PostEaseA slow first few seconds
Since the video itself, and how people react in the first few viewers, drives distribution far more than hashtags or captions, an opening that takes several seconds to get to the point gives viewers a reason to swipe away before the video has a chance to prove itself.
Posting content that looks like an ad
Polished, promotional-looking content underperforms relative to something that looks native to the app: filmed on the spot, a real person talking. A business account that never loosens the tone it uses elsewhere tends to see this show up as weak reach with no obvious cause.
Relying on generic hashtags for discovery
Since hashtags now function mostly as categorization rather than placement, leaning on broad, universally used tags to reach the For You Page does little. A specific, niche-relevant tag helps the system understand the video. A generic one barely does.
Giving up on a format after one weak video
A single underperforming video in a new format is not strong evidence the format does not work. Performance varies video to video for reasons that are not always obvious. A handful of genuine attempts is a fairer test than the first try alone.