How to See Video Analytics on TikTok
Want to know why one of your TikTok videos went viral while another one flopped? The answers are hiding in your video analytics. This guide will walk you through exactly where to find the performance data for every video you post and, more importantly, how to actually interpret what those numbers mean for your growth.
First Things First: You Need a Business Account
Before you can get access to any performance data, you need to switch your standard TikTok account to a Business Account. Don't worry, it's free, only takes a few seconds, and gives you access to a suite of powerful analytics tools, the ability to add a link in your bio, and more. If you've already done this, you can skip to the next section.
Here’s how to make the switch:
Open the TikTok app and go to your Profile page.
Tap the three horizontal lines (the "hamburger" menu) in the top-right corner to open Settings and privacy.
Select Account.
Tap on Switch to Business Account and follow the on-screen prompts.
You'll be asked to choose a category that best describes your content or brand (e.g., 'Media/Entertainment', 'Beauty', 'Education'). This just helps TikTok understand your niche.
That's it! TikTok will start gathering data on your account immediately. Keep in mind that analytics are not retroactive, meaning you’ll only see performance data for videos posted after you switch to a Business Account.
How to See Analytics for a Specific TikTok Video
There are two simple ways to check the analytics for any individual video you've posted. Both lead to the same dashboard.
Method 1: From the Video Itself
This is the quickest way to check stats on a recent video.
Open the TikTok app and play the video you want to analyze.
On the video screen, tap the More data button on the left sidebar, or tap the three dots (...) on the right sidebar.
From the menu that appears, select Analytics. It usually has a small bar chart icon next to it.
Method 2: From Your Profile Grid
This method is great for finding and comparing older videos without having to scroll endlessly through your feed.
Go to your Profile page.
Tap on the thumbnail of the video you’re interested in.
Once the video starts playing, tap the More data panel on the left or the three dots (...) on the right.
Tap Analytics to open the performance dashboard for that specific video.
Breaking Down Your Video Analytics: What Each Metric Means
Once you tap "Analytics," you'll be taken to a detailed dashboard. It can look like a lot of numbers at first, but each one tells a part of your video's story. Let’s break it down into four main sections: Overview, Performance, Audience, and Traffic Sources.
The 'Overview' Tab: A Quick Performance Snapshot
This tab gives you the high-level engagement numbers. These metrics are the foundation for understanding how viewers reacted to your video.
Views: The total number of times your video has been played. A "view" is counted the instant a video starts playing.
Likes: The simplest form of positive feedback. While great for validation, the algorithm values watch time more.
Comments: A strong indicator of engagement. Comments tell the algorithm that your content sparked a conversation and is worth showing to more people.
Shares: Shares are a huge signal of value. When someone shares your video with a friend or on another platform, they are endorsing your content. The algorithm heavily favors videos with high share counts.
Favorites (or Saves): When a user saves your video to their Favorites, they're signaling that your content is useful or entertaining enough to come back to later. This is a strong indicator of quality, especially for educational or instructional content.
The 'Performance' Tab: The Secret to Going Viral
This is arguably the most important section. These metrics show you how long people actually watched your video, which is the number one thing the TikTok algorithm cares about. If you can hold a viewer's attention, TikTok will reward you with more reach.
Total Play Time: This shows the cumulative time all users have spent watching your video. While interesting, it’s not as revealing as the next two metrics.
Average Watch Time: This is the average duration a viewer spent watching your video before swiping away. A higher average watch time is always better. For a 30-second video, an average watch time of 25 seconds is amazing. An average time of 5 seconds suggests your intro isn't hooking people in.
Watched Full Video: This metric shows the percentage of viewers who watched your video from beginning to end. This is a goldmine. If you have a high percentage here, it means your content is incredibly compelling. High completion rates tell the algorithm to push your video to a much wider audience on the For You page.
Pro Tip: Compare the Average Watch Time to your video's total length. If people are dropping off significantly in the first 3-5 seconds, work on creating a stronger, more intriguing hook at the beginning of your next videos.
The 'Audience' Tab: Who Watched Your Video?
Knowing who is watching your content helps you tailor future videos to the right audience. This is crucial for brands and creators looking to build a dedicated community.
Total Viewers: The number of unique users who saw your video. This will often be slightly less than total views, as some people may have watched it multiple times.
New Followers: The number of people who followed you directly after or while watching this specific video. If a video brings in a lot of followers, you've likely hit on a topic or style that resonates deeply with your target audience. Make more content like it!
Viewer Demographics & Top Locations: This breaks down your viewers by gender, age, and location (countries and sometimes cities). Is your audience who you thought it was? If you’re a local business and seeing lots of viewers from another country, you might want to adjust your content, sounds, or hashtags to attract a more local audience.
The 'Traffic Sources' Tab: How People Discovered Your Video
This section shows you exactly where your views came from. Understanding these sources is key to figuring out how your content is getting discovered.
For You: This is the percentage of views from the "For You" page (FYP), TikTok's main discovery feed. A high percentage here (ideally 70%+) means the algorithm has picked up your video and is showing it to a broad audience who don't already follow you. This is the primary driver of viral videos.
Following: Views from users who already follow your account. This is your initial audience. Strong engagement from this group helps push your video to the FYP.
Profile: Views from people who visited your profile and tapped on the video. This suggests your profile is interesting enough to make people explore your other content.
Sound: Views from people who discovered your video by tapping on the sound you used from another video. Using trending sounds can be a great way to get discovered.
Search: Views from users who found your video after searching for a specific keyword or hashtag. This highlights the importance of using relevant, descriptive text and hashtags in your video captions so you show up in search results.
Other: A catch-all for views from other miscellaneous sources.
Turning TikTok Analytics into Actionable Growth Strategies
Data is useless if you don't do anything with it. Here are a few ways to use these insights to create better content and grow your account:
1. Identify Your Content “Pillars”
Go through the analytics of your 10-15 most recent videos. Find the 2-3 videos with the highest Average Watch Time and Watched Full Video percentages. What do they have in common? Was it the topic? The editing style? The hook you used in the first three seconds? This pattern is your key to making more content that holds attention.
2. Double Down on High-Follower Videos
Look for videos that generated a high number of New Followers. This is a direct signal of what your ideal audience wants to see. If a video tutorial on "how to plan your content calendar" got you 100 new followers, consider making a Part 2 or a deeper dive on a related topic.
3. Optimize Your Posting Time
While individual video analytics don't show the exact time of viewer activity, your main account analytics do. Go to Settings and Privacy > Creator Tools > Analytics > Followers. Scroll down to "Follower activity" to see the hours and days your followers are most active. Posting just before these peak times gives your video a better chance of getting initial traction.
4. Discover Winning Sounds and Topics
Check the traffic sources for your best videos. If you notice a high percentage of views came from a particular Sound, consider using it again. If a video performed well through Search, look at the hashtags and keywords you used and incorporate similar ones into future posts.
Final Thoughts
Regularly checking your TikTok video analytics empowers you to move beyond guessing what works and start making strategic, data-driven decisions. By understanding not just the "what" but the "why" behind your video performance, you can systematically improve your content, serve your audience better, and unlock serious growth on the platform.
We know that juggling analytics from TikTok, Instagram, Facebook Ads, Shopify, and everywhere else can quickly become overwhelming. At Graphed, we make it easy by connecting all your data sources into one central place. Instead of spending hours pulling reports, you can ask in plain English for a real-time dashboard comparing all your marketing efforts, helping you see the full picture - from the first ad click to the final sale - in seconds.