When are the Best Times to Post to Social Media? A Handy User’s Guide.
May 8, 2019
Knowing when—and when not—to post content on social media can be an exercise in focus. To put a finer point on it: It’s always changing. The ebb and flow of social media, not to mention what platform we’re talking about, or the frequency in which you should post, creates a perfect storm of questions and options.
Social media, by nature, is a moving target. And, the reality is, each platform is different. For example, the lifetime of a single tweet dissipates sharply the moment you click send, allowing you to post more frequently, while content on other platforms like Instagram or Facebook can remain topical and organically visible for hours, sometimes days if you’re lucky.
Based on our own internal data here at Commit, including past client experience and insight, while a perfect answer does not always exist, here’s what we know right now. Consider the below more of an educated guide than doctrine.
As authentic organic reach continues to dwindle, in addition to budgeting more substantially for sponsored content, brands are also increasingly upping the frequency in which they post, in turn expanding the ideal timeframe in which to post new content.
- Minimum: 2 to 3 posts per week.
- Maximum: Daily, possibly twice-daily posts. (Want to post more? Save for special occasions or events.)
- Best days: Wednesday through Sunday.
- Best times: Afternoons, 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Similar to Facebook, organic or viral content is quickly, if not already, becoming a thing of the past in terms of valuable long-term reach on Instagram. So understanding the optimal time frames in which to post has become more critical than ever.
- Minimum: 3 to 4 posts per week.
- Maximum: Similar to Facebook, daily posts are great if the content exists. For special moments, like events, multiple daily posts are perfectly acceptable—but keep it rare.
- Best days: Monday and Thursday.
- Best times: Mid-morning, 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., or late-afternoon, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Think of Twitter as a never-ending chat room. Full of timely conversation that never stops, Twitter is an ideal place to post more frequently each day to ensure your audience is able to catch your content.
- Minimum: 6 to 7 posts per week.
- Maximum: If relevant content exists, multiple daily posts are perfectly acceptable.
- Best days: Monday through Friday.
- Best times: Afternoon from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. and early evening from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
A powerful networking tool if effectively utilized, LinkedIn can be a great platform to share interesting company news and for larger B2B marketing. It has quickly emerged as an essential tool for businesses looking to better tailor their messaging to new audiences.
- Minimum: 2 posts per week, or as needed or as news warrants.
- Maximum: Once per day.
- Best days: Tuesday through Thursday.
- Best times: Morning 7:00 to 9:00 a.m., afternoon from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., or early evening from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
