile views

This source tracks views from users who visited your profile and then clicked on a video. This traffic often comes from people who discovered you through a different video, an external link, or a search, and decided to check out more of your content. High traffic from your profile suggests that your overall brand and content catalog are compelling.

Search

Just as it sounds, "Search" traffic comes from users finding your video after typing keywords or phrases into the TikTok search bar. This is a powerful indicator that your content is optimized well with relevant descriptions, on-screen text, and hashtags. It shows user intent - they were actively looking for content like yours.

Sounds

When you use a trending audio clip or original sound, it attaches to a sound page. This traffic source indicates that a user clicked on the sound page (perhaps from another video using the same audio) and then found your video from that page.

Hashtags

Similar to Sounds, this measures views from users who tapped on a hashtag and discovered your video on the corresponding hashtag page. This validates your hashtag strategy and shows which tags are successfully connecting your content to interested audiences.

So, What Is "Other" in TikTok Analytics?

"Other" is TikTok's catch-all category for any traffic source that doesn't fit neatly into the predefined buckets listed above. It's a collection of miscellaneous or unattributed views. While it might seem vague, a high "Other" percentage is often a sign of something very positive: off-platform sharing.

Here are the most common sources that get grouped into the "Other" category:

1. External Shares ("Dark Social")

This is by far the biggest contributor to the "Other" category. "Dark social" refers to sharing that happens through private channels that analytics platforms can't easily track. Think about how you share content with friends:

  • Text messages (iMessage, SMS)

  • Messaging apps (WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram)

  • Workplace chats (Slack, Microsoft Teams)

  • Emails

When someone hits the "Share" button on your video and texts the link to their group chat, TikTok knows the video was viewed, but it can't see that the click originated from iMessage. All those views are anonymized and bundled into "Other." This is a powerful signal. It means your content was so good that someone felt compelled to share it directly with their inner circle.

2. Embedded Videos

If a news site, blog, or online publication embeds your TikTok video directly into an article, the views generated from that webpage will often be attributed to "Other." These are valuable views, as they bring your content to a new audience outside of the TikTok ecosystem.

3. Third-Party Apps and Sites

Views from platforms that aggregate or feature TikTok videos can also fall into this category. These could be anything from entertainment apps to content curation websites that use TikTok's API to display videos, but their referral data isn't passed back clearly to TikTok.

4. Referrals from Other Social Platforms

While some social referrals might be categorized correctly, clicks from less direct links, like a Linktree in an Instagram bio or a post in a private Facebook group, can sometimes lose their tracking data along the way and end up in the "Other" pile.

5. Older Versions of the TikTok App

On occasion, users operating on outdated versions of the TikTok app may generate views that the current analytics system can't properly classify. These are then defaulted into the "Other" category.

Is a High "Other" Percentage Good or Bad?

In most cases, a high percentage of views from "Other" is a fantastic sign. It signals that your video has transcended native discovery on the For You page and has achieved a different kind of virality - word-of-mouth marketing.

This means your content struck such a chord that viewers took the extra step to actively share it with others. This behavior reflects a deeper level of engagement than a simple like or comment. It means your video was relatable, hilarious, shocking, or educational enough to become a conversation piece. This is the kind of content that creates a genuine, passionate buzz around your brand.

While traffic from the For You Page is essential for initial discovery, "Other" traffic represents advocacy. It’s evidence that you're not just reaching people, you're resonating with them on a personal level.

How to Strategize Around Your "Other" Traffic

Knowing that "Other" often means "shareable" gives you a powerful new lens through which to view your content strategy. The goal is to figure out what made that content so compelling off-platform and lean into it.

1. Analyze Your Most-Shared Videos

Go through your analytics and identify the videos with the highest percentage of "Other" traffic. Forget about total views for a moment and focus on the source percentages. What do these videos have in common?

  • Is it the format? Was it a tutorial, a list, a funny skit, or a controversial opinion?

  • Is it the topic? Does the content speak to a very specific niche or a universal human experience?

  • Is it the emotion? Was it hilarious, super relatable, inspiring, or shocking?

Look for the common denominator. Whatever it is, that's your secret sauce for creating content that people actively advocate for. Double down on that style.

2. Create with "Shareability" in Mind

Start creating content with the question: "Would someone text this to a friend?" This changes the creative process. Content designed to be shared often has one of these elements:

  • "It's so me!" (Relatability): Content that captures a moment so perfectly people feel seen.

  • "You have to see this!" (Shock or Awe): Visually stunning clips, surprising facts, or jaw-dropping transformations.

  • "This is so helpful" (Utility): Quick tutorials, clever hacks, or timely tips people feel obligated to share.

  • "LOL" (Humor): Niche jokes, funny skits, or memes that tag specific friend groups perfectly.

Build your next video around one of these pillars to encourage that coveted off-platform sharing.

3. Don't Forget the Watermark

TikTok automatically adds a small watermark with your username to downloaded and shared videos. This is crucial. Since "Other" traffic comes from external sources, many new viewers will discover your content without context. The watermark is their only direct path back to your profile. Make sure it’s always visible and not covered by on-screen text or logos.

4. Check for External Mentions

If you have a video with a sudden spike in "Other" traffic, do a quick Google search of your username or a description of the video. It could be that a major blog or an online post embedded your content, and traffic is flowing from there. Resharing the post can boost audience engagement and traffic.

Final Thoughts

The "Other" category in your TikTok Analytics isn't an error or a metric to ignore, it's a window into which of your content is powerful enough to break out of the platform. By recognizing that it primarily represents external shares, you can see it for what it is - a strong indicator of audience resonance and word-of-mouth virality. Use this valuable insight to refine your strategy and create more content that people feel compelled to share.

Analyzing performance on TikTok is just one piece of the puzzle. Most marketers are trying to connect dots between their social content, ad campaigns, website traffic, and sales data, which often means jumping between a half-dozen different analytics tools. We built Graphed to solve this by connecting all your data sources in one place. You can use simple, natural language to ask questions and instantly build the dashboards you need to see the full picture - no more manual reporting or struggling with complex BI tools.