What is the best time to post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn?

What is the best time to post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn?

Timing is everything on social media. It isn’t enough to just post content to your channels whenever you feel like it. Some times are better than others. So, which one is best?

Unfortunately, there's no perfect answer. Different businesses and industries may find different days and times which work best for them.

Timing also depends on the platform, how your target audience interacts with that platform, your content and your goals.

Here are some general guidelines that we have found for the best times to post.

When to post on Facebook

Currently Facebook has 2 billion monthly users and is still by far the largest social media network.

Facebook is certainly an active spot every day of the week. While other social media networks have fewer active days throughout the week, Facebook is kind of hard to get wrong when finding the right time to post.

  • Statistically Thursday is meant to be the most recommended day to post
  • With 1 p.m. on Thursday to be the most active time
  • Relatively safe to post is any day between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Early mornings and late nights are the least optimal posting times
  • Wednesday through Sunday are the strongest days to post

Frequency of posts

The minimum for posting on Facebook is twice a day. However it also depends on the type of posts and who your target audience is. You should also regularly monitor and respond to comments and questions posted on your page.

Things to Know Before Posting to Facebook

  • Use videos: They continue to dominate engagement on Facebook.
  • Know what worked in the past: Monitor your total reach, likes, comments and engagements of past posts.
  • Keep posts short and to the point: Research suggests to publish short and sweet posts with 0-50 characters.

Best Times to Post on Twitter

Twitter is one of the fastest ways businesses communicate with customers via social media.

Twitter currently has around 320 million monthly active users.

  • Monday through Thursday are the strongest days to post
  • Thursday is the most recommended day to post in the week
  • Noon on Thursday is the most active time in the week
  • Safe to post any weekday between noon and 3 p.m.
  • Early mornings and late nights are the least optimal posting times

Frequency of posts

The shelf life of a tweet is very short and only lasts about eight hours. With this in mind it’s a good idea to post at least four tweets a day to ensure you maximise your exposure in the newsfeed. You can also post more than this amount including retweeting your old tweets, if they are still relevant.

Things to Know Before Posting on Twitter

  • Follow industry leaders: Doing so helps you get your brand name out there and increases the chances of engagement with thought leaders.
  • Be ready to engage: Try to limit your promotional content and instead, be ready to engage with users.
  • Clicks are critical: Make sure your content is absolutely clickable and engaging.

Facebook vs Twitter

Despite Twitter’s move to a quasi-chronological timeline, the average half-life of a Tweet isn’t long. According to an analysis by Wiselytics, it’s only 24 minutes—nearly four times shorter than the 90-minute half-life of a Facebook post.

On Facebook, a post reaches 75 percent of its potential engagement in five hours. A median Tweet reaches this 75 percent mark in less than three hours.

Best Times to Post on Instagram

Brands quickly discovered the power of Instagram in terms of boosting social media engagement, making it one of the most popular and fastest growing networks.

Currently there are 800+ Million monthly active users on Instagram.

Best Times to Post on Instagram

  • Monday through Friday are the strongest days to post
  • Monday tends to drive the most engagement out of the
  • 3 p.m. each day is least optimal time to
  • Safe to post nearly any time (excluding 3 p.m.) on Monday through Thursday
  • Most recommended posting times include 2 a.m., 8.a.m. and 5 p.m.

Things to Know Before Posting to Instagram

  • Color themes work: Brands that kill it on Instagram typically have a consistent color scheme.
  • Use hashtags and emojis: Fact is that 7 out of 10 hashtags on the network are branded and more than half of text contains an emoji.
  • Feature your products sparingly: Try the popular 80/20 rule which states 80% of content should be educational and engaging, while 20% is self-promotional

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn

Currently there are more than 3 million companies with LinkedIn company pages and overall there are roughly 238 million users and that number is only expected to grow.

Branded content has the chance to thrive on LinkedIn and reach key audiences in the process.

  • Tuesday through Thursday are the most recommended days to post
  • Noon and 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday are the most optimal times to post
  • Least optimal posting times include every day from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
  • Least optimal posting days include Saturday and Sunday
  • Safe to post 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays

Frequency of posts

You should post at least once a day on your LinkedIn personal profile and/or Company Page. Also make sure the wording and vibe of the post or article suits the tone of LinkedIn.

Things to Know Before Posting to Instagram

LinkedIn is all about clickable content.

  • Know your target seniority level: It’s critical to know your target LinkedIn demographics and job positions.
  • Share industry and company events: Use the opportunity to highlight your company events or to promote causes you support.
  • Encourage employees to share: LinkedIn is a great spot for your employees to share your company’s content.

Best Times to Post on Pinterest

Pinterest is one of the most unique social media platforms because of its content and reachability.

Pinterest now has an estimated 700 million monthly active users

  • Saturday is the highest recommended day to post
  • Friday through Sunday are the strongest days to post
  • Late nights until 3 a.m. (excluding midnight to 1 a.m.) are safe times to post
  • 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday are the most optimal posting times
  • Least optimal posting times include Sunday through Friday 4 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Things to Know Before Posting to Pinterest

Pinterest users according to stats are 85% female and 25% of users are active on this channel on a daily basis.

  • Focus on your audience: Pinterest allows you to write searchable descriptions to help you narrow down users’ search intentions.
  • Put effort in your pin descriptions: Don't just post keywords also post specific content.
  • Room for engagement: Create user-generated content boards for your loyal followers to build rapport.