“Isn’t TikTok that app for young people who do dances?” I get this question regularly. At first I was skeptical too, but now I’m completely converted (#quarantinelife). This now oh-so booming social platform may have started out that way, but in the meantime it’s much more than just ‘doing dances’. The app offers many possibilities, also for companies. But how do you stand out and create more views and engagement?
The TikTok Algorithm
The algorithm always remains a bit of a mystery and there is no specific answer to how it works exactly. But you can still do a lot to grow.
On Instagram , you mainly want to end up in the timeline of your followers. The more followers like your post (and comment on it), the greater the chance that your account will grow. On Instagram, you create content for your specific target group. Through the Discover option, you can also see content from others, for example what you have seen before or what your followers have liked. But on Instagram, you often view the content of your own connections.
At TikTok you also have this separation between 'content from people you follow' and 'content from strangers'. You have industry email list he Following page , in this timeline you see all the content from the accounts you follow. In addition, you have the For You Page , here you see the content from strangers . The For You Page is viewed the most and here you can scroll endlessly through all the content.
In other words: on Instagram you follow the content of your followers, on TikTok you see new trends and content from others on the For You Page (also called ' FYP ').
The difference between your followers on TikTok and Instagram.
But what is the For You Page based on? TikTok shows content that the app thinks you want to see. For example, if you often hear a certain sound fragment and you like those videos, TikTok determines for you that you like those types of videos. This gives you as a user endless possibilities to reach a (new) audience. If you end up on the For You Page of others, you reach new target groups.
But how do you grow on TikTok?
You finally started making a video with great enthusiasm, you are happy with it, publish it… and the number of views disappoints you. Of course you want to reach as large an audience as possible with your video.
On Instagram, the focus is on as many followers as possible, so that your content is seen by as many people as possible. On TikTok, it is mainly about the views and engagement of your videos. Precisely because most users spend most of their time on the FYP, your video can already get a lot of views without having many TikTok followers. In other words: you can also go viral without being 'TikTok-famous'.