Thinking of Buying an Amazon FBA Business? Read This First.

Are you thinking of buying an Amazon FBA business? If so, it’s important to do your homework first.

In this blog post, we will discuss some of the things you should consider before becoming a new owner and seller. We’ll cover what Amazon FBA is, why someone would want to buy an existing FBA business, benefits and potential drawbacks, plus some key questions a potential buyer should ask before investing in one.

Basic Terms and Concepts to Know

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of important details, let’s be sure we have all the basics covered. If you’re already experienced with buying an FBA business, you’re likely familiar with these already and can skip them.

What is an FBA business?

A Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) online businesses sell products on Amazon but do not directly handle shipping and returns. Unlike Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM) sellers, Amazon FBA sellers send their inventory to an Amazon warehouse where they are shipped to customers upon ordering.

This setup can help make selling and running an online business more profitable. However, the convenience of these services comes with related storage fees – knowing how this affects net profits per month is important before you buy.

What types of Amazon businesses are there?

Besides the FBA vs. FBM differentiation listed above, there are a few different ways to categorize different Amazon businesses. First is by their account type:

Individual Seller Account: No account fees, but a $0.99 fee per item sold. This account is typically best for new sellers and those that resell unwanted items on Amazon Marketplace, and Individual Accounts lack a lot of necessary tools for selling at large volumes.

Professional Seller Account: $39.99 fee per month, with no fees per item sold. The fee gives sellers access to various tools and reports that help with inventory management, and they’re most beneficial for a medium or large-scale store with high sales volumes.

However, Amazon businesses can also be categorized by what they’re selling:

Retail Arbitrage: You’ll see these sellers in the “New & Used from” section because they’re reselling products and leveraging small price differences for profit rather than truly having their own brand or product.

Though it’s common on Marketplace and can generate lots of revenue, this category is also rife with misinformation and false promises. There are many claiming to sell courses on how to teach new owners retail arbitrage. Many will claim to see massive profits with minimal effort when in reality, few are actually successful.

Wholesale: These Amazon sellers buy products in bulk to sell at a profit, usually from suppliers or from a vendor.

Wholesale selling on Amazon can deliver consistent results and profit but also heavy competition. There are nearly always multiple other sellers on the market competing for reviews, rankings, and sales, making it difficult to become a best seller. Wholesale Amazon sellers may also need to follow more strict rules on how to operate (e.g., what they write on their listings) depending on their distributor or vendor.

Private Label: This practice involves taking a generic product (typically from platforms like Alibaba), slapping a brand name sticker on it, and selling it as a unique product. This is why you will often find eerily similar-looking products in search results despite all of them technically being a different business. Additionally, though it’s not always the case, private label products have a reputation for being cheap in both price and quality.

A business on Amazon can manufacture and sell its own unique products. Generally speaking, however, when you buy a business that already exists it is one of the three types above. Why? Because if not, you’d be talking about buying an entire business that likely has its own website or off-platform sales, and your role as the owner would be more akin to buying a large enterprise.

Why Should I Buy an Amazon FBA Business Instead of Starting My Own?

There are many cases in which starting your own Amazon FBA business from scratch may be your best bet. However, many prefer to buy an existing FBA business because…well, it already exists.

Most Amazon business owners do not see success – it is a fiercely competitive environment, and it can be extremely difficult and time-consuming to stand out in search results.

Starting out from scratch means you’ll need to gather the ratings, reviews, and search rankings necessary to generate serious profits. Established FBA brands have already made it past that difficult phase and proven their viability (though that doesn’t mean the sales will continue – we’ll get to that later).

Consider These Points Before Buying an Amazon FBA Business

Perhaps someone selling their successful Amazon store came to you personally, or you have become interested in the idea on your own. Before getting into the details of what factors about the seller and business you should consider, you need to be sure that an FBA business is the right move for you.

After all, you could buy a perfectly profitable account and later find that the process isn’t like selling as a regular online store – a common case for many empire flippers with eCommerce experience. Additionally, the time and effort involved to keep the account profitable might not fit your schedule or be worth the price for you personally.

1) Avoiding the high-risk startup phase =! avoiding a high-risk investment.

Just because a business passed the difficult starting phase and generates a solid net profit does not mean it’s in the clear thereafter.

There are additional risks more specific to the platform as well: different types of account hijackers, listing sabotage, price wars, and other malicious practices from bad actors in your competitive environment are always around the corner. It can take days or weeks to address such concerns, and there are no safety nets for loss in sales you may have experienced in that period of time.

Lastly, there are a lot of variables that can be hidden to make a seller account look healthy and like a good investment at first glance. Buying an Amazon business requires a lot of due diligence and should be treated like purchasing any other company – we’ll cover what you need to know and ask before you buy an Amazon store later.

2) Just because you won’t have startup costs doesn’t mean you won’t have additional costs.

You’re likely going to need a bit of cash to get started that’s not related to buying the account. FBA selling often requires large initial investments in inventory, advertising, and some buffer cash as you get the hang of your regular operations.

3) Steady income =! passive income.

A lot of people – especially those aforementioned gurus – like to say that having an Amazon business is akin to passive income or a side hustle. This is technically possible, but extremely unlikely.

Many people starting from scratch are surprised when they discover just how much time is required to keep things going, or get high up enough in search results to see serious growth. In fact, it’s a big reason why many sellers don’t make it past one year even if their business was generating some profit.

You should consider how much time you’re also willing to invest in the brand you purchase in addition to your monetary investments. Factor this in when determining whether you’d be a good fit as the new owner. If you think that you may need to hire extra help (e.g. an Amazon advertising agency) in order to reduce the time you personally put into your store, keep in mind the money you’ll need for this too.

4) No two FBA businesses are completely alike.

You could have two stores selling related products in the same categories, and you’ll still have two completely different stores to consider at the end of the day. Behind the scenes, there are so many factors and strategies that go into selling. Some do better than others despite seemingly identical verticals. For this reason, it’s important you deeply research the business, its customers, and its category before making any final decisions.

Answers to Common Questions About Buying an Amazon FBA Business

Where can I find Amazon FBA businesses for sale?

In most cases, they are sold through brokers. A good site to start with is BizBuySell. It compiles most offers from around the internet onto one place, which makes for easy browsing and discovery. A keyword search can help you filter offers for Amazon FBA businesses specifically. Inversely, if you’re hoping to sell an Amazon FBA business, this is a good place to list it.

How can I verify that an FBA business for sale is legitimate?

It can be very difficult to verify the validity of an online business for sale, which can make the investment feel very risky, even for experienced empire flippers.

We will get into some questions to ask and tips to help ensure that you have the right information when looking at an offer. However, hiring a third party like Centurica to conduct Due Diligence services may be worth the extra money.

How much capital should I start with if I want to buy an FBA business?

Generally speaking, it will cost anywhere from 2-4 times the business’s annual EBITA (earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization) to purchase an eCommerce business. As mentioned earlier, it’s best to also have additional money reserves enough to cover initial inventory purchases and in most cases, a marketing budget.

The exact number depends on the size, account health, and profitability of the store you’re intending to purchase. If you want to play it safe, consider adding on the sum of operational costs (including inventory) for at least 1 month in addition to the capital you will use to purchase the business. Additionally, factor in the money needed for any legal or consulting services to help with the purchase and transfer process.

What to Look For When Buying an Amazon FBA Business: Conducting Due Diligence

Here are some points you should consider when looking through Amazon stores:

Account Health

One of the first things you want to look at is the health of the Amazon seller account. This will include factors such as how many products are listed, average sales volume, ratings and reviews, and feedback from customers.

An important and often overlooked area is the rate of returns for products. An otherwise successful, high-ranking account can end up taking huge profit losses due to returns. In addition to returns, be sure to look out for these smaller account health details:

• Order cancellation rates
• Late shipment rates
• Order defect rates
• Inventory performance index

Don’t be afraid to dive deep into customer feedback, and really take the time to read reviews. Doing so can ensure you pass up offers inflated by fake or bought reviews, which could not only result in an overvalued business but also could run the risk of you getting penalized due to platform rules later on.

Additionally, getting a good idea of poor reviews can help you determine your ability to fix any potential issues. For example, if the majority of bad ratings and reviews outline rude or lack of vendor response to order issues, this is something easily fixable on your end as you would now have direct control over it. However, if defects in products are the main concern, this could be a larger supplier issue that would require more effort and potentially capital to address.

Category

The second thing you’ll want to consider is what categories the business sells in. This will help you determine the amount of competition you may be dealing with in its marketplace, which plays a huge role in later investments like on-platform DSP advertising or off-platform marketing.

You should also consider the account’s positioning within its marketplace. This can help determine whether significant changes or investments will need to be made in updating product offers, optimizing listings, or expanding the business into new products and categories.

Lastly, take the time to determine whether you think there is still plenty of room for business growth within the category and specifically from the FBA account’s position. Some categories can be highly saturated, which would make an emerging seller’s likelihood of success much lower. On the other hand, some FBA accounts may have positioned themselves in lucrative niche markets full of potential.

Accounting Records

We’ll also include profit and loss statements as well as total fees from the platform here, which will give you a solid idea of what the Amazon seller account is worth, net profit, and so on. The past 12 months of operation are the most important for you when calculating value and determining whether the store is profitable.

Checking accounting records will also help you ensure that the FBA account was set up properly and the seller has kept accurate historical records throughout its operation.

Supplier Information and Records

One of the benefits of buying an established store is that you inherit a supplier network. However, this also comes with potential risks if the suppliers are not reliable or have inconsistent contact and communication.

The due diligence process should include verifying supplier information as well as checking to see if there are any records of late shipments, returns, or other issues with suppliers.

For Wholesale Accounts:

This is important to consider if you’re buying an FBA business with the intention of expanding it into retail channels. Distributor relationships and agreements can be a great asset that you acquire as part of purchasing an FBA account, but they may also require an investment on your part to maintain.

Review the terms of any distributor agreements and be sure that you will be able to continue supplying products through those channels if you choose to do so in the future. If you intend to seek out new supplier agreements, be sure to read the fine print of any existing contracts to avoid any legal setbacks that could arise from clauses that define minimum time periods or competing suppliers.

Questions to Ask Before You Buy an Amazon Store

Now that we’ve covered the basics to consider and information to look through about buying a business, here are some questions you should have answers to before making any official agreements or transfers.

In most cases, a seller will have answered these questions before you even ask them, but double-check this list to be sure all bases are covered:

Why is this Seller Central Account for sale?

You want to be sure you have all the details of why the FBA seller decided to put their store up for sale. Not only do you need to know any potential hurdles the seller encounter that made their venture no longer worth it (if any), but it’s also a great way to gauge how honest and straightforward a seller is with you.

Not all FBA stores that owners sell have issues impacting their profitability. Even in the case they do, there’s a chance your position and/or capital as an empire flipper could make it easier for you to promote growth to make it a perfectly profitable business, even if they couldn’t.

In the case that a seller isn’t completely honest about their FBA business for sale or its value, doing proper due diligence and going through the points mentioned above will ensure you catch this before it’s too late.

What are your lead times?

Lead times are important for e-commerce enterprises that source inventory. It’s not possible to sell inventory you don’t have. Therefore, you want lead times from suppliers to deliver your inventory to be short. The quicker your inventory moves, the shorter your lead times should be.

If lead times seem to be long enough to impact sales, this may be a supplier issue that will force you to buy larger volumes at a time or even seek out new suppliers with better results.

Many store owners have experienced longer lead times across the board due to supply chain issues in the past year, especially for that source product from China or elsewhere overseas. This should be factored in when considering supplier-seller relationships and their overall reliability, but could still require you to seek a new supplier regardless.

What is your current marketing strategy?

Nearly all sellers need some sort of Amazon advertising strategy in order to compete well within their category. In fact, many experienced sellers believe it’s not possible to grow a successful FBA business without using Amazon ads.

The most important things for you to know are whether the seller has a well-thought-out strategy and whether they are using Amazon PPC ads exclusively or if they have other social media accounts/affiliate marketing avenues.

Marketing off-platform and via Amazon DSP advertising has become more important for sellers to succeed in recent years, so what the seller already has established will determine how much money you’ll need to either expand or maintain its marketing strategy.

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Conclusion

Buying an FBA store is a great opportunity for those who want to enter the e-commerce industry but don’t want to make a seller central account from scratch. If you’re interested in buying a business, be sure to do your due diligence. If you’re not sure where to start, you can use these main points and questions to start the due diligence process yourself. There are also services you can use to assist with this process.

Remember that in addition to accounting records as well as category and customer research, other commonly overlooked factors like the previous seller’s marketing strategy or supplier lead times can play a large role in how valuable the business is long-term.

Not familiar with Amazon advertising strategy? Check out our article on the different types of Amazon sponsored ads, and subscribe to our newsletter below for news and tips on your favorite digital platforms every week!

Snap Advanced Conversions Looks Promising, But How Does It Work?

What is Snap Advanced Conversions?

Snap’s Advanced Conversions is a data collection, analysis, and reporting process that provides quality advertising services and conversions reports while respecting user privacy and the increasing restrictions around data tracking. Its strategy and how it works make it especially promising compared to other solutions (or the lack thereof) currently offered up by platforms that previously relied on third-party data for advertising.

Advanced Conversions was officially launched in 2021, but its features and capabilities are being regularly developed and updated. Despite its infancy, it has already gained some controversy and is often labeled as Snap’s method of “bypassing” iOS data tracking opt-outs. The notion that Snap Advanced Conversions “skirts around” data opt-out and tracking rules is found throughout recent media, but it doesn’t paint a very accurate complete picture of this new feature and what it actually does. 

For investors, advertisers and users alike, it’s important to get an idea of how Advanced Conversions works. This article is a good starting point if you are one of the above, and will cover:

• A simple summary of what Snap Advanced Conversions is
• A straightforward explanation of how Advanced Conversions works
• Important upcoming developments and updates 
• A deep dive into why these developments are important to keep an eye on

How Advanced Conversion Works, in Snap’s Own Words: 

Snap explains Advanced Conversions in three steps:

1. Obfuscating impression and conversion data so it can no longer be traced to an identifiable account or user
2. Combining this data together and sorting them into groups that are useful for ad optimization and reporting using cohort analysis
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 on a daily basis. Reports are delayed by 36 hours to prevent real-time attacks and make the results even less traceable to any particular user or account. 

It sounds straightforward, but to make things more clear, let’s break those three steps down further in a more simple way. 

How Snap Advanced Conversion Works, Complete Breakdown: 

The best way to understand how Advanced Conversion actually works is to compare it with traditional ad optimization and reporting to understand what it’s attempting to avoid and solve. The goal of every digital advertising platform is to provide businesses with ad placements that result in clicks, conversions, and sales. Data is key to doing this.

So now, the question for digital platforms like Snap is: How can we give results to businesses only data can bring, but without the invasion of privacy that ad optimization and reporting previously relied on upon?

Step 1: Make personally identifiable data from Snap and the advertiser unusable

Snap Advanced Conversions solves this by taking the focus away from exact, user-identifiable data and focusing instead on the meat and potatoes of what advertisers were looking for in the first place: groups and patterns in data that are useful for insights so they’re not showing ads to random uninterested people, they know where their ads are going, and what gets clicks. 

To do so, Advanced Conversions relies on two sets of data: Impressions data (first-party data from Snap) and Conversions data (first-party data from the advertiser). This data includes identifiable information by nature — most first-party data does. However, Snap obfuscates both of these datasets separately so that:

a) Impressions data does not give the advertiser any identifiable information of Snap users,
b) Conversions data does not give Snap any identifiable information of the advertiser’s conversions and customers, and
c) Identifiable information from both sets cannot be combined to use in ad optimization and reports, or be accessible to any outside companies. 

What does “obfuscate data” mean, and how does it ensure personal privacy? 

The user data that makes you identifiable as a person or by your device are things like email addresses, phone numbers, and IDFAs (i.e. a tracking number for Apple iOS devices specifically for advertising). Obfuscating data means the process makes these pieces of information unintelligible and unusable so that they are not joined or used in any way in the next step.

It’s the data equivalent of black bars redacting sensitive details on a document before handing it over to someone else. This obfuscation prevents Snap from ever learning what its users are doing on other sites or apps, and the same for advertisers. Because the data sets are obfuscated before analysis is ever done, potential bad actors can’t simply “decode” this obfuscated data in analyses and reports either, as the information was never a part of the equation when making them and was not obfuscated as one unified dataset.

Step 2: Combine the remaining information to find useful patterns, groups, and traits

The now-obfuscated datasets are now combined and organized into different groups with common characteristics. These common characteristics are extremely important and helpful in creating the same conversion reports that advertisers and businesses are familiar with, and can reliably give advertisers insight into how well their campaign performed. 

It can’t and won’t, however, give them any insights at a user level. In other words, it’s all aggregate data that paints a good picture of the advertisers’ audience on Snapchat for important campaign metrics without ever handing out any names. 

You can think of it as a buyer persona — it’s accurate, detailed, based on heaps of information about real people, and you can use it to get real results when trying to reach them. You can even compare it to the customers you know firsthand, but you can’t pick it apart to figure out the specific people behind all these informative insights.

Step 3: Continue this process every day, with reports delivered to the advertiser 36 hours after the fact. 

This delay is purely for the sake of privacy, making it harder to try and draw connections between real-time user activity and insights in conversions reports. The delay is also a security measure against any outside entities attempting to do the same thing if attacks were to occur. 

Current Limitations of Snap Advanced Conversions 

Advanced Conversions was updated a few months after its 2021 launch to allow advertisers to see a small portion of real-time analysis, but it takes 36 hours to receive the entire report from the Advanced Conversions process. This 36-hour timeframe isn’t entirely accurate though, as Snap recommends waiting ~72 hours before drawing any conclusions.

This is the system’s biggest drawback for advertisers as of now — the delay is not only frustrating but also leads to confusion for those not used to it. 

For example, the delay can cause CPX (any “cost per ___” metric) to initially look much higher than what the advertiser’s max bid was even after the full 36-hour delay. The real metrics become more accurate after a few days of daily analysis and full reports, but any advertiser that doesn’t read this note on Snap’s information on Advanced Conversions might reduce their max bid in reaction and hurt their own campaign in the process.

If the advertiser found any relief in the lowering CPX metrics a few days later, they might be a bit disappointed to see that their returns lowered with it as well — ROAS also suffer the same initial over-projection for the first few days and become more accurate in the same 72-hour timeframe.

This also makes any A/B testing difficult, at least if you’re trying to do so in a timely manner. You can’t rely on any estimates or modeling figures either; the system currently does not provide any.

All of the above is why Snap quickly decided to include a snippet of the real-time analysis for advertisers while they wait for full reports to kick in. Still, it’s hard to ask advertisers accustomed to real-time reports from third-party data to be patient, especially when platforms with tons of personal first-party data don’t have to ask them to. 

Upcoming Updates and Developments

Snap keeps their description of upcoming developments fairly vague: Advertisers should expect a “more holistic, real-time view” of results — but no word on exactly when other than early 2022, and they leave this note with “More information to come.” 

What we do know is that they’re intending on addressing Advanced Conversions’ one major flaw of delays, and we know roughly how they plan on doing that: conversion modeling, to provide those estimates the process currently doesn’t have.  

 

Though Advanced Conversions is a novel process of reporting that is far from perfect now, it has a good track record of delivering on promised launches and updates thus far. If we use that credibility to make any guesses of this near-future update, it’s safe to say that whatever month coming up the update is released for Advanced Conversions, it will be exactly what is promised; the solution to the system’s few growing pains, and perhaps Snap’s next big win. 

Why You Should Keep An Eye on Snap’s Developments

Traditional advertising on most digital platforms relies heavily on third-party data in order to find the most suitable audiences and track important aspects of campaign performance like impressions, conversions, and click-through rate (CTR). This caused issues for many major platforms as the usage of cookies and other data tracking methods began to decline. It’s such a pillar of discussion in the digital economy, you’d have a hard time not reading about it in business media.

The lack of sufficient data for advertising due to opt-out policies like the iOS14 update resulted in losses in ad revenue, plummeting share values, and general frustration from the businesses relying on these platforms for their ad campaigns. 

The consensus is to abandon its usage completely in favor of first-party data, but this is yet another problem: It’s nowhere near as widely available. 

Some platforms automatically have plenty, like Amazon or TikTok, due to how the platforms work and the permissions given by users in order to access them. However, a typical social media platform does not. In other words, there is no way for companies like Meta or Snap to provide the same quality of advertising by simply swapping third-party data out with first-party data in their traditional reporting and optimization systems.

They can’t rely on the third-party data they already have either. Personal preferences, interests, and even basic information like emails are subject to change, which makes most third-party data unreliable unless it’s fresh and regularly updated.

For companies in this predicament, there is no standard alternative solution in place to save their advertising, a.k.a their main source of revenue and what makes the platforms free to use. As a result, most are opting (read: scrambling) to internally develop their own solutions according to their resources and requirements. 

Due to the nature of first-party data and the changing social media landscape, it’s unlikely that there will be one widely accepted method for ad optimization and reporting for quite some time, if ever. But whichever company manages to figure out the best way to provide the reliable advertising that businesses grew accustomed to will win big as we approach the inevitable death of third-party data advertising — so long as advertisers and investors aren’t waiting for too long, that is.

According to Snap, they won’t have to; unless they insist on waiting for the metaverse.

The Banning Surveillance Advertising Act of 2022 Explained

The Banning Surveillance Advertising Act was introduced recently by representatives Anna Eshoo, Jan Schakowsky, and senator Cory Booker, and it immediately generated a lot of buzz within the marketing industry. But what is the bill really about, what areas are most important for businesses and advertisers to be aware of, and how worried should the industry be? 

This article gives a full overview of the Banning Surveillance Targeting Act of 2022, covering the most important bits of legislation, key points, and the surrounding discussion.

What Do They Define as “Targeted Advertising” or “Surveillance Advertising?” 

The Banning Surveillance Advertising Act outlines a few different use cases for targeting data that have different levels of restriction. Here’s the best way to understand the different rule sets:

Third-Party Data 

Any data purchased from a third party by either the advertiser or the platform/provider falls under the following protocol. Additionally, any first-party data the provider has that the advertiser does not is also considered third-party data.

For this circumstance, the bill differentiates targeting ads based on individually identifiable information and inherent traits versus targeting based on contextual information. 

“Targeted advertising,” or “surveillance advertising,” as defined by the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act, is any material that can single out a specific person or device based on identifiable information about them such as their name, address, phone number, or email address. In addition, information that can figure out a person is a member of a protected group or class (e.g. a specific race or religion) would also be prohibited. More specifically, the bill in its current form defines “targeted advertising” as an ad provider or platform providing an advertiser or third party any of the following: 

• A list of individuals or connected devices
• Contact information of an individual 
• A unique identifier for any specific individual or device
• Any personal information that could be used to identify an individual or device 

That last one might look like a repeat of the point before it, but it’s not – this is to specify that the bill also prohibits the use of information that could indirectly be used to figure out someone’s identity. For example, specific location data might not give an exact address of where you live or work or define which location is which, but someone can easily figure this out using it.

The bill specifies that a platform or provider cannot provide an advertiser or third party with this data, and they may not target, optimize, or analyze advertising on the basis of it.

The Banning Surveillance Advertising Act defines some examples of contextual information that it does not prohibit for ad targeting: 

• Search history and terms
• Content that individuals engaged with or viewed
• Regionalized places

Zero and First-Party Data Directly From The Advertiser

Individually identifiable information from the advertiser themselves can be used, so long as it was not obtained from any other party or source. For example, if users consented to give their email address to a business in order to sign up for their newsletter, that email list is not prohibited by the Act to use for that specific business’ ads.

However, the first or zero-party data from the advertiser cannot identify an individual as a member of a protected class or contain information that would be able to identify them as such. Under Federal Law, a “protected class” is any race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.

The Banning Surveillance Advertising Act of 2022 would require a written confirmation from the advertiser that any lists they use have met these standards before being used – i.e. the data was not purchased or collected from any other party, nor does it define users as members of a protected class.

To What Extent Would Targeted Advertising Be Banned? 

Anything that falls under the above bullet points would be prohibited entirely under the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act of 2022 (in its current form, that is — more on that later). So as it stands, a business seeking to advertise could only use their first-party data, with the exception of information like religion or gender, as well as contextual data from the platform or provider such as search history or previously viewed content. However, the platform/provider cannot give its own personally identifiable first-party data to the advertiser, nor can it use its personally identifiable first-party data to optimize or analyze ads even if the data is not given to or used by the advertiser directly.

The Federal Trade Commission would be in charge of enforcing the act, with penalties ranging from $100 – $1000 per violation. The FTC also has the right to add further specifications to the act if necessary. 

The bill can be challenged in court under certain circumstances, with the Attorney General having the right to investigate and potentially give appeals for related court cases. However, this does not mean they can make exceptions on a case-by-case basis. 

How Bad is the Act for Advertisers and Digital Platforms? 

Simply put, it’s not as bad as it sounds for several reasons. However, it also depends on who you are. Here, we’re going to consider the hypothetical situation that the bill passes in its current state with no major changes. Later, we’ll briefly discuss why that’s unlikely.

Potentially Bad News For First-Party Data Platforms

Some platforms like Amazon and TikTok created ad empires seemingly overnight solely because they had the advantage of first-party data over companies like Meta, which were now in hot water over their reliance on third-party data. In order to use the TikTok app or Amazon’s services, you consent to give over large amounts of incredibly personal information that they have full right to use. 

So far, the public hasn’t been as concerned about this as they were with cookies. However, the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act of 2022 would put limitations on these platforms that currently do not exist by redefining this data as not first-party data. The bill considers it third-party data as it originates from the platform, not the advertiser. As we’ve seen, that doesn’t mean the platforms cannot provide any of their data at all, but platforms like Amazon rely heavily on personally identifiable information for ad targeting. 

Potentially Bad News for Small Businesses

Most of the rhetoric around targeted advertising and data tracking revolves around tech giants and large corporations, but the truth is, digital advertising is vital for many small businesses. This is especially true ever since the pandemic when many small local businesses took a huge hit. Obtaining a digital presence and being able to find their audiences online was for many, the difference between staying afloat and going out of business entirely. 

It’s easy for a big company to hand over a huge list of their own first-party data for advertising purposes, but a small mom-and-pop shop can’t do the same for their small Facebook ad campaign. Digital advertising practices have plenty of downsides and major flaws worth addressing, doing so in this way might take away its best trait; allowing small and local businesses to harness the same tools large corporations regularly use to out-compete them. 

The Banning Surveillance Targeting Act Is Dangerously Broad 

Some parts of the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act go a little too far in an attempt to cover all the bases of potentially invasive ad targeting, resulting in broad points that would be difficult to navigate in practice. 

For example, an advertiser’s first-party data is OK to use – email addresses, phone numbers, etc. – but cannot include data that could target someone as a member of a protected class. That wording implies that it’s perfectly fine for an advertiser to target your personal information so long as they have it already, but not discern whether your gender would make you more or less interested in an advertisement for female beauty products. 

There’s another issue with the same point: what if your product or service is specifically for a protected class? It seems a bit silly that a custom walking aid-maker couldn’t target those in need of canes, or a mosque couldn’t target fellow Muslims to spread the word about its charity services. This ties back to small businesses as well – it doesn’t hurt Heinz that much to avoid targeting in this way, but it can hurt small businesses in specialized industries seeking to serve members of protected classes very much. 

Lastly, there needs to be more specification surrounding information that can indirectly identify someone, because as it stands, it leaves a huge gaping hole of potential legal troubles. For example, if a name can easily imply a person’s gender, is that now prohibited if it’s included in their email address on a first-party data list? What if their search history includes information relevant to their race or religion? When you consider algorithms and their role in detecting patterns, how is a platform or advertiser reasonably supposed to avoid this data being used in ad optimization even if their intent was never to directly target that trait?

It’s possible that the answers to these questions aren’t bad news for advertisers – but that needs to be specified.

However, Contextual Advertising Already Exists

The controversy around third-party data and cookies for ads is not new, and advertising platforms have been developing cookie-less advertising methods for years. Granted, that doesn’t mean they made the full switch over to cookie-less methods or self-enforced bans on third-party data tracking, but it means that even if the bill passes in its current form, it wouldn’t kill digital advertising. It would just make that evolving switch over to alternative methods much faster and perhaps a bit more chaotic. 

For example, we recently covered Snap’s Advanced Conversions system, which uses data obfuscation, contextual data, and cohort analysis to provide advertisers with better ad optimization and campaign reports without ever using identifiable information. They’re far from the only ones to have such a system in the works or already in place; though each platform’s method differs, they all strive to avoid most or all of the data being prohibited in the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act.

We Can’t Draw Conclusions on The Act Yet – Here’s Why

All that being said, it’s highly unlikely the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act is going to get very far – at least, it won’t without tons of significant changes – so speculating on its outcomes with any confidence is not productive. Why is this the case? Well…

Most Bills Die in the House of Representatives

Over 11,000 bills make it to congress, but only 7% ever become law. 

It’s important to stop and realize that even though the internet has been going crazy over the BSA, it won’t necessarily go anywhere. In all likelihood, it will die in committee or get voted down – basically, it’s a lot of bark with little evidence it’ll ever bite.

No Act Goes Through Congress Without Extreme “Revisions” 

Even if the BSA passes, it will not be passed as is.

When the Affordable Care Act finally passed, it had over 100 amendments. The Patriot Act started as a nine-page document, which eventually ballooned to over 300 pages by the time it was finalized. 

The point here is, the 20 pages of information in the BSA are difficult to discuss in the first place when you consider how unrecognizable it will be by the time you should start becoming concerned. 

Don’t Forget About Lobbying

Here are the top five companies involved in congressional and federal lobbying for Internet-related matters: 

Notice some familiar names? It’s not surprising, but lobbying on behalf of tech giants post-2016 increased by tens of millions of dollars:

“In recent years, the tech industry giants have shelled out large amounts of money especially in response to criticism from lawmakers over privacy issues, antitrust concerns and more.”  Krystal Hur, OpenSecret.org

Is it widely speculative to assume a bill might be shot down entirely because of a few lobbyists? Maybe. It’s about as wild as the fact that dozens of congress members become lobbyists. Or the fact that businesses spend more money lobbying Congress than taxpayers do to fund Congress. Or as wild as the fact that the love affair between lobbyists and Congress members isn’t always figurative. 

The fact of the matter is, lobbying of Congress might convince enough members to represent the idea that the BSA Act should die in Congress; as most bills do. It’s important to keep that in mind no matter where the majority public opinion seems to be, or the opinion of many advertisers — money talks, after all.

Why Was the Bill Introduced? 

The US is Lagging Behind on Tech & Data Policy

The Banning Surveillance Advertising Act may be a reaction to the rapidly changing trends of targeted advertising and increased user privacy prioritization that is already underway. To put it another way, consider the bill as potential government-backed enforcement of changes that have already started rather than an entirely new and/or sudden change. These are, after all, industry practices that have been under scrutiny and debate for years, rather than new or ground-breaking developments.

The GDPR and other European regulatory and legal bodies have been policing large advertising platforms and other tech firms in a very similar way. Aside from this, many big businesses have taken steps away from typical data gathering methods, such as Apple and the tracking opt-out included in the iOS14 update. Others like Google have already started phasing out third-party data and cookies on their own, albeit less swiftly.

The Cambridge Analytica Scandal Made Political Involvement Inevitable

Tech companies enjoyed a long reign of self-regulation and little intervention from the government. Digital advertising methods were no exception, but that all changed after the Cambridge Analytica Scandal with Meta (formerly Facebook). As AdvertiseMint CEO Brian Meert notes, “No one really knew where the line was, but in 2016, everyone knew they crossed it.”  

A vocal group of concerned citizens, including privacy-oriented companies like DuckDuckGo and Mozilla, had been raising alarm bells long before 2016. However, the scandal alerted everyone to the fact that this invasiveness concerned more than personal privacy – when in the wrong hands, it could influence democratic and political processes, and that self-governing policy clearly had not prevented this worst-case scenario. 

Considering this, it was a matter of when not if the US government got involved, because Meta’s massive misstep in 2016 forced them to. Why it took them over five years to do so is anyone’s guess – hopefully, it was to become familiar enough with the digital world that they’re not so obviously out of touch this time around.

Common Viewpoints Surrounding The BSA of 2022

For those in favor:

It’s undeniable that some sort of legislation needs to be in place surrounding how data online is tracked and used by private companies. The fact that we made it this far without only makes sense when you watch just out-of-the-loop government officials are about the Internet, let alone decide on some sort of policy. 

Either way, the bill is not too far away from similar regulations in place within European agencies. Entities like the GDPR aren’t perfect, but they’re also a step in the direction the majority of digitally native voters want privacy laws to go in. 

This point gets skipped over a little too easily by marketers and other industry professionals when they discuss the impact of privacy laws. Too often, the discussion is framed as a potential detriment to a great method of reaching the right customers, as if customers aren’t aware of how much they benefit from targeted ads. This completely ignores the main point, that it’s the method in which targeted advertising is done that is the primary concern. 

It also ignores the fact that most of those customers were never ok with that method in the first place. The reason this issue became such a big controversy wasn’t a sudden shift in public opinion; it was because few were aware to the extent their privacy was being invaded nor the implications this could have beyond selling products. By the time they found out, any hope of re-establishing that trust was long gone.

For those against: 

All of the above is a completely reasonable point of view, but that doesn’t make the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act of 2022 a reasonable solution. Regulation for data tracking and the use of data in advertising needs to at the least, draw a clear line for providers and advertisers to be aware of. As it stands, the bill is too broad to accomplish this. 

Even if those specifications were to be made, it’s worth discussing whether those for the bill have a good perspective on who it is going after and hurting most. It’s easy to have no sympathy or concern for Meta, but the mood changes when you realize that it’s medical research, charities, and small local businesses that are impacted far more than any tech giant or corporation will be should the BSA pass as it stands. 

Lastly, the public outrage and opinion don’t line up with the actions of most Internet users. The truth is, most of the very same people who voice concerns do not even bother to access the transparency tools they have access to, like public ad libraries, or Facebook’s complete account data logs and settings. Even fewer would be willing to pay for the platforms they’re seeking to limit.

It’s unreasonable to demand advertisers and platforms dismantle an entire economy like it’s a simple request. It’s even more unreasonable to simultaneously expect user benefits of the system you just abolished to remain. 

The Most Common and Least-Discussed Bipartisan Opinion:

The truth is, there is a consensus on the BSA across opinions and even party lines. It’s about the same as most bills, and it never gets discussed enough in the media. It sounds a bit like this, and speaks for itself: 

Conclusion

It’s generally agreed across major parties that there are some issues with the current state of privacy laws when it comes to advertising. While they each have slightly different stances on how they would like to address these problems, we can all agree on the fact that The Banning Surveillance Advertising Act of 2022 is far too early on in its journey through Congress to start drawing conclusions or discussing outcomes. It’s worth keeping an eye on because it does have implications for advertisers, advertising platforms, and users alike.

Realistically though, this is now a matter of US Congressional processes. That’s a polite way of saying the Act will either go nowhere slowly or will have amendments that change the discussion entirely if it does go anywhere.

Outsmart These 4 Facebook Ad Setbacks Caused By the iOS 14 Update

Here’s news you probably already heard: The iOS14 update has caused Meta (formerly Facebook) a lot of problems with their advertising business. Meta has already decided that their long-term solution is to build the metaverse, but the people using their ads can’t exactly wait out the massive decline in quality.

If you’re using Facebook or Instagram ads to increase your sales, get the word out about your brand, and find new customers, what can you do to help your campaigns avoid the common problems caused by the iOS14 update? Below, you’ll find 4 common issues Facebook ads users experience due to the iOS14 update, how to overcome them, and some general Facebook Ad tips to avoid further frustrations in the future.

1) Problem: Difficulty Optimizing Ad Spend and Higher CPAs

Why it’s happening: Pre-update, Facebook was able to use this data to measure conversions faster and better because it had consistent signals of data from each action being taken by a particular user. The time it took for Facebook’s algorithms to figure out the best way to place your ads according to your goal CPA (cost per acquisition) was very brief, because every single person viewing and clicking was providing it more context.

With the iOS 14 update, a big chunk of users won’t give the algorithms a lot to work with, so the period of time it has no idea what might optimize your ad placements according to your CPA is much, much longer.

As a result, advertisers across nearly all verticals have seen CPA increases of 20-50%, which can absolutely devastate ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) and make it very difficult for advertisers to know how to adjust their ad spend or scale their ads.

Solution: Make Your Testing and Scaling Separate Campaigns to Minimize Changes

For years, testing out different campaign creatives, daily ad spends, and other campaign components was a matter of adding the change in, taking out any old creatives or underperforming setup options, and waiting a few days to see how it panned out. This is no longer the case.

Any time you edit your campaign, you’re restarting the process of Facebook’s algorithms figuring out how to optimize your ad.

Now that this phase is longer, that also makes testing and editing campaign elements and options incredibly expensive. By keeping your testing and scaling processes completely separate from each other, you’re ensuring that you keep this expensive phase of ad optimization as short and sweet as possible.

In other words, for every campaign you want to make, you should make a tiny budget testing campaign where it won’t absolutely kill your ROAS to make adjustments, and another campaign meant to be scaled using only the changes that have been tested and proven to bring better results. So if your previous Facebook advertising strategy used to look like this:

• Brand Awareness Campaign
• Engagement Campaign
• Conversions Campaign

…and you’re experiencing problems with budget optimization, scaling, and/or high CPAs for Facebook Ads, try this setup instead:

• Brand Awareness Testing Campaign ($)
• Brand Awareness Scaling Campaign ($$$)
• Engagement Testing Campaign ($)
• Engagement Scaling Campaign ($$$)
• Conversions Testing Campaign ($)
• Conversions Scaling Campaign ($$$)

Keep in mind that the algorithms are still just as good at optimizing your ad placements as before; they just need a heck of a lot more conversions to get the same amount of data. This strategy of separating testing and scaling completely ensures the campaign you’re putting your real money into is using only proven changes that are worth the more expensive waiting period as the algorithms get the data they need.

2) Problem: FB Ads Conversion Reporting Numbers Aren’t Reliable

Why it’s happening: Data discrepancies in Facebook Ads reports are a result of the same issue as ad optimization issues: a loss of data overall.

The biggest difference between ad optimization issues and conversion tracking issues is that conversion tracking issues are a result of not being able to measure Facebook Ads data as thoroughly as usual. This problem only got worse with the iOS 14.5 update.

For advertisers who depend on Facebook’s conversion tracking – which comes in the form of pixel-based conversions data – this is a huge issue that can drive up costs and create uncertainty of the usefulness of ad spend, especially when you have gotten used to 8 different types of conversion events and a 28-day attribution window.

Solution: Track Website Conversions Offline, or Run Lead Generation Campaigns

By default, even if you are using Facebook Pixel or Conversions API, you should start assuming that Facebook Ads reporting cannot provide you with comprehensive, accurate conversions numbers enough to be relying on it 100% as your source of truth.

So what do you do if you track conversions based on Facebook’s data?

• You track them off-platform yourself and/or through a third-party platform
• You keep your entire Facebook ad campaign and conversions on-platform – the most reliable and useful way to do so is using lead generation campaigns

How to track conversions for your Facebook Ad campaigns off-platform

The good news is that you don’t need to invest in any special tools or integrate anything unless you want to experiment for the sake of convenience. Even more good news, you can and should still use Facebook Pixel or Conversions API at the same time.

If you already have your own website, chances are you also already have integrations like Google Analytics to monitor traffic, sign-ups, and sales.

For those using Google Analytics, you can use the Google Campaign URL Builder to make a trackable link to use in your Facebook advertising campaign. The URL you create can serve as the destination URL for your ad campaign or can go in the optional URL parameters section.

So long as you’ve set up your UTM tags correctly, you can find your conversions data by logging into Google Analytics and clicking on Acquisition > All Traffic > Source/Medium.

Why Lead Generation Campaigns could be your iOS14-proof Facebook ad strategy

Lead generation campaigns avoid the reporting issue because they can achieve conversions in the form of sign-ups while keeping users on-platform the entire time. Your reports and results are more reliable because you’ve effectively minimized potential gaps in data.

Why should I make a lead generation campaign if the conversions I want are sales?

Even if your end goal is a completely different conversion like sales, lead generation campaigns on Facebook can be a long-term strategy for your advertising success without third-party data. Lead generation ad campaigns build quality first-party data lists that you can use for your other campaigns and to build effective lookalike audiences.

3) Problem: Facebook Ad Targeting Isn’t Bringing Results

Why it’s happening: The fewer people that can be tracked across different sites, the smaller certain Facebook Ad Targeting Audiences are going to be. This is especially true for those who relied on Lookalike audiences as a staple for their ad campaigns because Lookalike audiences are constructed based on conversions data that’s now wildly inaccurate in many cases.

There’s also a second reason not directly related to the iOS 14 or 14.5 updates: Meta’s decision to remove certain types of targeting after they caused too much controversy.

Solution: Broad Targeting Using Strategic Creatives

The best way to get around this issue is by using your own first-party data, but getting enough of this data if you don’t have it already can take some time. So in the meanwhile, it’s time to re-strategize how you target different audiences.

Instead of relying on the ad platform to target audiences for you, hone in on creatives that will catch the attention of your niche audiences, while setting up your campaign using broad targeting.

How can broad targeting still effectively find specific target audiences?

Again, keep in mind that Facebook’s algorithms still work just as great as ever in terms of optimizing where your ad is placed. So long as you ensure that your creatives are speaking to the right people within a broader audience, those within your target audiences will be the clicks, views, and conversions that teach the algorithm where and who to place your ad in front of for better results.

So in the end, you are still reaching and advertising primarily to your target audiences – you’re just using the algorithms ability to detect patterns to do so versus clicking a box from the start.

How do I know if my creatives can target my audiences well?

A surefire way of making sure that your creatives can reach your desired audiences is by reusing or recycling creatives that have worked well for you in other campaigns. For example, if you had a very successful Google Ads campaign using a certain set of creatives, recycle them by ensuring they’re optimized for Facebook Ad Image Specs and to better fit Facebook Ad formats. Set up a small test campaign for A/B testing, make a few other adjustments if needed, and voila!

In fact, now might be a good time to dig up and relaunch or recycle an entire Facebook ad campaign that worked for you pre-iOS14. Those campaigns still have vital data points that can greatly reduce the longer optimization phase of the algorithm and reach target audiences. You might have an older campaign that doesn’t require extensive changes in setup in order to be relevant now.

4) Problem: Retargeting Audiences Are Too Small to Deliver Results

Why it’s happening: Retargeting audiences have been equally impacted by the iOS14 update as lookalike audiences, especially if you have a very niche product or audience. Apple iOS device users can’t be tracked enough to even know whether they belong in your retargeting audience or not anymore, which has made this audience shrink drastically.

Without a change in strategy, using retargeting audiences for a Facebook ad campaign can result in your ad being shown to the same handful of people over and over again with minimal results and at a great cost.

Solution: Combine Broad Retargeting and Lead Generation Campaigns to Expand Your Retargeting Audience

Similar to the previous solution, the first step to solving the issue of a limited retargeting audience is to focus your targeting via creatives, set up your campaign for broad targeting, and let the algorithm figure out how to target them through optimization.

To further expand your retargeting audience, set up a Lead Generation Campaign. The reporting and results will be accurate since it’s all on-platform, and you’ll end up with a sizable list of emails to use for retargeting campaigns in the future.

Conclusion

I don’t need to tell you that the iOS 14 update has tanked the Facebook advertising efforts of countless frustrated marketers and businesses. It’s frustrating to lose the control and success that Facebook ads so easily brought millions of people for well over a decade so suddenly, but by circumventing the signal loss caused by the lack of data from iOS devices with these strategies, you can ensure that it doesn’t drastically increase your CPAs, keep you in the dark about conversions, or impede your ability to reach your targeting and retargeting audiences.

They’re effective solutions, but they’re certainly not as easy and simple as pre-2021 advertising. If you want to be able to get results without all the headache and extra effort, hiring a Facebook ad agency maybe your ideal iOS 14-proof strategy.

The Best Time to Post on TikTok, According to Data

Does it matter what time you post on TikTok? The numbers show when you upload makes a difference. When you post on TikTok isn’t as important as when you post on Instagram or other social media platforms, but finding the best time to post on TikTok can still be an advantage that helps boost your engagement rates.

So what time should I post on TikTok, then?

If we gave you a simple answer, we’d be giving you the wrong information. The right time to post depends on several different factors, and what day you post makes a difference too. When to post on TikTok for maximum views isn’t the same for everyone, but we made it as simple and easy as possible to figure out.

In this article, we compiled tons of information to help you determine what the best time to post on TikTok is on average, and how to figure out the best time to post for your account specifically. You’ll also learn three important tips about your posting schedule to ensure your content gets as much engagement as possible.

The Best Times to Post on TikTok According to Peak Posting Times

Not a lot of unique or fresh data exists on hours of peak engagement on TikTok compared to platforms like Instagram or Facebook, and the majority of sources trying to find the best time to post on TikTok cite the same study done in 2021. We compiled data from three separate sources and combined it with our own professional experience to get a better look at what the best time to post truly is.

There’s more than one best time to post on TikTok. In Pacific Standard Time (PST), the best times to post on TikTok are 4 am – 6 am and 9 am-2 pm on weekdays. On average, your TikToks are most likely to perform best when posted early in the morning (6 am – 9 am) or midday (11 am – 2 pm) of whichever timezone you’re in.

According to Later, 1 pm PST tends to be the best time to post during any weekday, but other sources found that TikTok videos posted early in the morning performed especially well, with some sweet time spots occurring midday or late at night.

After compiling all the data, we concluded that morning and midday are both peak times likely because people often log onto a social media platform when they wake up and at lunch.

Posting early morning or midday is a safe rule of thumb unless your audience lives in a completely different timezone than you or if they’re in a demographic with unique activity rates. Not sure if that’s you? No worries, we’ll get into that later on.

The Best Days to Post on TikTok, Statistically

While the best times to post on TikTok globally are during the week, certain days result in better engagement than others. The latest data shows that Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays are the best days to post for overall views and likes, while Mondays have the lowest viewership.

Here’s what all that information looks like put together in one posting schedule (for any time zone):

Are Averages the Best Times for You to Post?

These averages make for a great starting point if you have a new account or less than 100 followers. Otherwise, it’s important to tailor your posting schedule to what best fits your target audience, especially if you’re using TikTok to make money or promote something.

Where your audience lives, their age and their interests can make your optimal posting times on TikTok completely different from the average. Once you have over 100 followers, TikTok gives you some helpful analytics data to make a posting schedule better suited to your account specifically.

When to Post on TikTok According to Your Target Audience?

Mornings and middays are generally the best time to post, but what if you have a global audience? Sometimes, you can have several peak hours and days because your viewers are in different time zones. Once we factor these time zones in, making morning posts might not be a good rule of thumb for you like it is for others.

Your TikTok Videos May Have a Global Audience

Not targeting the right audiences is one of the biggest marketing mistakes you can make on TikTok, and this is true for regular users just as much as influencers or businesses. In other words, if you want to find the best time to post for your account, we need to find out more about your followers and make a content strategy unique to your account.

What is a Target Audience, and How Do I Know What My Target Audiences Are?

A target audience is the group of people you are trying to reach with your account or content, and there may be more than one. For example, if your TikTok channel covers a variety of interests or genres, you probably have a few target audiences in multiple time zones. You can also organize target audiences by region, age, or gender, so if you have a large following in both the US and the UK, you can consider them two separate target groups.

You can figure out your target audiences by looking at who is already watching your videos and following you. TikTok has useful analytics tools to help you determine this information, so take a look at your account’s “Interactions” tab to see where your viewers are coming from.

If your audience is spread out, prioritize the 2-3 regions where you get the most engagement to find the best time to post.

Using TikTok Analytics to Find the Best Time to Post on TikTok

Where is your audience located? Depending on how many followers you have, the answer is in the analytics on your profile page. The data TikTok’s analytics section provides on your previous uploads and followers activity can help you determine TikTok posting times that get maximum engagement.

For regular accounts:

• Go to your Profile and tap the Settings menu on the upper right corner of your screen
• Select “Creator Tools,” and in that menu, press the “Analytics” tab
• The Analytics tab has a few key insights that are useful to determine when you should be posting videos. The two most important for figuring out the best time to post videos are “Content” and “Followers.”

In the “Content” section, it will show your trending videos. Select a specific video and jot down the date and time you posted it along with its number of views, likes, comments, and shares.

Once you have this info for multiple videos, you’ll start to get a good idea of what times and days are working best for your account to determine the best time to post. You can also scroll down to “Video views by region” to understand what types of videos you upload are best for specific audiences.

In the “Followers” section, scroll down to “Top territories.” This section shows the top five regions where most of your audience resides.

Knowing your audience’s location can ensure you know the best time to post according to their time zones. Note: Access to this analytics information depends on how many followers you have (you need at least 100).

Take some time to record and organize this information in a table or spreadsheet. As you continue to post new videos, you’ll get a clearer and clearer idea of the best time to post to maximize your views.

For Business Accounts:

TikTok Business Accounts or a Tiktok Pro Account can get more details on specific uploads and their follower demographics. For example, a Business Account or Pro Account can go to the “Content” section and get detailed information on all of their posts rather than just their trending posts.

Using a Business or Pro Account makes it easier to determine what the best time to post is (or more likely a few sweet time spots) and what days work best for your upload schedule.

Though having a Business or TikTok Pro Account makes this data analysis easier, it’s still a lot of information to process, especially if you’re a busy professional. Consulting a TikTok advertising agency can ensure you still get this valuable information and optimized results without putting in the time and energy. An agency also can help you improve even more aspects of your account besides finding the best time to post your TikTok videos like increasing your average watch time or video performance.

How Often You Post on TikTok Matters, Too

Just like most other social media platforms, how often you post on TikTok is also important if you want to boost engagement. For example, a person who makes TikTok posts consistently throughout the week might have their videos picked up by the TikTok algorithm into more ForYouPages than someone who posts less than once a week, even if the person posting once a week has more followers.

Frequency matters because of how TikTok’s algorithm distributes content, and it plays an even bigger role in content performance than finding the best time to post.

How Often Should You Post on TikTok?

Posting a TikTok video every day is a good idea for brands and aspiring creators trying to become TikTok famous. If that’s too much for you, post on TikTok a minimum of three times per week to get the upload the consistency TikTok’s algorithm likes. Try to space out your posts evenly throughout the week to maximize this algorithm benefit.

Uploading videos throughout the week also ensures that you can target multiple time zones if you have more than one TikTok audience. For example, you can upload one of your videos at the best time for a specific region and target a different audience next time.

Can You Post Too Much on TikTok?

Though multiple posts a week and consistently uploading is a good strategy to get more views on TikTok, there is such a thing as posting too much. If you’re uploading videos ten times per day nearly every day, you’re going to start overwhelming your followers, and they’ll be less likely to see everything you upload. The decrease in views per upload tells the algorithm to stop putting your videos in the ForYouPage as often and damages your ability to get more engagement and followers in the long run.

Tips for Posting Consistently

The only people who get away with posting more than three times a day already have millions of followers on their TikTok account, so unless that’s you, keep these tips in mind:

• Try to space out your posts evenly throughout the week and avoid bombarding people’s feeds with videos all at once.
• Keep it to 1-3 uploads a day and post them at least two hours apart from each other.
• If your content needs to be broken into more than one video, consider waiting a day or two until uploading the second part. You can always add the second video in a pinned comment on your first to make sure people see it, and the suspense you create can actually boost engagement and even get you more followers.

Making an Upload Schedule for Your Posts

Free Ways to Make a TikTok Post Schedule

Now that you know when to post on TikTok, it’s time to make a publishing schedule for your posts. Decide which days you want to post and what times you’ll be uploading each video to stay organized and ensure that all of your uploads are spaced out evenly.

You can schedule videos by drawing a table, making a spreadsheet, or using free scheduling tools like Later. Scheduling tools for social media can make the process faster and easier, especially if you post often.

Affordable Marketing Tools for Creators and Businesses

Besides the above example, there are also paid scheduling apps that include additional analytics information and tools to optimize when you post on Tiktok videos.

If you have a smaller account and audience, it might not be worth spending money on professional platforms and TikTok analytics from your profile will be enough. However, if you have over 100,000 followers, are an influencer, or use a TikTok Business Account, affordable marketing tools for small budgets like this can help you get even better results.

When to Post on TikTok in 2022: Important Tips

1) Check Your Analytics Regularly

It’s important to keep in mind that when your followers are watching has likely changed and will continue to change throughout the year – especially once you start getting more followers. Knowing this, don’t research your target audiences once and call it a day. Check your TikTok analytics at least once a month (ideally once a week) to see what’s changed and adjust when you post accordingly to keep your TikTok engagement rates steady. Make sure to keep track of any changes so you can gather insights on your audiences over time.

2) Stay Ahead of Updates or Algorithm Changes

TikTok’s algorithm also changes any time the company decides to update it and understanding the platform’s algorithm is important when figuring out what and when to post. Though we can’t know all of the specifics, TikTok often gives insights into how the algorithm works or when it makes changes to the algorithm. Be sure to read up on these updates to check and see if your posting strategy or TikTok content needs to change.

3) High-Performing Content Will Always Win

What you post on TikTok is more important than when you post, and that’s never going to change! Make sure your videos are creative and you’re making engaging content – something that your audiences will want to watch. If you’ve optimized your posting times and factored in time difference but still aren’t getting the results you want, dive deeper into your TikTok analytics. Fine-tune your content strategy with some inspiration from quality content made by other creators for ideas on high-performing content, and make sure you’re using relevant hashtags to increase discoverability.

Conclusion

The best times to post on TikTok depends largely on your target audiences and when they’re most likely to be using the app. Additionally, making sure you’re not posting too little or too much throughout the week will help give your videos a boost in the algorithm.

TikTok is best used as a tool to engage with your audience and share quality content that’s relevant,  interesting, and engaging. Posting at the right time is one part of this, but making sure your videos delight your audience is essential to making your videos discoverable and getting more traction. Keep track of your TikTok analytics, posting time, and post performance to see what’s working best for you!