Facebook allows users to upload and share videos on their platform. When you upload a video, you can view it as many times as you want on Facebook. A common question that arises is – does Facebook count or track how many times you view your own video? The short answer is yes, Facebook does keep track of how many times you view your own videos. However, this view count is not publicly displayed and is used mostly for internal analytics purposes.
Does Facebook Track Video Views?
Yes, Facebook does track the number of views on all videos hosted on their platform, including your own videos. When you upload a video, Facebook assigns it a unique ID which is tied to your account. Each time the video is played, whether by you or other viewers, the view is registered and counted against that ID.
Facebook uses this view count data internally to understand how videos are performing and being engaged with on their platform. It allows them to surface popular videos more prominently and also gives them insights into how to improve video experiences based on consumption patterns.
Why Doesn’t Facebook Show My Self-Views Publicly?
While Facebook counts your self-views, it purposefully does not add them to the public view counter displayed under your videos. There are a couple of reasons for this:
To prevent inflation of view metrics:
If your self-views were added to the public counter, it could misrepresent the true number of people who have actually seen the video. You could artificially inflate views by repeatedly playing your own video. So Facebook excludes your views to keep the view metric authentic.
To focus on real engagement from others:
The public view count is meant to show how many different people organically discovered and engaged with your content. Your own views don’t necessarily indicate that others found your video resonating. So Facebook strips them out to showcase genuine reach.
How Many Views Are Needed For Facebook to Count Your Video As ‘Popular’?
Facebook does not disclose an exact threshold for when they consider a video popular based on view count. However, based on observational data, it appears that videos start to get additional prominence and visibility on Facebook once they cross 1,000 views organically.
Reaching 10,000+ views on a video often results in it being featured more widely including places like Facebook Watch. 100,000+ views on a video typically means a very popular piece of content on Facebook.
However, view count alone is not the only metric Facebook uses to highlight engaging videos. Other factors like percentage of views from start to finish, comments, reactions and shares also play a role.
Does Facebook Track How Many Times I View My Videos in Analytics?
If you are a Facebook Page owner, you can access detailed analytics on your uploaded videos through Facebook Insights. Within these analytics, Facebook does track and show you the number of times you have viewed your own videos.
So while your self-views are not part of the public view counter, you can see the full breakdown including your own views in the video analytics dashboard for your Page.
Here are the steps to find your self-view count:
- Go to your Facebook Page
- Click on “Insights” in the left side menu
- Click on “Videos” on the horizontal navigation bar
- Select a specific video to see analytics
- Scroll down to the “Where Your Views Came From” section
- Look for the card showing percentage of views from “Video Owner”
This percentage and absolute number shows your own views of that video that contributed to its total view count.
Does Facebook Limit How Many Times I Can View My Own Videos?
Facebook does not impose any direct limit on how many times you can view your own videos. Their systems are designed to detect and prevent artificially inflated metrics. But they generally allow video owners reasonable freedom to view their own content.
That said, excessive repeated views of your own videos within a short time span may trigger Facebook’s safeguards against unusual activity. They might block or throttle your ability to continue viewing it if deemed suspicious.
Moderately re-watching your videos is fine. But avoid aggressively looping views or consistently replaying videos, as that behavior could risk your account being flagged by Facebook’s systems.
Tips to Organically Increase Views on Your Facebook Videos
While self-viewing your videos won’t help increase the public view counter, here are some legitimate ways to get more organic traction on your video content:
Optimize your video for distribution:
- Have a compelling thumbnail image/first frame
- Write descriptive, engaging captions
- Tag people and relevant Pages in your video
- Use hashtags where appropriate
Promote your video:
- Share your video proactively with friends/family
- Post in relevant Facebook Groups to spread to interested communities
- Run as an ad to new audiences who may enjoy your content
- Repurpose video for other platforms like YouTube, Instagram etc.
Analyze and optimize based on insights:
- Check when viewers are dropping off
- See demographic and location data
- Identify viewing patterns to inform your strategy
Create follow-up/series videos that viewers want:
- Ask viewers for suggestions in the comments
- Pay attention to which clips get better engagement
- Check which topics get better response
Conclusion
To summarize, Facebook does register when you view your own videos, but does not include those views in the public view count. Self-views are tracked in your analytics for insights, but you should rely on building organic reach rather than artificial self-promotion. Focus on creating quality content and distributing it effectively to drive more authentic viewership of your Facebook videos.