When to post on TikTok
What is the best time to post on TikTok for more views and engagement?
TikTok has different feeds for different purposes, such as the For You page, Following and Friends. Despite speculation online that the Following and Friends feeds are chronological, TikTok’s help centre states that every feed is “tailored and ranked to each person”. In other words, all TikTok feeds are algorithmic.
So, does this mean that it doesn’t matter when you post on TikTok? Not exactly. Good engagement is the result of posting the right content, for the right audience at the right time.
How the time you post on TikTok impacts your views and engagement
TikTok’s recommender systems use several factors to determine which content is relevant to a user. As a creator or brand, the aim is to create content that meets a high number of TikTok’s relevance markers, so your content is shown to more people on the platform.
How TikTok decides if your content is relevant to a user:
User interactions:
Content based on previous posts they liked, shared or commented on
Content based on videos they watched in full
Content from creators they follow (especially those that follow them back)
Content information:
Trending sounds and hashtags
High number of views
If the post is popular in their country
If the post was created recently
User information:
Device settings
Language preference
Location
Time zone and day
Device type
Similar interests:
Posts liked by other users who show similar interests
Passing the relevance test
This is where timeliness matters:
If the post was created recently
Time zone and day
Trending sounds and hashtags
High number of views
If the post is popular in their country
Posts liked by other users who show similar interests
When you post a video on TikTok, the algorithm tests it with a small group of users to determine its relevance. If a higher percentage of the group engages with it positively (e.g. liking, commenting, sharing, watching to the end) it’s then shown to a bigger group of people, where it’s tested again.
If you were to post during off-peak hours (e.g. in the middle of the night, or working hours) your content might score low in that initial relevance test, because there weren’t a lot of people online to see it. This can lower engagement and hurt the video’s chances of gaining traction.
Timing is even more critical if you’re posting as part of a trend. Trends on TikTok move fast, and posting within 24–48 hours can boost your relevance (and views) while the trend is still gathering momentum.
3 ways to find the best time to post on TikTok
There is no set schedule with the best times to post on TikTok. But by monitoring success, and adapting your strategy, you can refine your posting schedule for better results.
Test and adapt
Post 1-4 times every day for at least 2 weeks to A/B test different posting times on different days. You’ll start to spot patterns that show you which content performs best at which times. This will help you gain a better understanding of what works for your audience (and most importantly, what doesn’t).
Let TikTok analytics guide you
With a Pro or Business account, you have access to TikTok’s built-in analytics. Here, you’ll find “Followers Activity”—a detailed graph of when your followers are most active, broken down by hours and days. This can help you identify the best times to post for max engagement.
You can also see a list of the countries where your followers are located. So you can make sure you’re posting to a schedule that fits their time zone and culture.
Copy winning strategies
Search relevant hashtags or topics on TikTok to find popular videos in your niche, or search for successful creators who post about similar topics.
Underneath their username on each video, you’ll be able to see which date it was posted. Go through their feed and take note of which dates they posted their most successful videos. Then cross-reference these dates with a calendar to see if there were any patterns in their posting schedule (e.g. their most successful videos were all published on a Thursday).
To find the exact time a user uploaded a video, you can also use this free tool by creator, Trevor Fox. Here’s a YouTube video where he explains how it works.
Statistics for the best time to post on TikTok
These experts analyzed millions of videos and data points to find the best times to post on TikTok.
The best time to post on TikTok according to Buffer
When Buffer analyzed over a million TikTok videos shared through their platform, they discovered that hourly reach was highest during these times (ET):
Monday: 10am
Tuesday: 4pm
Wednesday: 4pm
Thursday: 10am
Friday: 8am
Saturday: 11am
Sunday: 2pm
The best time to post on TikTok according to Hootsuite
After analyzing millions of TikTok posts for engagement patterns, Hootsuite identified the best times to post (ET) as:
Monday: 3pm
Tuesday: 3pm–7pm
Wednesday: 3pm
Thursday: 3pm
Friday: 12pm
The best time to post on TikTok according to SocialPilot
SocialPilot analyzed posts from 50,000+ accounts across multiple industries and found that these are the best times to post on TikTok (EST):
Monday: 6am, 10am, 10pm
Tuesday: 2am, 4am, 6pm
Wednesday: 8am, 9am, 11pm
Thursday: 9am, 12pm, 6pm
Friday: 6am, 1pm, 4pm
Saturday: 11am, 7pm, 8pm
Sunday: 7am, 9am, 4pm
Your relevance on TikTok relies on a number of factors. You not only have to publish great content, you also have to publish your content at the right time. And while industry averages can be a useful guide, the best way to know which time to post on TikTok to increase your views and engagement is by posting regularly, analyzing your success and adapting your strategy.
