Q: "Is there really a best time to post, or does the algorithm not care anymore?"

Q: "Is there really a best time to post, or does the algorithm not care anymore?"

Great question. Short answer: for this account, timing moved the needle far less than people claim.

The case: a creator posted the same style of content at 7am, 12pm, and 8pm across 45 videos, evenly split. The view spread was 28k / 31k / 33k — a 17% gap, not the 3x some gurus promise. What actually predicted performance was the hook's first-second retention, which varied 200%+.

Here's why: modern feeds spread distribution over days, not the first hour. Verdict: pick a consistent time you can sustain and obsess over the hook instead.