To post or not to post, that is the question. Well, of course, you should post, but when?
If you’re trying to up your social media game in 2019, you don’t need to end up like that poor Danish prince. Here at Guru Marketing, we’ve combed through the latest to make your life a bit easier.
Here are the times and days most researchers think are peak hours for maximum engagement with your posts.
What is the best time to post on Facebook? 12-4 PM
Most of the latest research suggests that if you want eyeballs, clicks, and comments on your content, you’ll want to post to Facebook between high noon and 4 in the afternoon.
Maybe everyone should be hard at work then, but who are we to judge? 15 out of 18 studies we consulted showed that Facebook usage and engagement peaks during early- to mid-afternoon hours.
Runners-up: 9 AM, 8 PM – Our research shows that people frequently engage with content on Facebook in the morning and the middle of the evening, probably when they’re commuting or procrastinating at the start of the workday and when they’re relaxing at home after dinnertime.
The best day(s) to post: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
The week is almost over and everyone is feeling pretty good. Not only do Fridays account for 17% of all Facebook comments and 16% of all likes and shares, they also have the highest happiness index of any day of the week at 10%.
User engagement is at an overall high on Fridays, particularly for brands, but Thursdays are a close second.
Interestingly, a recent study by Unmetric found that the number of interactions per post was highest on Wednesdays for brands, although brands post less on Wednesdays on average. So if you want a great engagement rate, try posting on Wednesdays more often too.
What is the best time to post on Instagram? 11 AM-1 PM, 5 PM
Your best bet on Instagram is to plan around peoples’ workdays. Users scroll through images, videos and Stories on the platform for bits of bite-sized content they can engage with during the moments they’re not hard at work.
Lunchtime is a peak time for user engagement on IG—and it’s not just because people are uploading pictures of their sandwiches. People are simply more likely to check their feeds for snackable content when they’re on a snack break.
Instagram posts published right after working hours tend to get more engagement as well. Many users are checking their feeds on their commutes home or while slowly melting into their couches after work, so aim to push out content whenever most of your target audience are done with their jobs for the day.
Runner-up: 2 AM – There’s little competition from other brands and a lot of late-night scrolling going on.
The best day(s) to post: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Wednesday is the peak of the week, and it’s also the peak day to post to Instagram if you’re looking to rack up clicks, favorites, and comments. And no wonder. Halfway to Friday, everyone is looking for some gorgeous Insta shots to get them through the week.
All other weekdays except Tuesdays tend to have solid engagement rates too. But beware of posting on Sundays, as you’re unlikely to get many likes or comments then.
What is the best time to post on Twitter? 12 PM, 5-6 PM
Twitter is perfect for dishing out tasty little bite-sized nuggets of content when people get a break from their fast-paced days.
With that in mind, it makes sense that engagement with brands’ Twitter posts peaks at noon when everyone’s having lunch and from 5 to 6 PM, right after people clock out from their jobs.
Runner-up: 3 PM – Many of the studies we consulted found that users were consuming and engaging with Twitter content quite often during the mid-afternoon coffee break hour. We all need a little pick-me-up, right?
The best day(s) to post: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Generally, putting out Twitter content during the workweek will be your best bet, especially if you’re in the B2B sector. By Friday, a lot of people have already zoned out—and Saturday and Sunday tend to be even worse in terms of Twitter interactions.
Twitter usage and engagement is especially high on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so keep that in mind when planning your next post. Plus, Wednesdays generate the highest clickthrough rates and the greatest number of retweets of any day of the week.
What is the best time to post on LinkedIn? 8 AM, 12 PM, 5-6 PM
LinkedIn sees the most clicks, shares, and comments occur right before work, after work, and during lunchtime.
Maybe you’re finally remembering to update your profile after 5 years and changing your education from “the school of hard knocks” to an actual school. Or maybe you’re congratulating your former classmate on that amazing new job that you’re totally not jealous of.
Either way, you’re probably doing it when you’re thinking about work but not actually working. That’s probably why most users seem to engage with LinkedIn content during their commutes or their breaks during the workday.
Runner-up: 9-11 AM – Based on the data, a lot LinkedIn users also checked their feeds and engaged with posts during the middle of the morning. We’re sure all that activity is work-related and not procrastination-related at all…
The best day(s) to post: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
People prefer to check their LinkedIn feeds during the week rather than over the weekend. Plus, posts made on Mondays and Fridays just don’t get as much engagement as posts published during the middle of the week.
Maybe people are tired on Mondays and by Friday they’re already dreaming of winning big at that high-stakes Saturday night poker tournament.
Whatever the reason for these trends, you should focus your LinkedIn content strategy on the dead center of the week. Tuesdays, in particular, generate the most clicks and shares on the network.
When should you post if you’re attempting to reach consumers or businesses in multiple time zones at once? One solution is to post at times that hit peak engagement hours in two or more time zones.
For example, if you want to reach consumers on Facebook at peak times in EST, CST, MST, and PST all at once, you could schedule your post for 4 pm EST. It will then appear in people’s feeds at 3 PM CST, 2 PM MST, and 1 PM PST—all optimal hours for posting.
Alternatively, you can even create ads targeted specifically at states in each of these time zones with Facebook ads.
If you’re looking for help creating social media channels that are robust and full of keyword rich content, contact the team at KM Guru Marketing in Joplin, Missouri. We work with clients from Tulsa, OK, Rogers, AR, Fayetteville, AR, Dallas, TX, Los Gatos, CA, and all around the world.
