As far as social media channels go, TikTok has quietly become one of the biggest – and brands that don’t jump on the TikTok bandwagon risk being left behind. Globally, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly users. And it’s popular as a search engine too. TikTok is the fourth most-popular search engine, just behind YouTube, Bing and Google.
So we know that TikTok is popular globally. But the stats around TikTok use in South Africa are equally impressive.
The Global Digital 2024 report revealed that TikTok has 17.5 million South African users aged 18 and up. The gender split is fairly even, 52.0% of TikTok’s ad audience in South Africa is female and 48.0% is male. For brands, the potential ad reach is tantalising: TikTok ad reach in South Africa increased by a massive +10.6% in just 4 months between October 2023 and January 2024. This makes posting on TikTok (almost) a non-negotiable. The question is, when is the best time to post on TikTok in SA?
Table of Contents:
The Best Time to Post on TikTok in South Africa
Best Times to Post on TikTok in South Africa
Best Days to Post on TikTok in South Africa
Best Time to Post on TikTok on Monday
Best Time to Post on TikTok on Tuesday
Best Time to Post on TikTok on Wednesday
Best Time to Post on TikTok on Thursday
Best Time to Post on TikTok on Friday
Best Time to Post on TikTok on Saturday
Best Time to Post on TikTok on Sunday
Post Content and Post Frequency
How to Find the Best Time to Post on TikTok in South Africa for Your Brand
Best Times to Post on TikTok in South Africa
It’s important to clarify that there is no perfect time to post on TikTok for every brand in every province in South Africa. Part of it will depend on your industry, your audience, and what your brand objectives are on TikTok. For this reason, it’s important for brands to analyse their own TikTok data using a social media management tool to determine when to post.
Having said that, there are 3 top times worth testing based on general data:
- Tuesdays 6 PM
- Fridays 6 AM
- Sundays 2 PM
Best Days to Post on TikTok in South Africa
Good news: there is no such thing as a wrong day to post on TikTok. But it does pay to look at user behaviour to pinpoint which times work best for each specific day. Posting throughout the week will allow you to find out which days and times are the most ideal for your content and your audience.
Best Time to Post on TikTok on Monday
- 6 AM
- 10 AM
- 8 PM
The best times to post on TikTok on Monday are in the early and mid-morning, as well as the late evening. People are active on TikTok both before and after the workday, breaking up the start to the week.
Best Time to Post on TikTok on Tuesday
- 2 AM
- 4 AM
- 6 PM
Believe it or not, TikTok is active extremely early in the morning on Tuesdays. Thank goodness for Meltwater’s social media management and scheduling tool!
Best Time to Post on TikTok on Wednesday
- 7 AM
- 7 PM
Like Mondays, the best times to post on TikTok on Wednesdays are before or after the workday.
Best Time to Post on TikTok on Thursday
- 8 AM
- 12 NOON
- 7 PM
The best times to post on TikTok on Thursday are 8 AM, noon, and 7 PM. Users tend to log on more frequently as the work week winds down.
Best Time to Post on TikTok on Friday
- 5 AM
- 1 PM
- 5 PM
Like Thursdays, TikTok is active around lunchtime on Fridays as people get ready for the weekend. Other popular time slots are 5 AM and 5 PM.
Best Time to Post on TikTok on Saturday
- 11 AM
- 7 PM
Late mornings and evenings are the best times to post on TikTok on Saturdays, with people sleeping in, and spending more of their free time on social media.
Best Time to Post on TikTok on Sunday
- 9 AM
- 2 PM
9 AM and 2 PM are the best times to post on TikTok on Sundays. The 2PM Sunday time slot is one of the most popular times to post throughout the entire week.
Post Content and Post Frequency
TikTok is one of the best platforms to experiment with, both in terms of post times and content. While brands should still follow their own brand guidelines, TikTok’s short-form videos allow brands to showcase fun and flexibility. South African audiences are, on the whole, receptive to humour, so don’t be afraid to test!
TikTok favours more content rather than less, so if you can post as often as every day, your audience will naturally see more and more of your content.
How to Find the Best Time to Post on TikTok in South Africa for Your Brand
One way to find the best time to post on TikTok is to post, manage and analyse everything yourself. A much better way to achieve TikTok success is to make use of a social media management tool.
Create, schedule, manage, and track your TikTok content all in one place. With in-depth reporting and dynamic admin capabilities, equip yourself with everything you need to keep your TikTok performance tip top.
Want to see what Meltwater can do for your brand? Request a demo by filling out the form below!
