As a TikToker I’ve found timing is everything. Posting at the right times can get your video seen and reach more people.
Best times to post on TikTok are 6am-10am and 7pm-11pm with peak engagement at 9am and 10pm. These times are when most people are checking their phones before work/school and winding down in the evening.
I found weekdays tend to outperform weekends for TikTok posts. Tuesdays and Thursdays tend to have higher engagement, probably because people are looking for entertainment midweek.
Keep in mind these times can vary based on your audience and timezone so I recommend testing and analyzing your own analytics for best results.
Understanding TikTok’s Algorithm and User Behavior
1. How the Algorithm Affects Post Timing
TikTok For You Page (FYP) shows content based on a user’s past engagement. The algorithm loves content with high engagement – likes, comments, shares. When you post during active hours you’re more likely to get that engagement.
The algorithm looks at:
- Watch time: Longer views get shown to more people.
- Engagement: Likes and comments increase visibility.
- Shares: Content shared by users gets shown to a wider audience.
A video that does well in the first few hours will get shown to more people the next day. Timing your posts when your audience is online can boost these metrics big time.
2. Global vs Local Timing: Why Location Matters
Posting times vary based on where your audience is. A creator in New York might have a peak time that’s different from one in Tokyo. By knowing where most of your followers are you can post at their active hours.
To see where your audience is:
- Use TikTok Analytics for follower demographics.
- Consider timezones if you have an international audience.
This will help you post when most of your followers are online, whether locally or globally.
3. User Behaviour on TikTok: When Are Users Most Active?
TikTok’s audience is active at different times of the day and days:
- Weekdays: Engagement peaks in the mornings and evenings as people check TikTok around their schedules.
- Weekends: Saturdays and Sundays tend to have higher engagement as people spend more time on social media.
General patterns can help creators pick peak engagement times but you need to refine that by tracking your personal audience behaviour through analytics.
Analyze Your Audience
Understanding your TikTok audience is key to finding the best posting times. I recommend digging into your TikTok Analytics to get the goods.
First, go to the “Followers” tab to see when your audience is most active. This shows hourly and daily activity.
Next, go to the “Content” tab to see which of your videos perform well. Note the posting times of your top performing content.
Think about your target audience:
- Teens: Active after school and in the evenings
- Young adults: Active during lunch breaks or late at night
- Professionals: Active during commutes or after work hours
Don’t forget to consider timezones if you have a global audience. Test posting at different times and track the results.
Consistency is key. Once you find your optimal posting times, stick to a schedule to build audience expectations and engagement.
Best Days to Post on TikTok
Some days tend to get more engagement on TikTok. I’ve looked into the trends to find the best times to post for maximum reach and interaction.
Based on recent studies here’s a general guide for the best times to post on TikTok to get maximum reach:
| Day | Best Times for Posting |
|---|---|
| Monday | 6 AM – 10 AM, 7 PM – 11 PM |
| Tuesday | 2 AM – 9 AM |
| Wednesday | 7 AM – 9 AM, 8 PM – 10 PM |
| Thursday | 9 AM – 12 PM |
| Friday | 5 AM – 1 PM |
| Saturday | 11 AM – 1 PM |
| Sunday | 7 AM – 8 PM |
This shows times that tend to get more engagement. But remember every account is unique so testing is key.
Weekdays vs Weekends
In my experience weekdays tend to outperform weekends for TikTok posts. Monday to Friday, midweek is usually the most active.
Tuesdays and Thursdays tend to be the best. Users are in their work week routine but not yet planning for the weekend.
Wednesdays can also be good, midweek engagement boost. I’ve found mornings and early afternoons on weekdays to be the most effective.
Weekend performance varies. Saturdays can be slow, Sundays can be high as users wind down for the new week.
Event-Driven Peaks
Major events and holidays have a huge impact on TikTok engagement. I’ve seen big spikes during these times.
New Year’s Eve and Day see a lot of celebratory content. Valentine’s Day drives romantic and funny content. Halloween inspires costume videos.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday drive shopping content. Christmas and other winter holidays drive festive and family oriented content.
Cultural events like music festivals or award shows can create short term engagement spikes. Sporting events especially championships can trigger themed content waves.
Test posting to these events when relevant to increase visibility and engagement.
Times by Time Zone
TikTok posting times vary by time zone, when users are most active and engaged. I’ll break down the best posting times for major US time zones and international considerations.
U.S. Time Zones
For Eastern Time (ET), the best posting times are 6 AM – 10 AM and 7 PM – 11 PM. This timeframe captures engagement from both early risers and evening viewers.
In Central Time (CT), ideal posting times are 7 AM – 9 AM in the morning and 8 PM – 10 PM in the evening, making it a great window for those active during early and late hours.
For Mountain Time (MT), post between 7 AM – 9 AM and 8 PM – 10 PM. These hours align with active periods in the Mountain time zone for maximum reach.
Pacific Time (PT) users are most active between 9 AM – 11 AM and 8 PM – 10 PM. Posting during these times reaches both morning scrollers and evening users.
Here’s a quick table for US posting times:
| Time Zone | Morning Peak Times | Evening Peak Times |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern | 6 AM – 10 AM | 7 PM – 11 PM |
| Central | 7 AM – 9 AM | 8 PM – 10 PM |
| Mountain | 7 AM – 9 AM | 8 PM – 10 PM |
| Pacific | 9 AM – 11 AM | 8 PM – 10 PM |
International Posting Times
When targeting an international audience, consider these optimized time windows:
- For Europe (GMT), 11 AM – 2 PM aligns with lunchtime activity, providing broad coverage across European audiences.
- For Asia (JST), post between 6 AM – 9 AM and 9 PM – 12 AM to reach users during their morning commute and evening downtime.
- Australia (AEST) sees peak activity from 8 AM – 10 AM and 7 PM – 9 PM, ideal for connecting with Australian users before work and after dinner.
Here’s a table for the international posting times:
| Region | Morning Peak Times | Evening Peak Times |
|---|---|---|
| Europe (GMT) | 11 AM – 2 PM | – |
| Asia (JST) | 6 AM – 9 AM | 9 PM – 12 AM |
| Australia (AEST) | 8 AM – 10 AM | 7 PM – 9 PM |
Tracking your analytics helps you adapt to your unique audience’s activity patterns. Be mindful of cultural differences and local events that may affect engagement, and stay flexible to adjust your timing as trends evolve.
Content Specific Timing
Different types of TikTok content perform best at different times. I’ve found posting to specific content categories can increase engagement and reach.
Educational
I’ve found educational TikToks perform well during weekday mornings and early afternoons. Many users are looking for information during their commute or lunch break.
Posting 7-9 AM and 11 AM-1 PM on weekdays is best for educational content. These times are when people are most receptive to learning.
Try posting educational content on Sunday evenings too. Many users prepare for the week ahead and may be more likely to engage with informative content.
Entertainment
For entertainment TikToks I’ve found evenings and weekends are the best times. Users are looking for fun, light content during their downtime.
Posting 7-9 PM on weeknights gets higher engagement. Weekends, especially Saturday afternoons and evenings are great for entertainment content.
Try posting early morning (6-8 AM) for entertainment videos too. Many users check TikTok first thing in the morning for a morning pick me up.
Trending Challenges
Timing is everything for trending challenges on TikTok. I’ve found participating early in a trend’s life cycle can increase visibility and engagement.
Posting challenge videos within the first 24-48 hours of a trend emerging gets the best results. This allows you to ride the wave before the trend gets oversaturated.
Monitor the TikTok “Discover” page and trending hashtags daily to find new challenges. Post your challenge video within a few hours of seeing a new trend for maximum impact.
Frequency and Consistency
Posting on TikTok regularly is important to grow and maintain an audience. I recommend 1-3 posts a day to stay visible in users’ feeds. Consistency is key – better to post once a day than to post sporadically.
Quality always trumps quantity. I suggest focusing on good content rather than meeting a posting quota.
Try different posting frequencies to see what works for your audience. Some creators do multiple posts a day, others curate.
Here’s a sample posting schedule:
- Monday: 2 posts (morning and evening)
- Tuesday: 1 post (afternoon)
- Wednesday: 3 posts (morning, afternoon, evening)
- Thursday: 1 post (evening)
- Friday: 2 posts (morning and night)
- Weekend: 1-2 posts a day
Use TikTok’s scheduling feature to plan ahead and maintain a consistent posting schedule even during busy times.
Analyse your TikTok analytics to see when your followers are most active. Use this to adjust your posting strategy over time.
TikTok Analytics
TikTok’s built in analytics gives you valuable insights to optimise posting times and engagement. I’ll break down the key metrics and audience activity data to inform your content.
Engagement Metrics
I find tracking likes, comments and shares is key to seeing what my audience responds to. TikTok’s analytics dashboard shows these metrics clearly so I can see trends.
By looking at my top performing videos I can see what common factors are posting time, content type and hashtags. I can then replicate that in future content.
I look at watch time and video completion rates. These show me how engaging my content is and if viewers are watching to the end.
Audience Activity
TikTok gives me a detailed breakdown of when my followers are active on the platform. I use this to post during peak hours to get maximum visibility and engagement.
I look at my audience demographics, age, gender and location. This helps me tailor content and posting times to their preferences and time zones.
The “Follower Activity” chart in TikTok analytics shows hourly and daily patterns. I use this data to test posting at different times and see what works.
Global Events
Global events can impact TikTok posting times and engagement. I’ve found that major events around the world can change user behaviour and content consumption habits.
During international sports events like the World Cup I’ve noticed TikTok is more active during game times. Users are on the platform for real-time reactions and commentary.
Natural disasters or breaking news events make users flock to TikTok for updates and info. In these cases I’ve found posting timely content can get more engagement.
Cultural celebrations and holidays affect optimal posting times in different regions. I recommend adjusting your schedule to match these events for more reach.
Here are some global events that can impact TikTok engagement:
- Olympic Games
- Major elections
- Film awards
- Music festivals
- Viral internet challenges
Make sure to stay up to date with current events and trends. I recommend checking news sources and TikTok’s trending page to see if there’s any changes in user behaviour.
Adjust your posting schedule to match global events for maximum visibility and engagement on TikTok.
Seasonal Trends
TikTok usage patterns change throughout the year and I’ve found some key seasonal trends that impact the best posting times.
Summer (June-August) I’ve found engagement peaks later in the evening 9-11 PM. Many users are out enjoying the longer days and warmer weather and checking TikTok before bed.
Winter holiday season (November-December) sees more daytime activity. I’ve found lunchtime posts (12-2 PM) do well as people are browsing while on break from work or school.
Back to school season (August-September) sees more afternoon activity. Posts 3-5 PM reach students just getting home from school.
Here’s a quick seasonal posting guide:
Adjust your posting schedule to match these seasonal changes. Note: Major events or holidays within each season may change these patterns.
Also keep in mind that seasonal trends can vary by region and target audience. Check your own analytics to see what’s unique to your followers.
Testing and Learning
Test different posting times to see what works for your TikTok account. Every audience is different so results will vary.
Start posting at different times of the day and week. Track views, likes, comments and shares for each post.
After a few weeks of gathering data, analyse the results to see when your content is performing well.
TikTok Analytics can give you insights into your followers’ activity. Look at when your audience is most active on the app.
Don’t be afraid to post at unconventional times. Sometimes less competitive times can get your content more visibility.
Remember optimal posting times may change as your audience grows or changes. Reassess and adjust your strategy regularly.
Be patient during this process. Finding the ideal posting schedule often requires ongoing testing and refinement.
