The Best Time To Post On Social Media

Jess Johnson

Last Updated: April 11, 2024

There’s a considerable amount of conflicting information regarding the optimal times to post on social media. Understanding the specifics of your target audience, including time zones and locations, is key to increasing engagement. In this guide, we’ll provide information on the best times to post, as well as some expert insights on how to boost your social media strategy.

Best Times to Post on Major Platforms

Best Time To Post On Instagram

The best times to post on Instagram are generally mid to late evening and afternoon, specifically from 6 PM – 9 PM, 12 PM – 3 PM, and 3 PM – 6 PM, with Saturdays being the most effective day.

Best Time To Post On Facebook

The best times for Facebook posts are in the evening and mid-to-late afternoon, particularly between 6 and 9 PM and 12 PM – 3 PM, with Friday and Saturday being the most effective days.

Best Time To Post On X (formerly Twitter)

For Twitter, the most engagement can be seen from posts scheduled in the mornings and early afternoons, especially on Fridays.

Best Time To Post On LinkedIn

LinkedIn, being a professional network, shows higher engagement for posts scheduled between 9 AM – 12 PM, 12 PM – 3 PM, and 3 PM – 6 PM, with Mondays, Wednesdays, and Tuesdays being the most effective days.

Best Time To Post On TikTok

For B2B brands, the best times to post on TikTok are Saturdays and Thursdays, whereas for B2C brands, weekends are more effective. The platform sees the highest engagement on Fridays.

Industry-Specific Posting Times

Different industries have distinct consumer behaviors on Instagram. For B2B fields, early mornings and post-lunch hours are most effective, while for B2C, daily from 10 AM until 3 PM and Saturdays midday work best. These insights, provided by HubSpot, highlight the importance of tailoring your strategy to your industry’s specific audience behaviors.

B2B vs. B2C Posting Times:

B2B: For businesses targeting other businesses, early mornings and post-lunch hours can be particularly effective. These times coincide with professionals checking social media as they start their day or during lunch breaks.
B2C: Consumer-focused businesses may find more engagement from late morning to mid-afternoon, especially on Saturdays when consumers have more leisure time.

Industry Tailored Strategies:

Conduct industry-specific research to understand the best times to post. This might involve looking into studies, surveys, or using social media analytics tools tailored to your industry.

Your Specific Audience May Influence The Best Time To Post

Knowing your audience’s specific details, such as their locations, countries, and active hours, is crucial for engagement. Instagram’s marketing Insights tool provides valuable data on your followers, including location, age, gender, and most importantly, their active hours on the platform. Tailoring your posting schedule to these insights can significantly enhance your social media strategy.

Leveraging Insights Tools:

Instagram Insights: Utilize Instagram’s Insights tool to gather comprehensive data about your followers. This includes demographics like age, gender, and location, but more critically, it tells you when your followers are most active on the platform.
Customizing Your Approach: Use this data to customize your approach for different segments of your audience. For instance, if you have a significant following in a particular time zone, schedule posts to go live during their peak hours.

Active Hours and Engagement:

Peak Times: Knowing when your audience is most active on social media is invaluable. Tailor your posting schedule to coincide with these peak times to maximize engagement.
Consistent Monitoring: Audience behaviors can change over time, so it’s essential to consistently monitor their active hours and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Feedback and Interaction:

Direct Engagement: Engage directly with your audience through comments, polls, and direct messages. This interaction can provide qualitative insights that complement the quantitative data from Insights tools.
Feedback Implementation: Use the feedback received from your audience to further refine your content strategy. This shows your audience that their input is valued and helps build a stronger community.
Engagement Patterns: Look for patterns in how your audience engages with your content. Are there certain types of posts that receive more engagement at specific times?
Content Preferences: Pay attention to the content preferences of different demographic groups within your audience. Different age groups or locations might respond better to different types of content.

By thoroughly understanding your audience and tailoring your content and posting schedule to their preferences and behaviors, you can significantly enhance the engagement and effectiveness of your social media strategy. This audience-centric approach ensures that your content not only reaches your followers but also resonates with them.

Experimentation is key to finding your optimal posting time. Track your posts in an Excel spreadsheet, recording the day, time, comments, and likes. After a week, adjust the posting times to compare engagement rates. This process may take a few weeks but is invaluable for understanding how your audience interacts with your content.

Step-by-Step Guide to Experimentation:

Initial Testing: Start by varying your posting times throughout the week. For example, try early morning, midday, and evening slots.
Recording Data: Use a spreadsheet to meticulously record the engagement each post receives. Include metrics like comments, likes, shares, and even the nature of the interactions.
Analysis: After a week, analyze this data to identify patterns. Which time slots received the most engagement?
Refining Strategy: In the following weeks, refine your posting schedule based on these insights. If evenings showed higher engagement, focus more on those times.
Long-Term Tracking: Social media trends and audience behaviors can shift. Make it a regular practice to review and adjust your posting times every few months.

Post Quality Content and Be Consistent

While timing is crucial, the quality of your content should never be compromised. Save your most important and informative posts for high-engagement times and keep your content sharp and engaging. Consistency in posting, aligned with the optimal times, is essential for maintaining and growing your social media presence.

Balancing Quality and Timing:

Content Calendar: Develop a content calendar that aligns high-quality posts with the best engagement times. This ensures that your most valuable content gets the visibility it deserves.
Regular Posting: Maintain a consistent posting schedule. Consistency helps in building a loyal following and keeps your audience engaged with your brand.
Adapting Content: Adapt your content style and messaging for different times of the day. For instance, lighter, more engaging content might work better in the evenings.

Audience-Centric Approach:

Always keep your audience’s preferences at the forefront. High-quality content is content that resonates, informs, entertains, or provides value to your audience.

Using Scheduling Tools To Post At The Best Times

Effectively managing your social media posting schedule is crucial for maximizing engagement, and this is where social media scheduling tools come into play. These tools are not just conveniences; they are essential for maintaining a consistent presence on social media, which is key to building and retaining your audience.

Benefits of Scheduling Tools

Time Management: Scheduling tools allow you to plan and schedule posts in advance, saving valuable time and resources. This is especially beneficial for businesses and individuals who manage multiple accounts or platforms.
Consistency: Regular posting is vital for keeping your audience engaged. These tools help you maintain a consistent posting schedule, ensuring your content is always fresh and relevant.
Time Zone Management: For brands with a global audience, scheduling tools are indispensable. They enable you to schedule posts according to different time zones, ensuring that your content reaches your audience at the most optimal times.

Best Practices for Using Scheduling Tools

Plan Ahead: Use these tools to plan your social media calendar weeks or even months in advance. This helps in aligning your social media strategy with your overall marketing plan.
Analyze and Adjust: Regularly review the analytics provided by these tools to understand what content works best. Use these insights to adjust your posting schedule and content strategy.
Balance Automation with Real-Time Engagement: While scheduling tools are great for consistency, it’s also important to engage with your audience in real time. Make sure to allocate time for live interactions, like responding to comments and messages.

Popular Scheduling Tools

Hootsuite: Comprehensive Management Across Platforms

Hootsuite stands out for its robust and comprehensive dashboard that caters to managing multiple social media platforms from a single interface.

Features:

Multi-Platform Scheduling: Schedule posts across various platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Advanced Analytics: Access detailed analytics to track and measure your social media performance, helping you make informed decisions.
Team Collaboration: Features for team collaboration allow multiple users to manage social media tasks efficiently.

Buffer: User-Friendly Scheduling and Management

Buffer is renowned for its user-friendly interface, making it an ideal choice for individuals and small businesses.

Features:

Simplified Post Scheduling: Easily schedule posts across different platforms.
Performance Tracking: Provides insights into how your content is performing, helping you refine your strategy.
All-in-One Account Management: Manage all your social accounts in one place, streamlining your social media management process.

Later: Visual Planning for Instagram and More

Later is particularly favored by Instagram users for its visual content calendar and intuitive scheduling features.

Features:

Visual Content Calendar: Plan your Instagram feed visually to ensure cohesive aesthetic appeal.
Multi-Platform Support: Though popular for Instagram, Later also supports scheduling for other platforms.
Analytics: Offers insights into your post-performance, particularly useful for Instagram engagement metrics.

Sprout Social: Data-Driven Social Media Strategy

Sprout Social is a powerful tool for businesses that prioritize a data-driven approach to their social media strategy.

Features:

Detailed Analytics: In-depth analytics help you understand audience engagement and content performance.
Scheduling Flexibility: Offers versatile scheduling options to align with your content strategy.
Business-Focused Tools: Provides features tailored for business needs, including CRM integrations and advanced reporting.

Best Practices for Using Scheduling Tools

Plan Ahead: Use these tools to plan your social media calendar weeks or even months in advance. This helps in aligning your social media strategy with your overall marketing plan.
Analyze and Adjust: Regularly review the analytics provided by these tools to understand what content works best. Use these insights to adjust your posting schedule and content strategy.
Balance Automation with Real-Time Engagement: While scheduling tools are great for consistency, it’s also important to engage with your audience in real time. Make sure to allocate time for live interactions, like responding to comments and message

Final Thoughts & How We Can Help

Navigating the best times to post on social media is a balance of understanding your platform, audience, and industry dynamics. Stay agile and regularly tweak your strategy to keep pace with algorithm changes and evolving user behaviors.

Looking to boost your social media impact but need expert guidance? Our team offers customized strategies, from content creation to complete social media management. We use data-driven insights to optimize your posting schedule and engagement tactics.

Contact us to elevate your social media presence and turn your strategy into success. Let’s collaborate to achieve your social media goals!