Spent 3 hours debugging a TikTok shadowban that didn't exist

I posted a video about painting tricks a few weeks ago and it got like 12 views overnight. I was convinced the algorithm shadowbanned me over nothing. Spent a solid 3 hours researching, clearing cache, reuploading with different hashtags. Turns out I was just posting at 2am when nobody was awake. Has anyone else wasted a ton of time chasing algorithm gremlins that were just user error?

3 comments

3 Comments

casey81813h ago

Gotta admit @emma_wells83, you totally changed my mind on this one.

emma_wells8314h ago

Respectfully, posting at 2am with 12 views doesn't really sound like a shadowban issue. The algorithm isn't out to get you, your audience was just asleep. It's easy to blame the platform when sometimes it's just bad timing or a video that didn't hit the right audience.

abby_martinez13h ago

Posting at 2am with 12 views" is a great point, @emma_wells83. I actually read a study that said engagement drops like 60% if you post when your audience is offline, no matter how good the content is.