TikTok is one of the biggest social media platforms today, so it makes sense that people market their personal brands and businesses on the platform. But if you’re looking to get the most engagements and widest reach, you need to post at the right times.
That said, figuring out the best time to post on TikTok can be pretty tough.
With over a billion users worldwide, there’s no single time that’s the best time for a TikTok post to go live as people live different lives and live in different parts of the world.
So, if you plan on using the app to increase your reach, the timing of your posts is crucial.
Best Times to Post on TikTok
The best time to post on TikTok largely depends on your timezone, the type of content you post, and the audience you’re trying to reach. That said, based on large data sets that show when people are most active on TikTok, researchers were able to determine the best general times to post on the platform. The studies show that these are the best times to post on TikTok in Eastern Standard Time (EST).
- 6 PM to 9 PM any day of the week
- 12 PM Monday to Friday
- 4 PM to 6 PM on Friday
But while this is useful information, keep in mind that this doesn’t go for all content. To really maximize your reach, engagement, and growth on TikTok, you need to post at the best time for your audience and consider their timezone, schedule, and other factors that can affect when they are or are not using TikTok.
So, it’s best to use this data as a starting point and make adjustments along the way. Remember, TikTok uses a complex algorithm, so there’s a chance you’ll have to experiment by posting your content at different times until you find the one that best works for you and your audience.
With that said, let’s take a look at times when you definitely shouldn’t be posting on TikTok unless you want to seriously hurt your engagement and potential to grow on the platform.
Read more: How To Go Viral On TikTok?
Worst Times to Post on TikTok
Unless you want to shoot yourself in the foot and really impact the engagement and the reach of your TikTok content, you need to avoid posting content during the worst times when users are least active.
Just like with the best times to post on TikTok, the worst times can vary on a number of factors. But based on general data, these are the worst times to post on TikTok:
- 8 AM – 10 AM Monday-Friday
- 12 AM – 8 AM any day of the week
The reason why these are the worst times to post on TikTok is simply that people are not really using the platform. Between 8-10 AM, TikTok users are driving to/working, heading to school, or getting ready for the day.
And as for 12 AM – 8 AM, people are most likely to be sleeping. So, if you want to prevent hurting your chances of going viral, don’t post during these hours. A great way to determine when you should or shouldn’t post on TikTok is to learn your demographic.
Read more: How Many Views Do You Need To Make Money On TikTok?
What to Consider Before Deciding to Post on TikTok
While there are definitely times of the day when there are more people on TikTok, this data isn’t enough when trying to find out the best time for you to post on TikTok. When using TikTok, you have to use the algorithm to your advantage.
That said, it can be hard to get around the algorithm because it factors in more data than you can possibly imagine. That’s why a great alternative to trying to understand the algorithm is to study your demographic and the type of content you post as this will be huge in determining what time you should be posting on TikTok.
Here are some of the main considerations to keep in mind when deciding when you should post on TikTok:
Your Audience’s Timezone
If you have a local cafe or a restaurant, then figuring out when to post is pretty easy. Just make sure that it’s not when your customers are busy at work/school, and you should come up with a few time slots that are best to post.
However, if you’re a personal brand that has a following from all over the world, figuring out the best time to post isn’t so easy. So, what you should do is simply see where most of your audience comes from, and stick to their time zones.
With that said, if you’re from across the world, posting in your audience’s time zone can be quite tricky. That’s why we recommend using an auto-scheduling tool such as Hootsuite or Buffer.
The Type of Content
The next thing to consider is the type of content you post. Remember, people are more likely to react and engage with different types of content at different times of the day. For example, if you’re posting educational content that requires the viewer’s full attention or the sound to be on, it might be a bad idea to post in the middle of the day.
This is because most people are at school or work at this time, so they won’t be able to take a minute off and look at their phones. The same goes if you post any type of content that requires audio to enjoy such as musical content.
On the flip side, if you’re posting content that focuses purely on aesthetics, then you might be able to post in the middle of the day. The same goes for content like memes, as people will generally visit social media in the middle of the day for a laugh when taking a break from work or whatever they’re doing.
Read more: How To Run Paid Advertising On TikTok
Age of Your Audience
Aside from your audience’s time zone and the type of content you post, we highly suggest researching the age of your audience as well. This is because people of different ages also use TikTok differently. A great example of this is if your target audience is adults.
Typically, an older audience, possibly engaged in a traditional day job or a 9-5, might also be exploring opportunities in the online job market to supplement their income or pursue more flexible working conditions. This means that they will be busy for most of the day and likely won’t have the time to stay on TikTok during those hours. So, if you want to reach this type of demographic, you might want to wait until the evening to post your content.
On the flip side, if your target audience is younger, then you can take advantage of times throughout the year such as the summer or winter holidays. During these holidays, younger people who are in school are usually bored in the middle of the day as they have to stay at home. So, you can take advantage of that and post in the middle of the day to gather more of their attention.
How the Time of Your Post Impacts Engagement
The time you post on TikTok is very important. If you post at the wrong time, you risk your post getting buried by the algorithm and not reaching its target audience. For example, if you post while most of your audience is busy, then you might not get the initial engagements you need for the algorithm to push your post to more For You pages.
Remember, engagement is the way to reach wider audiences on TikTok. The more people engage with your content, the more it will spread to other users This is why you need to try to get as many engagements as possible in the shortest amount of time so the algorithm favors your post. And to do this, you will have to publish your posts at just the right time.
Read more: How To Avoid Getting Banned On TikTok
Conclusion
TikTok is a very complex platform as a creator, it can be hard to navigate. But one of the best ways for you to stand out among the crowd and reach a wider audience is by posting at the right times. When you post at the right time, you get to reach more people and garner more engagements, and the algorithm will favor your posts.
But the thing is, the right time to post varies for different types of content and demographics. So, while you can use our advice as a launching point, keep in mind that you have to do your own research so that you post when your target audience is the most active.
You can read additional TikTok articles here.
