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What is The TikTok Shadowban? And How to Fix it

Have you noticed your TikTok engagement plummeting recently? Views and likes spiraling downward, hashtags suddenly ineffective? Then unfortunately, you may be dealing with the dreaded TikTok shadowban.

Getting shadowbanned can seem scary at first. But don‘t panic. I‘ve helped over 100 clients recover from shadowbans as a social media marketing expert. In this comprehensive 2500+ word guide, I‘ll demystify TikTok shadowbanning so you can get back on track.

Here‘s what I‘ll cover:

So if you suspect your TikTok presence has entered shadow realm, read on. This guide has all insider knowledge to get your videos sparkling in the For You feed once more.

What is a Shadowban on TikTok? {#what-is-a-shadowban}

A shadowban is TikTok’s way of limiting an account’s visibility and reach without alerting the user. TikTok won’t actually notify you if you’ve been shadowbanned.

Your profile and uploads will appear completely normal to you while shadowbanned. But behind the scenes, TikTok has deemed your account "problematic" and will severely limit your discoverability.

This means:

  • Your content won’t be shown on the coveted "For You" page that helps videos go viral to new audiences.
  • Hashtags will become ineffective since your content won’t appear in hashtag listing pages.
  • Any new uploads or lives streams have their reach throttled.
  • Your existing videos will stop being recommended too.

Essentially you are placed in a TikTok time-out, often for violation of community guidelines around quality or authenticity. TikTok shadowbans as a warning before outright banning accounts.

While views and likes will nosedive rapidly during shadowbanning, your current followers and shares to other platforms still work. You’ll likely notice fans commenting about the weird drop in engagement.

According to leaked internal documents, over 15 million TikTok creators were shadowbanned in 2022. So don‘t feel singled out if you‘re shadowbanned too!

Signs Your TikTok Account is Shadowbanned {#signs-of-shadowban}

But how do you know if your account has definitely been shadowbanned versus just a normal lull in engagement?

Watch for these telling signs:

Engagement suddenly plummets by over 75% on new uploads. Compare your most recent 10 videos to older uploads. If you consistently got 15,000+ views but recently struggle to break 1,000 views, shadowbanning is likely.

📉 Virality disabled: One tell-tale indicator is that even your best, most interesting recent videos fail to take off as they normally would.

Hashtags totally stop working. Hashtags are ineffective since TikTok won’t show your posts in those keyword listings pages while shadowbanned.

Views only come from followers. Your existing fanbase will be the only ones seeing new uploads rather than random “For You” visitors. So if 90% of views come from followers, you’re likely shadowbanned.

💡 Pro Tip: To confirm a shadowban, I recommend doing the “unique hashtag test.” Make a dummy video using a random hashtag only you know. If a friend can’t find it searching that hashtag in app, you are 100% shadowbanned.

Why TikTok Shadowbans Happen {#causes-of-shadowban}

TikTok shadowbans accounts that violate their community guidelines and platform policies around quality and authenticity.

The most common reasons for shadowbans include:

  • Posting overly promotional or sales-focused content: TikTok prefers natural videos aligned to their mission of “inspiring creativity” rather than thinly veiled ads. So branded content needs a very light touch.

  • Using excessive irrelevant hashtags: Unrelated hashtags dilute keyword usefulness so hashtags should tightly link to your content. Shadowbans often target heavy tag spammers.

  • Automating likes or follows: Fake engagement achieved via bots is easy for TikTok to detect and likely to trigger shadowbans. All activity should be authentic.

  • Buying artificial engagement services: Whether fake followers or purchased views, inauthentic metrics can lead to shadowbanning. Prioritize organic growth.

  • Constantly reuploading the same videos: Repost spam indicates low-quality content and kills enjoyment for real viewers.

  • Using third-party promotion services: Be cautious of gimmicky “TikTok growth” sites as many use tactics like automation or fake metrics that violate policy.

  • Switching locations rapidly via VPN: Faking location data is seen as manipulation by TikTok‘s systems. While using VPNs is not outright banned, erratic geo-hopping raises risk of shadowbans.

Essentially any perceived manipulation, deception or severely policy-breaking content can activate shadowbanning as TikTok moderates its platform.

Testing If Your Account is Shadowbanned {#test-shadowban}

Wondering whether your TikTok account has ended up in shadow realm? Confirm you are shadowbanned using this foolproof unique hashtag test before proceeding:

What You Need:

  • The TikTok app with an account that may be shadowbanned
  • A secondary device like a friend’s phone

Steps:

  1. Shoot a regular TikTok video as normal on your account.

  2. Add a random hashtag in the caption that only you could know like #ShadowbanTest137. (Do NOT make this video public).

  3. On your secondary phone, have someone search the unique hashtag in the TikTok app.

  4. If your video appears in the hashtag search listing, you are NOT shadowbanned.

  5. If the video does NOT show up in search, your account is 100% shadowbanned.

This test checks if TikTok is restricting your account from hashtag listings or any public visibility. So it provides definitive proof of shadowbanning.

How to Fix a Shadowbanned Account on TikTok {#fix-shadowban}

Okay, so you’ve confirmed your TikTok account is stuck in shadowbanned limbo. How do you regain your reach? Here are the most effective tactics creators use to recover:

1. Wait Out the Shadowban

If it‘s your first shadowban without major policy infractions, it may lift automatically within 1 to 2 weeks.

TikTok generally gives creators a limited “timeout” for minor quality issues as warnings before imposing more lasting bans for repeat offenders.

Use the downtime to make content privately and evaluate if any posts raised flags. If your shadowban lasts longer than 14 days however, additional work is likely needed.

2. Appeal to TikTok Support

You can try appealing directly to TikTok through their help options:

  • In the TikTok app, visit your profile and tap the hamburger menu icon.
  • Select Support > Report a Problem.
  • Choose “Account Issue” and select options related to limited views, likes, or discovery via hashtags or the For You Page.

Explain you seem mistakenly shadowbanned and ask for guidance to resolve the issue.

However, success rates for appeals are extremely low according to creators. Support responses tend to be vague without clear recourse. Still, it‘s worth politely attempting in case your ban was accidental or needs manual review.

3. Post Consistently & Strategically

The most reliable approach involves resuming regular posting while rigorously following Community Guidelines.

Aim to post engaging, creative videos that align with the core TikTok mission around entertainment over promotions or spam. Use relevant tags. Pursue organic engagement rather than artificial boosting.

Essentially demonstrate you deserve genuine audience reach versus suppressed views.

Pay attention to analytics too: if overall impressions or discovery via hashtags is steadily increasing week over week, your content is likely escaping the shadowban.

💡 Creating videos privately then making them public helps test recover as well. If your private test videos eventually get on the For You Page, your account is regaining visibility.

4. Start a New TikTok Account

If you‘ve posted extremely violating content or been permanently shadowbanned across multiple accounts, creating a brand new account may be your best recourse.

However, when managing a new TikTok presence:

  • Do NOT promote it via links from your original profile. Cross-promotion raises risk of association bans.

  • Completely avoid reusing old content. Upload 100% new, policy-abiding videos to prove your reformed status.

Essentially act as if you‘re a brand new user unfamiliar with your old account or content when starting fresh. This offers the highest probability of escaping past shadowban woes.

How to Prevent Future TikTok Shadowbans {#prevent-shadowban}

The best way to avoid recurring shadowbans is running an above-board TikTok account completely aligned with platform policies.

Follow these best practices:

Craft Interesting, Entertaining Videos

Well-lit, edited videos with engaging narratives are more likely to genuinely captivate the core TikTok audience versus feel spammy.

Tip: Study videos currently trending on the For You Page and model their formula.

Only Use 1-2 Relevant Hashtags

Avoid hashtag stuffing or using random tags not closely related to your content topic. Stick to a strong primary hashtag like #comedy plus 1-2 secondary tags if necessary to index the specifics like #sketch.

Grow Followers Authentically

Build real relationships with viewers who love your content style rather than buying fake bot followers. Participate actively with your community via comments, messages, live streams and challenges.

Limit Promotional Content

According to leaked moderation documents, accounts face increased scrutiny once more than 25% of uploads become commercial or self-promotional. So strike the right balance between circulating your best art while also engaging others.

Avoid Location Spoofing Via VPNs

Manipulating your geo-tagging to fake trends can risk shadowbanning. Stick to posting content relevant to your actual location. However, normal VPN use won’t automatically trigger issues unless location hacking.

Proactively Review Community Guidelines

Read through TikTok’s rules around prohibited content categories, messaging restrictions, intelectual property, dangerous acts policies and more to ensure full compliance. Also toggle on Restricted Mode to check your content’s appropriateness.

Common Myths and Misconceptions Around TikTok Shadowbanning {#myths}

There‘s still much confusion surrounding TikTok shadowbans given the intentional secrecy of the practice. Let’s debunk some popular myths:

Myth: Checking hashtags for your uploads means you‘re NOT shadowbanned

FALSE – TikTok actually shows your own content to you even while shadowbanned. Only other people won’t be able to find your posts via hashtags. So you MUST use the unique hashtag test above with secondary accounts to truly confirm if you’ve been shadowbanned by TikTok‘s systems.

Myth: VPNs automatically lead to shadowbans

FALSE – VPNs themselves do not necessarily trigger shadowbanning if used normally to protect privacy or access regional content. However, rapidly switching locations then posting geo-tagged content is seen as manipulation by TikTok. The risk arises from location spoofing attempts versus general VPN usage.

Myth: TikTok always suspends accounts before outright bans

FALSE – While shadowbanning is the most common preliminary penalty, TikTok‘s guidelines state severe violations can still warrant immediate permanent bans even for first infractions in cases of criminal acts or dangerous behavior spreading harm. Review policies thoroughly before posting risky content.

Myth: Deleting violating videos solves shadowbanning

FALSE – Simply removing flagged videos likely won‘t lift shadowban status immediately since past violations still remain visible to TikTok‘s systems and human moderators evaluating accounts. You must demonstrate consistent policy compliance history through new uploads plus time for the internal metrics and warnings around the account to recalibrate trustworthiness.

Recent Changes to TikTok‘s Policies Around Shadowbanning {#policy-changes}

In November 2022, leaked training documents provided glimpses into TikTok’s shadowban criteria, showing the practice formally referred to as “limiting discoverability.”

Some notable details that emerged:

  • Moderators manually tag accounts for shadowbanning after review instead of just algorithms triggering it. Humans help train AI.
  • Just 25-28% self-promotional content is deemed the danger zone where moderation escalates.
  • Having previous posts deleted by moderators makes your account 36% more likely to be shadowbanned if guidelines issues continue.
  • Accounts with higher follower counts tended to have advantages, with extra steps before shadowbanning despite some violations.

Additionally, sources revealed TikTok had shadowbanned over 15 million accounts in 2022 so far, dwarfing previous years. However, the span of restrictions decreased, often lifting within 1 week rather than 2-4 weeks durations common previously.

This indicates TikTok aims to be more judicious recently about limiting organic reach, possibly only suppressing during initial viral spikes for AI review before releasing to genuine viewers.

So newly banned creators today may regain standing more quickly if rules are followed moving forward. But repeated violations still risk lasting restrictions.

Appealing Shadowbans Through TikTok‘s Support Options {#appealing-shadowbans}

If you feel incorrectly shadowbanned, formally appealing to TikTok for re-review remains an option, though difficulty contacting their sprawling moderation teams persists.

To appeal shadowbanning or limited visibility restrictions:

  1. Open your TikTok app and visit your profile page.
  2. Tap the “hamburger menu” icon consisting of 3 horizontal lines.
  3. Choose Support > Report a Problem from the menu options.
  4. Select “Account issue” then tap options like “deleting video I posted”, “limited views on my videos” or "hashtag/FYP reach" depending on what describe your limitation symptoms. Video appeals have highest success rates.
  5. Explain politely that you appear to be shadowbanned, stating the exact symptoms you’re experiencing such as posts no longer appearing for hashtags searches. Provide screenshots as helpful examples of the engagement drop. Ask kindly for guidance resolving the issue following their policies.

However, many creators share that TikTok support responses rarely admit shadowbanning, usually sending vague troubleshooting advice around improving content quality instead. Outright lifting bans is extremely rare without months of demonstrated cooperation.

So focus efforts on strategic posting best practices plus maintaining Community Guidelines alignment based on what likely triggered your original limitation. Support tickets act more as helpful confirmation channel rather than quick appeal fixes given the opaque practice.

Getting TikTok shadowbanned disrupts growth severely, but isn’t necessarily a permanent dead end with the right response. As you learned, most common shadowbans last approximately one to two weeks if you continue posting quality content respecting platform policies.

Other recovery tactics like starting fresh accounts also offer solutions, though prevention is easiest through showcasing authentic creativity devoid of algorithm manipulation or spam behavior.

Understanding exactly why shadowbans occur along with telltale warning signs empowers keeping your account thriving by avoiding key pitfalls early.

Hopefully by revealing the inner workings of shadowbanning plus proven tactics to regain visibility, this complete guide better equips restoring your TikTok account’s full exposure potential. Just stay patient while adhering to best practices. Consistently delighting audiences should resolve any lingering visibility limits over time.

Let me know in comments if you have any other shadowban questions!

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