What Are The Best Times To Post On Social Media? Experts Share The Best Post Time For Each Social Network

What are the best days and times to post to social media? That’s one of the most common questions business owners ask.

The short answer is that there’s no bad time to post — but there are some better times than others!

The longer answer — that I’m here to give you — is that there are actual best practices and times to post on social media for the greatest impact.

I’ve worked in the online marketing world for nearly 15 years and — wow has it changed!

The level of engagement you’ll get when posting on social media will depend on several factors, including:

• The platform you’re using.
• The target audience you’re trying to reach.
• The regions you’re targeting (multiple time zones can muddy the waters).
• How your target audience tends to interact with the platform and with each other.
• Your goals — clicks, shares or discussions.

So let’s visit these factors and talk about the best times to post on social media…

I recently attended an Internet marketing conference and one of the biggest takeaways for me was that smartphones are used 76% of the time for social media. Gone are the days of a cellphone being used to make (gasp!) phone calls.

And another takeaway:

Today, 70% of information is consumed through our eyes, and audience attention spans are only 8 seconds. ~Dr. Debra Jasper

So by knowing your target audience and how they engage online, you can find the optimal times to post on social media — and you can experiment a bit to see what generates the results you seek.

 

Best Post Time For Facebook

Due to the wide variety of people and small businesses using Facebook, the peak times for engagement are somewhat difficult to nail down (because business people are on Facebook at different times than non-business people).

Facts concerning the best post time for Facebook:

• People spend the most time on Facebook in the afternoons and later in the week.
• Your audience will generally be on Facebook when they most need a break from their workday — so plan accordingly.
• Research indicates that mornings are a not a good time to post on Facebook.
• Facebook usage also drops off dramatically around 8pm — so late evenings aren’t a wise choice either.

Here’s more about posting on Facebook in the afternoon.

 

Best Post Time For Twitter

Twitter lends itself to quick glimpses on both mobile and desktop. But it’s mostly professionals and business-minded individuals using Twitter these days — so tweeting during regular business hours is key.

Here’s a summary of the best post time for Twitter:

• If you’re looking for shares and retweets, then you should post during peak activity on Twitter, which is generally between noon and 3pm — Monday through Thursday.
• If click-through is your goal, then evenings and weekends are better. Areas with widely-used mass transit definitely see a peak in click-through rates during the evening commute — as people riding home have time to kill on the bus or train.

Here’s more information about the best post time for Twitter.

 

Best Post Times For Other Social Media Sites

Facebook and Twitter are the most widely used social networks, reaching the broadest base of Internet users. But they’re not the only social media platforms worth using to interact with your audience.

Your competitors may be limiting themselves to Facebook and Twitter — which is an even bigger reason to include other social media platforms in your marketing strategy.

Other platforms that cater to more specific audiences can make them either more or less valuable — depending on who you’re trying to reach.

LinkedIn:  This network is used mostly by professionals and sees the most engagement during the work week.

Pinterest:  A solid majority of Pinterest users are female. Users of both genders are most active in the evenings, particularly Saturdays from 8pm to midnight. Many users are hobbyists — making Pinterest especially valuable to certain types of businesses.

Google+:  Users tend to be early birds, with peak engagement in the mornings. Schedule your sharing here over coffee if you want the best results.

Instagram:  Used almost exclusively on mobile, there is no peak usage time for Instagram. However, you may find better engagement if you post during off-work hours.

Tumblr:  Users here seem to be almost exclusively night owls. With almost no activity early in the day, you’ll see Tumblr users begin to show up around dinnertime and interact mostly between 7 to 10pm throughout the week.

https://youtu.be/-GJw9S43x6A

One thing to remember: your audience is likely to be a specific subset of social media users. Armed with this information, you’ll have a good starting point to begin experimenting with engaging your prospects.

Monitoring the effectiveness of your posts will definitely help you determine the best times to post on social media — so you’ll get the greatest return.

 

More Great Resources For Posting On Social Media

In addition to the links I’ve included above, here are some other great tips to help you determine the best times to post on social media:

• 10 Best Marketing Tweets I’ve Ever Seen
• Social Media Security Tips For Business
• 9 Small Business Social Media No-No’s
• Instagram For Business: What You Need To Know
• 7 Ways To Use Pinterest For Your Business