Knowing the best time to publish short videos is crucial for TikTok creators. Knowing the best time to publish videos means that you may be more likely to be recommended by the algorithm, get higher exposure, and increase the possibility of comments, shares, and attention. If you don’t master the best publishing time, it is possible that our carefully crafted short videos will not be watched by anyone, affecting the growth of our account and our commercial monetization capabilities.
In this article, we will analyze from different dimensions – the best publishing time for short videos on TikTok in the US! If you want to know other skills and strategies related to TikTok short videos, welcome to visit the official website of VIKOC Hub!

Divided by weekdays and weekends | Best TikTok short video posting time
Workdays (Monday to Friday)
l Lunch Break (12 PM – 1 PM): Normally workday, so people are relatively low-screen time session, so launches may not be peak but great for users on their breaks.
l After Work (6 PM – 9 PM): This time window is essential because users de-stress and have a higher likelihood of interacting with your content.
Saturday and Sunday (the weekend)
MORNING (9 AM – 11 AM) — Comfortable Browsing Where users are comfortable and more active on social media
Afternoon (3 PM – 6 PM) — The afternoon is another time with spare time.
Time Zone Considerations
This is because the US covers a number of time zones, where Eastern Standard Time (EST) is a key basis for many analyses. That said, you should also look at another time zone:
l Eastern Time (ET) : Peak season occurs in spring and around the holidays, with the highest engagement rates often between 6 AM and 10 AM and 7 PM to 11 PM.
l Central Time (CT): Best Times For Posting 7 AM to 9 AM and 8 PM to 10 PM
l Mountain Time: Just like Central Time, peak hours are generally between 7 AM to 9 AM and 8 PM to 10 PM.
l Pacific Time (PT): Users are generally most active from 9 AM to 11 AM and 8 PM to 10 PM.
Best Posting Times on TikTok
According to several studies and using the dimensions you gave:
l Monday: 6 AM, 10 AM, and 10 PM (ESt)
l Tuesday: Emphasized the 4 PM as peak time, along with the 2 AM, 4 AM & 9 AM (EST).
l Wednesday: 5 PM, as well as 7 AM, 8 AM and 11 PM (EST) are noted as high engagement times.
l Thursday: 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. are recommended.
l Friday: 5 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (EST)
l Saturday: 11 AM, 7 PM and 8 PM (EST) are best.
l Sunday: 8 PM is prime time, and 7 AM, 8 AM, and 4 PM (EST) are also options.
For highest engagement in US, whilst posting after work (6 PM – 9 PM) is the best time on a weekday on the weekend is best in the morning (9 AM -11 AM) or Afternoon (3 PM – 6 PM). Use TikTok analytics to adjust these times for the timezone of your specific audience and when they are most active.

Choose the best posting time based on the Tiktok algorithm
It is both user active times and the algorithm of the platform естественно of TikTok itself that analyses what is the most suitable time to release a short video to find the best time for TikTok in the US Here’s a breakdown by these dimensions:
As noted before, user activity spikes during:
l Workdays: During lunch breaks (12 PM – 1 PM) and after work (6 PM – 9 PM)
l Weekend: AM (9 AM — 11 AM), PM (3 PM — 6 PM).
Algorithm Recommendations of Platforms
TikTok’s algorithm favors the time when users are most active on the platform for optimum engagement, but it also takes low-competition time slots into consideration:
Peak Engagement Times:
(Studies have shown the best times for posting to your audience are often 9 AM to 11 AM and 7 PM to 10 PM, in that audience’s local time.)They are also peak hours between 6 AM to 10 AM and 7 PM to 11 PM[1].
Less Competition Strategy:
Posting at odd hours like 2 A. M to 4 A. M allows you to face less competition, resulting in higher engagement if the algorithm at least detects a readership when its less crowded.
Algorithmic Factors:
TikTok algorithm rewards engagement metrics like likes, comments, shares and watch time.
It also takes into account user interactions, video details (captions, hashtags, sounds) and device settings.
Best Posting Strategy _US TikTok engagement tips:
l Prime Time: Go between 9 AM to 11 AM and 7 PM to 10 PM to be in line with user high traffic times.
l Experiment during off-peak hours: Try posting between 2 AM to 4 AM while competition is lower.
Content-Specific Timing:
Informational programming: Monday through Friday AM and early PM (7 AM – 9 AM, 11 AM PM 1 PM) and Sundays evenings.
Entertainment Shows: Weekdays (7 PM - 9 PM) and on Saturday afternoon/evening.
your regular posting schedule should match your target audience’s time zone – Eastern, Central, Mountain, or Pacific Time.
A/B Testing and Analytics:
Track your audience’s times of activity and adjust your posting schedule with TikTok Analytics.
Test various times to see what is most effective for your unique audience.
Best Tiktok video posting times by industry
When it comes to knowing the best time to post short videos on TikTok in the US, you should consider user active times, platform algorithm preference and industry-specific engagement patterns. This is a breakdown according to these dimensions — at an industry-type level.
Entertainment and Gaming
l Good Times: From 8 PM to 11 PM This synchronicity is perfect for tech, gaming and entertainment content and dovetails with users unwinding after work or school2.
l Other Things to Consider: Fridays and Saturdays bring high performance for entertainment-related content as users get ready to go out on weekends.
Business and Education
Ideal Hours: Between 7 AM and 9 AM in the morning or between meal breaks (12 PM). These times catch users while they are getting ready for the day or while on a break which makes them ideal for educational content or professional-based content.
To increase engagement, it’s important to:
l Use TikTok Analytics: Analyze when your specific audience is active and customize your posting times accordingly.
l Play Around with Times Posting: Post at a range of times to see what suits your content and audience.
l Post during important functions: If your social media page is related to the fashion or food and restaurant industry, such as Instagram, local time is preferred for lunch, dinner and meals.
l Using a combination of these methods can help you structure your TikTok posting schedule for maximum targeting efficacy.
Choose the best time to post short videos on Tiktok based on user data behavior
US TikTok best time to post small video analysis is based on user behavior data which can be accessed by TikTok analytics, Instagram Insights, or through third-party tools like Hootsuite and Sprout Social. This is how to use those tools for insights:
Using TikTok Analytics and Tools Third-Party
TikTok gives you stats on the views your videos get, who your followers are, and engagement data. This can be used to determine when your audience is most active or boiling content that resonates with them.
Use TikTok’s built-in analytics to monitor performance metrics such as views, likes, comments, and shares.
Instagram Insights:
Insights on their own are for Instagram only, but they do give an overall pattern of usage that can be generalized to strengthen TikTok and similar strategies.
But Instagram usage patterns might vary from TikTok due to different types of content on each platform.
Third-Party Tools (Hootsuite, Sprout Social).
Hootsuite: Customized timing recommendations based on your TikTok account’s past activity. It also offers scheduling and performance tracking across various social networks.
Sprout Social: Offers comprehensive metrics and reporting, offering comparisons across multiple platforms, as well as lifetime data that TikTok does not natively provide.
Exploring the User Behavior Data
Here is what you should do to set a posting schedule that gets the most engagement:
Identify Active Times:
Use analytics tools to find out when your followers are best active on TikTok. While this generally correlates to peak engagement times, it can differ based on your target audience.
Track Engagement Metrics:
Track likes, comments, shares, and watch time to learn which content types and posting times generate the most interaction.
Customize Your Strategy:
Thanks to your audience’s behavior, adapt your posting schedule accordingly in order to generate the most engagement. Try out various times to see what timetables is best for your content.
Cross-Platform Comparison:
l Use third-party tools to export comparisons of how different platforms perform for you, enabling you to refine your overall social media strategy.
l Test Different Times: Try out different times to see if you notice any patterns based on your audience.
l Utilize Custom Recommendation Tools: Tools like Hootsuite offer custom suggestions based on your account data.
Implementing these strategies enables you to maximize your TikTok posting schedule to suit your audience’s behavior and preferences.
Choose the best time to post your video based on the competition
In order to figure out the best time to post short videos on TikTok in the US, many dimensions need to be estimated such as user behavior, the platform algorithm, the industry type, user behavior data, competition, etc. Here’s how you can find the best posting times, without competing with your audience during peak hours:
Avoid major news events and holidays:
Event Peak but High Competition: During the events (holidays, sports, news) user engagement increases with TikTok, but so does competition. Unless your post is relevant to the event, it may be best to skip brands from posting during this time.
Strategy: Post around these events, either before or after to avoid the deluge of posts. Even if you are not attending this event, you can still take advantage of higher engagement without competition by using trending hashtags and themes.
Determining What Times Are Less Competitive:
Outside the hours: Posts on off hours, for example, early in the morning (find 2 AM to 4 AM) or late at night (find 11 PM) may reduce the possibility of contests or developing viewers.
Weekday Mornings and Afternoons: Educational or business-oriented content is less competitive for a certain time on weekdays (9 AM to 12 PM) than after work.
Optimal Posting Times to Reduce Competition
l Monday: 6 AM, 10 AM, or 10 PM (EST), no major events.
l Tuesday: 2 AM, 4 AM & 9 AM have less competition so are effective
l Wednesday: 7 AM, 8 AM, or 11 PM recommended.
l Thursday, 9 a.m., 12 p.m., or 7 p.m. (unless there’s a major event)
l Time Out’s Weekend Warm-Up: Friday 5 AM, 1 PM, or 3 PM (in the run-up to the weekend)
l Saturday and Sunday: While weekends are generally considered lower-traffic times, morning or early afternoon posts can be less competitive than evening hours.
Additional Strategies
For example, based on the unique requests that are popular in your content, use TikTok Analytics and keep track of your audience engagement trends to find out less competitive times.
l Try Posting At Different Times: Keep regularly testing different times for your posts to see what gives you the best results depending on your audience and what it is that you post about.
l Trendy Challenge: Sign Up For Trending Challenges To Poach Viewers Without Going Head To Head In Peak Hours
Hence, using these strategies alone, you can determine the best time to post to reduce competition and increase engagement on TikTok.
Refer to official data to select the best time to post short videos on TikTok
TikTok itself will not tell us when is the best time to post a video. But we can take advantage of studies and analyses from reputable sources that have acquired huge datasets of TikTok posts to inform us of good posting times.
Mid-Week Engagement:
l Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: 10 AM – 11 AM EST — As users break or begin their work/school day, the Best overall engagement time.
l Afternoon Power Tip: Tuesday and Friday from 4 PM until 6 PM have been consistently mentioned as high engagement times.
Day-by-day Ideal Posting Times:
l Monday: First thing (6 AM), lunch (10 AM), just before sleep (10 PM)
l Tuesday: 4 PM is pegged as a prime time, with further suggestions at 2 AM and 9 AM.
l Wednesday: High engagement time at 5 PM; alternate options are 7 AM, 8 AM, and 11 PM.
l Thursday: 9 a.m., noon and 7 p.m. are recommended.
l Friday: 5 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
l Saturday: Best at 11 AM, 7 PM, and 8 PM.
l Sunday: Peak time: 8 PM; other times: 7 AM, 8 AM, 4 PM.
Official Platform Insights
While TikTok doesn’t release specific official data about the best times to post, its analytics tool shows audience engagement patterns. This tool can help you create a posting schedule that’s more focused on audience behavior.
Conclusion
To maximize your TikTok posting time using insights akin to (platform) data:
l Analyze Audience Engagement: Leverage TikTok Analytics to determine when your audience is active and engage them accordingly.
l Consider Post Frequency: Frequency matters, whether you post daily or weekly.
l Avoid Peak: Post at times there is no common competition.
l With these strategies, you can utilize insights similar to official platform data to improve your TikTok engagement.
Finally, VIKOC Hub hopes that every short video creator can find the best video release time through this short video release time strategy. I wish you success in advance! Here I will give you another free viral TikTok video editing trick!
