Best Times to Post on TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram (Plus Image Sizes)

Times are your audience's local time. These are starting points: check your own analytics after a month and adjust.

TikTok

• Weekdays: 6–10 AM and 7–11 PM
• Weekends: 8 AM–12 PM and evenings
• Peak: 7–10 PM
• Works best: short videos, trends, behind-the-scenes, quick tips
• Size: 9:16 vertical, 1080 × 1920 px

YouTube

• Weekdays: 2–4 PM and 7–9 PM
• Weekends: 9–11 AM and evenings
• Tip: publish 2–3 hours before peak so the video is indexed when viewers arrive
• Works best: tutorials, reviews, vlogs, long-form
• Size: 16:9, 1920 × 1080 px. Thumbnails: 1280 × 720 px. Shorts: 9:16

Facebook

• Weekdays: 9–11 AM and 1–3 PM
• Weekends: late morning
• Works best: photos, videos, live streams, links
• Sizes: link preview 1200 × 630 px; feed photos 1080 × 1350 (4:5) take up the most screen; Reels 9:16

Instagram

• Weekdays: 11 AM–1 PM and 7–9 PM
• Weekends: 10 AM–12 PM
• Works best: Reels, carousels, Stories
• Sizes: portrait 1080 × 1350 (4:5) for feed, 1080 × 1920 (9:16) for Reels and Stories

What matters more than timing

• Consistency – a steady schedule beats perfect timing.
• The first 3 seconds – hook immediately on video.
• Reply to comments in the first hour – it boosts reach.
• Trending sounds on TikTok and Reels.
• Test one change at a time and compare results week to week.

Plan and auto-post at these times with Buffer, Metricool or Later.