TikTok has given a number of aspiring creators the opportunity to make a living off of their content, but if you’re still new to the platform, knowing when is the best time to post on TikTok can be a bit tricky.
Instinctively, you’ll likely want to post your videos to the app as soon as they’re finished and in top shape. That might not always be the best thing to do if you want the most engagement, though.
Since TikTok has such a global audience, with videos discoverable in any region and at any time through its For You Page algorithm, you have to pay extra attention to detail when it comes to the times you post.
We’ve looked at some studies and deduced when the most effective times to post would be, but it’s worth considering the fact that your audience, the hashtags and sounds you use, and the actual content quality are all important factors.
Best TikTok posting times
According to a huge study conducted by Influencer Marketing Hub, the following are the best times to post. These times are all listed in EST, with bolded times reportedly offering even higher levels of engagement:
- Monday: 6 AM, 10 AM, 10 PM
- Tuesday: 2 AM, 4 AM, 9 AM
- Wednesday: 7 AM, 8 AM, 11 PM
- Thursday: 9 AM, 12 PM, 7 PM
- Friday: 5 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM
- Saturday: 11 AM, 7 PM, 8 PM
- Sunday: 7 AM, 8 AM, 4 PM
As you can see from the information above, three of the best recommended times to post on TikTok are Tuesdays at 9 AM EST, Thursdays at 12 PM EST, and Fridays at 5 AM EST.
The study analyzed over 100,000 posts to find the highest engagement rates, so it’s a pretty solid starting point. Having said that, there are several other factors to take into account when deciding on a time to post.
Do TikTok posting times matter?
In short, yes. TikTok posting times are essential to triggering the algorithm and getting your videos more views.
TikTok’s algorithm decides whether to push a video depending on how much watch time, views, and engagement a video gets. Therefore, it’s important that videos are posted at times when people are more likely to watch them.
Posting a video at a time when not many people are using TikTok, will result in less engagement, thus less reach.
How to check your TikTok audience analytics
Figuring out your audience is an essential part of knowing when to post, and using TikTok’s Analytics feature will help you do this. You’ll need a Pro Account, but the good news is that it’s totally free.
Here’s how to check your Analytics on TikTok:
- Open the TikTok app and navigate to your profile.
- Go to the Settings and Privacy menu by tapping the three lines at the top right.
- Choose ‘Settings and Privacy’, then ‘Manage Account’, and check if you have the option to ‘Switch to Pro Account’.
- If you do, choose that and follow the steps.
- Next, head back to your profile, click on the three dots again, and choose ‘Creator Tools’.
- Tap on ‘Analytics’ and you’ll be able to view your stats.
There are a few things you can look at under Analytics, but the most important section for you to visit right now is ‘Follower Insights’. Here, you can learn more about your followers, including demographics and gender.
Figuring out the best time to post for your audience
Once you’ve got access to Analytics on TikTok, you can start to do some research and build a plan for the perfect time to post new content.
Looking at your ‘Top Territories’ will inform you which countries engage with your content the most. Then, checking on your ‘Follower Activity’ will let you track your followers’ activity by the hour, allowing you to see when they’re most active.
From here, you can figure out a plan for your specific audience. For example, if you have a lot of viewers from both the UK and the US, you could post in the afternoon on UK time (BST) which will also hit the morning scrollers in US time (PST).
As you start to build out an audience, it’ll become easier to know what to post and when, but for now, this should be used as a helpful guideline to get you going.
Is posting too much on TikTok bad?
The saying that “too much of a good thing is a bad thing” can be directly applied to posting on TikTok.
While it is recommended that you have a consistent schedule that consists of at least one new TikTok post a day, things get complicated when you post too frequently.
Typically, posting anywhere from one to three times a day is ideal. This gives audiences the ability to easily digest all of the new content on their ‘For You’ page. However, posting more than that can lead to fewer views and interactions as it would become more difficult for all your viewers to really see every new post.
So, to conclude, posting frequently on TikTok is highly recommended once the audience isn’t bombarded with too much content to see at once.
Other ways to grow on TikTok
Even though we’ve discussed the best time to post on TikTok, there are more factors that influence growth on the platform.
For those who want to achieve the best possible growth on their TikTok account, implementing the following tips will surely help:
Post at least once a day
Consistency is important when trying to grow an audience on TikTok. Sticking to a consistent schedule will benefit your growth as not only will there be more of your content on the app, but it also helps in gaining favor with the algorithm.
Stick to one content type or niche
While it may be tempting to experiment, finding your niche allows TikTok to better recommend your content. If you are yet to discover your niche on TikTok, focus on posting content that you’re either passionate about or topics you’re knowledgeable about.
Hop on trends as soon as possible
Trends are a surefire way to grow due to their popularity and the reach you can gain in return. This can be achieved by using popular sounds in your videos or implementing certain content styles that are popular at the time.
Increase your watch time
Just like most social media platforms on the market, watch time is an essential factor when the algorithm determines what videos to push. You should constantly be searching for unique ways to grasp the audience’s attention. Be concise, but also incentivize the viewer to keep watching. The higher the watch time, the higher the chance of TikTok recommending your videos.
Learn from patterns
Yes, it is important to be innovative and fresh when creating your TikToks. However, repeating what has brought proven success in the past is just as important. Pay close attention to your most successful videos and analyze all the factors that went into their success.
So there you have it. Everything you need to know about the best time to post on TikTok to maximize growth.