While TikTok used to be the new kid on the block, it's long since evolved into one of the most relevant and biggest social media platforms available today. We're currently in the era of influencers and content creators, and TikTok has gained attention for its enormous marketing potential. Many creators have even been able to make serious money on TikTok!
Growing and managing your TikTok account is a big commitment, but it's rewarding in the long run. Influencers like you can establish very personal connections with their audiences, which helps them, well, influence them.
TikTok creators can influence buying decisions, sociopolitical decisions, and even world views. Of course, it takes time and effort to become a successful TikToker. After identifying your target audience, you have to increase your visibility and connect with them.
To expand your outreach and ensure your content is reaching the right audience, posting times are vital for growing your video views. Posting at the right time helps you gather maximum engagement for your posts, ultimately growing your following.
Why are specific times and days important?
The times and days you post on TikTok are important because they dramatically influence your engagement metrics including watch time, likes, and comments. If you post most of your TikTok content when your target audience is dormant, then the content receives fewer likes, shares, and comments.
Low post engagement also decreases the likelihood of your content appearing in TikTok's "For You" section. "For You" is a feature on TikTok where the TikTok algorithm selects content to recommend to users on their feed. Since this content is personalized for each user, it naturally receives the most engagement.
User engagement is a key deciding factor regarding whether your content gets featured in the "For You" section. So, by posting at the right time, your content receives more engagement. Reaching the "For You" section has a snowball effect that leads to more views and followers.
When to post on TikTok
For the most part, there is no designated “best time to post on TikTok.” This is because the best time to post your content depends on your target audience. For example, if you post beauty content, then evenings might generally be a better time to post as users have more time to watch your videos when they're not busy working.
Having said that, you can use the average best time to post on TikTok to increase your chances of encouraging user engagement. Influencer Marketing Hub conducted a study that analyzed over 100,000 posts to determine the best engagement times. Below are the best days and times to post. Note that the times are listed in the Eastern Standard time zone (EST).
Note that these times are not ranked in terms of importance - they all offer equal engagement opportunities. The best time to post depends on a number of factors and can vary depending on the type of content you create.
Recommended Monday time slots
The best times to post on Monday are:
- 6:00 AM (before the workday begins)
- 10:00 AM (during morning break)
- 10:00 PM (before hitting the hay)
Recommended Tuesday time slots
The best times to post on Tuesday are:
- 2:00 AM & 4:00 AM (people stay up late on Monday night, stretching into Tuesday morning)
- 9:00 AM (the golden spot, offering the most engagement opportunity)
Recommended Wednesday time slots
Similar to Monday, all the best Wednesday posting slots offer a similar level of engagement. The best times to post on Wednesday are:
- 7:00 & 8:00 AM (breakfast time)
- 11:00 PM (at the end of a long day)
Recommended Thursday time slots
Thursday is an interesting day in terms of TikTok user behavior. On this day, TikTok users tend to sleep earlier than any day of the week. The best times to post on Thursday are:
- 9:00 AM
- 12 Noon
- 7:00 PM
Recommended Friday time slots
On Friday, TikTok users are excited about the last working day and are super active in the early morning. The best time to post on Friday is 5:00 AM, with 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM coming in as second-best.
- 5:00 AM
- 1:00 PM
- 3:00 PM
Recommended Saturday time slots
On Saturday, TikTok users have a lazy day and aren't active in the mornings until 11:00 AM. You can catch their attention again at 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM nighttime before they head out for a fun night.
- 11:00 AM
- 7:00 PM
- 8:00 PM
Recommended Sunday time slots
Who's waking up early on Sundays? TikTok users, apparently. You can catch them over a bowl of cereal at 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM, or in the lazy afternoon at 4:00 PM.
- 7:00 AM
- 8:00 AM
- 4:00 PM
Keep time zones in mind when posting
The times we listed above correspond to Eastern Standard Time (EST), the time zone for the eastern states in the US including New York. However, if you have a global audience or most of your following is from different regions, your posting times need to account for different time zones.
Know where your audience is located
Figuring out where your audience is located helps adjust your posting times to their time zones. For example, if your audience is located in a part of Canada in the ADT timezone, there's a 2-hour difference (EST is 2 hours behind).
Track when your audience is active
Tracking when your audience is active helps you identify the best times to post. After all, the chances of engagement are the highest when your followers are most active.
Figuring out when your audience is active requires a data-driven approach. Otherwise, you're in for a lot of guesswork. Fortunately, switching your TikTok account type to a TikTok Pro account gives you access to a full suite of useful analytics, including audience activity insights.
How to use analytics to find the best time to post
TikTok Analytics is a feature exclusive to TikTok Pro that allows creators to gain useful insights into their audience and demographics. Upgrading your TikTok account to a pro account just takes a quick second. In the menu, head on over to "Manage My Account" and select "Switch to Pro Account" to convert it.
Followers demographics
Understanding your followers' demographics helps optimize your posting times. If you have a diverse following located in different regions, then TikTok's analytics section helps you discover timeslots where most of your audience is active. If some time zones vary dramatically, you might need to trade off engagement with one audience for another's.
When is your audience awake?
TikTok analytics comes with a 'follower activity' metric that helps you discover which day and what time your audience is most active. Analyzing your account's weekly and hourly data helps content creators determine the best posting times.
Track your content performance over time
While the steps we've discussed above can help you determine ideal posting times, the slots you identify aren't necessarily the best ones.
In the early stages, experiment with some of the potential best posting times. Then, analyze your best-performing content to eliminate the guesswork - and identify the posting times that garner the most user engagement. While we did recommend time slots above, they’re not truly set in stone.
Proven ways to grow your following
Posting your content at the right time is crucial to increase user engagement. However, if your following isn't big enough, then there's only so much engagement you can get.
If you're looking to grow your TikTok following, here are some effective tried-and-tested strategies.
Determine what makes your content unique and "must-see"
Good content achieves many goals - it provides followers with real value and acts as a marketing tool for creators. Content can offer users different kinds of value, including something as simple as entertainment value, or more sophisticated, like addressing their pain points.
When designing your TikTok content, figure out what makes your content stand out. What's so special about your content that users have to see it? Maybe you've got a witty or dry sense of humor, or perhaps you're skilled at impressions. Figure out what your "must-see" trait is, and let it power your content.
Collaborate with other TikTokers
Collaborating with other TikTokers is a great opportunity to expand your reach and grow your following. However, if you're looking to collaborate, it's best to look for fellow TikTokers with a similar target audience. This is key to attracting users that are actually interested in what you have to say.
Create content focused on challenges
Challenges pop up on social media platforms all the time, and getting in on the trend helps expand your outreach and grow your following. So even if a particular challenge isn't in your ballpark, it's worth participating for the sake of engagement.
Post consistently
Posting consistently is generally a good practice on social media platforms to increase visibility, and TikTok is no exception. Posting regularly guarantees that your audience sees your content frequently, increasing their opportunity to interact and engage with it.
Use trending hashtags in your posts
Hashtags are among the most important factors for increasing your visibility, which ultimately helps grow your following. Therefore, it's generally a good practice to include niche-specific hashtags in your posts, to help your target audience discover your content.
However, when a hashtag is trending, it's worth producing relevant content even if it's not strictly pertinent to your niche. Trending hashtags are a goldmine for increasing visibility, so get in on the action if you can. You can combine niche-specific hashtags with trending hashtags to see how it affects your engagement and views.
Frequently asked questions
There are lots of questions about when to post on TikTok to drive the most engagement. Here are some of the most common questions about posting on TikTok and our suggestions.
Does it matter what time you post?
Yes. It's important to identify posting times that foster the most user engagement. Ideal posting times correspond to slots where your following is most active.
How many times a day should you post?
For a given day, there are three 'best' average time slots for posting content. So you should post between 1-3 times a day, during the best posting slots.
How many views does it take to go viral?
TikTok's algorithm uses the initial views to determine whether to make a TikTok video go viral or not. For example, the algorithm might initially broadcast the video to 300-500 viewers. If these viewers respond well to the video in a short time frame, and the post gains appreciable likes, then the video is likely to go viral.
How long does it take for a video to go viral?
TikTok videos have a long lifespan, especially compared to platforms like Instagram. A TikTok video won't necessarily go viral within 48 hours - it can even go viral weeks after you post it. On average, TikTok videos go viral within 6 hours.
Can your video go viral days later?
Yes. TikTok videos have a long life span and can go viral days or even weeks later.
Is it bad to post too many TikToks?
Posting too many TikToks a day can be bad because it might overwhelm your followers.
Is it bad to miss a day of posting?
It's generally best to maintain a consistent posting schedule on TikTok. Each video you post potentially brings in more followers, so missing out on posting can decrease your follower gain. However, if you're short on quality content, missing out on a day won't ruin your metrics.
Grow with Beacons
Beacons is a mobile site builder for TikTok creators that lets you build aesthetic, custom web pages in minutes. With Beacons, you can:
Link to all your content on different platforms
With Beacons, you can build a mobile-optimized page that links to all of your content from your profile. This helps TikTok creators conveniently promote their content to followers across different platforms.
Create a page in seconds with AI
Beacons use AI technology to build your page in seconds. You can say goodbye to long design processes because the software takes care of everything for you and builds your custom page effortlessly.
Promote one link to everyone
With Beacons, all your content is on one mobile site, which has just one custom link. This helps creators streamline their advertising and marketing efforts. You just have to promote one link to your followers, and they can access all your content from one central page.
On the path to success
At a glance, the effort that goes into becoming a successful TikToker isn't always obvious. However, growing your TikTok following and increasing user engagement is a strategic process that requires time and effort.
Even figuring out the best posting times requires significant effort. You have to identify your demographics' time zones, determine the most active times, and make trade-offs where necessary.
Fortunately, thanks to TikTok Pro's insights, learning about your audience isn't difficult. Instead, it's how you apply the knowledge and optimize your content strategy that counts the most.
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