If you’re an avid TikTok user, you would have likely noticed a small pop-up box when you opened the app recently, alerting you to changes in the platform’s Community Guidelines.
If you’re like us, you probably shrugged to yourself internally and thought “meh”, closed the window and never gave it a second thought. However, the update wasn’t just any general Terms and Conditions change - a lot of it was directly relevant to the For You Page, what makes your content eligible to be recommended by their ever-mysterious algorithm, and the way you use the social video app in general. So yeah, we thought it best to go back and take a proper look. Read on as we break it down into bite-sized pieces so you can take on board all of the relevant info and ensure you’re still abiding by the app’s best practices when it comes to growing your business’s TikTok account.
So, about that #FYP - TikTok’s main feed where everyday businesses can transform into overnight sensations. Obviously, you’ll want to give your social video content the best chance at being featured on the FYP, and TikTok has released new information about what will make your content ineligible for placement here. First and foremost, the integrity of the content itself is important. Is it formatted correctly for the TikTok app? Is it spammy, low quality or clearly clickbait? Content with watermarks from other apps won’t make it to the For You Page, and neither will content that is obviously reuploaded or repurposed from elsewhere. That means funny snippets from TV shows, or reuploads of other users’ content might not make the cut. TikTok is making a concerted effort to keep the spotlight focused on original content, meaning that authenticity continues to reign supreme on the app.
Aside from original and authentic social video content, safety has quickly become a core focus of TikTok’s community strategy, with them announcing new measures to protect younger users and ensure the For You Page doesn’t shock, offend or upset users. Violent or gory content obviously falls under this umbrella, as well as anything that could be construed to promote dangerous behaviour or bodily harm - in fact, these types of posts may just be removed from the platform completely. Stunts, sexual content and content about harmful ideologies or dangerous behaviour like disordered eating may be left upon the platform if it’s deemed “in the public interest”, but will be ineligible for the For You page - this also includes TikToks filmed while driving. Graphic content is also included here, so even if the purpose of your video is informational or educational - for instance, operating on an open wound - this will be ineligible for recommendation on the FYP.
So, keeping all this in mind - venture forth, creative souls! Film, edit and post yoir social videos to your heart’s content with these new and thankfully clearer guidelines in mind, so you can feel more confident that the time and effort you put into your TikTok content won’t be rendered moot by the mysterious algorithm gods. You can now create content knowing it will remain eligible for recommendation on the For You Page - and thus, remain eligible for totally blowing up and going viral.
For more info, we recommend looking directly to TikTok’s own documentation for further detail. After all, where better to hear it than straight from the horse’s mouth?
