Timing is an important part of social media strategy. Ever wonder about the best times to post on LinkedIn? Or Facebook? Really any social platform?
This post covers the specifics.
If you are new to social media marketing and trying to figure out the best times to post based off of your audience, it’s important to really know your audience and experiment with your content. Consistency helps you accurately measure results.
Use the same content to test at different times.
In my previous article, More Than Just A Post, I go over the insights and strategies for social media marketing. I barely hit on the importance of publishing your content at the right time. So I decided to dig a little deeper into the subject and really give you the insights on when is the best time to post on social media.
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram are all great ways to get your content out there but each one of them is different. A good social media strategist knows when to publish content on each platform. If you are a visual person, this article gives you infographics to see the best times to post.
Different industries may have slightly different “better times” to post than others. From research and experience here is what I have found to help you understand when the optimal time for you to post is.
Photo by William Iven on Unsplash
Best Times to Post on Facebook
According to Quick Sprout any day during the workweek works are good days to publish content, however, the highest days for engagement tends to be Thursday and Friday. Monday — Wednesday engagement tends to be about 3.5% lower, and funny or upbeat content works better on Friday, as people tend to be happier.
The best time to post on Facebook:
- 1 pm
- 3 pm
- 9 am
Thursday and Friday between 1–4 pm
Wednesday at 3 pm
Saturday and Sunday between 12–1 pm
Early afternoon tends to be the optimal time to post on Facebook…this is when people start checking out of work, 1 pm will get you the most shares but 3 pm gets you the most clicks.
The best way to track when your audience is engaging in your content is using Facebook Analytics. You can find this in your brand’s page under insights and then click on post. You’ll be able to see the data of when your audience is online and engaging with your content.
Photo by Best Times to Post on LinkedIn
Tuesday — Thursday tends to be the optimal time to post on LinkedIn, however, Tuesday seems to have the most clicks and shares.
The best times to post on LinkedIn:
- 5–6 pm
- 7–8 am
- 12–1 pm
Tuesday — Thursday between 7:30–8:30 am, 12–1 pm, 5–6 pm.
Users tend to be on LinkedIn before work, after work, and during lunch breaks. If you have a LinkedIn business page then you can also use LinkedIn Analytics to help you understand which specific dates you get the most engagement and post reach.
Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash
Best Times to Post on Twitter
Twitter works a little differently depending on if you’re a B2B (business-to-business) or B2C (business-to-customer). B2B tends to get better engagement during the workweek, while B2C tend to get more engagement on the weekends.
Best times to post on Twitter:
- 5–6 pm
- 12–1 pm
- 3 pm
Monday — Friday between 12–3 pm and 5 pm
Wednesday between 12–1 pm and 5–6 pm
Good times to experiment are 6–7 am and 9–10 pm
Users tend to get on Twitter during work breaks, before work, and after work.
Like Facebook, Twitter also has Twitter Analytics.
Twitter Analytics provides a way for you to see the best days to tweet according to your audience’s engagement. To find this data just go to Twitter Analytics and hit tweets.
Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash
Best Times to Post on Instagram
Instagram audiences are engaged throughout the week, however, Mondays seem to get a little more attention.
The best times to post on Instagram:
- 8–9 am
- 2 am
- 5 pm
Monday and Thursday — any time during the day except 3–4 pm
Wednesday — 2 am, 5 pm, and 7 pm
Videos work best any day between 9 pm — 8 am
If you want more insights, this article takes a look at each major network and industry and with research and data shows the best time to post on social media.
If you are interested in publishing content on Pinterest, this article touches on the best times when to publish on Pinterest and it even has infographics for each network.