0 views on TikTok: shadow ban or cold account? How to get your first views

You created your TikTok account, posted your first carousels, and the counter is stuck at 0 views. The words “shadow ban” come up fast. In most cases we see, the account isn’t being punished: it’s new, and TikTok doesn’t know yet who to show its videos to. Here’s how to tell the difference, and how to launch an account so it gets its first views.

A real case: 12 posts, 0 views

A Christmas decoration seller signs up for SlideFarm late one afternoon. An hour later, their first carousel goes out on TikTok. In 4 days they publish 12, up to 5 on the same day. The same title, “2026 New Christmas projector light 🎄”, comes back 4 times give or take a word, once on a second account. Their posts also switch between French and English from one day to the next.

What they did: posted within the hour

1. Day 1Mon salon était vide à 18 h 42…The Christmas decoration I moved twiceswitches to English
2. Day 2My kid asked for snow on the wallThe blank wall was the Christmas decorationThe outdoor Christmas detail I nearly missed
3. Day 33 façons de rendre son entrée festiveback to FrenchThe Christmas setup I could finally do7 minutes before the doorbell2026 New Christmas projector light 🎄the product name2026 New Christmas projector light 🎄same title, 2nd account2026 New Christmas projector 🎄😍one word apart
4. Day 42026 New Christmas projector light 🎄the same again

Views close to zero across the whole account

What it should have been: warm up, then keep a pace

1. Day 1Warm-up: profile done, 20 min of decor scrolling
2. Day 2Warm-up: “christmas decor” searches, likes, comments
3. Day 3Warm-up: 8 decor accounts followed, more scrolling
4. Day 4My living room was empty at 6:42 pm…
5. Day 5The blank wall that was waiting for ChristmasWhat my son asked for before bed
6. Day 63 ways to make your entrance festive

An account TikTok knows who to show to

The result: views close to zero across the whole account. Their carousels weren’t bad. But everything about the account looked like a bot: no activity before the first post, a high pace right away, repeated content, a language that keeps changing.

Shadow ban or not: what TikTok actually says

TikTok never uses the words “shadow ban”. It talks about videos that are ineligible for the For You feed. Those videos stay visible on your profile, but TikTok stops showing them to strangers, and strangers bring almost all the views of a small account.

In practice, a video doesn’t go out to millions of people at once. TikTok first shows it to a small audience. If that audience watches it to the end and reacts, it moves on to a wider one, and so on. TikTok still has to know who to show it to at the start: that’s where a brand-new account with no history stalls.

1. Posted
2. Small test audience
3. Wider audience
4. For You feed

Warmed-up account, a video that holds attention

Each audience that watches to the end opens up the next.

New account, posted within the hour

✕

TikTok doesn’t know who to show it to: it stalls at the start.

TikTok’s For You feed standards list unoriginal content among other things: copied, or reposted without real changes. TikTok also warns that an account that often posts this kind of content can become ineligible as a whole, and harder to find in search.

To check, open TikTok, then Settings and privacy, Account, Account status. If a video or your account is affected, TikTok shows it there, with the reason and a button to appeal. If there’s nothing there, your account isn’t penalized: it lacks signals, not trust.

Warm up a new account before the first post

A freshly created account has no history. TikTok doesn’t know whether a real person runs it, or which audience to connect it to. If it posts within the first hour, it looks like the automated accounts TikTok filters out at scale. First you show it’s a real account, and teach it your topic.

For 2 to 3 days before your first video, use the account the way your audience would, a little every day.

1. Day 1

   Discover

   • Complete your profile
   • Scroll for 15 to 20 minutes
   • Watch videos in your niche all the way through
2. Day 2

   Search and react

   • Search your audience’s words
   • Like and save
   • Leave 3 or 4 real comments
3. Day 3

   Settle into your niche

   • Follow 5 to 10 accounts in your niche
   • Scroll for another 15 to 20 minutes
   • Keep commenting
4. Day 4

   First post

   • Publish your first carousel
   • Stay on the app for a few minutes
   • Reply to comments

The moves, one by one:

• Scroll the For You feed. Watch the videos about your topic all the way through, swipe past the others. That’s how TikTok learns what you’re into.
• Search what your audience searches. Type the words they would type: “christmas decor”, “gift idea for mom”, “cozy bedroom lamp”. Watch the results.
• Like, comment, save. Real comments, a few words long, on videos in your niche. Not the same emojis pasted everywhere.
• Follow a few accounts in your niche. Creators and brands your audience already follows.
• Complete your profile. A photo, a clear name, a one-line bio that says what you offer.

♥

Comments

So pretty, where is it from?↑

⌕cozy home decor

1. Scroll, and watch videos about your topic to the end
2. Like and comment for real
3. Search what your audience searches

A few 15 to 20 minute sessions a day are enough. The point isn’t to game the system: it’s to use TikTok normally before asking it to show you to others.

Is my account ready?

0 of 5

• My profile has a photo, a clear name and a one-line bio.
• I’ve scrolled the For You feed for at least 3 days.
• I’ve searched the words my audience types.
• I’ve liked, saved and commented on videos in my niche.
• I follow a few accounts in my niche.

Tick as you go: the list remembers your boxes from one day to the next, in this browser.

The first weeks: a pace that holds

Once the account is warmed up, your first video can go out. Then:

• 1 to 2 posts a day at most. A steady pace beats a burst on day one.
• Never the same post twice. The same carousel reposted, or posted on two accounts, is duplicate content. Change the angle, the hook, the photos.
• One account, one language. Your audience’s. An account that switches between French and English no longer knows who it’s talking to.
• Keep using the account. A few minutes of scrolling and commenting in your niche every day, before and after your posts.
• Reply to comments. Especially in the first hour: a conversation under the video pushes it up.

What gets a carousel views

A healthy account isn’t enough: the video also has to hold attention. On a carousel, three things matter:

• The first slide. It decides whether people stop or swipe past. A short line that promises something to the person watching: “The gift my mom opened first”, not “LED Projector 2026”.
• The music. An added sound helps the video travel. Sounds that are rising in your niche help even more.
• The time. Post when your audience scrolls: evenings and lunch breaks, usually. Your TikTok analytics will tell you after a few weeks.

Pink RGB gaming keyboard 2026

✕It describes the product. Nothing makes you want to see more.

5 cheaper alternatives to the Logitech keyboard

✓It promises something to the person watching.

Still 0 views?

• Wait 48 hours. A video can take off late, especially on a young account.
• Don’t delete to repost. Deleting and reposting the same video is still duplicate content.
• Check your account status, as explained above. If there’s a penalty, appeal from that screen.
• Go back to warming up. If the account has never been used for anything but posting, take 2 or 3 days of normal activity before the next post.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a TikTok shadow ban last?

TikTok doesn’t talk about shadow bans. A video that’s ineligible for the For You feed stays that way, unless your appeal succeeds. A whole account that’s ineligible stays that way for a while, according to TikTok. The Account status screen tells you where you stand.

Should I delete my account and start a new one?

Rarely. A new account starts from zero, and you’ll have to warm it up too. If your account status shows nothing, you’re better off fixing your pace and your content.

Can I post the same carousel on two accounts?

No. TikTok sees it as duplicate content, and both accounts suffer. Make a different carousel for each account.

I publish with SlideFarm. Does that change anything?

SlideFarm publishes your carousels through TikTok’s official integration. For TikTok, it’s your account posting. The same rules apply: warm up the account before the first post, then keep a steady pace with carousels that are all different.