Strategy
Why You Are Not Getting Views on TikTok: 10 Reasons
With TikTok, one good thing leads to another, and it always starts with the number of views your posts get. If you want to get anywhere on the platform, the first concrete step to take is to make sure you get as many eyes on your videos as possible. So if your posts are not getting any views, it’s important that you figure out what’s going on and find the best solution.
This article will talk about the importance of TikTok views, the possible reasons you’re not getting any, and what to do about it.
Are TikTok Views Important?
Whether you’re a company aiming to boost brand awareness or an influencer wanting to take your career to the next level, you can think of TikTok views as your stairway to success. Not only does it boost your TikTok profile, views also help you gain new followers and get more engagement.
If you’re aware of how the TikTok algorithm works, you’ll know that the higher the engagement your post gets, the more it gets pushed out to even more viewers. And as demonstrated by many social media stars, all it takes for you to kick your career or your marketing campaign into high gear is for one of your videos to go viral. TikTok views will definitely help you with that.
According to Dara A. Busch of 5W Public Relations, “TikTok as a social media platform has not restricted itself to just Gen Z. The platform has started to include different types of content and has new features such as shoppable content and live streaming. The app interface is effortless to use and keeps things simple. Currently, TikTok has over one billion monthly active users. If businesses do not use TikTok to increase brand awareness, they are missing out on a major opportunity. During the pandemic, TikTok provided users with a new place to be entertained by viral videos and let off steam. Accounts that engage with these TikTok users are very valuable to brands. Below are ways a brand can capitalize on the platform to increase its reach.”
Now if you’ve already established your own personal brand on social media and brands are coming to you for partnerships, TikTok views are also a great negotiating tool when you’re discussing your target audience, advertising and partnerships fees.
10 Reasons You Are Not Getting TikTok Views
Social media algorithms can sometimes be complicated. If you don’t fully understand how it works, you could end up taking a wrong turn, which might eventually lead to less than satisfying results. That includes not getting any TikTok views.
The reason your post is getting a big fat zero could be one (or more) of many different reasons. Unfortuantely there is not one main reason why this might be happening. The good news is it’s often not a very hard mystery to solve. Here are some of the most common culprits:
1. You’re not following TikTok’s community guidelines
TikTok’s community guidelines feature quite a long list of “norms and common code of conduct” that users need to follow. Accounts that push sensitive content will not rank. The platform proactively enforces these rules so you can expect to be penalized if you violate any of them. Apart from temporarily or permanently banning accounts of serious violators, the algorithm may also reduce the discoverability of your posts. It does this by redirecting search results or making videos ineligible for recommendation in the For You feed. If TikTok keeps people from finding your content, then it wouldn’t be a surprise that your video gets zero TikTok views.
2. Your content is not your own
TikTok’s algorithm can tell if the video you posted is somebody else’s and it’s designed to block it and keep it from ever being uploaded. An easy way to tell if the reason your video is not getting any views is copyright infringement issues is to view the video yourself and see if TikTok counts it as one view. If the view count is still zero, then your post has definitely been blocked. Dara shares “To remain true to its identity, a brand can post authentic content on TikTok. Children and pets are extremely popular on TikTok, and content that features children or pets that have a chance of going viral. The short video format can produce positive results if brands are willing to show their fun and creative sides. For instance, Chipotle did a #boorito campaign that received over 4 billion views. One of their videos features chips that try to sing along with Adele.”
3. Your video is under review
There are a number of things that you cannot post on Tiktok, and the platform is very strict about it. Videos that are offensive, political, or sexual in nature, and those that feature violence, bullying, or illegal activities are strictly not allowed. Content Creators who post content that happens to fall under these categories, it will be up for review and it cannot get any views until it’s approved.
4. You’re a new TikTok user
If you just created your account and posted a video almost immediately, your chance of getting views is going to be limited. Think of it this way: you have to be able to prove that yours is a real account and not a bot. Completing your bio, watching videos and engaging with them, and making your account look legit before posting your own is the best way to do this.
5. You have more than one TikTok account
Authenticity is a big deal for TikTok. If the mobile device you’re using is associated with more than one TikTok account, it can be flagged by the TikTok app for authenticity issues and could have an impact on your discoverability.
6. You failed to impress with your first five videos
As a new user, the first five videos that you post are critical to the overall performance of your account. If your first five posts have a low engagement rate or are not doing well, TikTok is going to limit your ability to be seen. New accounts that fail to get traction and built watch time with their first five posts will have a tough time breaking through with Tiktok’s algorithm. Ensuring you’re considering the latest trends is a great way to ensure that your first pieces of content get distributed to a wider audience.
7. You are posting at the wrong times
Always consider your audience when posting videos on TikTok. Be strategic with your posting schedule and make sure your audience is online and ready to engage. If you post in the middle of the night, when your followers are likely sleeping, there’s a big chance they won’t find your video on their feed when they wake up. Our Best Time to Post article helps you figuring out the right time to upload your short videos to TikTok.
8. TikTok is down
TikTok is not immune to server issues, bugs, and outages. These technical glitches can affect your posts and even the view counter. Checking for any announcements or server status updates before you publish your videos might be a good idea.
9. You’re not using the right hashtags
Hashtags can get you places. It’s one of the best tools to make your videos easy to find and put them in front of your audience. If you’re not taking advantage of using relevent hashtags, your videos can get left behind, especially if you don’t have a lot of followers yet.
“The hashtags used should align with the content used.. They should be relevant to any campaign or challenge that is posted. Too many hashtags can confuse viewers. They should be concise and easy to spell.. Trends should be observed and then hashtags should be created in a way that they demonstrate the uniqueness of a brand. A seasonal hashtag will not be popular throughout the year. For instance, if a business sells fitness equipment, the hashtags used should be related to fitness such as #training” shares Dara.
10. Your account is private
If your account is private, only your followers will see your posts. And if you barely have any followers, you’re likely to find zero views on your view counter. It’s not impossible to have overlooked your privacy settings. You could’ve accidentally toggled on the Make Account Private button without knowing it, or you could’ve intentionally set your account to private and forgotten about it. You could easily check if this is the case by going to Settings and then going to Privacy.
How to Fix Zero TikTok Views
If there’s a will, there’s definitely a way, especially where TikTok is concerned. Here are some quick fixes if your videos aren’t getting any views.
1. Abide by the rules
It’s always best to get on the algorithm’s good side so make sure you’re following TikTok’s community guidelines. Give the page a good read to make sure you clearly understand what’s allowed and what’s not.
2. Shameless plug your way to success
Promote your TikTok every chance you get. Spread the word on your other social media accounts. Cross-post your TikTok videos on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you have a YouTube channel, ask your subscribers to follow you on TikTok, too. The more followers you have, the better your TikTok performance will be, and the more TikTok views you will get.
3. Make use of hashtags
Leverage the power of #hashtags and boost your videos’ discoverability. Use relevant and trending hashtags and include #FYP and #ForYouPage to help steer your video to people’s For You feed.
How to Know If Your TikTok Account is Frozen
If you feel like your videos are not reaching the right number of viewers no matter what you do, you might want to take a closer look at your account and check whether it’s been frozen. Here’s how you do it:
First, activate your TikTok Pro account:
1. Go to your TikTok profile page
2. Tap on Privacy
3. Tap Settings Tab
4. Tap “Join TikTok testers”
5. Confirm the application with a mobile number
6. Follow the instructions
Once you’re Pro, you can check TikTok analytics to check whether your account is frozen:
1. Go to your TikTok account
2. Go to analytics
3. Tap on Content
4. Select any video
5. See the ratio under “for you”
If your like-to-view ratio is lower than the standard average amount, it’s likely that your account has been frozen.
Some of the ways to unfreeze your account include the following:
- Engaging with other users’ videos
- Post original and creative content
- Do basic troubleshooting: log out from TikTok, uninstall the app, re-install and then log back in
- Remove prohibited content
Understanding the problem allows you to figure out the best possible solution. That applies to life in general, and to TikTok views, as well. If the videos you’ve worked hard for are not getting the views they deserve, get to the bottom of it. Find out what could be the problem and come up with the right strategy to turn that zero into hero.
