As brands and consumers have adapted to the new normal caused by the pandemic, there has been a shift in how we all interact and use social media. What used to be the best time to post on social media has become more concentrated and focused in 2022.
There are nearly 4 billion social media users and the average person uses several social platforms, making social media a ripe opportunity for businesses. Satisfying consumers’ expectations on social media has benefits that extend throughout the business.
The data science team at Sprout Social reviewed engagement rates for content across all social media platforms and industries serviced by Sprout Social. They looked for patterns and trends in the data to better understand when content is most likely to be interacted with by users.
This data can be used to help schedule when to publish content on your publishing calendar. Also, you can use this data to help analyze when the best times for engagement are for your specific account.
Best Times to Post on Social Media Overall
There are different benefits to using different social media platforms, depending on what you want to achieve, what sort of content you want to post, and who your target audience is. If you’re not getting the level of engagement that you want, it might be worth reconsidering your goals and key performance indicators. Knowing which days of the week your audience is most active can also help you achieve your goals.
The data showed that the best times to post on social media are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 9 or 10 a.m.
- Best times to post on social media overall:Â Tuesdays through Thursdays at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m.
- Best days to post on social media:Â Tuesdays through Thursdays
- Worst days to post on social media:Â Sundays
While there is no definitive answer to when the best time to post your content on social media is, there are a few factors to consider. Engagement varies by network and by industry, and some networks see more engagement at certain times than others. For example, Tuesdays through Thursdays at 9 or 10 a.m. are generally good times to post, but there is no guarantee that this will be the case for every network or industry.
Read on for the findings by network.
Best Times to Post on TikTok
- Best times to post on TikTok: Tuesdays 2–3 p.m., and Wednesdays and Thursdays 1–3 p.m.
- Best days to post on TikTok:Â Wednesdays and Thursdays
- Worst days to post on TikTok:Â Sundays
Over the past few years, TikTok has caused quite a stir in the social media and marketing worlds, and there’s no sign of it slowing down. With the app now boasting over 1 billion users and the rise of TikTok influencers, we can say for certain that there’s more to come from the app. If you’re still trying to figure out what TikTok is, it’s a short-form video app where users can join the latest trends, discover new products and follow their favorite brands and content creators. The app is also a powerful marketing tool for businesses, with many using it to reach new audiences and connect with target consumers.
The best time to post on TikTok according to Sprout Social is either Tuesday 2-3pm, or Wednesdays and Thursdays 1-3pm. However, in general, most engagement on the app takes place mid-morning to early afternoon from Tuesdays to Fridays (10am-4pm).
There’s no need to worry if you’re still learning how to use TikTok. You can still join the app and start reaching your target audience. Whether you’re a business-to-business or business-to-consumer company, or a digital creator, you have endless opportunities on TikTok.
Best Times to Post on LinkedIn
- Best times to post on LinkedIn:Â Tuesdays 10 a.m. to noon
- Best days to post on LinkedIn:Â Wednesdays and Thursdays
- Worst days to post on LinkedIn:Â Saturdays and Sundays
LinkedIn engagement is most active during the US workweek, with a midday peak. Engagement has decreased on weekends compared to previous years.
Since most of LinkedIn’s content is about professional development and advancing one’s career, it makes sense that people are mostly consuming this content during work hours.
LinkedIn is a social media platform that is continuing to grow and branch out to new types of audiences. It is becoming more important for businesses to use LinkedIn to generate leads, find marketing partners, and attract talent. LinkedIn is also a good platform for employees to advocate for the company and advance their personal brand or professional development.
The best time to post on Facebook
The best time to post on Facebook is 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is consistent with what the Hootsuite social team found when they analysed their own data.
The Hootsuite social media team recommend posting to Facebook at 6:15 AM and 12:15 PM PST on weekdays.
Brayden Cohen, a social marketing strategist for Hootsuite, told us how professionals calculate an optimal posting schedule.
When looking at Facebook, both past performance and follower activity are important.
This heatmap from Hootsuite Analytics suggests that the most active time for Facebook users is around noon PST (3PM EST) every weekday. If we take this into account, it would make sense for Cohen to post at noon PST.
It turns out that the best time to post to Facebook for Hootsuite’s channels is at 6:15 AM and 12:15 PM PST on weekdays when taking past post performance into account.
Cohen says that times like these are most effective because people usually have more free time and are more likely to be active on social media.
Key Facebook statistics to keep in mind when posting:
- 74% of American users check Facebook at least once a day
- 51% of American users check Facebook several times per day
- People spend an average of 34 minutes per day on Facebook
- 80% of people access Facebook using mobile only (19% use both mobile and desktop)
The best time to post on Instagram
The best time to post on Instagram is 11:00 AM on Wednesdays. The Hootsuite social team had similar findings when they dug into their posting history.
If you’re looking to maximize engagement on your Instagram posts, the social media team at Hootsuite suggests posting between 8 AM and 12 PM, or 4 PM and 5 PM PST.
It’s not surprising that Instagram’s algorithm is similar to Facebook’s. Both platforms prioritize recent content. That means that when you’re planning your posting schedule, you need to take your audience’s behavior into account.
You can improve your chances of being seen by your followers by looking at when they are online.
However, online activity should not be the only strategy.
I use Instagram to see how well my content is doing, and then I use that information to post at different times to see if that changes anything.
– Brayden Cohen, Social Media Strategist
This means that the social media posts for Hootsuite are done in the early morning or around lunchtime in Pacific Standard Time. If you convert that to Eastern Standard Time, it would be mid-morning or evening.
Key Instagram statistics to keep in mind when posting:
- 63% of American users check Instagram at least once day
- 42% of American users check Instagram several times per day
- Instagram use went up to an average of 30 minutes per day in 2020, (from 26 minutes per day in 2019)
- People spent an average of 6 minutes 35 seconds per visit on Instagram in 2019
The best time to post on Twitter
Twitter is most active on Mondays and Thursdays at 8:00 AM.
The Hootsuite social team’s data showed that the best time to post on social media is on weekdays at 6-9 AM PST.
According to Nick Martin, clicks are the most important metric on Twitter. Hootsuite’s analytics show that tweeting during UK and East Coast office hours results in the most clicks and engagement.
He schedules his posts slightly later on weekends, but mornings are still the best time.
People tend to start their days by catching up on articles and scrolling through social media for news. Later on in the afternoon, they are usually less available because they are busy with work projects or meetings.
– Nick Martin, Social Engagement Specialist
Martin believes that it is important to be aware that analytics that focus on the “best time to post” – that is, whenever the most followers are online – can exclude people in other time zones.
Martin says it’s important to post content regularly throughout the day, especially if your brand has a global audience. He acknowledges that people in other parts of the world have different social media habits than those in the UK or North America, and says the brand is working to get helpful content into people’s feeds at a time that works for them.
Martin schedules tweets at all hours in order to reach Hootsuite’s global audience. He also creates ad campaigns to boost posts targeting other time zones and countries.
Key Twitter statistics to keep in mind when posting:
- 42% of American users check Twitter at least once day
- 25% of American users check Twitter several times a day
- People spent an average of 10 minutes 22 seconds per visit on Twitter in 2019
How to find your own best times to post on social media
Post in your audience’s time zone, not yours
If you are trying to catch people when they are scrolling through their phone in bed in the morning, posting at 6AM makes sense. However, if your target audience is European innovation executives, make sure to post at 6AM Central European Time. If you want to make sure you catch Eastern Europe as well, you may want to post even earlier.
Meanwhile, brands that have a large audience in a specific region might want to create a separate account for that region. (This might also allow you to post in a target language.)
Test and optimize
You’ve done your research and it’s time to take action. But what if the results aren’t what you wanted?
A/B tests that are conducted systematically can be helpful in revealing which time is most effective for posting content.
Nick Martin says that they have a motto of “Always Be Testing” and they are constantly testing things like images, copy, and posting times.
Keep monitoring for changes
The way people use social media is constantly changing, for example more people have started using it for work since lots of people have had to start working remotely.
If your habits have shifted from checking feeds during lunch to checking between zoom meetings, your strategy might need to change too.
Looking at your best posts will help you to improve your strategy or the rate at which you post.
Think of time as one variable that you can control when optimizing your social media scheduling strategy.
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