What Does It Mean to Change Your TikTok Audience Country?
When you create a TikTok account, it is automatically assigned to the country associated with your device and SIM card location. TikTok uses this location data to determine the default audience for your profile and content.
Changing your TikTok audience country refers to modifying your account’s default location setting in order to reach viewers in a different country. For example, a user in Germany may want to change their audience country to the United States in order to gain more exposure to an American audience.
There are a few key reasons TikTok users might want to change their audience country:
- Tap into a larger audience pool in a different country
- Connect with a niche community or interest group that is more popular in another country
- Gain more traction by targeting a different cultural audience
- Access geo-restricted content only available in certain countries
Overall, changing your TikTok audience country opens up new possibilities in terms of growth, engagement, and content opportunities. It allows you to strategically market yourself and your brand to new demographics outside of your home country.
Requirements for Changing TikTok Audience Country
There are a couple requirements that your TikTok account must meet in order to change your audience country:
- You must have a TikTok account registered with an email address or phone number. Anonymous accounts cannot change audience countries.
- Your account must be at least 30 days old. New accounts under 30 days are restricted from changing audience countries as an anti-spam measure according to this source.
These requirements are in place to prevent spam accounts from easily adjusting locations and targeting different countries. By having an email/phone verified account that has been active for at least a month, TikTok can confirm you are a real user before providing access to change audience targeting.
How to Change Your TikTok Account’s Country
Changing your TikTok account’s country is a straightforward process that can be done directly within the TikTok app. Here are the steps to change your TikTok region:
1. Open the TikTok app and go to your profile by tapping the “Me” icon in the bottom right.
2. Tap on the three-line menu icon in the top right corner and select “Settings and privacy” from the menu.
3. Under “Account” in the Settings menu, select “Region”.
4. This will open up a list of countries. Scroll through and tap on the country you want to switch your TikTok account to.
5. Confirm the change by tapping “Switch Region” on the pop-up.
That’s it! TikTok will refresh with the new regional settings applied. Your TikTok account’s country will now be updated to reflect the region you selected. You can repeat these steps at any time to change regions again if desired.
According to Cybernews, changing your TikTok region directly within the app is simple and only takes a few taps once you know where to find the setting.
Effects of Changing TikTok Audience Country
Changing your TikTok audience country can have a couple key effects on your experience in the app:
First, the recommended content you see will adjust to align with the trends and interests of your new selected country. TikTok’s algorithm is highly localized, so switching your location setting will make your For You page reflect the viral videos, top creators, trending songs, and popular challenges associated with that region (TikTok Support).
Second, you’ll be able to access region-specific trends, memes, and challenges that you may not have seen before. Certain viral trends tend to be isolated to particular countries or regions initially. So changing your location can let you discover new creative content and participate in challenges that are popular locally in that area (CyberNews).
In summary, updating your TikTok audience country will customize your feed and open up new trending content tailored to that location.
Limitations of Changing TikTok Audience
While changing your TikTok audience country allows you to target a new region, there are some limitations to be aware of. According to TikTok’s support page, you can only change your country once every 30 days https://support.tiktok.com/en/account-and-privacy/account-privacy-settings/location-services-on-tiktok. This restriction is in place to prevent abuse of the location change feature.
In addition, changing your TikTok country may briefly skew analytics and insights as your new audience discovers you. As noted by CyberNews, it may take some time for your new local audience to find your content after a location change https://cybernews.com/how-to-use-vpn/change-location-on-tiktok/. Expect metrics like views, likes, comments, and followers to fluctuate initially.
Strategies for Targeting a New TikTok Country
One of the best strategies for reaching a new TikTok audience in another country is to research trending content and hashtags specific to that target country. As this article explains, studying the trends and interests of users in your desired country can help you create engaging, localized content. Look at which songs, dances, challenges, and topics are popular in that region. Then try incorporating relevant trends into your own content while using localized hashtags.
Additionally, engaging directly with creators from your target country can be an effective way to tap into that audience. Comment on their videos, duet their content, or collaborate on a video. This helps get your account in front of new users and builds connections within that TikTok community. As you engage authentically with influencers from your desired region, you gain more visibility and credibility with that localized audience.
Risks & Potential Issues
There are some risks and potential issues to be aware of when frequently changing your TikTok audience country:
Possibility of Shadowban: According to experts, frequently changing your TikTok region or location settings can sometimes trigger TikTok’s spam detection algorithms. This may result in your account being temporarily “shadowbanned,” where your content has reduced visibility and reach for a period of time.
To avoid potential shadowbanning, it’s recommended to change your TikTok audience country no more than 1-2 times per month and avoid excessive region switching.
Inaccurate Translations: When you change to a new TikTok audience country, any text in your videos will auto-translate to match that language. However, these translations aren’t always 100% accurate, which could lead to confusion or miscommunication.
It’s best to review auto-translated captions and descriptions after changing region and manually edit any obvious errors. Having your content properly translated by someone fluent can help maximize relevance in new markets.
Experts Recommendations for Changing Countries
Experts recommend several strategies for effectively changing your TikTok audience country:
Set the time of day on your TikTok account to match peak hours in your target country. As this article explains, TikTok’s algorithm favors content uploaded at times when more users are active in that region. Posting during peak hours in your new target country can help increase reach.
Use multi-language captions on your videos. As discussed in this Quora thread, translating video captions into different languages allows you to appeal to viewers in multiple regions. Tailor captions to languages spoken in your desired new audience country.
Follow influencers and engage with content from your target region. Interact with hashtags and sounds popular in your new country. This immerses you in the culture and trends to inform your content.
Experts emphasize thoroughly researching the new target audience and crafting region-specific content and engagement strategies. With the right localization approach, creators can successfully expand their TikTok reach globally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some common questions that come up when changing your TikTok audience country include:
Can I change back to my original country?
Yes, you can switch your TikTok account back to your original country at any time. Just go back into your TikTok settings and update your region. This will return your account to its original country setting and your videos will be shown to that country’s audience again.
It’s easy to toggle your country setting back and forth as needed. So don’t worry about getting “stuck” targeting a new audience if you ever want to revert back.
Does this allow me to go viral in another country?
Changing your target country opens up the possibility of going viral in that new region. Your content will now be shown to users in that country and eligible to be picked up by the algorithm there.
However, going viral is never guaranteed. You still need to produce captivating content tailored to that local audience. Understand cultural references, trends, and languages specific to that country. Going viral takes both targeting the right audience and creating content perfectly suited for them.
So changing your country can expand your viral potential, but you still need to put in work optimizing your content.
Summary
In summary, changing your TikTok audience country allows you to target viewers and connect with creators in a specific new region. This can help expand your reach, visibility, and engagement from that local audience.
The main steps are to update both your TikTok profile and app settings to reflect the new country. You’ll need to have a phone number or credit card from that region to verify the change. Views, likes, comments and your overall engagement may shift based on the new audience.
The key takeaways are:
- Update your profile info and settings to match the new country
- Have a local phone or payment method to verify the change
- Be aware this resets your existing analytics and metrics
- Interact authentically with creators and fans in the new region
With some strategic planning, changing your audience country can help grow and diversify your TikTok following. But maintain realistic expectations, and focus on making content that resonates locally.
