Do you know how they say in real estate: “location, location, location”?
OK, when it comes to TikTok, location is not everything but it’s very important, nonetheless.
Why?
Simply because the location is a key factor in any marketing strategy and customer acquisition efforts.
But there’s more…
You may ask why we’re discussing location now – so here’s something that TikTok does that you may not be aware of: when you post a clip, TikTok only displays it in certain locations/areas!
They take into consideration the creators’ location (SIM card) and choose to display their content primarily based on that. We’ll also discuss the other factors in a bit, keep reading.
Also, you may have noticed you mostly see videos from certain locations, hmmm…
It there a way to change this?
Most other social platforms out there like Instagram or Facebook use your phone’s GPS and browser settings to determine your location but TikTok is a little different. It uses your SIM card to determine your location.
So that’s the key! Let’s say you live in the UK. Even if you travel around the world and let’s say you’re in the US at the time of uploading a new clip, TikTok will mostly show your clip to a UK audience. It’s because your SIM card was bought from the UK! So, TikTok will consider your default location to be the UK and not the US.
Also, you may notice that the content you see in your feed (or For You page) is based mostly on the origin of your SIM card and not exclusively on your preferences. These preferences may include your likes or search history and other such parameters that point to your general interests. TikTok uses such parameters to serve you with more relevant content.
If I change the language will that change the content I see?
No. Please note that if you go into settings and change the default language settings, this will only change the language of your app and not the language of your suggested content.
The TikTok algorithm is very smart/advanced and it learns as you use the app more. Yes, machine learning is becoming the norm.
So if you mostly watch and like content that’s in English then you get more English content recommendation. The same goes for any language, so choose carefully what you like and search because it will definitely influence the content you get on the For You page.
Other factors
For larger accounts that get hundreds of thousands of views, another major factor is the specificity of your clips. So, if the algorithm decides that your particular clip will appeal more to a certain audience it will display it in that location. You may notice that clips that show the mountain range (random example) will be promoted mostly in locations that have an interest in such a topic. Remember, the algorithm is smart and knows his users best.
So think of your target audience and their specific interests before creating your content if you want to have your vids shown to them.
The SIM hack/workaround
If you must change the location in which your content is displayed, the simplest way to go about it is to change your SIM card. If you’d like your content to be mostly displayed in the US, then simply buy a US SIM card. It’s not the easiest thing to do, but you may find services that send you prepaid SIM cards to use externally (in your home country).
If you identify that your target market lives in a different area and you’d get a big advantage by targeting it directly, then it may be worth going to such lengths.
Conclusion
Both the content you get served and the content you create will mostly be displayed based on the location of your SIM card and a mix of your general preferences.
These parameters refer to how you use the app itself, what type of content you like most and the specifics of it.
The easiest way to get your content displayed in a specific area is to buy a local SIM card.
