With over 150 million monthly active users in the U.S. alone, TikTok has exploded in popularity over the past few years. The viral short-form video app is especially popular among Gen Z, with 67% of its users being between the ages of 10 and 29. With so many eyeballs on TikTok, brands and creators are keen to figure out the best practices for gaining traction on the platform. One key question is: when’s the best time to post? Should you aim for weekends or weekdays? And how does Sunday in particular stack up compared to other days? Read on for a data-driven look into optimal TikTok posting times.
Weekend vs Weekday Usage
Weekend usage on TikTok tends to be higher than weekday usage, according to multiple sources. On Saturdays, engagement peaks between 11am and noon, with lower peaks around 7pm and 8pm in the evening (RecurPost). Sundays see the most usage in the late afternoon around 3-5pm. Weekends allow more leisure time for users, leading to increased engagement (Buffer).
On weekdays, engagement is still high but more concentrated around commute times like 7-9am and 5-7pm. Lunch hours around noon also see spikes on weekdays as people are on their breaks (Hootsuite). Weekends have a more relaxed pace allowing for sustained engagement throughout the day and evenings.
Sunday Usage Data
Several analytics studies show that Sunday has high levels of engagement and viewership on TikTok. According to Buffer data, Sunday evenings tend to see strong traffic and engagement on TikTok between 5 and 10 PM Eastern Time. This is likely driven by users relaxing and scrolling TikTok on Sunday nights. One study by Influencer Marketing Hub found engagement rates peak around 8 PM on Sundays.
When looking at overall post volume and competition, Sundays tend to be lighter than weekdays. According to Trackalytics, Sundays have 13% fewer posts on average compared to Thursdays. This means there may be less competition for engagement on Sundays versus high-traffic weekdays.
Overall, data indicates Sundays, especially Sunday evenings, are a high-traffic time on TikTok with strong engagement levels. The more relaxed weekend vibe and lower competition levels present opportunities for accounts looking to drive viewership. Targeting Sunday evening in the U.S. with compelling content could be an impactful posting strategy.
Best Times to Post
Research shows that the best times to post on TikTok on Sundays are in the early morning and mid-afternoon. Specifically, Sundays at 7 a.m., 8 a.m., and 4 p.m. ET tend to see high engagement and views. According to Shopify, Sunday mornings capture people checking their phones first thing after waking up. Afternoons are also strong as people relax and scroll during free time. Scheduling videos for these high traffic periods can help reach the most users.
Competition Level
Sundays tend to have lower competition compared to other days of the week on TikTok. According to a study by Influencer Marketing Hub, Sunday has the lowest amount of total video uploads among all days at 13.1%. This suggests there is less competition for views and engagement on Sundays versus high-traffic days like Friday or Saturday.
With fewer users actively posting and engaging with content on Sundays, creators have a better chance of standing out in the TikTok algorithm. Their videos are more likely to gain traction and rank higher in feeds. Lower competition presents a strategic opportunity to maximize reach. Overall, Sunday’s lower competition levels make it an opportune day to post compared to busier days.
Content Types
According to analysis of top Sunday posts, some of the best-performing content formats on Sundays include:
- Dance trends and challenges – Sundays are a popular day for users to try out new dances and participate in viral challenges. Fun, upbeat dance content tends to do very well.
- Cooking and food content – Posts related to meal prepping, cooking tutorials, food hacks, and Sunday brunch tend to get high engagement.
- DIY and crafts – Creative content like DIY projects and arts and crafts are a hit with the Sunday afternoon crowd.
- Fashion and beauty – Outfit of the day posts, makeup tutorials, and styling videos are widely viewed on Sundays when people have more free time.
- Family and pet content – Cute, funny, or heartwarming posts with family members and pets are perfect for Sundays when people are spending time at home.
Overall, lighthearted, entertaining content that aligns with Sunday leisure activities performs best. Trending topics like dance challenges, cooking, and family/pet content are smart choices.
Hashtag Strategy
When posting on Sundays, it’s important to use relevant hashtags to help reach the right audience. Some popular hashtags to try on Sundays include:
#sunday – This is the top hashtag for any Sunday content, with over 56 million posts on TikTok (Source). Use it to reach the broadest Sunday audience.
#sundayfunday – For more upbeat, fun content, try this hashtag. It has over 3 million posts.
#selfiesunday – If you’re posting a selfie or outfit photo, add this hashtag. There are over 1 million posts.
#sundayvibes – Capture the relaxing weekend vibe with this hashtag used on over 2 million posts.
#sundaymorning – For early morning posts, this can help target that audience.
#sundaybrunch – Lifestyle and food content often uses this brunch-related hashtag.
In addition to generic Sunday hashtags, also try incorporating hashtags related to your specific content or niche.
Influencer Marketing
Sundays can be a great day to work with influencers and run promotions on TikTok. According to research, Sundays see high engagement from users, especially in the evenings, so it’s an opportune time to get content in front of a large audience (https://influencermarketinghub.com/best-times-to-post-on-tiktok/). When partnering with influencers, aim to have them post Sunday evenings to capitalize on the engaged users. You can also have influencers go live on Sundays or utilize other interactive features like duets and stitching to generate buzz. To maximize reach, focus hashtag campaigns and influencer promotions during the peak hours of 5-9pm on Sundays. Track performance to see when your target audience is most active. With the right influencer partnerships and smart timing, Sundays can drive strong results.
Analytics Review
You can analyze how your Sunday videos perform using TikTok’s built-in analytics. Go to the Analytics section of TikTok Creator Tools. Look at metrics like impressions, engagement rate, viewers, likes, comments, shares, follows, profile views, etc. Compare Sunday performance to other days. See if your Sunday videos get more or less engagement than other days. Check if there are differences in performance based on time of day. See if certain types of content or hashtags work better on Sundays.
For example, you may find that lifestyle content does very well at 7-8AM on Sundays, while dance challenges see higher engagement at 4PM. You can then optimize your posting strategy accordingly. Review the audience demographics as well. TikTok analytics provide rich data to assess your Sunday performance and fine tune your approach.
Conclusion
Overall, the answer to whether Sunday is a good day to post on TikTok depends on your goals, target audience, and content strategy. The data shows that Sunday has high usage and engagement, but also more competition. The best approach is likely a mix of posting at peak times for your audience and experimenting with different content types on Sundays to stand out.
Key takeaways include:
- Usage and engagement is generally high on Sundays, especially Sunday evenings.
- More competition means you may get less visibility, but enough volume exists.
- Post trending content types like challenges earlier in the day.
- Use relevant hashtags and influencer marketing to reach new audiences.
- Review analytics to optimize your Sunday strategy over time.
By leveraging Sunday’s opportunities while mitigating risks of oversaturation, you can likely use the day effectively within your broader TikTok plan. Test different approaches and continue tailoring your efforts towards driving engagement and growth.
