This week on TikTok, I dove into the world of warm colors: red, orange, and yellow, as part of my ongoing ColorTok series. Last week was all about cool colors; this week, I wanted to bring the heat.
I made some intentional changes this week:
- Revisited Posting Times: I used Influencer Marketing Hub’s guide to the best times to post on TikTok and tested them to see if they boosted engagement.
- Experimented with Video Length & Content: I shortened videos as the week went on, removing certain sections to test retention.
- Added Background Music: To keep the pace engaging and see if it impacts watch-through rates.
Before we get into each color’s performance, here’s the big picture:
Experimenting in posting times, shorter formats, and streamlined content, brought solid engagement growth. Across all posts, I reached 3.7k total views, gained 106 net new followers, earned 322 likes, 7 comments, and 10 shares, with 117 profile visits just this week. Showing positive momentum as I continue refining what drives the best results on TikTok.
Let’s break it down by color.
Red
Posting Time: Thursday, 1am EST
Video Length: 2:35 minutes
Included Sections: General Color Psychology, Color Wheel, History, Culture, Graphic Design, UX/Web Design, Interior Design (Residential & Commercial)
Color Characteristics (per colorpsychology.org): Red is a color of passion, urgency, and high energy. It grabs attention, can stimulate appetite, and is often used to signal importance. Across history and cultures, it has represented everything from luck and celebration to warning and danger.
Performance Metrics:
- Views: 830
- Likes: 74
- Comments: 2
- Shares: 2
- Saves: 9
Analysis:
This was my longest video of the week, and I definitely felt the TikTok reality hit: the longer the video, the lower the completion rate. Even though red is an emotionally charged, eye-catching color, I could see some viewers dropping off before the end. That said, it still got solid likes and saves, which tells me the depth of information was valued by those who stuck around.
Orange
Posting Time: Friday, 12am EST
Video Length: 2:02 minutes
Included Sections: General Color Psychology, Color Wheel, History, Graphic Design, UX/Web Design, Interior Design (Residential & Commercial) — Removed Culture section
Color Characteristics (per colorpsychology.org): Orange is warm, fun, and energetic. It blends the passion of red with the optimism of yellow, creating a sense of excitement and enthusiasm. It’s often linked with creativity, playfulness, and social interaction.
Performance Metrics:
- Views: 1,132
- Likes: 90
- Comments: 2
- Shares: 5
- Saves: 11
Analysis:
Shaving 35 seconds off the runtime didn’t seem to help retention as this video dropped to 12% completion. Dropping the culture segment didn’t seem to hurt performance here, though I wonder if that’s because orange doesn’t have as heavy a cultural history as red. It was interesting to note that out of all my hashtags, the only one that generated search traffic was “orange color psychology.
Yellow
Posting Time: Saturday, 11am EST
Video Length: 1:25 minutes
Included Sections: General Color Psychology, Color Wheel, Graphic Design, UX/Web Design, Interior Design (Residential & Commercial) — Removed History, Culture, and Branding
Color Characteristics (per colorpsychology.org): Yellow is bright, cheerful, and attention-grabbing. It’s linked to happiness, optimism, and energy, though in excess, it can cause visual fatigue or signal caution.
Performance Metrics:
- Views: 873
- Likes: 70
- Comments: 2
- Shares: 2
- Saves: 8
Analysis:
This was my shortest video and, predictably, had the highest completion rate. Yellow’s upbeat personality seemed to match the pacing perfectly; people stuck around and engaged without feeling overloaded. Removing the heavier history and culture segments made the video snappier, but it did feel a bit lighter in educational depth compared to red and orange. Interestingly, the hashtags I used for yellow didn’t generate any search inquiries at all.
Key Takeaways
- Shorter Videos Win for Retention – My yellow video proved that trimming down content can lead to more people watching to the end.
- Posting Times Matter (Somewhat) – Aligning with TikTok’s best posting times gave my videos a slight bump in early engagement, which may have helped the algorithm push them further.
- Background Music Helps Pace – Even subtle music made the videos feel faster and more dynamic.
- Color Personality Plays a Role – Red was more intense and serious, orange encouraged casual conversation, and yellow delivered pure positivity.
Next week, I’m moving into neutral colors, and I’m curious to see if their calmer energy changes how people interact. For now, warm colors brought a noticeable spark to my TikTok, both in engagement and in my own creative process.
References
Naceva, N. (2025, July 4). Best time to post on TikTok in 2025. Influencer Marketing Hub. https://influencermarketinghub.com/best-times-to-post-on-tiktok/
Van Braam, H. (2025, April 23). Red Color Psychology, Symbolism and Meaning. Color Psychology. https://www.colorpsychology.org/red/
Van Braam, H. (2025a, March 5). Orange. Color Psychology. https://www.colorpsychology.org/orange/
Van Braam, H. (2025b, March 9). Yellow Color Psychology, Symbolism and Meaning. Color Psychology. https://www.colorpsychology.org/yellow/
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