Two things that sound alike, and what separates them
Organic posts against Spark Ads, reach against impressions, a shadow ban against ordinary low reach. Definitions with their sources, and nothing to sell. These pages sell nothing. They exist because the support desk answers the same three questions every week, and a definition with its source is the most useful thing a site can host.
- Organic posts vs Spark AdsA Spark Ad is not a separate ad built from your video — it is your organic post, promoted. The difference that matters: every view, comment, share, like and follow the paid boost produces is attributed to the original organic post, so the engagement outlives the campaign. A standard in-feed ad sends people to a landing page; a Spark Ad keeps the post's social behaviour, including the profile tap and the follow button.Last checked
- Reach vs impressionsReach is the number of unique accounts that saw the content. Impressions is the number of times it was displayed, counting the same person twice if they watched twice — on TikTok the metric is labelled "total video views". One person who rewatches a video five times is one reach and five impressions, which is why the ratio between the two says more than either number alone.Last checked
- Shadow ban vs low reachThey look the same from the inside and they are not the same thing. A shadow ban is a platform restricting distribution without telling you; low reach is the algorithm simply not pushing a video. No platform confirms a shadow ban, so no tool — including this one — can detect one with certainty; anything claiming otherwise is inferring from reach patterns. What can be measured is whether your own behaviour looks automated, which is the part you control.Last checked