TikTok has exploded in popularity over the past few years, becoming one of the most widely used social media platforms globally. With over 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok offers immense potential reach and engagement for content creators.
However, simply posting content is not enough – you need followers to actually see your videos in their feeds. This is where timing comes into play. The time of day and day of the week you post can significantly impact the views, likes, comments, and shares your TikTok videos receive. Posting at the optimal times when your target audience is most active on the platform is key to maximizing engagement.
The goal of this article is to break down the best times to post on TikTok based on data analysis and expert recommendations. We will examine factors like when your followers are online, TikTok algorithm patterns, weekday vs weekend differences, and category-specific insights. Using these tips will help develop an optimal TikTok posting strategy tailored for your audience and content style.
TikTok’s Algorithm
Understanding how TikTok’s For You Page (FYP) algorithm works can help you determine the best times to post. The FYP algorithm is designed to show users videos that they will find engaging and interesting. Some key factors that influence which videos appear in a user’s FYP include:
User interactions – Videos that a user likes, comments on, shares, etc. will signal to the algorithm that they want to see more of that type of content.
Video quality – Higher quality videos in terms of content, captions, hashtags, etc. tend to get shown to more people.
Account follower count – Having more followers on an account can help videos get into more FYPs initially.
Post recency – More recently posted videos often get priority in being shown to viewers upon upload.
According to this source, no one knows exactly how the FYP algorithm works. But by creating high-quality, engaging content and aiming to satisfy users, you can increase your chances of being widely recommended by the algorithm.
When Your Followers Are Online
One of the best ways to determine when to post is by analyzing when your followers are most active on TikTok. You can check your TikTok analytics to see peak times for likes, comments, shares and views. This will show you when your current audience is engaging with your content the most.
It’s important to consider the time zones of your main audience base when looking at this data. For example, if you have a large U.S. audience, pay attention to peaks during U.S. daytime hours. You may see lower engagement in the very early morning when most of your followers are asleep.
Tools like Shoplus allow you to see detailed TikTok follower analytics and insights to optimize your posting times.
TikTok Trends by Time of Day
The type of content that performs best on TikTok varies significantly by time of day. Studies have shown clear differences in engagement patterns for morning, afternoon, and evening.
Mornings on TikTok tend to be dominated by videos focused on starting the day in an inspiring or humorous way. Trending hashtags often relate to breakfast, coffee, motivation, and morning routines. Upbeat dance videos and comedy sketches also tend to do well in the morning. According to research by Buffer, mornings are often a peak time for food videos as people look for recipe inspiration before lunch.
In the afternoon, engagement shifts more towards general entertainment, humor, memes, and pop culture. Challenges and viral trends frequently take off in the afternoon and early evening as teens get out of school. Music and lip-syncing videos often peak in the late afternoon and early evening. According to Hootsuite, DIY and crafts videos also tend to perform very well from around 2pm to 6pm.
In the evenings, TikTok trends take on a more relaxing vibe. Things like satisfying art videos, ASMR, calming nature scenes and lo-fi music are popular before bed. Hashtags related to “cozy” and “self-care” content gain traction in the evenings according to research by Later (https://later.com/blog/best-time-to-post-on-tiktok/).
So in summary, inspirational morning videos, funny afternoon entertainment, and relaxing evening content tend to match natural engagement cycles throughout the day on TikTok.
Optimal Times for Each Category
The best times to post on TikTok can vary depending on your content category. Here are some of the top times to post for popular TikTok categories according to analytics firm Wallaroo Media [1]:
Comedy
For comedy videos, the peak times are Wednesday at 5 PM, Friday at 10 AM, and Sunday at 4 PM. Comedy content tends to do well when people are looking to take a break and be entertained.
Dance
The best times for dance videos are Tuesday at 3 PM, Thursday at 10 AM, and Sunday at 5 PM. Dance challenge trends often spike during these times when teens are out of school.
Food
Optimal times for food content are 11 AM on Tuesday, Wednesday at 1 PM, and 8 PM on Saturday. Food videos get engagement around mealtimes and weekends.
Weekday vs Weekend
Engagement patterns on TikTok tend to differ between weekdays and weekends. During the week, the most engagement happens in the evenings after school or work. But weekends often see more activity during the day and early evening.
On Saturdays, the best times to post are typically around 11 AM, 7 PM, and 8 PM according to The Best Time To Post on TikTok (and Worst). These times catch people during leisure hours on a Saturday.
For Sundays, late morning or early afternoon tends to see high engagement. Many users spend Sunday relaxing or prepping for the upcoming week. Posting between 11 AM and 2 PM can reach people during their downtime. Just avoid very early morning on weekends when fewer users are actively scrolling.
In summary, target the after-school and evening hours during weekdays. Then aim for mid-morning through early evening on weekend days. Adjusting your posting times for the different rhythms of weekday versus weekend activity can help boost your TikTok engagement.
Avoid Overcrowding
TikTok is most crowded in the early evenings on weekdays around 5-8 PM local time when many users are winding down after work or school. Posting during these peak hours means having a lot more competition for views. Your content can easily get lost in the shuffle.
Instead, consider posting either earlier in the day or later at night to stand out more. For example, posting at 10 AM could let your content shine before the day’s rush begins. Or posting at 10 PM reaches night owls after the crowds have died down. Checking TikTok analytics can help identify lower-traffic windows.
As this article notes, “To avoid competing with every other TikTok user for attention, post when viewer counts are below average.” Spreading out your posts throughout low-traffic times can help each one get more visibility.
Test Different Times Yourself
The best way to determine when to post for your own account is to test out different times and see what generates the most engagement. TikTok’s algorithm is complex and your audience may be different than general trends.
Try posting at different times of day and days of the week. Track how each video performs in terms of views, likes, comments, shares, etc. over the first few hours after posting. This will reveal when your followers are most active on TikTok and engaging with your content.
Pay attention to when you receive spikes in engagement. Is it consistently at a certain time of day or day of week? That’s likely the optimal time to post for your audience.
Keep experimenting until you determine what works best rather than relying on general rules. Every account is unique, so put in the work to figure out when your followers are on TikTok and serve them content when they’re most likely to interact.
Use Posting Tools
A good option for optimizing your TikTok posting times is to utilize social media management and scheduling tools. These tools can provide analytics and insights to help determine your audience’s most active hours. They can also schedule posts in advance at optimal times.
Some popular TikTok scheduling tools include:
- Iconosquare (https://influencermarketinghub.com/tiktok-scheduling-tools/) – Provides audience insights and scheduling options.
- Sprout Social (https://www.meltwater.com/en/blog/best-tiktok-scheduling-tools) – Analytics and scheduling features for TikTok and other platforms.
- Crowdfire (https://bloggingwizard.com/tiktok-scheduling-tools/) – Schedules and manages TikTok posts based on past performance data.
The scheduling and analytics these tools provide can be very helpful for optimizing the timing of your TikTok posts. They give suggestions based on when your followers are most active and when your past posts have performed best. This takes a lot of the guesswork out of determining the optimal posting times.
Consistency Matters More
While timing your posts strategically can help, the most important factor on TikTok is consistency. Regular posting is more critical than finding the “perfect” time to post. The algorithm rewards accounts that post consistently, so focus first on finding a sustainable posting schedule that works for you and stick to it.
Aim to post at least once per day, especially when you’re just starting out and trying to build an audience. As your following grows, you may be able to scale back to posting a few times per week. But avoid long gaps without any new content, which can cause your views and engagement to plummet.
The key is figuring out a realistic cadence based on your available time and resources. You don’t need to post multiple times a day to see success. Just ensure you’re posting often enough to stay top of mind with followers.
While timing optimally around peak hours can give your content a slight boost, it’s not worth stressing too much about. Far better to post daily at a convenient time than hold out for the “perfect” slot. Consistency trumps timing every time on TikTok.
