It’s no secret these days that social media engagement is crucial for a business or organization to reach its maximum number of potential customers, clients, advocates, etc.
However, with all the different platforms—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat and many more—it is hard to know which social media tool to use and when.
For instance, Twitter is usually most active during “typical down times” such as lunch and the commute home, whereas Facebook is equally as active during different parts of the day, depending on your audience.
So when is the best time to post your content to social media? While it will greatly depend on looking at your company’s social media from the back end to see when your users and followers are most active, below are a few general tips shared by Hubspot, based on a study conducted CoSchedule to help ensure maximum engagement on your posts.
People use Facebook at home, at work and on the go, so looking at your own Facebook analytics to see when your followers are most engaged is key. However, the best time to post in general is:
- 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. on Wednesdays
- 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. on Thursday and Fridays
- Noon – 1 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays
Since people generally use Twitter when they are taking a break from work, chores, etc., and on their phone, it is no surprise that the best time to post to Twitter is during lunch breaks and the commute home, such as:
- Noon – 3 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays (best for B2B organizations)
- 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. on Wednesdays (or any day of the work week; best for B2C organizations)
LinkedIn is used primarily by professionals, so the best time to reach a LinkedIn audience is during typical work hours, such as:
- 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
- Noon on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
- 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
- 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. on Tuesdays
- The WORST time to post on LinkedIn is at night from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Instagram is used anywhere and anytime, so the best times to engage with most of your users may be:
- Anytime Monday through Thursday, except 3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Using these tips as a general guideline of when to post can greatly maximize your potential audience—that is, how many people will see your post. This is a great starting place if you’re new to posting, but as you go, the key to increasing your reach is analyzing metrics from each of your platforms, or using a tool like Hootsuite, to find out when your audience is active.
-Lia Truitt
Senior Account Executive
