With over 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok has exploded in popularity in recent years. For businesses and creators, it presents a massive opportunity to reach new audiences. However, simply having a presence on TikTok is not enough - you need people to actually see your content.
One of the most important factors determining how many views your TikToks get is when you post them. Just like any other social media platform, TikTok has peak times when more users are active in the app. Posting during these high-traffic periods can get your videos in front of more eyes.
To help figure out the best time to post on TikTok, we'll look at:
- The highest-traffic days
- Optimal posting times
- How to find your audience's patterns
- Experimenting to refine your approach
- Avoiding overposting
Let's dive in!
The Best Days to Post on TikTok
While TikTok receives traffic every day of the week, some days see considerably higher engagement than others. Understanding these patterns is key to maximizing the reach of your content.
According to a comprehensive survey of over 300 marketers conducted by HubSpot, the peak days for engagement on TikTok are:
- Saturday (chosen by 28% of respondents)
- Friday (17%)
- Sunday (17%)
The weekend clearly stands out as the prime time for TikTok usage. Saturday edges out Friday and Sunday slightly, making it the single best day for posting.
Mondays and Tuesdays, on the other hand, see the lowest TikTok engagement levels out of the week. Just 7% of marketers identified Monday as a top day, and only 6% chose Tuesday.
This trend of higher weekend and lower early-week engagement mirrors what we see on other major social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. During the downtime of Saturday and Sunday, people tend to flock to their phones and spend more time browsing social apps.
The HubSpot study indicates that Thursday also performs well, with 15% of respondents highlighting it as a high-traffic day.
So in summary, the optimal posting cadence appears to be:
Thursday -> Friday -> Saturday -> Sunday -> Remainder of days
To maximize your TikTok reach, focusing more of your posting efforts around Thursday through Sunday makes strategic sense. However, you'll still want to maintain some presence during the slower early week period to engage your most loyal fans.
Testing different schedules can help validate the best balance for your audience. But in general, stacking heavy on the Thursday to Sunday high tides will help increase how many people see your content.
Optimal Posting Times on TikTok
Within each day, certain time windows see much higher activity on TikTok.
The HubSpot survey found the best times to post are:
- 6-9 PM - chosen by 25% of respondents
- 3-6 PM - 18%
- 12-3 PM - 16%
Mornings tend to be slower, likely because TikTok skews younger and teenagers are often still in school until the afternoon. Usage climbs through the day, peaking in the evening when people relax after work or school.
For a youth-centric audience, sticking to afternoons through nighttime for posting is recommended. However, this can vary based on your specific followers' habits.
Finding Your Audience's Patterns
While the above days and times work well in general, your particular audience's behavior may differ. Fortunately, you can dig into data to identify your followers' most active windows.
Check your TikTok Analytics to see:
- Location of followers - different time zones will impact optimal timing
- Follower activity trends - see hourly, daily and weekly activity
- Top performing posts - when did they take off?
You can access Analytics under Settings in your TikTok for Business account. You can follow these steps:
1. Select the hamburger menu on the top right-hand corner of your profile page.
- In the Settings and privacy menu, select Creator tools, then Analytics. If you haven’t enabled analytics yet, you’ll be prompted to turn it on.
Experimenting to Refine Your Approach
Do some testing with different posting times to see what resonates best with your audience.
For example, you could post at different times on Fridays to learn when your followers are most responsive. Try an 8 AM post, a midday post, and an evening post. See which generates the most views, shares and comments.
Experiment with different days of the week as well. You might find your audience bucks the trend and actually prefers Wednesdays and Thursdays over the weekend, for instance.
Flexibility to find the right schedule for your audience is key. While the high-traffic windows above are a good starting point, keep testing to refine your approach.
Avoiding Overposting
Posting too much can actually backfire, causing followers to tune out your content.
Per the HubSpot study, most marketers post 4-6 times per week on TikTok. This strikes a balance between staying top of mind and oversaturating your audience.
If you're just starting out, begin by posting 1-2 times daily in your identified peak windows. As you grow your follower base, gradually increase frequency - but monitor engagement closely. If it starts dropping off with more posts, pull back.
Quality over quantity is key. Ensuring your posts are high-value and relevant will make them more likely to resonate even at a higher frequency. But don't overdo it.
In summary, when you post your TikTok videos can be just as important as what you post. Optimize your timing for your audience by posting on high-traffic days and times, digging into your analytics, experimenting, and avoiding overload. Follow these tips and your next viral TikTok could be just one post away.
For an added advantage, partnering with us can help maximize your reach on TikTok. Our expertise in audience analysis and platform optimization, we can provide insights into your ideal posting schedule based on your target demographics and interests. Our strategic guidance, tailored specifically to your business goals and audience attributes, can help you break through the noise on TikTok and connect with your perfect customers.
