# Read a TikTok traffic source breakdown

Start with the report you actually have: account or individual video, date window and the metric being split. Copy its category names and values exactly. A source share describes that report's distribution, not the number of customers or a universal explanation for performance.

Account or video reference:
Report scope:
Extraction date:
Date window and time zone:
Exact metric being split:
Exact source categories shown:
Values are counts or percentages:
Reported denominator if supplied:
Rounded values or missing categories:
Traffic changes observed:
Other content or distribution changes:
Questions the breakdown cannot answer:
Next useful content or reporting check:


## Copy the report before interpreting it

"Field","Record","Avoid"
"Scope","Account or exact video","Treating an account report as one video's result"
"Category","The exact label in your available report","Assuming a fixed menu or category list"
"Value","Reported count or percentage","Replacing rounded percentages with supposedly exact counts"
"Denominator","The source's stated base if supplied","Assuming it counts unique people"
"Window","Date range and extraction time","Comparing different periods without noting them"


## Fictional percentage-only example

"Illustrative category","Reported share","Interpretation"
"Source A","60%","Largest reported share in this example"
"Source B","25%","One quarter under the example's assumed metric"
"Source C","15%","Remaining reported share"


## Choose a useful follow-up

The fictional category names deliberately do not claim which labels or fields your account currently provides. If the report supplies only percentages, it does not supply exact source counts. A change in share can also reflect a change in the other categories.

Pair the breakdown with the actual content, viewing and enquiry questions you are investigating. It cannot establish why an algorithm distributed a post, whether a viewer is a customer or which content change caused the observation.

## Keep the limits visible

- [ ] Scope and date window are clear.

- [ ] Actual report labels are preserved.

- [ ] Counts and percentages are not mixed.

- [ ] Unavailable fields remain unavailable.

- [ ] Content decisions use additional relevant evidence where needed.