The number of TikTok users continues to grow, trends are constantly changing, and the platform’s algorithms are being refined. To appear in recommendations and top subscribers’ feeds, bloggers, brands, and advertisers must remain flexible and strategically approach their publishing schedules. TikTok’s algorithms differ significantly from those of Instagram and Facebook, and success is determined not only by the quality and relevance of the content, but also by the timing of its publication.
When is the best time to post videos on TikTok? Answering this can significantly increase your chances of achieving high reach and audience activity. In this article, we will discuss the optimal time to post videos on the platform in 2024, which will help you achieve better results.
The best time to post on TikTok
It’s important to remember that TikTok users encounter the recommendations feed first, not direct subscriptions. These recommendations are content from random authors, assumed to be of interest based on their previous interactions with the app. If a user watched a video in its entirety, liked it, commented on it, shared it, or added it to favorites, this indicates to the algorithms their interest in similar content.
As TikTok’s audience continues to grow and approaches the one billion user mark, it’s clear that competition for audience attention is high. In this sea of content constantly being uploaded to TikTok, choosing the right time for your post can play a key role in the success of your video.
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Even if your videos are engaging and high-quality, posting them during periods of low audience activity can cause them to go unnoticed. Meanwhile, content published during peak activity hours can achieve significant success due to increased engagement and reach.
Interesting fact: the average engagement rate on TikTok today is 5.53%, higher than on YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, where it stands at 3.80% and 4.36% respectively. Additionally, TikTok surpasses its competitors twice in posting frequency. It is important to note that the platform initially provided the highest reach within the first hour after publication, but since 2020, the algorithms have changed and views now increase within the first 4 hours.
According to Influencer Marketing Hub, the optimal time to post on TikTok is from 6 am to 12 pm and 7 pm to 11 pm Eastern European Time (EST). Don’t forget to consider the time zone of your audience, which can vary significantly even within a single country, such as Russia (11 time zones) and the US (6 time zones).
The timing of your posts also depends on the specific characteristics of your audience: teens are most active between 12 pm and 5 pm, while adults prefer to view content between 6 pm and 11 pm. Morning is the best time to post educational and motivational content, while nighttime is preferred for entertainment videos. These observations should help you strategically plan your posts and progress on TikTok.
Access to TikTok analytics, previously limited to PRO account owners, is now available to all users in the “Author Tools” section. The default statistical data is displayed in UTC (GMT+0), so tools like Savvy Time or Dateful Time Zone Converter can be helpful in determining the best publishing time for your audience.
By the end of 2023, the largest number of TikTok users was recorded in the US (more than 143 million), followed by Indonesia (106 million) and Brazil (almost 95 million). For effective post planning, it is essential to know the location of your target audience and their daily routine. If you and your audience are in different time zones, planning should take this difference into account. TikTok offers its own tools for scheduling posts, and there are also third-party services for delayed posts.
How to better subtitle videos on TikTok
Suppose you have discovered the optimal time to post videos on TikTok and target viral popularity of your content. Remember, a video goes viral when it triggers active interaction among the audience, including posts and discussions. Here’s how to increase activity on TikTok and attract more subscribers: Create a compelling description that encourages viewers to watch the video until the end. The video description should be compact, no more than 200 characters, so as not to cover the video itself, but the shorter the better. This is especially true of advertising materials, where every character counts.
To make your description really work to attract attention on TikTok, creativity is recommended.
If you’re hesitant to experiment, here are some proven methods for creating titles:
- Clearly indicate the theme or offer of the video;
- Play with emotions, without limiting yourself to only the positive ones;
- Ask questions, whether provocative or rhetorical;
- Encourage the audience to share their opinions or advice;
- Use captivating quotes;
- Create intrigue about the next part;
- Customize the description (for example, “cat lovers will appreciate it”);
- Directly ask viewers to help you become more popular by specifying when they prefer to watch videos;
- Don’t forget to add hashtags;
- Promise that you will like it in exchange for a subscription: this is especially relevant for teenage audiences.
Unfortunately, you can’t leave a clickable link in the video description, except links to resources like TripAdvisor or Wikipedia. Active links are only allowed in the profile. However, this does not prevent you from indicating a dead link with a call to action to follow it.
Thanks to high engagement, many videos on TikTok easily go viral, making the platform a powerful promotion tool not only for bloggers but also for businesses. For affiliates, TikTok is a key channel to attract free traffic, thanks to its large and diverse audience. It is important to consider the details of advertising on TikTok and the ability to navigate moderation, which may not always be accessible to novice referees. By using TikTok as a main or additional channel, you can successfully promote in various niches, including gaming, dating, betting, finance, and cryptocurrency.
I can’t upload videos to TikTok
If you’re having trouble posting a video on TikTok (it doesn’t load or doesn’t appear on your profile after uploading), here are some tips on what to do. First, try refreshing the video page or logging back into the app, and also check your Internet or Wi-Fi connection. If the problem persists, it is worth taking a more detailed approach to resolve it.
Problems with loading videos can arise for several reasons:
- Inappropriate file format;
- Exceed the maximum allowed video size;
- Exceed the unofficial limit on the number of publications;
- You need to clear the app cache;
- Outdated version of your device’s operating system;
- Technical problems with TikTok servers.
If the video does not load completely, its duration may exceed the set limit of 10 minutes, causing it to be automatically trimmed. Check if the video was accidentally moved to drafts or private materials and does not violate the platform’s rules.
Regarding reuploading the video, this method can help if your content is not getting views. Make sure the video is interesting, as the quality of the content is important. When republishing, keep in mind that multiple watermarks can degrade video quality. Use tools to remove watermarks before uploading again.
Regarding the frequency of publications, for new accounts it is recommended to publish 5-6 videos per week, trying different formats. TikTok favors active users, but it is important to maintain a balance between quantity and quality of content. If you notice that most of your traffic is coming from recommendations, that’s a good sign.
Now you know more about how to improve the visibility of your videos on TikTok by choosing the optimal time for posts and captioning them effectively. Experiment, find your unique strategy for engaging with the audience, and remember that TikTok is a platform for creativity where you can try new approaches and ideas.