Answered: How Long Does It Take to Get Views on TikTok?

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Written by: Alex Popa

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Answered: How Long Does It Take to Get Views on TikTok?

Are you worried about not getting any views on your recent TikTok views? In today’s article, we’ll explore why this happens and what you can do!

It takes anywhere from several minutes (at least 5 minutes) to several hours until your videos start amassing likes and views.

That’s because TikTok will review your content before making it public.

But there are other reasons why you’re not getting views and likes on your TikTok videos:

  1. Your account is new
  2. Your past videos had a low engagement, prompting TikTok to stop showing your videos
  3. TikTok has shadow-banned you
  4. You’ve been using a VPN
  5. You’ve been posting inappropriate content
  6. You’ve been reported
  7. You’ve posted at the wrong time

I’ll explain everything below, so keep reading!

Summary: This article explores the reasons why your TikTok videos may not be getting views and what you can do about it. 

It takes several minutes to several hours for videos to start amassing likes and views because TikTok reviews content before making it public. 

Other reasons for low engagement include having a new account, low engagement on past videos, being shadow-banned by TikTok, using a VPN, posting inappropriate content, being reported, or posting at the wrong time. 

The article suggests timing your videos during peak hours, avoiding inappropriate content and VPN use, and understanding that your videos may be under review.

Your Account Is New

When you create a new TikTok account, you’re expected to watch videos, like, comment, add a bio, and so on.

The TikTok algorithm expects you to act like a normal user before posting new videos.

While this isn’t proven, the TikTok algorithm will likely suspect you of being a spammer if you first post a video after creating an account.

After all, who does that? Who posts a video without even having a profile picture or a bio?

Here’s what you should do when creating a new TikTok account:

  1. Complete your bio
  2. Add a profile picture
  3. Watch a couple of videos
  4. Like and comment on random videos
  5. Add your interests
  6. Wait a couple of days before posting a video
  7. You’ve posted at the wrong time

If you create your account and post your first video 2-3 days later, the TikTok algorithm won’t red flag you!

Your Past Videos Had Low Engagement

This will be a weird one but did your previous videos have low engagement, or did you break the Terms of Service in any way?

Because the TikTok algorithm tends to put videos from unpopular channels on the back burner, it doesn’t make them invisible but delays the public’s access to them.

This is even more true if you broke the Terms of Service by posting spam or inappropriate content in past videos.

Your current reputation is bad, so the TikTok algorithm has already flagged you for bad behavior.

This will affect all videos in the future until you repair your reputation. If this account is new, you could create a new one to get a fresh start.

TikTok Has Shadow Banned You

TikTok shadow banning is controversial. The platform doesn’t formally admit that shadow banning exists.

If you’re unsure what a shadow ban is, let me explain. Shadow banning is an unannounced restriction on your TikTok account. This usually manifests in the following:

  1. Lower engagement from your followers
  2. Lower visibility for your content
  3. Greater delays for when you start receiving views on new videos

The insidious thing about shadow banning is that it doesn’t exist officially. You can’t prove it 100% because it’s all plausible deniability.

It’s plausible that your content hasn’t attracted as much attention from viewers because humans are unpredictable, and maybe your content isn’t that engaging in the first place.

However, more and more users are starting to complain about the same thing with their accounts after breaking the ToS or posting inappropriate content.

Shadow banning is the closest thing to a social media myth that seems to exist.

You’ve Been Using a VPN

TikTok doesn’t like VPNs; that’s not a matter of debate. Whenever someone’s using a VPN on TikTok, the algorithm becomes suspicious.

That’s because it associates VPN to use with dishonest intentions. You must be a spammer or worse if you’re using a VPN.

Unfortunately, there’s no reasoning behind the TikTok algorithm. Stop using a VPN when posting videos on TikTok; you should be fine.

Something is deeply wrong if you’re not getting any views even after several hours. Keep reading!

You’ve Posted Inappropriate Content

Does your account have a history of posting inappropriate content, and are you a known offender?

If so, then it’s reasonable to assume that TikTok is verifying all your videos very carefully before making them public.

Usually, when a user is trustworthy, the TikTok algorithm doesn’t hold their videos under review for longer than 5 minutes.

That’s why most videos start getting views 5 minutes after being posted. But if it takes much longer for you, it might be because you have a dark past on the platform.

The best thing you could do is delete your account and create a new one if you don’t have too many followers on your current account or have just begun posting.

Alternatively, you can keep posting valuable content that doesn’t break the Terms of Service and earn the algorithm’s trust again.

Someone Reported You

While this is unlikely, someone could have reported your video as soon as you posted it without even watching it.

Or they did watch it and reported it soon after. Then, TikTok put the video under review, temporarily taking it off the platform.

During this time, you won’t get any new views. Wait until the TikTok team finishes analyzing your video and restores its visibility.

You’ll start getting views and likes very soon. This may take up to 48 hours, though. Some users had to wait up to 48 hours to get their first views on TikTok videos!

You’ve Posted at the Wrong Time

Did you know there’s a right and wrong time to post videos on TikTok? If you post outside these hours, the engagement will be limited because there’s not much activity on TikTok.

If you post during these peak hours, you’ll get almost immediate engagement from your followers.

Here’s a list of the “golden” hours of TikTok posting:

  • Monday: 6 AM, 10 AM, 10 PM
  • Tuesday: 2 AM, 4 AM, 9 AM
  • Wednesday: 7 AM, 8 AM, 11 PM
  • Thursday: 9 AM, 12 AM, 7 PM
  • Friday: 5 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM
  • Saturday: 11 AM, 7 PM, 8 PM
  • Sunday: 7 AM, 8 AM, 4 PM

It shouldn’t be hard to time your TikTok videos to match these hours. Even if you don’t post this often, it’s still good.

You’ll get much more engagement from your videos whenever you hit one of the golden hours, especially during the weekend when people are off work.

Mornings and evenings are also ideal during weekdays!

Conclusion

In short, it takes at least 5 minutes until you start getting views on TikTok. But, depending on the circumstances of your account and video, it may take up to 48 hours.

  1. Your account is new
  2. Your past videos had a low engagement, prompting TikTok to stop showing your videos
  3. TikTok has shadow-banned you
  4. You’ve been using a VPN
  5. You’ve been posting inappropriate content
  6. You’ve been reported
  7. You’ve posted at the wrong time

Try to time your videos during the golden hours, don’t post inappropriate things, don’t use a VPN, and understand that your videos may be under review sometimes.

Wait until they’re released from review, and you’ll start getting views soon enough. If you have any questions, comment below, and I’ll reply as soon as possible!

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Alex Popa

My name is Alex and I have a knack for social media in all its shapes and forms. I’ve dealt with such things for quite some time and I noticed that many people have issues with social media and technicalities.

Unforeseen errors, bugs, and other problems make their use of social media problematic. These things will be discussed amply in the guides on Whizcase.

I'll present the facts as they are, and offer quick and easy solutions for them.

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