60 Days, From 17 to 535: How I Fought Back After Being Shadowbanned

1. The One-Sentence That Sums It All Up

60 days. From 17 followers to 535.

No paid promotions. No follow-for-follow. No friends or family boosting my views.

And it all happened under the weight of shadowbans, low reach, and algorithmic silence.

But I didn’t give up — because I’ve always believed that somewhere in this world, someone will still recognize honesty when they see it.

2. The Backstory: Being Frozen Out

On May 13, I officially started posting on TikTok. I had just 17 followers.

The first week went surprisingly well — I hit 100 followers in 7 days. I thought I was finally on the right track.

Then, the platform turned on me.

~My views started dropping sharply. New videos stayed in the single digits for hours.

~I kept seeing “Promote your video” buttons everywhere — pushing me to buy reach.

~Even though I worked hard on every video — clean visuals, consistent style, natural pacing — I wasn’t getting pushed to anyone’s feed.

~And then, the worst blow: one day I opened my drafts folder, and 28 saved videos had just… vanished. Gone.

That was the moment I realized:

It’s not that the platform didn’t see me.

It’s that it was punishing me for not paying.

3. The Ugly Truth About the “Fair Algorithm”

Let’s be honest: platforms don’t distribute traffic fairly.

They favor accounts that spend.

If you don’t pay, they quietly slap a label on you — “low potential creator.”

Even if your videos are solid, they throttle your reach, just enough to make you doubt yourself.

But I refused to quit.

I wanted to see how far I could get with just strategy, storytelling, and stubbornness — even when the platform gave me nothing.

4. How I Fought Back

a. I Took Matters Into My Own Hands

I stopped waiting to be “pushed.”

Instead, I went out and looked for viewers myself:

Every day, I browsed new accounts recommended by the system.

I focused on creators whose styles felt similar to mine.

I left warm, genuine comments — not fake compliments, but real emotional connections.

Slowly, people started visiting my page. Liking. Following. Engaging.

There were no shortcuts.

But it worked.

b. I Stayed Consistent With My Style

I posted one video a day, every day, for two months straight.

I didn’t copy trending formats or chase hashtags.

My videos stayed true to one vibe:

Poetic. Visual. Aesthetic.

Sunsets, ocean, hammocks, slow music.

Gentle edits. Honest emotions. Quiet beauty.

Even when I was deep in the shadowban zone, I didn’t switch it up.

Because I knew — only a consistent voice builds a real audience.

5. The Real Numbers (Not Inflated by Ads)

~May 13: Started with 17 followers

~May 20: Hit 100 followers after the first week

~May 20 — July 2: Gained just 62 followers in 40+ days (due to severe suppression)

~July 3 — July 10: Rebounded from 162 to 353 followers in one week

~July 11 — July 15: Growth continued organically, reaching 535

· All 535 of those people? I earned them. One by one. With no promotions, no mutual follows, and no tricks.

xXXXX

6. Final Words in One Line

The platform didn’t push me.

So I brought every follower back myself.

From 17 to 535 —

I made it.

Not with money, but with strategy, style, and stubborn belief.

7. A Note to Anyone Who’s Struggling

If you feel like the algorithm is freezing you out…

If your videos are thoughtful, but no one’s watching…

If you refuse to buy traffic, but also don’t want to quit —

Then please hear this:

You’re not bad. The platform just doesn’t want you to win (yet).

But you can choose to stay warm when the system turns cold.

You can keep showing up.

Keep creating.

Keep letting your honest voice cut through the silence.

We — those of us who don’t pay for traffic — can still be seen.

It might be slower.

But it’s real.

8. A Final Snapshot to Remember

From May 13 to July 15.

Exactly 60 days.

I went from 17 followers to 535.

Here’s what I didn’t do:

I didn’t buy ads

I didn’t swap follows

I didn’t ask friends to hype me up

Here’s what I did get:

Limited reach

Frozen drafts

28 views on videos I poured hours into

And still, I keep going.

The platform gave me nothing —

But I made a little light in the algorithm’s darkest room.

**If this story spoke to you, you can also find me on TikTok — I share more quiet moments like this there: https://www.tiktok.com/@thenikistylee?_t=ZP-8xomdxpZGgw&_r=1

Let’s keep creating — honestly, stubbornly, beautifully.

— by Lumi