Best Times to Post Reels and TikToks in 2025

Does Posting Time Actually Matter?

Short answer: Yes, but probably less than you think.

Posting time is a secondary factor. Great content at a bad time will still outperform mediocre content at the perfect time. But if you're optimizing for growth, posting time is an easy win.

Here's what the data shows—and how to find your optimal posting window.

General Best Posting Times

Based on aggregate data, here are the general optimal windows:

Instagram Reels

Looking for content ideas to post? Check our Instagram Reels Ideas Generator.

Best days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Best times:

• Morning: 6am - 9am (catching early scrollers)
• Lunch: 12pm - 2pm (break time browsing)
• Evening: 7pm - 9pm (prime time)

Worst times: 3am - 5am, Sunday afternoons

TikTok

Need video ideas for TikTok? See our TikTok Video Ideas Generator.

Best days: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday Best times:

• Morning: 7am - 9am
• Afternoon: 12pm - 3pm
• Evening: 7pm - 11pm

Worst times: 4am - 6am, early Sunday

But Here's the Catch

These are averages. Your audience might be completely different.

A creator targeting working professionals has different optimal times than one targeting college students. A fitness account peaks at different hours than an entertainment account.

General guidelines are starting points, not rules.

How to Find YOUR Best Posting Times

The only data that matters is your data. Here's how to find your optimal times:

Step 1: Track Everything

For the next month, post at varied times:

• Some mornings, some evenings
• Different days of the week
• Mix of weekdays and weekends

Add each post to your SocialWatch dashboard. You need data to analyze.

Step 2: Record the Details

For each post, note:

• Day of week
• Time posted
• First-hour views: How many views in the first 60 minutes?
• 24-hour views: Total views after one day
• Engagement rate

Step 3: Analyze the Patterns

After 3-4 weeks, look for trends:

• Which posting times got the highest first-hour views?
• Did any day consistently outperform?
• Were there times that always underperformed?

Step 4: Test Your Hypothesis

Once you have a hypothesis (e.g., "Tuesday evenings work best"), test it:

• Post similar content at your hypothesized best time
• Post similar content at your hypothesized worst time
• Compare the results

If your hypothesis holds, you've found your optimal window.

Why First-Hour Performance Matters

The algorithms on both Instagram and TikTok evaluate content quickly. Strong early performance = more distribution.

This means posting time affects:

• Initial audience: Who sees your content first?
• Early engagement: Do they interact?
• Algorithm signal: Does the algorithm keep pushing it?

If you post when your audience is asleep, you lose precious early momentum.

Time Zones: The Hidden Variable

If your audience is global, things get complicated.

For US creators:

• East Coast evening (7-9pm ET) = West Coast afternoon (4-6pm PT)
• This overlap is often the "golden window"

For global audiences:

• Consider posting twice: once for US, once for Europe/Asia
• Or find the time with maximum overlap

Check your analytics to see where your audience is located. Optimize for your largest segment.

The Quality vs. Timing Tradeoff

Here's a scenario: You have an amazing piece of content ready at 3am. Should you post it immediately or wait until your optimal time?

Arguments for waiting:

• Better initial distribution
• Higher first-hour engagement
• Maximizes the content's potential

Arguments for posting immediately:

• Trend-based content loses relevance quickly
• You might forget or procrastinate
• The algorithm can still surface great content later

General rule: For evergreen content, wait for optimal timing. For trend-based content, speed matters more.

Posting Frequency vs. Timing

Both matter, but frequency might matter more.

Consider two scenarios:

• Creator A: Posts once a week at the perfect time
• Creator B: Posts daily at random times

Creator B will likely grow faster. Consistency and volume often beat perfect timing.

The ideal: Post consistently AND at optimal times. But if you have to choose, choose consistency.

Tools for Scheduling

Once you know your optimal times, use scheduling to stay consistent:

Native Scheduling

• Instagram: Creator Studio / Meta Business Suite
• TikTok: Built-in scheduler (limited functionality)

Third-Party Tools

• Later
• Hootsuite
• Buffer

Our Recommendation

Batch create content, then schedule it for your optimal times. This way you're always posting at the right time without being glued to your phone.

Testing Your Posting Times

Here's a 4-week experiment to find your optimal posting schedule:

Week 1: Morning Focus

Post all content between 7-9am. Track results.

Week 2: Afternoon Focus

Post all content between 12-2pm. Track results.

Week 3: Evening Focus

Post all content between 7-9pm. Track results.

Week 4: Analysis

• Which week had the best average performance?
• Were there any surprising results?
• What will you do differently going forward?

Bonus: YouTube Shorts

If you're also posting on YouTube Shorts, timing works slightly differently due to the platform's discovery algorithm. For Shorts-specific strategies and trending ideas, check out our YouTube Shorts Ideas Generator.

Key Takeaways

1. General best times exist but your audience might be different
2. First-hour performance matters for algorithm distribution
3. Track your own data to find your optimal windows
4. Consistency beats perfect timing if you have to choose
5. Use scheduling to maintain optimal posting times

Start Optimizing Today

1. Track your next 20 posts with SocialWatch
2. Note posting times for each one
3. Analyze after 3 weeks - look for patterns
4. Test your hypothesis with focused experiments
5. Schedule accordingly once you know what works

The best posting time is the one that works for your specific audience. Find it, then stick to it.

Start tracking your posting performance →