Anya Zhukova · February 28, 2022 · 7 min read Are you new to TikTok, just trying to figure out how things work? Or have you been on this platform for a while but still don’t know how to grow your audience on TikTok? The best and most straightforward way to make it on TikTok is through the For You page (or FYP). It’s the app’s main page that has all the curated content. It’s also the first thing TikTok users see when they open the app.
TikTok’s algorithm isn’t that simple, and there aren’t any set-in-stone rules that will get your content featured on the For You page. However, there are still specific tips and tricks that will bring you as close to it as possible. Here’s everything you should know about how to get featured on the TikTok For You page.
What’s the “For You” Page on TikTok?
TikTok’s FYP is similar to Instagram’s Explore page. The only difference is that on Instagram, your landing page is populated by content from the people you follow. Then you can go to the Explore page if you feel like seeing content from random people. When you open the TikTok app, you land on the For You page and first see the content from strangers instead.
Like any other social media platform, TikTok wants to gauge your attention by giving you more content you like to keep you scrolling and staying on the app longer. The content shown to you is chosen by the For You page algorithm but there’s not much more official information about it.
Since the videos that appear on the FYP are based on people’s previous likes and interests, it’s safe to say that you should base your new content on the likes and interests of your audience. If you want to make viral videos, you need to follow trends, use popular hashtags, and participate in TikTok challenges.
How to Get Featured on TikTok’s “For You” Page?
Even if you don’t aim to get into influencer marketing, getting featured on TikTok’s FYP can still open many doors in the social media world for you. If your videos normally get around 100 views on TikTok, they can get tens of thousands and more after TikTok users from all over the world discover them on the For You page. And that’s not just free exposure and advertising that you don’t have to pay for. It could also lead you to new sponsorship deals, new sales, and monetization of your channel. Social media marketing aside, you can use TikTok to achieve your own goals.
The following strategies won’t guarantee you landing on the FYP but will increase your chances of getting featured there greatly.
1. Post Only High-Quality Content
This might seem obvious, but every time you post a video hoping it’ll be featured on the FYP, check that it’s a high-quality video. TikTok won’t make their users watch low definition blurry or grainy videos.
Even cheap smartphones allow you to shoot in HD, so take advantage of that. Pay attention to the lighting, and make sure your subject’s in focus. Imagine yourself being a potential viewer. What kind of video do you prefer to watch when you just open the TikTok app? That’s the standard that you should strive to reach.
2. Aim to Make Shorter Videos
We already mentioned that you should put quality over quantity for TikTok content. TikTok has a “completion rate,” a metric used to see how much time users spend watching your videos. The more users watch your videos until the end the better.
As a TikTok creator, you can choose one of the two paths: start every video with something intriguing that will encourage users to watch the whole thing, or simply make your videos shorter. Short videos mean that a person needs to spend less time watching your video, which means they’re more likely to finish it.
3. Follow TikTok Trends
When creating a new TikTok video, do your research and see what’s trending on TikTok right now. Videos that fit the current trends and challenges seem to be doing much better on the platform. Whether it’s duets with celebrities or lip-syncing challenges – spend some time scrolling through TikTok before posting a new video to get an idea of what’s hot right now.
You can also use TikTok trends to your advantage. For example, if it’s a challenge that’s going viral, you can structure your video so that your viewers have to watch it till the end to complete the challenge. This will also boost your completion rate.
4. Add Popular Music and Trending Sounds to Your TikToks
When browsing through TikTok videos, you’ll notice that some music pieces and sounds are more popular than others. Trending audio is also a great way to get more exposure and increase your chances of getting featured on the For You page.
You can find out which sounds are trending right now either by scrolling through other people’s videos or in the Video Creator.
When creating a video, select Add sound on top of the screen.
This will open the Commercial Sounds page. Under Playlist you can find the most popular music and sounds in different categories. From here, you can select the one you want to use and save them into Favorites for later.
5. Create Engaging Captions
TikTok only gives you 150 characters for writing a caption for your video, including hashtags. That doesn’t leave you much room, so you need to think creatively. You can use popular quotes, memes, jokes, and questions that’ll get you more TikTok likes, comments, and interactions with your viewers.
When writing those captions, remember the country setting and the language preference you set on your profile, especially if you speak more than one language. You might be aiming to reach a wider audience, but your main focus should still be on your targeted audience from your local region.
6. Don’t Forget the Hashtags
Once you make sure you’ve created a high-quality video and chosen trending music for it, it’s time to pick the right hashtags. Many users believe that #fyp and #foryou guarantee that your video lands on the TikTok For You page. However, since no one knows how the TikTok algorithm works, there’s no real proof that it does. You can still use these hashtags but don’t rely on them for any viral success.
Instead, you can follow the simple rules of mixing up popular TikTok hashtags with the less popular ones and using the trending hashtags in your niche.
7. Post New Videos When Your Audience’s Most Active
Engagement’s one of the most important factors in any marketing campaign, and TIkTok is no different. You can make engaging content, create new challenges, and interact with your followers, but it’ll all be for nothing if you continuously post your new videos at the wrong time and on the wrong day.
Knowing when your audience is most active is key to identifying when your Tiktok videos will get the most views, likes, and shares. You can get your hands on that information with the TikTok pro account. Like Instagram Analytics, it’ll break down your profile views, growth in follower numbers, your most popular videos, and the views counts on them, as well as when the majority of your followers are online and active.
You can switch to a TikTok professional account at any time for free. To do that, follow the steps below:
- Open TikTok and go to your Profile.
- Open Menu > Settings and privacy.
- Follow the path Manage account > Switch to Business Account.
- Select a category for your account, and then select Next.
That’s it; now, you can access the features of a professional TikTok account.
Grow Your Audience on TikTok
There’s no 100% working strategy guaranteeing you get featured on the For You page. At the same time, the techniques mentioned above can bring you more exposure and get you a bump in likes, comments, and views from both your followers and other TikTok users.
