When Is the Best Time To Post on TikTok in 2024?

Spend just five minutes scrolling through the For You feed on TikTok, and you’ll understand why it’s such an effective way to make an impact on global audiences. With over 1 billion users around the world, the sheer number of TikTok users makes it an incredibly powerful platform for promoting your brand. TikTok also features a slew of TikTok marketing features that help connect advertisers with their target audiences.

But even if you’ve mastered the platform’s unique tone and style, there are other considerations involved, including the best time to post on TikTok. Here, we’ll explore the importance of posting times on TikTok, how it factors into the TikTok algorithm, and how you can make the most of your time on the platform. 

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Does Posting Time Matter on TikTok?

In short, yes. Posting time matters on TikTok because the platform thrives on trends, timeliness, and new content. To reach the largest number of relevant users, your content must first be judged by the algorithm. 

Understanding the TikTok Algorithm

Think of the TikTok algorithm as a machine for matching your interests with the content you see on your feed (on TikTok, that’s the For You page, or FYP for short). The algorithm (or, more precisely, algorithms) involve a series of mathematical formulae that take into account user signals, including: 

• Your likes and general interests, as indicated by you through your previous likes, shares, and comments. 
• Your dislikes, as indicated by videos you didn’t watch to the end, hit the dislike button on, or commented negatively on. 
• Broader trends that are sweeping TikTok, such as popular audio, specific dance moves, or current events. 

On the creation end, the TikTok algorithm takes into account whether your content is high quality enough to share across the platform. For example, it will first filter out any content it finds to be spammy, problematic, or otherwise offensive. Once that’s done, the algorithm will push the content out to a small group of people who typically engage with your content. If the post does well with them, your content will then be served to a wider audience, casting a wider net and allowing your brand to reach more of the platform’s users. 

Best Times To Post on TikTok

One of the main indicators of quality content on TikTok is how quickly and positively your content is received. For that reason alone, timing matters: you have to appeal to as many of your diehard followers as possible for them to like and share it. 

There’s not much point in posting content if that following is asleep or when they’re less likely to be looking at their phones. After all, there’s an ocean of other content on TikTok for them to see (the average user will spend 48 minutes a day on the app in 2024, and they have plenty of videos to choose from). If you time your content well, you’re more likely to reach your devoted followers. 

When you plan the best times to post on TikTok, think about the ways users tend to engage with TikTok on their phones—in the evenings when they’re relaxing after a long day, late at night when they can’t sleep, on lunch breaks, and between tasks. 

The following times all come from a survey done by Influencer Marketing Hub, which is based on data from over 100,000 posts. The times are all in EST, so please remember to adjust for time zone differences if needed. 

Monday

On Mondays, 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. are typically the best times to post on TikTok. Overall, this estimate is later in the day than it was in 2023, meaning people might be spending more time off their phones on Monday mornings. Aim to share your posts in the afternoon this year to capture the most engagement. 

Tuesday

This study found 4 a.m., 8 a.m., 10 a.m., and 3 p.m. are the best times of day to post on TikTok on Tuesdays. This is pretty spread out throughout the day, so make sure to test posts and find which time works best for your own audience. Use each of these times as a starting point. For example, if your audience isn’t filled with night owls or early risers, the 4 a.m. spot might not be right for your viewers. 

Wednesday

When the mid-week and afternoon slumps combine, people turn to TikTok.In the middle of the week, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. return the best results. Similar to Mondays, these times are later in the day than they were in 2023, so make sure to adjust your content calendar accordingly. 

Thursday

According to the research, 5 a.m., 3 p.m., and 6 p.m. are the best choices for Thursdays. 

Friday

On Fridays, 1 a.m., 11 a.m., 7 p.m., and 9 p.m. are your best choices for TikTok posts. Especially in the evening, people with 9-5 jobs are likely ready to check out for the weekend and spend their time scrolling through TikTok. 

Saturday

Overall, social media engagement is typically lower on the weekends, so keep that in mind before you post. On Saturdays, the study found 5 p.m. is the best time to post. 

Sunday

It’s clear the Sunday Scaries are setting in for TikTok users in 2024, and they’re turning to the app for comfort. The best times to post on Sunday are 1 a.m., 2 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 10 p.m. 

Considerations for Timing Your TikTok Posts

While the above are all good general guidelines — with averages based on data — your specific audience is going to have its own particular characteristics and demographic profile, which could very well change the most effective time for your brand to post on social media. 

For example, based on their own TikTok engagement data, one company found their ideal posting time was 1 p.m., with Thursdays and Fridays having the highest engagement. Their app is for social media management, so they theorized after lunch and before the weekend was when their users relied most on their tech. 

In other words, you know your audience best, so there are certain factors to consider when refining your times and techniques for posting. Factors like:

Time Zones

Like we mentioned earlier, you’ve got to keep time zones in mind when crafting your TikTok content calendar. Where do the majority of your users live? Prime times in the US could mean the early hours in some European and Asian countries. Since you can’t catch everyone with your posts, make sure you prioritize your core audience.

Geographic Location

Similarly, your audience’s geographic location will play a role in determining not only your content but your timing. In addition to time zone differences, seasonal differences may affect the big picture of your content.

User Behavior

Your core target audience will have their own behavior patterns based on what stage of life they’re in, where they live, and what they are looking for from your content. The more you engage with your users, the more you’ll learn about them. Get granular about what your audience wants from your content and plan accordingly. 

Engagement Trends

TikTok, even more than other social media platforms, thrives on trends. Hashtags, keywords, and the use of popular songs and sound effects can all help boost your engagement and perhaps even help you go viral on TikTok. As touched on above, it’s important to note what’s trending broadly on TikTok so you can take advantage of it. 

Types of Content

TikTok thrives on native content, which is content that feels made for TikTok, not just repurposed from other platforms. Make sure you’re familiar with TikTok video ad specs and guidelines for content. Additionally, the kind of TikTok content you post will depend on the audience you want to reach, whether it’s an explainer video or a goofy dance trend clip (to name two common TikTok genres). (Speaking of trends, they move fast on TikTok, so staying in the know about what’s happening at any given time can be massively helpful.) In turn, those audiences will have different needs and behaviors, including the times of day they’re online. 

Of course, always remember you’re making content that feels right for TikTok, not an ad created for another medium. (This is a platform originally popularized by Gen Z users — trust us, they can smell non-native content from a mile away.)

Related: When Is the Best Time To Post on Social Media?

How To Measure Success

How you measure success depends on the key performance indicators (KPIs) you’ve set for yourself. You might be looking for more conversions, more new followers on social media, raising awareness of a new product, or any number of goals. Just make sure your goals are measurable and clear, so you can gauge how well your campaign is helping you — and recalibrate if it’s not achieving your benchmarks for success.

It’s Not a Perfect Science

The times mentioned above are averages from all of the collected data, which won’t be the same for every business. Only through iteration and a certain amount of trial and error will you be able to work out the perfect plan for your social media video strategy. 

Use TikTok Analytics

TikTok Analytics provides valuable insight into your content and how well it’s engaging users. 

TikTok Analytics can tell what your most valuable territories are, which can inform your timing strategy (aiming squarely for the geographical territories where most of your subscribers live). It can help you quantify and make sense of such essential information as your total number of views, likes, shares, and comments, as well as how viewers came upon your video in the first place. All this information can be used to fine tune your next video production and your overall strategy. 

Test, Test, and Test Some More

Creative testing is critical for you to break through users’ ad fatigue and actually connect with your audience. This testing also helps you yield better creative results for your brand, with more compelling stories and a greater sense of authenticity (on which, as mentioned earlier, TikTok thrives).

Making TikTok Videos at Scale

The need for constant experimentation and release of content can put a strain on marketing teams, but you don’t have to manage it alone. 

With the right video marketing partner, you can create the video you need to make an impact on social media. As an official TikTok Marketing Partner, we know what works, and we’ll match you with the right video makers and production teams. 

Ready to get started? Contact QuickFrame today to learn more about TikTok video production.

When To Post on TikTok: Final Thoughts

When it comes to the best time to post on TikTok, it’s essential to test different strategies and find what works best for your specific audience. With the right TikTok content calendar and video content, you’ll be able to reach your target audience, promote your products, and grow your business.