Why geographic distribution matters
TikTok's recommendation engine includes a strong geographic prior. Videos are tested against viewers in the creator's home geo first; only after a video clears the first probe does the ranker expand distribution to adjacent geos. A creator with mostly non-US followers but who is posting US-targeted content (English language, US cultural references, US-priced products) gets graded against a low-relevance cohort and dampens before reaching the audience the content was made for.
