Finding the best time to post on social media
There are several things our clients ask us about social media. Should they be using video? How many hashtags should they include? How can they make more of an impact? And many more…
One of the more frequent questions is when is the best time to post? After all, there is no point in sharing if no-one is caring at that moment.
Unfortunately there is no simple answer to this question. The best time to post depends on the platform you’re using, as well as how your target audience interacts with that platform.
However, there is a lot of data out there on when to post, which can help you get started.
The social media management platform Hootsuite has analysed over 400 million posts from their users to help boost engagement. Here’s what they found.
With more than 1.4 billion daily active users Facebook is still the number one social media platform. However, recent updates to its algorithm have made it harder than ever for brands to reach their users. This means getting the timing right is key.
Hootsuite found the best times to post on Facebook are:
- Between 12pm and 3pm on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
- Weekends from 12pm to 1pm
And the worst times?
- Evenings and early mornings have the least amount of engagement.
- Tuesday’s are the least popular day to post – so if you want to take a day off, that’s when to do it.
According to Instagram more than 80% of users follow a business on its app, so make sure you’re reaching out to them at the right time. Hootsuite found the majority of users scroll through Instagram during their lunch hour.
The best time to post on Instagram:
Monday to Friday between 12pm and 1pm
With more than 350,000 tweets sent every minute, it pays to post at the right moment to maximise your chance of being heard.
Hootsuite analysed nearly 60,000 tweets and found the best time to post on Twitter are:
- Monday to Friday between 9am and 4pm
- Monday to Friday at 3pm is the ultimate tweeting hour
As a professional network, it makes sense to post on LinkedIn during working hours.
The best times to post are:
- Monday to Thursday at 7.45am, 10.45am, 12.45pm, and 5.45pm.
Why post on the 45-minute mark? Because most brands post on the hour, so get in there early!
All of these stats are just guidelines – not a definitive answer. Finding the best time to post on social media is about knowing your audience, testing different times and measuring results. You should also check out what your competition is doing.
Know your audience
To help you understand your target audience’s motivations and behaviour it’s a good idea to create a persona.
Key things to consider are:
- Age
- Gender
- Job
- Salary
- Location
- Education
- Goals and challenges
- Preferred social networks
Monitor results
There are a number of free tools out there that can help you monitor your social media and improve your marketing. Hootsuite is a great place to start, but others worth checking out are TweetReach, TweetDeck, Twazzup, HowSocial and Buzzsumo.
Once you understand which times produce the best results, you can schedule your posts accordingly.
Check out your competition
You can learn a lot from your competitors, so take a look at when they get the highest number of likes, shares, reactions and comments.
For more great advice, get in touch to find out how we can help you make an impact with your marketing. We provide a range of services, from social media to strategic marketing management, and athlete representation to international services.
