Is There a Best Time to Post on TikTok?

In this new era of social entertainment, brands are swiftly making their way to TikTok to share fun and engaging content with their audiences. While this is a great first step, having the right type of content is only half the battle to get your content served on the FYP. Timing is everything.

So, when is the best time to post on TikTok? Many brands and social media managers ask themselves this question daily, but now we know the answer.

When Is the Best Time to Post on TikTok for Brands in 2024?

There is no single best time to post on TikTok globally. Interestingly, the day you post holds more importance than the actual posting time. For instance, Sundays have the highest engagement rate, while Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays see quite a significant drop. Monday, Friday, and Saturday closely follow Sundays with a higher engagement rate than the rest of the week. Regarding the actual time, you should be posting on these days, evenings (6 PM-9 PM) and late night (10 PM-12 AM) are the most effective times to post if you're looking for maximum engagement.

Brands typically post on TikTok the most Monday through Friday and between 9 AM and 8 PM, missing the biggest window of opportunity on Saturdays and Sundays when users are the most active on the app. This could be why some brands aren’t performing as well as competitors and are still trying to figure out how to be successful on TikTok.

Why Does Posting Time Matter on TikTok? 

TikTok’s For You page (commonly referred to as the ‘fyp’ by users and social marketers alike) is hot real estate for brands and creators. 

This page uses an algorithm to exhibit high-quality content it believes the users want to see — this can be from accounts users follow (despite the ‘Following’ tab, content from followers still appears here), trending sounds, and overall interaction. 

By posting TikTok content at the best times for your audience (and users you hope to reach and follow your account) you: 

• Can increase reach and overall visibility  
• Increase followers
• Boost engagement with existing audience

What Is the Best Time to Post on TikTok Each Day?

If weekends aren’t a part of your brand's TikTok schedule, don’t worry, there are options for you every day of the week. Let’s get into the best global time to post on TikTok daily.

Best Time to Post on TikTok: Sunday

If Sundays are your typical posting day, you’re in luck. 6 AM-8 AM, 2 PM-8 PM, and 9 PM-10 PM are all great times to post, leaving you with a lot of options to experiment with.

Best Time to Post on TikTok: Monday

The best time to post on Mondays is 2 PM-4 PM and 6 PM-9 PM.

Best Time to Post on TikTok: Tuesday

Between 6 AM and 7 AM on Tuesdays is prime posting time on TikTok.

Best Time to Post on TikTok: Wednesday

If you want top engagement on Wednesdays, we recommend scheduling your TikToks to go live between 8 AM-9 AM. 

Best Time to Post on TikTok: Thursday

The early bird gets the worm on Thursdays, with the best time to post being from 6 AM-7 AM. 

Best Time to Post on TikTok: Friday

On Fridays, the best time to post on TikTok is either at 12 AM or from 9 PM to 11 PM. 

Best Time to Post on TikTok: Saturday

Like Sundays, Saturdays have a lot of options in terms of posting times. From 6 AM-8 AM, and 5 PM-7 PM. Take advantage of the weekend crew by posting early in the morning or evening.

Note: There is a lower volume of brands posting overnight, meaning there are fewer data points to compare at this time. 

Best Time to Post on TikTok by Timezone

While knowing when to post globally on TikTok is a great reference point, it doesn’t help as much as knowing when you should post based on where your brand (or your target audience) is located. Because of this, we collected data on the best time to post in three of the most popular time zones: 

GMT-4

For those located in GMT-4 (New York and Toronto), the best engagement on TikTok comes on Saturdays and Sundays during the day. Early Tuesday mornings get the lowest engagement for this specific time zone.

GMT-7

If you’re located in LA or British Columbia, you will experience your highest engagement on TikTok on Saturdays and Sundays. Avoid posting in the early morning hours, especially between 2 AM-4 PM. 

GMT+1 

Are you, your brand, or your target audience in the UK? If so, you may wonder, “when is the best time to post on TikTok in the UK?”. Unlike the other time zones we cover, Mondays and Tuesdays are actually the strongest regarding engagement, while Fridays are the lowest.

How Did Dash Hudson Collect this Data?

Dash Hudson is a modern social marketing software solution for global brands and is the only insights platform built for change. With Dash Hudson, you can unlock classic and unique features to deeply understand how your content is performing on social through customizable dashboards and analytics. Gain the most powerful TikTok insights, including metrics to help your brand find the best posting times.   

To gather this data, we worked with Dash Hudson's Research and Development team to collect and analyze the data for the best times to post. We included hundreds of brands (like Cocokind) and grouped and analyzed data in specific time zones to understand each unique engagement. The data set contains brands' performance from January - October 2022.

Experts on the Best Time to Post on TikTok

Experts everywhere have tried to find the best time to post on TikTok. As expected, there is no single answer. That being said, there is some relevant crossover to lead us to believe that some times are better than others. Let’s take a look.

Influencer Hub

After analyzing over 100,000 posts (in EST), Influencer Marketing Hub concluded that the best times to post on TikTok are: 

• Mondays at 6 AM, 10 AM and 10 PM. 
• Tuesdays at 2 AM, 4 AM and 9 AM. 
• Wednesdays from 7 AM-8 AM and 11 PM. 
• Thursdays at 9 AM, 12 AM and 7 PM. 
• Fridays at 5 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM. 
• Saturdays at 11 AM, 7 PM and 8 PM. 
• Sundays from 7 AM-8 AM and 4 PM. 

Hootsuite

Hootsuite analyzed 30,000 posts on TikTok and proposes that the best time to post on TikTok is Thursday at 7 PM. As for the best time to post each day, they concluded that this was Mondays at 10 PM, Tuesdays at 9 AM, Wednesdays at 7 AM, Fridays at 3 PM, Saturdays at 11 AM, and Sundays at 4 PM. All of these times are recorded in PST.

Social Pilot

Like many, Social Pilot deduces that there is no single best time to post. They report that the best times to post on TikTok are from 6 AM-10 AM and 7 PM to 11 PM. The best days to post are Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. 

If there's anything we can learn from this data (including Dash Hudson’s) it’s that there is no perfect time that will end in incredible engagement every single time. Not sure where to start? Spend a few weeks trialling and testing different days and times to see what exactly works for you and your brand. 

Tips to Keep in Mind When Finding the Best Times to Post

Unfortunately, just like finding the perfect TikTok trending sounds, finding the best time to post on TikTok takes some trial and error. Here are a few elements to consider when deciding when to hit post. 

Where Is Your Audience Located?

Although you may think you know the best time to post on TikTok in your own timezone, is that where your target audience is located? Be sure to research your audience to know exactly who you’re looking to target and where they are. Once you nail down exactly where your target audience is, consider the work day and night time compared to when you usually post. You may see a drastic shift in the times you’re used to posting, so if these times fall outside your regular work hours, try a scheduling tool that helps you schedule posts in advance. 

What Time Is Your Audience Typically Online? 

As mentioned above, it's essential to think about when your audience is actually on TikTok. While social media managers spend most of their time on social and TikTok during the day, their target audience isn't. Posting during the workday can sometimes work for users who are scrolling on their commute home, but it’s often better to post while the users are watching and looking for content in real time. Evenings and weekends are generally the sweet spot, but is that the same for your target audience? Find this out through the Follower Analytics tab in your Creator Tools section on your TikTok for business account.

What Are Your Best Performing TikToks and When Were They Posted?

If you need help determining when to post, a good starting point is to look at your historical data. What TikTok posts have worked well for your brand in the past? When were they published? Have you posted other TikToks at the same time that didn’t perform as well? Were popular TikTok sounds featured in the post? These are all things you can consider when trying to figure out the best posting time for you. 

What Content Is Performing Best for Your Competitors and When Do They Post?

Competitive analysis can sometimes be the key to finding out what will work for you in posting times. By analyzing your competitor's best-performing content and when it was posted, you save yourself a lot of time and trial and error since you have access to various posting times without publishing any of the content yourself. Benchmark yourself against your competitors and integrate their most successful posting times into your schedule to see how they perform compared to your other posts. 

TikTok Scheduler by Dash Hudson

Now that you know exactly when to post, it’s time for the how. A great TikTok scheduler tool gives your brand the freedom to schedule content for TikTok, whenever and wherever, and Dash Hudsons helps you to do exactly that. Plan and schedule your content days or even weeks in advance. Utilize the auto-publishing feature so you never have to work overtime to hit those sweet spots on the weekends or overnight.

FAQs

What is the best time to post on TikTok in California? 

Generally, the best times to post on TikTok, if you’re located in California, are Saturdays between 8 PM-9 PM and Sundays at 7 PM.

Does the time you post to TikTok matter?

There is no single best time to post on TikTok that warrants higher engagement. If you see a lull in your engagement on TikTok, we recommend switching up your posting days and times to see how that changes your results. 

Is posting on TikTok too much a bad thing?

While it may not be best practice to post a lot on other social media sites, TikTok is an entirely different experience. TikTok recommends posting 1-4 TikToks per day. Because of the way the TikTok algorithm works, it is unlikely that you will post too frequently to bother users. The FYP serves users a mix of all different types of content from different dates. So, long story short, you can post as much as you want.

Do hashtags affect reach on TikTok?

Yes, using hashtags can improve your reach, but be careful not to over-optimize (stick to 1-5 relevant hashtags). Hashtags tell TikTok who might be interested in your content, and can help you reach new users. 

Is there a difference between posting a TikTok in the morning or the night?

Yes, there is — but this also depends on your audience. If you want to reach your audience during their morning commute, morning will be an optimal time to post. If your demographic is younger, you might aim for the nighttime when they’re more likely to be online (and out of class).