No products in the cart.
Social Media Marketing
How to Get on the TikTok For You Page: 7 Easy Ideas
17
Oct
Oct
TikTok recently struck 1 billion global monthly active users. And although it’s not quite as big as Facebook or Instagram (yet), some demographics are already opting for it most of the social networks out there.
No wonder so many brands try to be present on the platform – but not all of them get it right. So before you set up an account and try to understand the functionality of the platform many niche trends, read this guide to find out how to get to TikTok’s For You page. Because if your content isn’t seen by your target audience, why bother creating it in the first place?
What is the For You page on TikTok?
The TikTok For You page is a personalized, scrollable content feed. It’s the platform’s main content discovery tool, known for its fine-grained algorithm that makes precise recommendations based on each user’s actions on TikTok (e.g., what they like, share, view more than once, etc.).
The For You page serves as the app’s home screen, which means it’s the first thing users see when they open the TikTok app.
No two For You pages are alike – every TikTok user receives a unique, personalized video stream.
Why is it so important to get to the TikTok For You page?
The TikTok For You page, the main screen of the app, is where most of the content takes place on the platform. In simple terms, the For You page is where people watch and interact with TikToks.
So, if you’re not showing up on your target audience’s For You pages, the chances that they will find (and interact with) your content are pretty slim.
Technically, other options for people Discover content on TikTok exist. Users can go to the Explore tab to find your profile and view your TikToks there. Or they can follow your account and see your TikToks in the following feed:
But the For You page and TikToks incredibly accurate Content recommendations make using the platform so pleasant. In TikTok’s words, The For You page is “central to the TikTok experience and where most of the users spend their time.” So it’s not difficult to say that no other Discovery channel within the app brings your TikToks to as many people as the For You page.
How does TikTok For You’s page algorithm work?
TikTok’s algorithm (also known as a recommendation system) recommends content based on users’ actions, preferences, and account settings.
Here are the factors that will affect what appears on the For You page:
- Actions that each user takes in the app. This includes likes, shares, comments and follows. TikTok users can also opt out of certain types of videos or content from certain creators by tapping “Not Interested” on TikToks they don’t like.
- Video information. Page recommendations for you can be based on sounds, hashtags, and captions in TikTok videos.
- Device and account settings. Language preferences and regional settings are also signals to the For You page’s algorithm, meaning users can expect some local content to be displayed on the For You page.
This is the For You page’s algorithm not When recommending videos, keep in mind:
- Number of followers
- A story of powerful content
This is great news for beginners! If you play your cards right, you can go from zero (followers) to the TikTok hero overnight.
And how can the For You page’s algorithm work for you? Basically, calling up the For You page triggers a snowball effect:
- Your content will be recommended to people who are likely to like it.
- Users like, share, or comment on your TikToks.
- The TikTok algorithm takes this as a signal that people are getting your content and displays it on even more For You pages.
How do you get that snowball rolling?
This will take you to the TikTok For You page
1. Know your audience
Since the For You page is a collection of content that TikTok believes users will enjoy, you need to understand who your target audience is and what they enjoy in order to reach them.
Check your TikTok analysis for details about the gender and location of your audience. If you’re just starting out and don’t have a lot of data to work with, use your Instagram analytics as a starting point (84.6% of TikTok users also use Instagram).
Then … start scrolling. Spend some time watching TikToks to see what’s trending and take a close look at what your competitors (or other companies in your niche) are doing on the platform.
Use your findings as inspiration. You can come across unexpected but very successful content strategies.
Check out this example from Burger King. The video doesn’t explicitly mention the brand and is far from promotional (in the traditional sense), but it has generated over 4,000 likes and hundreds of shares and comments. The secret? Burger King gets their audience.
@Burger KingIn love and burgers, the king always wins #Infant #Burger King♬ Original sound – Tra Rags
2. Post at the right time
Most of the videos on the For You page are no older than a few days. So, for best results, you should post on TikTok at the right time, that is, when your audience is already online and scrolling.
Based on our research, the best times to post on TikTok (expressed in Pacific Time) for maximum engagement are:
- Tuesday: 7 a.m.
- Thursday: 10 a.m.
- Friday: 5 a.m.
But a lot depends on the activity patterns of your unique audience. So use these times as a starting point and keep a close eye on your analytics to get your TikToks up and running.
You can look up the days when your audience is most active in the Video Views section of the TikTok Analytics:
Learn more about how to find the best time to post on TikTok.
3. Use trending sounds
Sounds are a ranking signal for the TikTok algorithm. So, using trending audio clips can increase your chances of appearing on more For You pages.
If you’re not sure which sounds are trending, browse the Discovery tab or just scroll through your own For You page. When you come across a video with a sound that you like, tap the sound icon in the lower right corner. This will take you to the sound’s page where you can see how many times it’s been used and browse the top videos that have it.
Makeup brand Glossier is doing a great job incorporating trendy sounds into their branded content:
@glossierFew days at Glossier HQ consist of ordering a last minute cake for an Instagram story. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GLOSSIER !!!!! 7️⃣🎂 #glittering #bts♬ Kim Kardashian is a full time job – kardashianicon
4. Respond to trending videos
Sometimes a random video explodes on TikTok and sets off a widespread trend. And each new trend is a unique opportunity for brands to create timely, relevant content that shows how culturally they are connected to TikTok’s audience. Not to mention piggybacking trending content can help you get to the For You pages of users who are invested in it.
In September and October 2021, many companies posted reactions to the “Couch Guy” video.
Here is the Empire State Building’s response:
@empirestatebldgI may be a building, but I am not blind. #couchguy is sus #empirstate building #nand C♬ Original sound – Empire State Building
And here is a parody from the Memoords at Ryanair:
@ryanairPilot was speechless🥰 #couchguy♬ still fall in love with you – audio bear
(Too niche? Find out more about the “Couch Guy” saga here.)
5. Collaborate with YouTubers
Working with influencers can help you reach new audiences on all social platforms. You can also go to the “For You” page on TikTok.
If you choose to work with established YouTubers, make sure they are themselves. For the most part, TikTok’s developers understand the platform’s trends, inside jokes, and no-gos better than brands, so giving up creative direction will likely be to your advantage.
A great way to start influencer marketing on the platform is to find YouTubers who are already posting about your brand. Work with them to create unique content like Chipotle does:
@chipotleHa leftovers who? (via @ keo.hogains) #chipotle #Comedy #trending # assignable #viral #fyp♬ NOTHING – Westover
6. Know how to increase engagement
If the TikTok algorithm detects that your video is getting a lot of likes, comments, and shares, it will be recommended to more viewers.
A smart way to increase engagement is to put a hook on your video that will make your viewers ask for more. (Ask verbatim. In the comments.)
You can also add tiny inconsistencies to your videos for users to have fun finding and point them out in the comments section – you guessed it.
Take a look at this creator’s TikTok over a Forbes article on the trending Netflix show, Squid Game. In the video @crawlita mentions that the article addresses three points about the show, but then only addresses one of them. In the comment section, viewers asked the creator to share her thoughts on the other two points – which she did to give her audience even more content to interact with:
7. Use the correct hashtags
Hashtags as well as noises fall into the “video information” category of the TikTok ranking signals. That means adding the right hashtags to your video can, in theory, help you show up on more For You pages.
As you scroll through the For You feed, you may find that many videos contain the same hashtags: #fyp, #foryou, or #fyp シ.
The hashtag #fyp alone has 15,411.7 billion views (yes, you read that right).
Are you actually bringing those hashtags to the For You page? In our experience, they definitely don’t guarantee they’ll go viral – but they can be worth a try!
