We've been writing about TikTok since our very first edition of Get Social, and our fascination with the app has only grown. TikTok can be a treasure trove of entertaining and educational content, but it takes some time to customize your For You Page (FYP) to show you the kind of videos you want to see. What's a FYP you ask? The FYP is TikTok's version of a feed. It's an endless scroll of videos, and it's the main way users engage with the app.
Answer the Categories Questions When You Sign Up
When you sign up for TikTok, the app will prompt you to choose categories you're interested in. I know it's tempting to skip over any and all surveys/set-ups steps you can when signing up for a new social media app, but do. not. skip. this. step. If you decide not to choose the categories you're most interested in, your FYP will most likely be filled with dancing teenagers, and you'll want to give up on the app immediately. If you choose categories when you sign up, you give the TikTok algorithm a jump start in figuring out what you're interested in. TikTok's algorithm is very good, but it can't read your mind. Help it out a bit by telling it your interests up front.
Like & Follow on Accounts Making Videos You Enjoy
This may seem like a no brainer, but it's important to say. Do you ever scroll Instagram or Facebook just for the sake of seeing what's going on, but you have no intentions of commenting or liking posts? That can work for those apps because you actively choose who shows up on your main feed by following other users. While there is a "Following" feed on TikTok that shows you only videos of people you follow, the real gold lies on the FYP. TikTok doesn’t reward passive users. If you don’t engage, your FYP will continue to be full of things you don’t care about. Every time you click like or follow a new account, you're further educating the algorithm about your interests. If you never like anything, the TikTok algorithm won't be able to work its brilliance on your FYP.
Engage With the Search Tab
Every single action you take in the TikTok app educates TikTok's algorithm. If you go searching for what you're interested in, you immediately teach TikTok a lesson. This is a quick, surefire way to make sure your FYP starts filling up with content that matches your interests. While you're in Search tab, try searching for musicians you love in the Sounds tab so you can view more videos that use sounds by your favorite artists. TikTokers are creating content about anything you can imagine. If you have an interest in it, I guarantee someone is creating videos about it.
Actively Tell Your FYP No
If you're still seeing videos you don't like after following all of the above steps, there's an additional step you can take to really clear out your FYP. When you come across a video that contains content that you never want to see again, hold down on the video until a white box pops up (below). Then click on the words "Not Interested". This teaches TikTok that showing you gross medical videos is not what's going to make you a happy user.
TikTok can definitely feel daunting at first login. There are songs you've never heard, trending dances, and massive inside jokes (ex. Ratatouille the Musical). If you give it time, and follow the above steps, you'll be watching videos you love in no time. And be sure to give Media A La Carte a follow on TikTok for all of our best tips and tricks.
