In 30 seconds:
- Ending up on TikTok’s FYP is the ultimate aim of every user posting content onto the platform.
- But knowing how to get on to the ForYouPage on TikTok requires understanding the TikTok algorithm and making sure that your content is optimised for sharing.
- Because it mostly recommends content from accounts that users don’t (yet) follow, landing your content on TikTok’s ForYouPage is the best way to really expand your audience and score more followers.
TikTok is moreish.
That’s more than a personal experience – it’s backed up by the figures which show that the average user is spending more than 850 minutes per month on the app.
Plus, TikTok grew to surpass over a billion monthly active users in September 2021, another figure that shows month-on-month growth and proves that the platform’s popularity is far from diminishing.
What makes it such an addictive experience? Most users would say that it’s the For You Page’s (FYP) uncanny ability to consistently show them high-quality, personalised content.
When it comes to personalisation, Gen Zers are big fans. 58% of them are willing to pay more for products targeted to their personalities, and even in a world increasingly concerned with online privacy, over 40% are happy to provide their data to guarantee a personalised experience.
By tapping into this preference with the For You Page, TikTok has cemented itself as the app that best understands its majority Gen Z user base.
There isn’t a way for any user to completely guarantee that their posts will end up gracing others’ FYPs, but there *are* some tips and tricks that will give your videos the best chance of wider promotion via the central feed.
We’ve outlined everything you need to know below.
What is the ForYouPage on TikTok?
The TikTok “For You Page” is the main curated feed of content that users see upon launching the app.
A second feed, featuring only videos from creators who they have chosen to follow, is available by swiping right, and TikTokers can also actively discover new trends via the ‘Explore page‘ – but it’s the FYP that sits front and centre in the TikTok app browsing experience.
It’s this feed of solely-recommended content on the FYP that sets TikTok apart from its social media competitors. Unlike Instagram, for example, the TikTok fyp will prioritise content users will enjoy over and above content they have already opted-in to follow.
That’s good news for brands. It makes a spot on the foryoupage a fantastic opportunity for brands to reach wider audiences and engage with new users.
Understanding the TikTok ForYouPage algorithm
If you want to crack how to get on the foryoupage on TikTok, the first step is understanding how the algorithm that governs the main feed works.
In order to offer users the personalised experience that they come to TikTok for, the platform is constantly learning their browsing habits and which type of videos they enjoy. This information, filtered through the algorithm, dictates which accounts and videos they are shown.
Check out our article on how to hack the TikTok foryoupage algorithm to learn more about how the platform works.
The intricacies of the algorithm are a closely guarded secret, but there are a few things we do know about the mysterious code at the centre of the TikTok browsing experience.
Firstly, we know that the metrics most important to it are engagement and completion rate. In other words: are users watching your TikTok content all the way to the end, and then liking, commenting, or sharing your stuff?
These are all good signs to the algorithm that the content is high-quality, and will land well with other users, making it a good candidate for the FYP.
It’s also important to aim your content at the right audiences, since the foryoupage takes personal interests into account.
A user who regularly engages with #BookTok content, for example, will be shown more videos with related content, such as book hauls, or posts about new literary releases. On the other hand, a user who scrolls past any video to do with reading in favour of watching #WitchTok videos will soon find their foryoupage feed full of crystals and potions.
So, to land amongst your ideal audience, you have to make sure the algorithm understands both who that audience is, and that your video is a quality one they are likely to engage with.
There are a few hacks to make sure this happens.
How to get on the ForYouPage on TikTok - 6 insider tips
A scroll through your own FYP is enough to highlight the huge range of videos that are available on TikTok. Statista actually found that TikTok users watch 167 million hours of videos on the app in a sample minute, so there’s a lot of competition for users’ attention.
Read on for our insider tips to learn how to get on the fyp and beat out the competition:
1. Focus on high-quality videos
The TikTok foryoupage algorithm prioritises quality over quantity.
Maintaining a consistent posting schedule is important no matter which social media platform you’re focusing on, but on TikTok, it’s always better to post fewer, higher quality videos than to be constantly updating your profile with low-quality content.
After all, the algorithm doesn’t only promote newer content, and often an old video that gets picked up by viewers can go viral months after it was originally posted.
2. Keep your video length short
Gen Z, who are the primary users of TikTok, famously have an 8 second attention span.
This doesn’t necessarily mean your videos must be 8 seconds long, but it does mean you need to capture their interest early. If you can keep users engaged right until the end, you’ll maintain a good completion rate for the algorithm.
Short videos will ensure that your content is ranked highly by the TikTok algorithm as having a high completion rate and snowballing views – and the social network will reward you by boosting your content onto more For You pages.
3. Add music or trending audio to your posts
TikTok videos are increasingly responsible for catapulting songs into the charts, as trends grow around certain lyrics or soundbites.
These trends are one of the things that keep users on the platform, so the TikTok foryoupage algorithm is more likely to notice videos that use trending sounds or songs. Getting involved with trending music – or trends in general – is therefore doubly useful to your brand: it shows an understanding and willingness to engage with Gen Z audiences, and gives the algorithm more proof that you’re worth promoting.
Not sure how to keep up-to-date with all things #trending? Sign-up to our newsletter to make sure you’re in the know about the latest TikTok crazes.
4. Don’t neglect the captions
Below each video on TikTok is a space for a short caption.
The trick with captions is to keep them relevant to your video with a snappy comment or joke, or you can use them as an opportunity to up your engagement rate. Try adding a question to encourage commenters, for example.
Alternatively, try adding something that encourages users to pause on your video – “Watch until the end!” – is good for boosting your video completion rate (so long as there’s something to keep viewers entertained).
The caption is also the place you should be employing your TikTok hashtags…
5. Use the right hashtags
On TikTok, hashtags help your videos to gain visibility. They mean other users can find your content when searching for specific topics, so it’s well worth checking out which trending hashtags are popular in your particular niche.
When it comes to the For You Page, some creators are certain that adding the popular #FYP or #foryou hashtags increase your chances of landing on the central feed, but that rumour has yet to be either confirmed or denied.
The best hashtag etiquette is to keep them brief. Choose just a few that work best for your video: a topic and a niche community tag should do it. (And if you’re participating in a challenge, make sure to add that one as well!).
One useful strategy is to use one hashtag that’s relevant to a smaller, specific niche, and one very popular hashtag. The logic here is that the algorithm will assess your content as highly engaging for the niche community, giving you the opportunity to grow on a wider scale via the bigger hashtag.
6. Engage with other users
One of the main draws of TikTok is its collaborative nature. It’s another reason why the TikTok algorithm rewards content with high engagement, not only high view counts.
Check out the other TikTok creators in your niche, and start interacting with them. This is useful for fostering good relationships with TikTok influencers ahead of an influencer marketing campaign, but it’s also a fun way to create new content via duets or TikTok stitck.
If you can get involved in the online community, fostering conversations with other users and encouraging them to like and comment on your videos in return, you’re far more likely to see your posts picked up and spread via the FYP.
A new world of exposure
Once you know how to get on the foryoupage on TikTok, you’re open to the possibility of huge exposure, all before you’ve even started spending on ads.
The good news is that, while a spot on the FYP can’t be guaranteed, videos that follow the best practices outlined in this article have a good chance of making it – and that’s regardless of follower count.
Since TikTok’s foryoupage algorithm prioritises video content quality over its creator’s follower count, any size brand has just as much chance of seeing their content promoted to a whole new audience of users and achieving a viral video. All that’s left to do is start creating!
Don’t stop there! We have even more insights to help you master how to get on the ForYouPage on TikTok and boost your TikTok performance:
