TikTok metrics went haywire after one dumb change to my video settings

Last Thursday I tried to optimize my posting times for a client in Denver and ended up with 14 views on a video that normally hits 3,000. I thought I was being smart by scheduling posts through a third-party app to save time. Turns out TikTok's algorithm absolutely punishes anything that isn't uploaded directly from the app. The engagement dropped to zero and I spent all Friday trying to figure out why. Had to delete the post and re-upload it manually to get any traction back. Has anyone else dealt with this weird penalty for using scheduling tools?

2 comments

2 Comments

webb.christopher1d ago

14 views... that's brutal man. I mean going from 3,000 to 14 is like your video just got put in timeout in some dark corner of TikTok where nobody can find it. I've seen weird drops before but that's almost impressive how hard it fell off a cliff. Must have felt like you were shadowbanned or something without actually being shadowbanned.

the_henry1d ago

Yeah I saw a YouTube tech guy break down how the algorithm sometimes just randomly cuts your reach for no reason, like a glitch in the system. Could it be that your video got flagged by some automated filter that killed the push?