Have you found yourself wondering why views on your TikTok videos suddenly tanked without any explainable reason? Perhaps, you were getting thousands of weekly views on your videos, but now the views are just trickling in, hardly getting past 100 in a week.
As a TikTok creator, this can be understandably frustrating 😞. When this happens, it can feel like TikTok algorithms are working against you, making you feel completely helpless. Left to fester for long, this can discourage you and make the mere thought of creating TikTok videos a nightmare.
Thankfully, a decline in the number of views doesn’t sound the death knell for your TikTok content creation career. In other words, it’s not the end of the world - you can turn the situation around in your favor.
In this post, I will share insights for uplifting your TikTok views no matter how hard it has fallen. But first, it’s important you understand TikTok’s algorithm.
Understanding TikTok’s Algorithm
To properly understand the reason behind the decline of your TikTok views, it’s important to have a good idea of how TikTok’s algorithm works.
Don’t let the name throw you off. The TikTok algorithm is basically a computer program that has been trained to know the kind of content a typical TikTok user would like to see.
How is it smart enough to know this? Well, it considers certain key signals like watch time, user interactions, and engagement pointers, including likes, comments, shares, etc. It then uses these signals to determine what to output on users’ “For You Page”.
Take for example Alice, an avid TikTok user who is a big fan of DIY makeup videos💄 . Naturally, she will spend more time on videos in that niche and engage more with them, prompting TikTok’s algorithm to recommend similar videos.
So if you are noticing a steady decline in your videos, it’s safe to say that TikTok’s algorithm is beginning to see them as less relevant to users and begin to push them down. However, this is certainly not the end of the world - you can still do something about it.
Common Reasons for Low TikTok Views
Before I delve into troubleshooting your low views problem, let’s quickly examine some of the probable causes of low TikTok views.
1. Poor Content Quality
This one is definitely a no-brainer - if you don’t put good effort into creating content your target audience will love, TikTok algorithm won’t hesitate for a second to push your videos down to make them hard to discover.
While you don’t need expensive filming gear or an expertly written script to create good content, you still need to keep viewers in mind when creating your videos. As much as you can, avoid using blurry videos and fuzzy sound - they only make your videos look bad.
In addition, ensure your video is properly coordinated. You wouldn’t want to leave viewers thinking too much to understand what your video is about.
2. Low Engagement
Engagement, as I mentioned earlier, is one of the key signals the TikTok algorithm uses to determine which videos to display. Engagement is a mix of likes, shares, and comments. If your previous videos have been receiving low engagement, chances are TikTok won’t promote the new ones you create.
What are some of the probable causes of low engagement? For starters, it’s failing to ask users to interact with your videos. Ever watched a video on YouTube or Instagram Reel and seen the creator asking you to subscribe and like their videos? They are doing it for a reason. Truth is, if you don’t ask for engagement, you will likely not get it.
Another possible reason is that your videos are boring🙅. Like any other social media platform, it only takes a split second for viewers to decide if they will watch a video clip or just keep scrolling. If your videos aren’t interesting enough from the get-go, they will likely get lost in the shuffle.
3. Infrequent Posting
Irregular posting can also be the culprit for the decline in your TikTok views. If you post irregularly, TikTok will assume you don’t plan to take the platform seriously, and so will prioritize others’ content above yours. Additionally, if there is a long gap in your posting schedule, it can also hurt your chances of getting decent views on your videos.
4. Posting At the Wrong Time
When it comes to creating and posting videos on TikTok, there is such thing as wrong and right time. If you post when your target audience is mostly offline, you will struggle to get decent views. The same applies when you post at off-peak periods.
5. Inadequate Use of Hashtags
Hashtags help your videos get discovered, but they need to be used wisely. Using them excessively will make your videos look spammy, prompting the TikTok algorithm to overlook them. Inadequate use of them means your video will hardly come up on viewers' feeds.
If you are having a hard time coming up with creative hashtags, consider using a hashtag generator tool.
Tips to Increase TikTok Views and Engagement
Here are some tried-and-true tactics to increase views and engagement on TikTok.
1. Work On Your Video Quality
A good place to start is by putting effort into improving the quality of your videos. Strive to keep them clear and sharp. Ensure your videos have proper lighting. Avoid using shaky, fuzzy audio in your videos. If this will require buying a high-quality microphone, go for it.
2. Engage With Your Audience
Proactively ask your audience to engage with your videos. Politely ask them to like, share, and possibly leave comments about what they think about your videos. Of course, don’t be pushy about it.
3. Post At the Right Time
You have to figure out the right time to post your videos to get the highest possible engagement. This might require experimenting with your posting time to figure out which works best.
4. Be Consistent About It
Consistency is key when it comes to winning on TikTok. You have to show up regularly to have a good chance of increasing views. Post both when you feel like it and when you don’t. Let your viewers know when to expect your videos.
Consider creating a content calendar. It will help you stay consistent with posting.
5. Cross Promote On Other Platforms
You don’t have to keep your videos solely on TikTok. Promote them on every other social media platform you have access to. Doing so makes your videos get more impressions. And the more impressions they get, the more likely TikTok will promote them.
Best Practices for TikTok Content Creation
There are certain practices you need to keep in mind when creating videos for TikTok to make them attract more views. They are as follows:
1. Know Your Audience
Understanding who you're creating content for is the foundation of successful TikTok content creation. Knowing your audience will help you craft messages that resonate and ensure your content meets their expectations.
2. Seek To Grab Viewers’ Attention Quickly
TikTok users have a very short attention span. If they are viewing your videos for the first time, it will only take them a few seconds to determine if it’s worth the effort or not. So seek to create hooks in the beginning part of your video to get their attention.
3. Keep Your Videos Short and Engaging
Although TikTok allows you to create videos up to 10 minutes long, it’s best to keep your videos as short as possible. Short videos get the highest engagement, and so naturally perform better. Rather than creating very long videos, look for creative ways to break them up into bit sizes. Ideally, you will want to keep them under 2 minutes.
4. Use Trending Sounds and Effects
TikTok thrives on trends, and using trending sounds, effects, or challenges can significantly increase your visibility 📈. Take things a step further by participating in trending challenges as well.
Utilizing TikTok Analytics for Growth
Digging deep into TikTok analytics can help you uncover insights that can make your videos perform better. That being said, here are some ingenious ways you can utilize TikTok analytics to improve the performance of your videos.
Focus On Key Metrics for Growth
To grow your TikTok account, keep your eyes on the following metrics:
- Engagement rate: High engagement is a strong indicator that your content is resonating with viewers and can influence the algorithm to push your content to more people.
- Watch Time: The TikTok algorithm tends to favor videos with reasonably long watch time. So always keep your eyes on it if you are serious about stimulating growth.
- Follower count: While number count is widely perceived as a vanity metric, it’s still important to strive to grow it organically.
Using Analytics to Refine Your Content Strategy
Here’s how top creators use analytics to refine their content strategy. You might want to take a cue from it.
- Identify top-performing content: Review the Content tab to see which videos have performed best. Look for patterns in the type of content and use this insight to create future videos.
- Check for optimal posting time: TikTok analytics can help you spot the right time to post your videos for maximum engagement.
- Keep your eyes on trends and adapt accordingly: Pro TikTok content creators have mastered the art of spotting the right trend and riding along with it. It will take you time to master, but keep at it.
Overcoming TikTok Shadowban and Other Challenges
Do you suspect that your account has fallen victim to TikTok shadowbanning? First, let's explain what shadowbanning is and how you can identify it.
What is a TikTok Shadowban?
Shadowbanning happens when TikTok restricts the visibility of your videos, making it hard for viewers to see. Often, you wouldn’t get any notification whatsoever when this happens.
But there will be signs. First, your views will start to plummet. Secondly, your videos will stop appearing on the ‘For You” page. Thirdly, engagement will begin to decline drastically.
What causes shadowbanning? Well, nobody knows for sure, but most often, they occur when you:
- Violate TikTok’s regulations
- Use banned hashtags
- Exhibit spammy behavior like rapidly commenting on videos, following and unfollowing accounts more frequently than usual, etc.
If you feel your account has been shadowbanned, do these 4 things:
- Review TikTok’s rules to be sure you are erring on the side of caution.
- Delete suspicious or problematic content you feel might be the culprit
- Take a break from posting. This will cause TikTok to enter reset mode and change how it views your account.
- Avoid spammy behavior - or anything that looks like it.
- If you haven’t already, switch to a pro account. Doing so will give you access to TikTok analytics to help you refine your strategy to overcome shadowbanning.
- Start posting high-quality videos.
- Reach out to TikTok’s support team if none of these work.
Conclusion
Seeing views on your TikTok video decline can be a scary and frustrating experience. You could even feel tempted to quit the platform. Don’t fall for it. And don’t automatically jump to the conclusion that your account has been shadowbanned. It might be that you are posting at the wrong times.
We’ve provided actionable insights for improving views on your TikTok videos no matter how hard it has fallen. Be sure to try them out.