The Best Time to Post on TikTok

TikTok is still one of the most powerful platforms for creators, businesses, and brands to reach massive audiences, and when you post can be just as important as what you post.

This guide will show you how to build a TikTok posting schedule, discover the best time to post on TikTok, and use smart TikTok content strategy tips to increase views, boost engagement, and grow your following organically.

TikTok’s algorithm heavily favours content that gets early engagement. If your video gains likes, comments, or shares quickly after posting, it’s more likely to land on the For You Page (FYP), where most viral growth happens.

That’s why timing is crucial. Posting during peak activity hours helps you:

• Increase TikTok views organically
• Boost your chances of going viral
• Reach more followers faster
• Improve your overall engagement rate

You’ll see articles listing universal best times like 9 AM on Tuesdays or 5 AM on Fridays, but usually there is no one-size-fits-all.

Instead of relying on generic global averages, think about when your audience is most likely to be scrolling TikTok based on real-life behavior:

• Early mornings – before work or school (7:00 AM – 9:00 AM)
• Lunch breaks – midday downtime (12:00 PM – 2:00 PM)
• Evenings – after work or school (6:00 PM – 9:00 PM)
• Late nights – especially for Gen Z (9:00 PM – 12:00 AM)

If your audience includes students, they may be more active after class or late at night. If you're targeting professionals, evenings and lunch breaks are ideal.

The best time to post on TikTok varies by location, niche, and audience, but starting with these scroll windows gives your content the highest chance of fast engagement.

While behavioral timing is a great starting point, you can go deeper by using your TikTok analytics.

Click more (the 3 dots), then creator tools.

Anybody can access this now, regardless of account type:

• Go to: Settings > Creator Tools > Analytics
• Click Followers
• Scroll to see Follower Activity by day and hour
• This tells you exactly when your audience is most active on the app, and that’s when you should schedule your posts.

This is where the information would be:

Experiment with different times (morning, mid-day, night) throughout the week. Track which time slots get the most:

• Views
• Likes
• Comments
• Shares

Over time, you’ll refine your ideal TikTok posting schedule based on data, not guesses.

Just like time of day, the best day to post on TikTok depends on your niche and audience.

That said, most engagement studies suggest that weekdays perform better than weekends, with Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday often being strong performers.

Why? People are more likely to be in a routine during the week, commuting, taking breaks, or unwinding, giving you more predictable engagement patterns.

Timing is only one part of your TikTok content strategy.

There's some other helpful ways to get more views, regardless of when you post:

• Hook viewers in the first 3 seconds
• Use trending sounds and hashtags for discoverability
• Post consistently (3–5x per week minimum)
• Repurpose your top-performing videos
• Reply to comments immediately after posting to drive engagement velocity
• Use TikTok’s native features like Stitch, Duet, and Polls
• The more engagement your video gets early on, the more the algorithm will promote it, so combine smart timing with engaging content.

Running a giveaway? Timing is key to building momentum and driving entries.

• Post a teaser 24–48 hours before launch to build anticipation
• Drop your main giveaway video during peak hours (6–9 PM)
• Follow up with reminder videos during your audience’s scroll time
• Reply to giveaway comments to keep the video active in the algorithm
• Add a clear CTA, like 'check the link in bio to enter'.
• Link your Gleam giveaway in your TikTok bio for easy access

Want to run a TikTok giveaway?

Start with this Gleam template:

There’s no magic formula to go viral, but whether you’re a creator or a brand, the best time to post on TikTok is whenever your content can earn fast, early engagement, and that starts by thinking about your viewers’ real behavior.