When Is The Best Time to Post on TikTok？

When Is The Best Time to Post on TikTok

I know you’re eager to hear about a magical posting hour.

I could claim that 11:24 a.m. EST is the universal launchpad for going viral on TikTok. But that would be absurd.

Even if that were true for one specific account, every creator’s audience is unique, and user behavior shifts as the social media landscape evolves.

So when should you post?

There is a best time for your audience, but identifying it requires time and testing as you grow your following and understand how your specific corner of TikTok behaves.

Large-scale analyses have identified some potential trends that can serve as a good starting template for your posting schedule.

Read on to discover what the data says about optimal times, days, and posting frequencies — plus how to access your account analytics.

Does It Matter When You Post a TikTok

A useful general principle for social media is that engagement generates more engagement. On TikTok, the more likes, shares, and comments your video receives, the more likely it is to appear on another user’s FYP (the For You Page, where content needs to be to go viral).

Your video will perform better when your target audience — the people most likely to engage with your content — are most active. There are times when they’re likely to comment and share (e.g., during their free time) and times when they’re not (e.g., when they’re at work or asleep).

This may sound basic, but it’s crucial to remember. If your target audience is in a significantly different time zone than you, you’ll need to adjust your posting schedule accordingly.

Of course, audience activity patterns vary, but user engagement does fluctuate throughout the day and week. Leveraging these patterns can positively impact your follower growth and content performance.

The Best Time To Post on TikTok Based on Your Location, According to Data Science

Since opinions on the “best time to post” vary widely, the team at Kapwing decided to use data science to resolve the question.

Using the encoded timestamps in video URLs, we analyzed the publication times of the 15,000 most-viewed TikTok videos as of December 2024.

Rather than recommending random specific times of day, we created a **heat map** to visualize when recent viral videos were most frequently published. We also identified distinct peak posting windows for 11 different TikTok genres, ranging from fitness to small business content.

1) Eastern Time Zone

Most of the 23 easternmost states in America wake up earlier than the rest of the country, so posts sent during breakfast are likely to land on sleeping phones. Engagement starts to rise at 11 a.m. EST, with Thursday’s noon–1 p.m. slot being the most active of the week.

However, posting in the early afternoon on the East Coast can also be effective—West Coast viewers are just starting their morning coffee break and opening their phones.

2.Central Time Zone

Twenty states, ranging from Florida to North Dakota, are partially or entirely within the Central Time Zone (one hour behind Eastern Time). Most TikTok creators in this zone may see engagement benefits from posting between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. earlier in the week.

For pet-related content: Note that America’s animal lovers are most active in engaging with cute pet videos on Saturday mornings, between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. CST.

3.Mountain Time Zone

The Mountain Time Zone spans from New Mexico to Montana, passing through Wyoming and Colorado, and includes partial or entire states adjacent to these regions. TikTok content categorized as small business, beauty, or parenting performs best when posted around midday, while all other categories tend to thrive in the morning.

Notably, nearly one-fifth of top-performing posts in this zone are published between noon and 3 p.m. MT (Monday through Sunday). Testing this time window can help gauge your audience’s engagement patterns.

4) Pacific Time Zone

The Pacific Time Zone includes all of California and Washington, plus parts of four other states. Given that three U.S. time zones are ahead of this one, we found that over 14% of top-performing TikToks are posted early Monday–Friday between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. PT—a notable proportion.

For creators focused on BookToks or FoodToks, there are two prime windows, depending on morning phone usage habits. These categories see the most success at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. PT.

When Is Your Personal Best Time to Post a TikTok

While the TikTok algorithm may seem mysterious, the app doesn’t hide your account’s analytics from you. Checking your individual account analytics is the best way to pinpoint an optimal posting time for engagement.

On mobile, open the app and go to your TikTok profile (bottom right-hand corner). Click the icon in the top right corner, select TikTok Studio, then tap View all next to Analytics.

You’ll see data on follower activity, video engagement, where followers discovered your content, and more.

What Do You Do With TikTok Analytics

Follow the four tips below to get started with TikTok Analytics:

Post frequently and at different times to test engagement across various schedules.

Track engagement variations by organizing relevant data points—create a spreadsheet if it helps.

Act on data patterns. For example, if Tuesday mornings drive high engagement, prioritize posting then.

Revisit your strategy monthly. The algorithm updates, user habits change, and your audience will evolve over time.

Now that you understand TikTok timing, kick off your next video with free resources like Kapwing’s TikTok templates. Remember to craft posts with TikTok SEO in mind, strategically incorporating keywords, hashtags, and more.

TikTok Time to Post Data Study Methodology

We analyzed the publication times of the 15,000 most-viewed TikTok videos as of December 2024 across 129 hashtags and 11 categories, ranging from fitness to small business.

To gather videos for each category, we first curated up to 20 of the most popular hashtags per category and then pulled a sample of videos from the "Top" tab on TikTok for each hashtag.

Using the encoded timestamps in video URLs, we extracted the publication time for each video and identified the most common days and hours when these highly watched videos were posted overall.