Fabien
26 June 2020
With TikTok being a relatively new platform, many people are still speculating about what the formula is for TikTok Fame; specifically many people want to know how the algorithm of the ‘For You’ page works. Although there has been no official confirmations about this from TikTok themselves, many users are still experimenting and relying on their knowledge from other social media apps, like Instagram and YouTube. Similar to Instagram’s ‘Explore’ page, the TikTok ‘For You’ exposes you to tons of content that is new to you, based on your history. Unlike Instagram though, the ‘For You’ page is the welcome page for any user opening the TikTok app. This shows that TikTok really values the discovery of new content and hopes to captivate viewers with new videos that you would probably like based on what you’ve been viewing, liking, and sharing.
One of the most popular assumptions about the ‘For You’ algorithm is that TikTok uses a common technique called “Batching.” Batching is the idea that the app automatically groups videos and puts them on your ‘For You’ page, then the best performing videos are pushed onto more ‘For You’ pages. This allows the videos to reach more people that boost its engagement and followers.
You along with so many other users are likely wondering how your content can get on the ‘For You’ page and that’s why we’re here to help. As we’ve said there is a lot of speculation out there and some things seem to work better than others. Below you will see what we believe to be the most likely ways to boost your chances of being featured on the ‘For You’ page.
TikTok actually gave some clues in a recent article published in June 2020. They say that Recommendations are based on a number of factors, including things like:
- User interactions such as the videos you like or share, accounts you follow, comments you post, and content you create.
- Video information, which might include details like captions, sounds, and hashtags.
- Device and account settings like your language preference, country setting, and device type. These factors are included to make sure the system is optimized for performance, but they receive lower weight in the recommendation system relative to other data points we measure since users don’t actively express these as preferences.
The system recommends content by ranking videos based on a combination of factors
Engaging Content
The type of content you post is an important factor because it’s important to get people interested in the videos. When people like, comment, and share your videos you are more likely to reach more people and these are metrics that TikTok likely uses to measure the success of your post. Being that TikTok is known for the short and funny videos you might possibly have to reduce the length of your videos to make sure that viewers are watching them all the way through. To do this your messages will need to be concisely packaged and delivered in an entertaining way. Learning what works for you will take time and it would be great to explore the app to see what creative and effective things people are doing to keep their audience engaged so that you can do the same on your next TikTok.
Participate in Viral Challenges
The viral nature of TikTok creates trends and when they become so big they often land onto other social media platforms. This is a great thing if you are someone interested in gaining more exposure or growing your followers. Don’t worry about starting a new trend and don’t be discouraged by the viral challenges that are already popular. Simply hop on the bandwagon of a pre-existing challenge. To differentiate your videos, you might want to add some sort of comedic spin to the video because people likely already know what to expect. However you decide to take on a viral challenge understand that these are great because people are probably searching for them and if your video is growing in shares and like you will probably increase your chances of ending up on the ‘For You’ page.
Hashtags
You’ve probably seen many TikTok videos that use the hashtags #fyp or #foryoupage, this is because there is a suspicion out there that by attaching these hashtags your chances of appearing on the page are increased. Sorry for those who believed this suspicion but no using these hashtags do not help being featured in the For you Pager. You might consider using other popular hashtags. To find some, see what other people in your industry of interest are using.
Use Trending Music
TikTok makes it easy to use popular music and audios in your videos by having the titles scroll at the bottom of the screen. If you’re like me, you probably collect audios and save them to use in a TikTok later. This is something that is helpful because as you play around on the app you come across so many audios and songs that are either funny or entertaining. It’s best to save as you go rather than try remembering the titles at a later time.
Be Social
Remember that it’s called social media for a reason. Make sure that you are liking and commenting on other people’s videos and responding to the people who do the same for you. TikTok is an app that thrives on engagement so that’s what you should be doing. Using the duet feature is a great opportunity to connect with other content creators and you might be able to connect with their followers.
It doesn’t hurt to try any of these tactics, but don’t be afraid to try any other ideas you may be interested in. The world of TikTok remains a mystery, but it has led to the success of so many influencers and brands that it only makes sense to give it a shot!
