How to reach a US audience on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and IG Reels?

[Upsilon]

Hey everyone.

My girlfriend and I have found a niche that we could be successful in (related to cooking) and we started recording and editing short form videos. But right before uploading our first video it struck me: we can't just use our phones to upload the videos because we are both based in Eastern Europe and we'll most likely be pushed only to our country of residence.

So my question is, how can we target the US market on the three big platforms for shorts?

I read that we may need a phone with the GSM band frequency of the US (1700 if I recall correctly), a US sim card, and then that phone never seeing anything but a US IP. I also read that TikTok now blocks VPN traffic or could shadow ban your account for using a VPN. If that is the case, even if we were to have a US sim card, how could we use the internet with a US IP address?

Also, how likely is it that the accounts may get banned/shadow banned from doing all these workarounds? This is something I would like to weigh considering the amount of effort that goes into each video.

Thank you!

 

[secretagentdad]

You're Right.
They will get shadow banned.
Tik tok is the best in the business.

There is no work around I know of.
Plz out if you find one.
Sorry for the bad post.

 

[CCarter]

If my SAAS was able to block VPN, Datacenter, and other types of traffic - TikTok definitely can. It's fairly simple since All IP Addresses have to be registered to a company at some level. And if it's not an consumer or business ISP - block.

In regard to IG, I see Eastern European content, Indian content, and content from all around the world. However I think it will largely depend on interactions of the user to get exposed to other countries' content. But it's gotten so bad in my "For You" that 50% of content I can't understand. The content is mostly cooking recipes so that might be the reason - so you might have a chance anyways.

Maybe there is a way to reset it, I dunno, but also don't care.

 

[Jesse]

Maybe there is a way to reset it, I dunno, but also don't care.

Just for reference for anyone who sees this:

• Go to your profile
• Tap the triple bar in the top-right
• Scroll down to the "What you see" section
• Tap on Suggested Content
• Tap on Reset suggested content

 

[Upsilon]

If my SAAS was able to block VPN, Datacenter, and other types of traffic - TikTok definitely can. It's fairly simple since All IP Addresses have to be registered to a company at some level. And if it's not an consumer or business ISP - block.

In regard to IG, I see Eastern European content, Indian content, and content from all around the world. However I think it will largely depend on interactions of the user to get exposed to other countries' content. But it's gotten so bad in my "For You" that 50% of content I can't understand. The content is mostly cooking recipes so that might be the reason - so you might have a chance anyways.

Maybe there is a way to reset it, I dunno, but also don't care.

Yes, I guess that's true. When it comes down to it, viral content is viral content at the end of the day.

I was thinking about trying some Reddit/forums traffic leaks to try to get US eyes on the videos initially and maybe that will help boost the video for that audience.

 

[BakerStreet]

Yes, I guess that's true. When it comes down to it, viral content is viral content at the end of the day.

I was thinking about trying some Reddit/forums traffic leaks to try to get US eyes on the videos initially and maybe that will help boost the video for that audience.

You can just buy $100 in paid social targeted to US. We do that with our IG account and it always is an easy way to give a post some lift.

 

[Upsilon]

I come back after some more reading and I'm wondering @CCarter do you think a dedicated mobile proxy COULD be a good option? Or at least a better option than a VPN?

 

[CCarter]

dedicated mobile proxy

No, all proxies are simply IP addresses registered somewhere. If you means residential proxies, possibly but you most likely you have already created the account and have been browsing TikTok with the account. They know where you are already.

Also these APPs can have access to your GPS data, the video can have metadata with geolocation, and there is the APP having access to your contact list.

And if not that then someone with TikTok gave their APP access to their contact list and has your phone number saved. So if 99% of the contacts are from Eastern Europe in your phone or a friend of yours phone it's pretty easy to determine you are from there.

The way you registered the account and confirmed it, is the area code a USA phone number? When you confirmed through email were you going through an USA ip address?

We used to save the ip address of the account when they registered AND the when they confirmed through email. Lots of people were in the USA, but magically when hitting the confirmation email their IP address was in India. How? Cause they got sloppy and didn't think we recorded that info as well.

Any contact with their APP assume they record. Even from which CDN server served their APP when you downloaded it onto your phone. Did you download the APP from their Asian CDN?

You see there are tons of ways to determine your location or proximity. Things I didn't even think about.

 

[Upsilon]

No, all proxies are simply IP addresses registered somewhere. If you means residential proxies, possibly but you most likely you have already created the account and have been browsing TikTok with the account. They know where you are already.

Also these APPs can have access to your GPS data, the video can have metadata with geolocation, and there is the APP having access to your contact list.

And if not that then someone with TikTok gave their APP access to their contact list and has your phone number saved. So if 99% of the contacts are from Eastern Europe in your phone or a friend of yours phone it's pretty easy to determine you are from there.

The way you registered the account and confirmed it, is the area code a USA phone number? When you confirmed through email were you going through an USA ip address?

We used to save the ip address of the account when they registered AND the when they confirmed through email. Lots of people were in the USA, but magically when hitting the confirmation email their IP address was in India. How? Cause they got sloppy and didn't think we recorded that info as well.

Any contact with their APP assume they record. Even from which CDN server served their APP when you downloaded it onto your phone. Did you download the APP from their Asian CDN?

You see there are tons of ways to determine your location or proximity. Things I didn't even think about.

Amazing insights!

Actually, I haven't downloaded TikTok yet and I don't have an account. I think the best way to go about it is just reach out to some irl friends who are now in the USA and ask them to create the account and upload on it once or twice a week. Given that they'd only spend like 2-3 minutes on this task per week, maybe I can make a deal where I give them a small percentage of the money being made, supposing they are down to try.

That said, I was planning on asking them to register in the USA using my email address and then I'd go ahead and confirm it. And here is where something you said really made me think (the bit about creating the account in one country and confirming in another).

Anyway, if that doesn't work, the plan is to get a US sim card and a phone with the US gsm frequency, a residential proxy, then create an account and confirm it using that proxy... then hope for the best.

Thank you, I appreciate the in-depth answer!