How to Warm-Up a New TikTok Account in 7 Days (and Avoid the Shadow-Ban Trap)

Why “warming up” matters

A brand-new handle with zero history looks suspicious to TikTok’s anti-spam models. If you post aggressively on day one—especially recycled or AI content—your reach may be capped for weeks (a “soft shadow-ban”). A systematic warm-up:

Traint the algo on your niche signals.
Boosts your initial Trust & Safety score.
Increases the odds that your first real videos land on relevant For You Pages.

How TikTok Scores New Accounts

TikTok won’t publish its formula, but data from creator analytics and leaked moderation docs point to three early signals:

Behaviour— organic interactions before posting (scroll time, comments, follows).
Content Quality— originality, audio libraries, caption style, duplicate detection.
Velocity— sudden spikes in posting or follow/unfollow patterns.

Pre-Launch Checklist (15 min)

✅ Unique SIM-verified phone # and e-mail (avoid recycled numbers).

✅ Username matches niche keywords (e.g. @HistoryByte rather than @User18371).

✅ Profile photo or logo in 1080×1080; no blank avatar.

✅ 80-120-char bio with 1-2 keywords + personality.

✅ Link placeholder (“More soon 🔗”)—add real URL after Day 4.

✅ Three accounts to follow in your niche (competitors & inspirations).

7-Day Warm-Up Schedule

Day 0 – Settle In

Scroll 15 min in your niche; like 10 clips, save 3.
Leave 5 value comments >10 words (real sentences).Goal: teach the algorithm what you want to see.

Day 1 – Silent Observer

Repeat 15-min scroll.
Follow 5 more creators.
No posting yet.

Day 2 – Micro-Engage

Comment on 10 videos.
Reply to at least 3 comment threads.
Still no posts; we’re building behavioural legitimacy.

Day 3 – First Soft Post (No CTA)

Publish 1 short (6-9 s) using a trending sound.
Caption: single sentence + two niche hashtags + one broad (#historyshorts #learnontiktok #fyp).
No external links or “link in bio” language yet.

Day 4 – Second Post + Trending Sound

15-30 s educational or meme clip.
Three hashtags max.
Pin a creator reply comment to spark discussion.

Day 5 – Interactive Post

Use TikTok’s poll or Q&A sticker.
Respond to every comment within 2 h (boosts dwell time).

Day 6 – Add External Link + Soft CTA

Edit bio → add Link-in-bio URL.
Post #4 (value + subtle CTA): “Full workflow link in bio.”
Goal watch-time: >55 %.

Day 7 – Ramp to Daily Cadence

Switch to one post per day (or auto-schedule with ShortsPro).
Start testing hooks & formats; keep comments/replies high for the first hour after each post.

Engagement KPIs to Watch

Avg. Watch-Time ≥50 % of video length.
Profile Views ÷ Video Views ≥2 %.
Follows per 1 k views ≥20. Hit these and your account is considered “healthy” for scaling.

Mistakes That Trigger Reach Throttling

🚫 Posting 5+ videos on day one.

🚫 Copy-pasting identical captions or hashtags.

🚫 Downloading & re-uploading other people’s clips without edits.

🚫 Mass-following/unfollowing (>40/day).

🚫 Aggressive external links or discount codes in first post.

Automate the Boring Parts with ShortsPro

ShortsPro AutoMode allows you to set up your video creation format once and set it and forget it.
Use Auto-Captions (MrBeast preset) to hit the 0-2 s hook every time.
Auto-schedule posts at optimal times discovered during warm-up (e.g. 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.).

FAQ

Q: Can I just buy an aged TikTok account?

A: You can, but mismatch in niche behaviour often tanks reach. Warm-up still required.

Q: How many hashtags should I use during warm-up?

A: 2–3 max; use one broad (#fyp) and 1–2 niche tags. TikTok cares more about content signals than tag stuffing.

Q: Can all my Day 3-7 posts be AI-generated faceless videos?

A: Yes—if they’re unique. ShortsPro auto-mixes B-roll, voice, and captions so TikTok flags them as original content.