The most common complaints when targeting Tier-1 countries sound like this: "My videos are in English, but they're still being watched in Russia and Kazakhstan," "My first few videos got 300 views, then nothing," or "I set everything up right, but my audience is from India." Almost always, the reason is one or more of the mistakes on this list, arranged from most to least common.
First, Diagnose the Problem
Before you start hunting for mistakes, identify your specific problem. Open the analytics for your last 5–10 videos.
| Symptom | Likely Cause |
|---|---|
| You're getting views, but from your home country | Conflicting device and network signals (Mistakes 2–6) |
| All videos consistently get 0–200 views | Account restriction (Mistakes 1, 9, 10) |
| The first video did well, then views dropped off | Content isn't retaining viewers or is repetitive (Mistakes 1, 7, 8) |
| Viewers are English-speaking, but not from the target country | This can be normal, or it could be your posting time (Mistake 11) |
| You get views, but watch time is low | Hook and format (Mistake 8) |
1. Re-uploading Content
The most common reason for zero views. The platform uses image and audio recognition to identify a video that has already been posted—on another of your accounts, by another creator, or on another platform with a watermark. Mirroring, color shifting, cropping the edges, and speeding it up by 5% won't help: the systems compare the content, not the file.
Consequences: The video won't be shown, and if you re-upload frequently, your entire account's reach can be restricted, affecting new, original videos as well.
What to do: Post only new videos. If you want to reuse old material, you must re-assemble it: use a different hook, a new cut, different opening frames, and a new voiceover. If your account is already restricted, stop posting re-uploads, delete them, and publish only original content for 2–3 weeks. If your reach doesn't recover, create a new account.
2. Using a SIM Card From Your Country
Your mobile carrier code is one of the strongest regional signals. Your language, time zone, and network can all point to the US, but a SIM card from a Russian or Kazakh operator will override them.
What to do: Take out the SIM card. Use your phone on Wi-Fi or with an eSIM from your target country.
3. Jumping Between Networks
One morning you use a VPN from one country, that afternoon your mobile data, and that evening another VPN. Every switch is a conflicting signal. Instability is more suspicious than any single, consistent option.
What to do: Use one dedicated IP address from your target country for everything, every day—from posting videos to scrolling your feed.
4. Using Free or Public VPNs
Platforms recognize the IP addresses of data centers used by thousands of people. Videos posted from these addresses get less reach or are shown to the wrong audience, and the account itself may face additional security checks.
What to do: Use a dedicated residential or mobile IP address from the target country. Check your IP with a detection service in your phone's browser: the provider's name shouldn't sound like a hosting company.
5. Leaving Geolocation On
The app sees your real coordinates, which makes all your other settings pointless.
What to do: Turn off location access for all social media apps or disable location services entirely.
6. Registering Your Account in the Wrong Region
If your phone was on your local network or had your local SIM card in it when you registered, the account's region was set incorrectly. TikTok only changes an account's region after receiving consistent signals from a new country for an extended period (creators report this takes about 90 days).
What to do: If the account is new and has few videos, it's easier to create a new one on a fully prepared phone.
7. Using Cyrillic Script Anywhere
A transliterated username, a Russian word in your profile description, a video caption, text on a thumbnail, a comment from your own account, a Russian hashtag. Every detail is a signal to the algorithm that the creator and their intended audience are Russian-speaking.
What to do: Go through your profile and recent videos. Everything must be in English only.
8. Creating Content for the Wrong Audience
Your settings are perfect, but your video is a translated joke that only makes sense in your local context. Or your hook is something like, "Hey everyone, today I'm going to tell you..."—the English-speaking feed moves much faster, and users will scroll right past openings like that.
What to do:
- Put the hook in the first 1–2 seconds: the result, a question, an unexpected shot.
- Use the "Adaptation" mode in a translator if your content relies on local cultural references.
- Check your retention: if more than half of your viewers leave in the first 3 seconds, the problem is your opening.
9. Using Copyrighted Music
Using a track downloaded from the internet and added during editing is a copyright violation. The platform will mute the audio or limit the video's reach, and repeat offenses can lead to account-wide restrictions.
What to do: Use music from the platform's library (added within the app during posting) or your own original audio.
10. Forgetting the AI-Generated Content Label
TikTok requires creators to label realistic AI content, including synthesized voices, and can detect it via metadata. An unlabeled video will likely be flagged automatically—and penalized with lower reach.
What to do: Enable the "AI-generated content" toggle when posting. The label itself doesn't hurt your reach.
11. Posting at the Wrong Time
When it's 7:00 PM in Moscow, it's noon in New York and 9:00 AM in Los Angeles. A video gets its first wave of views in the first hour. If your target audience is at work or asleep during that hour, the wave will be weak, and the video might be shown to people who are awake—viewers in other countries.
What to do: Post during the afternoon and evening in US Eastern Time (1:00 PM–9:00 PM ET, which is 8:00 PM–4:00 AM Moscow Time). Use the scheduling feature in TikTok Studio or Meta Business Suite.
12. Buying Engagement and Using "Follow-for-Follow" Schemes
Bought followers and views come from low-cost countries. The algorithm sees that your content is "popular" in India and Bangladesh and starts showing your videos there. Like-for-like groups produce the same result, just with Russian-speaking accounts.
What to do: Don't buy engagement. If you already have, it's easier to start a new account.
Troubleshooting Checklist
- Does your account have re-uploads or copyrighted music? → Delete them and post only original content going forward.
- Do you have a local SIM card in your phone? Is geolocation turned off?
- What IP address does your phone see right now? Is it the same one every day?
- Is there any Cyrillic script anywhere: profile, captions, thumbnails, comments?
- What time are your videos posted in US Eastern Time?
- How many viewers drop off in the first 3 seconds?
- Is the AI-generated content label enabled on videos with AI voices?
You'll often find two or three issues at once. Fix all of them, post 7–10 new videos, and then check your country stats again. Don't draw any conclusions for at least a week.