Launch Your Brand — How to End up on TikTok’s ‘For You’ Page
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In only a few years of its existence, TikTok is the social media platform that has everybody talking. TikTok has propelled the social media industry with its distinct features including dance challenges, unique filters, and most importantly, the “For You” page. But what makes the “For You” page so special?
According to TikTok’s Terms of Services, TikTok’s fyp is a customized page “in which the Service selects short videos to show you based on what the Service determines could be interesting for you.” This feature allows the Tiktok user to experience a completely personalized feed in order to maintain activity on the TikTok app. To that end, the “For You” page algorithm has increased user engagement so much that viewers spend 52 minutes a day (on average) on the app!1
If you are wondering how to get on the fyp, you might also wonder what factors contribute to formulate each individual user’s “For You” feed? The social media company explains that there are three main operators in determining one’s homepage: user interaction, video information, and device and account settings.2 User interactions may consist of videos that a user shares, comments, likes, or even posted in the past. On the other hand, Tiktok video information involves popular hashtags, popular sounds, and captions. And lastly, the “For You” page accumulates information from device and account settings that are based upon country or location, languages, and type of device. These special features truly engage users on another level as they do not have to search for what they want to see — it is simply already arranged to be shown to them in the “For You” feed. (Now you may be starting to see how highly addictive this social platform truly is.)
Most especially when COVID-19 hit, TikTok became the hub for new social media trends. From lip-synching to dancing to the best Amazon purchases, the app exploded with products and opportunities that users refuse to pass up. With over 600 million international users3, the “For You” page is a never-ending feed that has the ability to reach an unimaginable audience.
Benefits to Your Brand
So, why should you partner with a TikTok agency and implement TikTok’s “For You” page into your digital marketing strategy? For starters, the “For You” page is the first thing that users see when they open up the TikTok app, which already generates new opportunities for businesses. Unlike Instagram, the company states that “neither follower count nor whether the account has had previous high-performing videos are direct factors in the recommendation system.”4 In this case, brands and businesses have the ability to completely transform overnight — sounds crazy, right?
Let’s take a look at the global sensation of The Pink Stuff by StarDrops, a UK cleaning brand that catapulted its sales from the “For You” page in 2020. This popular cleaning product went viral as users began to physically show it working in action. As one thing led to another, the product was being purchased uncontrollably through Amazon as users continued to post more results on TikTok. Today, The Pink Stuff is now rated #1 for All-Purpose Household Cleaners and #31 in Health and Household on Amazon.
Not only can brands blow up from the commonality of the “For You” page, but influencers as well. Although Doja Cat was already established in the music industry, her career skyrocketed after viral dances were based around her music. Doja’s song, “Say So,” was a “turning point for [her] career. It’s also the highlight of her astonishing, unprecedented TikTok reign.”5 Through the success of nearly eight of her songs becoming a trend, Doja Cat’s career evolution is largely in part due to TikTok’s “For You” page trends.
Ending up on the homepage of TikTok can lead to opportunities like no other. The “For You” page allows for products and people to become overnight sensations, like Charli D’Amelio,6 whose East Coast lifestyle was quickly flipped upside down after she uploaded videos of her dancing to popular trends — now she is the most followed user on the app. TikTok contains such a large market of audience members to engage with that integrating your strategies onto the app can cause an immense boost in brand awareness. Utilizing the “For You” page on TikTok can also give your audience a physical representation of your product, which further enhances your brand’s overall credibility.
With all of this in mind, any brand or influencer video content can end up on the “For You” page — it’s just a matter of how.
Key Tips on How to Increase Your Chances
Although there is no definite recipe to end up on the “For You” page, these tips are tried-and-tested to better your chances of success:6
○ Using Hashtags: Although this may seem self-explanatory, you are not just inputting random hashtags to increase your chances of being noticed on the “For You” page. Instead, search for specific popular hashtags on the “Discover” tab. By entering keywords that represent your content, you are now able to view countless trends — from music, to related hashtags, and even to influencers who have used the hashtag. You can simply add the trending hashtag to your content before you upload them, or even reach out to a possible Tiktok influencer to boost your brand awareness and build relationships through such influencer marketing.
○ Posting at Peak Times: Reaching millions of users on such a broad app can be pretty difficult if your brand is trying to target a specific audience. This is why posting at the peak time of your target audience can be beneficial. Although there is no specific time for general users because the app is constantly developing, TikTok businesses and brands can opt to use a Pro Account. This feature enables you to access audience insights, specifically the time of the day that they are the most active.
○ Seeing What’s Trending: You’ll want to pay increasingly close attention to the trends as they quickly come and go. TikTok users are constantly creating and replicating the latest trends, so it is crucial for your brand to stay updated on them. Each trend can range from memes, to products, and even to lip synching, which can be easy opportunities to expand your brand awareness. TikTok includes a “Sounds” page where any Tiktok user is able to identify popular content by which song or sound is receiving the most Tiktok views.
Gen Z’s obsession with TikTok has caused hundreds of products to sell out and completely transform people’s lives. Compliment your current digital marketing strategies and learn from an expert at our digital marketing agency to launch your brand on TikTok’s “For You” page.
Sources:
01 https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/19/short-video-apps-like-douyin-tiktok-are-dominating-chinese-screens.html
02 https://www.businessofapps.com/data/tik-tok-statistics/
03 https://www.oberlo.com/blog/tiktok-statistics#:~:text=TikTok%20
has%20689%20million%20monthly%20active%20users%20worldwide
04 https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/how-tiktok-recommends-videos-for-you
05 https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/the-mystery-of-doja-cats-unimpeachable-tiktok-reign/