TikTok has the best algorithm to make your videos go viral and completely change your channel forever. TikTok is a huge opportunity to show your videos to a large audience and get a good engagement rate, even when starting out a new channel!
We always say, “you’re one video away” when creating content on TikTok. It is true … But one video away from what exactly? If TikTok can make your content go viral more easily than any other social media platform, its algorithm can quickly make your videos disappear, too. And even worse, your channel. 🤔
So, what's a shadowban on TikTok, how to check you've been shadowbanned, and how to get rid of it? This is what you'll discover in this article! 😎
What is a TikTok Shadow Ban?
A TikTok shadowban is when the platform temporarily restricts the visibility of your content without prior notification. Your videos won't appear on your audience's "For You" pages (FYP) or in hashtag search results. It's typically a response to unusual activity, guideline violations, or to avoid spam from bots. During a shadowban, there is no engagement anymore from non-followers, but it's usually a temporary measure aimed at encouraging compliance rather than a permanent suspension of your account.
What if I told you that TikTok has never mentioned the word "shadowban" in its official documentation? What we call a TikTok shadowban isn't the term used by TikTok when they temporarily limit the visibility of your video. However, it exists well... under another name at TikTok.
The closest official statement on shadowbans from TikTok has been discovered by Hootsuite: "We may temporarily or permanently ban accounts and/or users who are involved in severe or repeated violations of our Community Guidelines on the platform."
How to check If you’ve been shadow banned on TikTok
While there isn’t an official TikTok shadowban tester, you still have some metrics that will tell you if you are likely shadow-banned by TikTok.
Drop in engagement
One of the most common TikTok shadowban metrics is a sudden decline in engagement metrics. If your videos typically receive many likes, comments, and views but suddenly experience a drop in these interactions, it could indicate a shadowban from TikTok. 🤔
Lack of visibility on the "For You" Page (FYP)
The "For You" page is where TikTok shares content with a larger audience. This is where non-followers see your videos. If your videos regularly appeared on the FYP and suddenly stop showing up there, it's a strong indicator of a shadowban. Your content becomes invisible to a large portion of your audience. This is one of the best shadowban testers. 🚀
How do you check the shadowban on TikTok with the “For You Page"?
- Click on one of your videos
- Open the analytics and check your video's "traffic source" data if you see a larger traffic coming from your "Personal Profile" than from the "For You" page, TikTok probably shadowbanned you.
Traffic source you should see if you're not shadowban by TikTokAbsence from hashtag search results
Do you see those hashtags you put on your video's bio? Click on one of them, and if your videos used to appear in hashtag search results but no longer do, it is due to a shadowban.
How long does shadowban last on TikTok?
I couldn’t tell you how long TikTok shadowban lasts precisely. It totally depends on what you’ve done. Plus, TikTok doesn’t talk about the length of its shadowbans since they don’t even have the word “shadowban” in their vocabulary. 😉
Several users have communicated about their TikTok shadowban, which generally lasts 2 weeks.
For some users, their shadowban has lasted only a few days, though! The consensus remains at 14 days.
3 Possible Reasons to Get Shadow Banned on TikTok
You're violating the TikTok Community Guidelines
One sure way to find yourself slapped with a TikTok shadowban is by violating TikTok's Community Guidelines. These guidelines are the pillars of a respectful and safe TikTok environment. The key guidelines that, if not respected, can lead to a shadowban:
Posting adult content
TikTok prohibits posting adult or explicit content. This includes nudity and sexually explicit material. If this type of content is discovered, it may result in a TikTok shadowban as it conflicts with the platform's goal of maintaining a friendly atmosphere.
Promoting dangerous acts and challenges
Safety is key on TikTok, and promoting dangerous activities or challenges that risk harm to participants is strictly prohibited. Videos encouraging self-harm, substance abuse, or dangerous challenges can result in a TikTok shadowban.
Engaging in bullying and harassment
TikTok wants to be an inclusive platform. Engaging in bullying, harassment, or any form of targeted abuse towards others is a direct violation of TikTok's guidelines. Such behavior leads to a shadowban.
Engaging in hateful behavior
Hate speech and discriminatory content are unwelcome on TikTok. Videos that promote discrimination, including race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and more, are strictly prohibited. A violation of this rule triggers a TikTok shadowban.
Displaying violent extremism
TikTok is against content promoting violence or extremism. This includes content related to hate groups or any form of violent behavior. Violating this guideline may result in a shadowban on TikTok.
Infringing copyrights
Intellectual property rights are highly respected on TikTok. Unauthorized use of copyrighted material, trademarks, or other intellectual property can lead to a TikTok shadow ban.
You’re engaging in spammy behavior
Posting too many times on social media platforms could harm your TikTok channel and result in a TikTok shadowban. With the power of AI, you can now upload a few dozen videos per day since it takes less time to create them. However, over-posting videos can lead to a TikTok shadowban. 🧡
A shadowban on TikTok can result from spammy behavior, such as posting many videos on the same day or even at the same hour.
How many videos per day should I post on TikTok?
1 to 3 videos per day are enough. There is no need to post more, especially if your competitors in your niche have the same upload frequency. 🚀
You got shadow-banned by accident
Mistakes happen, even from TikTok. 1.1 billion people are using TikTok actively. Hence, some processes have to be done automatically. This means that you could be shadow-banned by TikTok because there is a suspicion from the TikTok algorithm that you’re doing something wrong. For this event, which is common, you can easily ask TikTok to review its decision manually and remove the shadow ban! 🧡
How to get rid of shadowban on TikTok (8 Ways)
Act like a human
With the emergence of AI, not only has TikTok reinforced its algorithm to detect abuse of AI on accounts, but every social media platform has done so. Whether it’s YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook, they increased their vigilance regarding automatizing accounts with AI. 🤖
If TikTok’s algorithm detects software using your account automatically, then depending on what it is doing, TikTok could shadow ban you. It’s all about what you do with these types of software. If you post your video with a repurpose software such as Repurpose.io, I suggest not abusing this tool by uploading numerous videos each day, always simultaneously.
TikTok loves it when you act as a human, so if you use a TPA (third-party administrator) with the right to access your TikTok account, automatize it with “human logic”. For instance, posting each day exactly at 4:00 PM doesn’t seem really human. Instead, find the best time to post on TikTok, and take a period when you change the posting time each day. 😐
Better know your audience (analyze the competition and your audience’s data)
A shadowban often comes from several viewers who have reported your video. If these viewers have seen this video, then this mainly means that they are interested in the niche and type of content you’re producing. However, if some of them have reported your video and resulted in a shadow ban, you’re probably doing something wrong since your content doesn’t fit your viewer’s expectations.
So, how can I know my audience better to avoid a shadow ban?
By analyzing your viewer’s behavior. There is a feature on TikTok that allows you to get more information about your audience. This is called the “TikTok Pro Account”. 😎
Delete the video
If TikTok shadow-ban you, always try to understand if one of your videos has resulted in this shadow ban. Try to watch all your videos and understand which video could have resulted in a shadow ban by TikTok. It could be a video from a few hours ago, or days ago. If you see the potential video, delete it and wait a few days after posting your next video. It’s one of the best ways to fix shadowban on TikTok.
Take a break
You learned it through this article: the average shadowban is up to 14 days. If you can’t get rid of it, take a break and wait at least 1 week before uploading a video again. Take it as a strength to produce more while waiting for the end of your TikTok shadowban. It’s important to take a step back and work deeper into your video quality and ideas for better long-term results. 📈
Uninstall and re-install TikTok
Sometimes, when you get a shadow ban by TikTok, you just need to uninstall and re-install TikTok. Definitely try this step and post a video after installing it again. You can be surprised! We never know.
Contact TikTok’s support
One of the most rational things to get rid of shadowban on TikTok is to contact its support. 😉
However, it’s not always possible to get an answer regarding the shadow ban topic if you are not a well-known content creator on TikTok.
How do I know this? I remember trying to reach the support to find out if my TikTok account was shadow-banned. The answer wasn’t “yes” or “no”, but “we can’t tell you”!
Attention: An average of 200 views on your TikTok videos doesn’t mean shadowban.
No, an average of 200 views per video doesn’t necessarily mean you have been shadowbanned by TikTok. Low views are often linked to your video quality. 🧡
You don’t meet your audience’s expectations.
The TikTok algorithm is the king. It decides whether it will show your video to more people or not. When you’re stuck at 200 views, then… you know the answer. One of the reasons is that your content doesn’t interest your potential audience. It can be the topic or your message. To avoid this, I suggest doing more research about your audience and your competitors to see what works well in your niche. But if your message is clear and your audience likes it, what is the issue?
Improve your video quality to get more views.
Your message, plus good video quality, is key to getting more views and followers on TikTok. So you might wonder how to improve tiktok video quality? For this, you have to improve your visuals. It can be your editing style, the angle you took to record your video, the lighting, etc.
At Submagic, we have the recipe to boost your video views by +50% with trendy and stylish subtitles that every well-known content creator and business uses. Try Submagic now and see your views getting higher! 😎
P.S: Submagic even offers a TikTok captions generator!
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Frequently Asked Questions:
Is shadowban real TikTok?
Yes, the shadowban is real on TikTok. Even though this company uses other words to describe what we call “shadowban”, you can get temporarily restricted by TikTok.
Can TikTok shadowban you?
TikTok can shadowban you if you don’t respect one of its guidelines. But why do they shadowban you? Read the article entirely to know exactly why.
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