1. Preliminary Warm-Up (Days 0-7) — The Essentials
| Day | Action | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 0 (first 24h) | No posting yet. Complete your profile photo, username, short bio, and add one outbound link. | Sudden bursts of activity look bot-like. A filled-in profile plus a quiet period is TikTok's baseline for human behaviour. |
| 0-1 | Scroll 30-60 min total, broken into natural sessions. Watch full videos and use Not Interested liberally. | Watch-through + deliberate skips train your For You Page. Aim for ~60% niche-relevant clips before your first upload. |
| 1-2 | Follow 5-15 accounts in your niche; leave 3-5 thoughtful comments. | A healthy follow/interaction ratio is an early trust score; abrupt mass-follows flag spam. In particular, getting likes from users in your niche is a great signal to TikTok. |
| 2-4 | Post 1-3 short clips per day. You can use Jollybot to generate content for you. | A gentle ramp lets TikTok stress-test your content without throttling reach; hitting 200+ views signals the warm-up is working. |
| Whole week | Stay on one device/IP, avoid profile edits, monitor completion-rate & view count in Creator Tools. | "One device, one account" still rules; erratic fingerprints wipe out trust capital fast. |
Ready to scale when:
- • ≥ 60% of your FYP is niche-relevant
- • First 2-3 posts reach 200+ views
- • No "0-view" glitches
2. Nice-to-Haves for Staying "Human" in TikTok's Eyes
While these are not strictly required, they will help you avoid trust-score dips or accidental flags.
- Warm-up scrolls (10–15 min before posting)
- • Watch a handful of full-length videos in your niche.
- • Like or comment on 3–5 clips you genuinely enjoy.
- • Purpose: primes the algorithm with real-user signals so your next upload arrives from an "active viewer," not a dormant bot.
- Balanced engagement ratio
- • Aim for roughly 1 genuine comment or reply for every post you publish.
- • Mix short reactions ("🔥") with thoughtful sentences to look natural.
- Daily micro-checks—even on non-posting days
- • Spend at least five minutes watching, saving, or sharing content.
- • Abrupt "ghost days" followed by a sudden post can trigger spam heuristics.
- Diverse interaction types
- • Rotate between likes, comments, saves, shares, and profile taps.
- • Monoculture behaviour (e.g., only liking) looks scripted.
- Steady follow cadence
- • Follow 2–4 relevant creators per day instead of bulk-following in bursts.
- • Unfollows: keep under 10% of total follows per week to avoid churn flags.
- Reply to comments within the first hour
- • The algorithm scores creator responsiveness; quick replies boost early momentum and prove you're present, not scheduling-and-ghosting.
- Avoid drastic profile edits post-upload
- • Changing username, bio, or link immediately after posting can reset trust metrics. If edits are needed, do them before the warm-up scroll.
- Consistent device & network footprint
- • Stick to the same phone + IP when possible. If you must switch (e.g., to a work device), engage normally for a session before posting from it.
- Soft log-off strategy
- • After posting, stay active for another 10 minutes: answer early comments, watch a few more videos, leave a couple of likes. Then exit naturally.
- Weekly health audit
- • Check Creator Tools for dips in completion-rate or audience overlap. Sudden drops can indicate an undisclosed flag—pause uploads and focus on interaction for 24–48h to recover.
Follow these "human-proofing" habits and your account will keep building trust while you create, rather than risking hidden throttles or shadow bans.
3. Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- • Mass-liking or follow-unfollow games during week 1.
- • Re-uploading identical clips—TikTok down-ranks duplicates immediately.
- • Switching SIMs, devices, or VPN endpoints mid-warm-up. Device identity > geo for trust scoring.
4. Key Takeaways
- • Treat your first week like onboarding a new employee: orientation before heavy lifting.
- • Warm-up = slow, human-looking interactions plus a trickle of high-signal content.
- • Once trust is earned, lean on TikTok's 2025 toolset—AI scripts, Creative Center, Footnotes—to accelerate growth without tripping rules.
5. Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: How long should the warm-up phase last?
A: One week is usually enough if your FYP is showing mostly niche content. Larger brands or risk-averse teams can extend to two weeks for extra safety.
Q2: Can I schedule posts during the warm-up?
A: Yes, but schedule no more than 1-3 posts per day, keep timings organic (e.g., not exactly on the hour every day), and avoid batch uploads on day 1.
Q3: Does deleting under-performing videos hurt?
A: Deleting a handful of low-view clips after 48 hours is fine, but mass deletions send negative signals. Better to leave them and focus on improving future content.
Q5: What if I need to log in from multiple devices?
A: Keep it to two verified devices max, both on familiar IP addresses. If a social media manager must log in remotely, use TikTok's Business Centre to grant access rather than sharing credentials.
Q6: How quickly can I scale to daily posts?
A: If you maintain ≥ 75% view-through and healthy engagement for two consecutive weeks, ramping to daily (or twice-daily) posts is generally safe. Quality over quantity still wins.