How to Fix Low Views on TikTok

Seeing your brand-new TikTok flatline around 200 or 300 views is incredibly frustrating. You spent time brainstorming, filming, and editing a great video, only for the algorithm to place it in what feels like video purgatory. This guide breaks down exactly why this happens and gives you a clear, actionable playbook to fix low view counts and get your content seen by the audience it deserves.

Understanding Why Your TikToks Get Stuck

First, let's clear up a myth: there is no official "200 view jail." When your video stops getting views around this number, it's not a penalty, it's a sign that your content didn't pass the algorithm's initial test. Think of it as a quality check. Here's a simplified breakdown of how it works:

1. Initial Push: When you post a video, TikTok shows it to a small test group. This includes a portion of your followers and a handful of users on the For You Page (FYP) who TikTok thinks might be interested.
2. Data Assessment: The algorithm closely watches how this initial group interacts with your video. It measures critical performance indicators, such as watch time, completion rate (what percentage of people watched the whole video), likes, comments, shares, and saves.
3. The Decision Point: If your video performs well with this test group - meaning people are watching it all the way through, engaging with it, and sharing it - TikTok sees it as quality content. It then pushes it out to a much larger audience.
4. The Stall: If the initial engagement is low, the algorithm concludes that the video isn't resonating with viewers and gradually stops pushing it to new For You Pages. This is when your view count stalls out.

Low views aren't a punishment. It's just the algorithm responding to audience behavior. The good news is that you have complete control over the factors that improve that initial performance.

Mastering the Fundamentals: Set Your Account Up for Success

Before you even hit record, optimizing your account and strategy is the first step toward getting more views. A weak foundation can undermine even the best video ideas.

Find a Clear Niche and Stick to It

The biggest mistake new creators make is trying to create content for everyone. When you post cooking videos on Monday, tech reviews on Wednesday, and travel vlogs on Friday, you send confusing signals to the algorithm. It doesn't know who to show your content to, so it shows it to a random mix of people, most of whom won't be interested.

Actionable Step: Define your niche clearly. Are you the go-to person for 30-minute vegan recipes? Are you helping new entrepreneurs navigate bookkeeping? Are you a woodworker building dog houses? Pick one thing and become a trusted voice in that space. A well-defined niche helps build a loyal community and teaches the algorithm exactly who your ideal audience is.

Optimize Your Profile for Clarity

Your profile is your digital handshake. In two seconds, a new visitor should understand exactly what you do and what kind of content they can expect. This helps convert profile visits into follows.

• Profile Picture: Use a clear, high-quality headshot or a clean logo. No one can connect with a blurry, far-away photo.
• Username: Make it simple, memorable, and reflective of your brand or niche (e.g., @TheFinanceFellow, @SimplifiedSkincare).
• Bio: Use the first line to state exactly who you serve and what value you provide. For example: "Helping small businesses master their social media," or "Simple baking recipes for busy people."

Analyze What’s Already Working

You don't need to reinvent the wheel. Spend 30 minutes scrolling the FYP or searching for keywords in your niche and find 5-10 videos that performed exceptionally well. Don’t just copy them - analyze them.

• What was the hook in the first 3 seconds? Was it visual, verbal, or text-based?
• What trending sound or video format did they use?
• How did they structure the video to keep people watching? Was there a story arc?
• What question did they ask in the caption to spark conversation?

Understanding why something went viral in your niche provides a blueprint you can adapt for your own original content ideas.

Actionable Content Strategies to Beat the Algorithm

With a solid foundation in place, it’s time to focus on creating videos that grab attention and hold it. The algorithm heavily favors content that keeps users on the app longer.

Hook Viewers in the First Three Seconds

The first three seconds of your TikTok are your entire sales pitch. If you don't instantly signal the value or intrigue, viewers will scroll away without a second thought. Your video's poor performance is often decided in this tiny window.

Examples of Strong Hooks:

• Start with a problem: "If your houseplants keep dying, you’re probably making one of these three mistakes."
• Show the end result first: Show a beautifully plated slice of cake before you start the recipe tutorial. Let the visual sell the video for you.
• Make a bold statement: "Stop using box dye. A professional hairstylist explains why."
• Ask a relatable question: "Am I the only one who cleans the kitchen before actually cooking?"
• Start mid-action: Open the video already pouring sauce over a dish or in the middle of a workout move. Skip formal introductions.

Create Content That Delivers Real Value

Value doesn't just mean educational. On TikTok, value can be one of four things: educational, entertaining, relatable, or inspirational. Your best videos will often blend two or more of these categories.

• Educational: Teach someone something. (e.g., a "3 Excel tips you didn’t know you needed" video.)
• Entertaining: Make someone laugh or feel joy. (e.g., a funny skit about remote work life.)
• Relatable: Make someone feel seen and understood. (e.g., a video on the struggle of putting toddlers to bed.)
• Inspirational: Motivate someone to take action or see things differently. (e.g., showing your journey paying off debt.)

Before posting, ask yourself: what is the viewer getting out of this video? If the answer is unclear, the content probably isn't strong enough yet.

Leverage Trending Audio Strategically

Using trending sounds helps your content get discovered, as TikTok often puts videos using a popular sound on the FYP. However, don't just jump on every trend. Find sounds that make sense for your niche and content style.

How to Find Good Trends:

• Pay Attention to Your FYP: When you hear the same sound 3-4 times in a single scrolling session, it’s likely trending.
• Look for the Arrow: Sounds on the rise often have a small arrow symbol next to them, indicating they're trending.
• TikTok's Creative Center: TikTok offers a free trends discovery tool where you can see which songs, hashtags, and creators are trending by region.

Pro Tip: The best time to jump on a trend is when a sound has between 10,000 and 100,000 uses. If it has millions, it's likely already oversaturated.

The Final Touch: Post-Production and Promotion Tactics

Your work isn’t over once the video is edited. How you package and post your content is the final piece of the puzzle.

Craft Compelling Captions and Calls-to-Action (CTAs)

Your caption should do one of two things: provide extra context that you couldn't fit in the video, or ask a question to drive comments. Engagement is a massive signal to the algorithm, and comments are especially powerful. Finish your caption with a direct Call-to-Action that tells the viewer exactly what to do next.

CTA Examples:

• "What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? Tell me in the comments!"
• "Save this post for your next workout session."
• "Share this with a friend who needs to hear it."

Use a Mix of Effective Hashtags

Spamming your video with 20 generic hashtags like #fyp and #viral won't help. The purpose of hashtags is to tell TikTok what your video is about, so it can classify it and show it to the right people. Use a combination of 3-5 hashtags.

• Broad Category Hashtag (1): Describes your general industry. (e.g., #marketing, #fitness)
• Niche-Specific Hashtags (2-3): Describes your specific topic. (e.g., #contentmarketingtips, #dumbbellworkouts)
• Video-Specific Hashtag (1): Describes exactly what is in the video. (e.g., #seostrategy2024, #bicepcurls)

Post When Your Audience is Most Active

Posting when your followers are online gives your video an immediate engagement boost, which helps kickstart the algorithmic process. You can find this data in your TikTok analytics.

1. Go to your Profile and tap the three lines in the top right corner.
2. Select Creator tools.
3. Tap Analytics, then navigate to the Followers tab.
4. Scroll down to find a chart showing the days and hours your audience is most active.

While this isn't a magic bullet, posting within those peak windows gives your content its best initial chance of success.

Final Thoughts

Getting more views on TikTok isn't about finding a single secret hack, it's about making a series of smart, strategic choices consistently. By focusing on creating genuinely valuable content with a strong hook, packaging it with clear captions and hashtags, and understanding the feedback loop of the algorithm, you can leave the 200-view club behind for good.

Consistency is such a challenge, especially when trying to manage your presence across multiple platforms. We actually built Postbase to tackle this head-on, particularly for creators who are all-in on short-form video. I plan all my TikToks and Reels for the week on a single visual calendar, customize the captions for each platform, and then schedule everything to post at the peak times without me being online. It frees me up from the stress of daily posting so I can focus on what really matters - creating great content.