When is the best time to post on social media?

Do you know when the best time to post on social media is?

Maybe you think it doesn’t matter much but it does. Depending on when you post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or other social media, you will get a different number of likes, views and shares. And the difference is huge.

That’s why many social media marketers observe the metrics and diligently test different strategies for posting on social networks to get maximum engagement, which then means more conversions and sales.

Let’s see what the numbers say and whether you’re doing it right.

When is the best time to post on Facebook?

According to Sprout Social’s latest research, COVID-19 has changed the best times to post on social media. That’s why we’ll show before and after COVID times to give you the full picture. All times are shown in CST (Central time zone).

Best times to post on Facebook in 2020 before COVID:

Globally, for most industries, the best day of the week to post on Facebook is Wednesday, at 11 am and 1-2 pm. That’s when you are able to reach the most people and get them to engage with your content.

On the other hand, the worst day for posting is Sunday, followed by Saturday. You would think people would look at their feeds more on the weekend when they’re not at work but in fact, that’s when their attention is elsewhere.

In addition, the most consistent engagement on Facebook seems to be Tuesday-Thursday, 8 am-3 pm, so you should be fine if you post during this time period.

However, you should avoid posting before 7 am or after 5 pm, since that’s when the lowest engagement is recorded.

Besides, there are some more specifics depending on your industry.

• For consumer goods, the best times are Wednesday at 1 pm and Friday at 11 am.
• Media: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 5 pm, Friday 8–9 am.
• Education: Wednesday at 9 am, Saturday at 5 pm.
• Nonprofits: Wednesday and Friday at 8–9 am.
• Tech: Wednesday, with peak hours 9 am-12 pm.
• Healthcare: Wednesday 10 am-12 pm.
• Finance: Wednesday at 12 pm.
• Recreation: Tuesday at 2 pm, Wednesday at 1 pm, Friday at 11 am.

And remember – for all of them, the worst day is Sunday.

After COVID:

Right now, the best times to post on Facebook are Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10–11 am. In fact, every day has a slight peak around this time. However, after 5 pm is still a bad time to post, as well as in the early morning.

When is the best time to post on Instagram?

On Instagram, which is the second most logged-in social media platform, the situation is somewhat similar. Global engagement is best on Wednesday at 11 am and Friday 10-11 am. The best day for reaching as many Instagram accounts as possible is Wednesday, and the worst is Sunday.

You can find the most consistent engagement Monday through Friday, 9 am–4 pm, while the lowest is before 6 am and after 9 pm.

• For consumer goods, the best time to post on Instagram is Wednesday at 3 pm.
• For media, the best time is Friday at 9 am.
• Education: Friday 10 am.
• Nonprofit: Tuesday 1–3 pm and Wednesday at 2 pm.
• Technology: Wednesday at 6 am and 9–10 am, and Friday 7–10 am.
• Healthcare: Tuesday at 8 am.
• Finance: Friday 11 am.
• Recreation: Wednesday and Thursday 1 pm.

After COVID:

At the moment, the best times to post on Instagram seem to be Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 11 am, and Tuesday at 2 pm. Moreover, activity on weekends is now also very high from 9 to 5.

When is the best time to post on Twitter?

You’ll reach the highest global engagement on Twitter if you post on Wednesdays and Fridays at 9 am. Other safe engagement times are Monday through Friday, 8 am–4 pm.

Meanwhile, the worst day for posting is Saturday. Plus, every day before 4 am and after 10 pm engagement is at its lowest.

Let’s see the more specific best times to post on Twitter:

• Consumer goods: Sunday at 11 am.
• Media: Wednesday at 9 am and Thursday at 9 am and 8 pm.
• Saturday: Saturday 5–6 pm.
• Nonprofit: Wednesday at 7 am.
• Tech: Tuesday at 9 am.
• Healthcare: Wednesday 8 am–2 pm.
• Finance: Tuesday 1–5 am and Sunday at 2 pm.
• Recreation: Friday at 9 am.

After COVID:

Since the start of the pandemic, the best time to post on Twitter has been Friday 7–9 am.

When is the best time to post on LinkedIn?

On LinkedIn, global engagement thrives on Wednesday 8–10 am and 12 pm, Thursday at 9 am and 1–2 pm, and Friday at 9 am. The best days for posting are Wednesday and Thursday, while the worst is Sunday.

Moreover, you can also post on Tuesday through Friday, 8 am–2 pm with good results, but should definitely avoid pre-4 am and post-8 pm posts, no matter the day.

After COVID:

Currently, the best times to post on LinkedIn are Wednesday at 3 pm, Thursday 9–10 am and Friday 11 am-12 pm.

To sum up

Now you know when the best time to post on social media is. It’s somewhat different for each social network, and there have been some changes since the coronavirus outbreak and because of the increased number of people working remotely.

However, we can conclude that overall, posting on Wednesday is always a good idea, while people are less likely to engage with your content during the weekend.

Still, there are different peaks in engagement for different industries. Do experiment with your posting schedule and see what works best for you and your brand.

Why not take this as a starting point to do your own research and see when exactly you get the most likes, views and shares?

What’s more, if everyone posts at the same time (like Wednesday at a certain hour), that inevitably means more competition. Users will be overwhelmed and more likely to ignore your post. Try posting whenever your competitors are idle – you might be surprised by the results.

When is the best time to post on social media? You will tell us! There’s no right answer, and it all depends on the social platform, your type of business, your content and your audience (their age range, for example).

But that’s not all we’ve got for you! Another good strategy to maximize social media engagement is to use popups directing your website’s visitors to your social media accounts.

Catchfull can help you with that.

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