May 17, 2021

Best posting times for social media

Intro

Now that you've decided WHAT you want to post, it's time to decide WHEN you want to post it. Note that different types of content perform differently at various times. A post for a B2B company posted at 12 PM on a Tuesday may do worse than the same post posted at the same time by a B2C company. While posting is not an exact science, this article should help you narrow down when your content should perform the best. Ultimately, you'll have to make the decision yourself.

Considerations

Before we go into the best posting times for individual platforms, here are some things you should consider that may influence your final decision.

Time Zone: What time zone are the majority of your customers in? This may not necessarily be the time zone you are in. Assuming that your audience is mostly comprised of Americans and/or Canadians, you'll want to post within the Eastern Time Zone (EST) because it has the highest number of people due to highly populous cities like New York and Toronto. Align your posting time with your customers' time zone. Posting within a time zone earlier time zone will have less of a negative impact than posting in a later time zone as it may be too late for your audience to read your post.
COVID-19: The pandemic has changed people's social media usage habits. Thankfully Sprout Social has conducted some research and come up with ideal posting times to maximize reach during the pandemic. In short, it appears that people are spending a lot more time on social media right now as time online at home has increased significantly. This is great news for you because it means that optimal posting windows are growing!
B2B vs. B2C: As alluded to in the intro, optimal posting times vary by audience. You may have to test multiple posting times before settling on the time right for your audience. Luckily, Hootsuite has conducted some research and identified the best time to post for B2B and B2C companies for each platform.

Social Media Platforms

Here is the best time to post on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. This data accounts for COVID as well as provides suggestions for both B2B and B2C companies.

Instagram

Pre-COVID: Wednesdays at 11 AM is best followed by Fridays from 10 Am to 11 AM. Wednesday is the best day and Sunday is the worst day to post.

During COVID: Monday, Tuesday, Friday at 11 AM. Peak in Engagement on Tuesdays at 2 PM.

B2B vs. B2C: No huge difference. Unlike for other platforms, there doesn't appear to be a marked difference in post performance between B2B and B2C companies. The most recent Instagram posts are the ones most likely to show up in your feed, so you should ensure that your posts appear as "recent" by posting when the majority of them are online.

Facebook

Pre-COVID: Wednesdays at 11 AM and between 1-2 PM is best. Tuesday to Thursday from 8 AM to 3 PM is considered safe. Sunday is the worst day to post.

During COVID: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10-11 AM are best. Weekdays after 5 PM is a bad time to post. Weekends continue to perform the worst.

B2B vs. B2C: Note that is data assumes your audience is spread across American and/or Canadian (in multiple time zones and not concentrated in one state or city).

B2B: 9 AM - 2 PM EST on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday works best.
B2C: 12 PM EST on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday works best.

Pre-COVID: Mornings during the workweek: Wednesdays from 8-10 AM and 12 PM, Thursdays at 9 AM and from 1-2 PM, and Fridays at 9 AM.

During COVID: Wednesdays at 3 PM, Thursdays from 9-10 AM, and Fridays from 11-12 AM. Posts on weekends and after work-hours perform the worst.

B2B vs. B2C: Note that is data assumes your audience is spread across American and/or Canadian (in multiple time zones and not concentrated in one state or city).

B2B: Best day is Wednesday, followed by Tuesday.
B2C: Best days are Monday and Wednesday.

Twitter

Pre-COVID: Most people log in to Twitter early in the morning. Posts on Wednesdays and Fridays at 9 AM perform best.

During COVID: Not much has changed in terms of usage time. People appear to be active earlier though, so you can post between 7 AM to 9 AM on Wednesdays and Fridays. Posts at 9 AM still perform best.

B2B vs B2C: Note that is data assumes your audience is spread across American and/or Canadian (in multiple time zones and not concentrated in one state or city).

B2B: Monday or Thursday from 9 AM to 4 PM EST works well. 11 AM to 1 PM EST is best.
B2C: Monday to Wednesday from 12 PM to 1 PM performs best.

Extras!

Here are a few extra platforms that you may post on. Unfortunately, we don't have as much data on them.

Tiktok: Morning 6-10 AM, and Evening/Night 7-11 PM is best. Follow EST due to the highest volume of American/Canadian teens residing in that time zone.
Pinterest: Late on Fridays and Saturdays from 8-11 PM is best. Peak at 9 PM. Surprisingly, the middle of the night from 2-4 AM works well too. Avoid posting during post-work commute hours as posts at that time get the lowest engagement.
Snapchat: Late night from 10 PM to 1 AM is best. No best day due to fairly equal activity per day throughout the week.
YouTube: Afternoon from 2-4 PM is best. Most people watch YouTube in the evening from 7-10 PM, so you'll need to make your videos are indexed by then. Thursdays and Fridays are the best days to post and Mondays and Tuesdays are the worst days to post.
Tumblr: Best is at 10 PM. Most users are active late, after work hours. The best days to post are Saturday and Sunday.

Conclusion

All in all, the best posting time for your content depends on factors such as time zone audience. COVID-19 has affected best posting times as well. Keep in mind that this information only suggests the BEST time to post and should not be stuck to as the ONLY time you post. During these times, there is the highest activity, which leads to high rates of engagement. There is no definite answer for the best posting time, try posting during the times mentioned in this article and stick to the one that works best for you!