What is the best time to post on social media

Social media is always changing with the pace that is extremely hard to keep up with. Even though it is we – brands and users – who drive and push these changes, to be on the same page with every trend and innovation is not easy. Extraordinarily complex, it is for the brands.

You have to be aware of what might engage your audience, and you’ve got to know what they could like and dislike. To ensure the best user experience, you also have to know when to post on social media. If there were a grammar book of marketing behavior for brands, the chapter about the importance of time to post on social media would be vital for the excellent performance.

To build a strong online presence, a brand needs to produce unique content. That is almost given. The thing is that if you don’t post your content at the right time, it could be unnoticed. To be connected to your audience is impossible if they always miss your posts due to bad scheduling. There is no universal time for making posts on all social media. This is the matter of examination of the particular audience, as well as particular social media.

People behave differently on the pages that are entirely or predominantly visual or more text-oriented. During the day, there are times when it feels natural to check what is on Instagram rather than read a lengthy post on Facebook. However, there is data on this subject that persuasively shows the best time to post on each social media.

Social media structured extremely complicated now. With so many users from all over the world, you have to find out not just what is the best time to post, but the day of the week either. Every business and every audience is functioning in its unique way. In addition to this, every social media platform has users that tend to behave one way instead of behaving differently.

Instagram

We have to dig in social media behavior most people share nowadays. However, distractive or harmful it could be, most of us check Instagram (and other social media as well) in the morning. Perhaps, not right after waking up, but let’s say with morning coffee.

The engagement might be the highest in the morning – this is a rational assumption. If you post at 5:00 on working days, you’ll probably get more attention than after posting at midday. If you are making posts on the weekends, we can use our observation once again. Unlikely, people would check Instagram so early on Saturday or Sunday. The best time is around 10:00 a.m.

However, Instagram is consistently launching new features. It means that the number of ways to interact with this platform is growing, and all of them are better to post at a specific time of the day. If you post stories, consider that they can last for 24 hours. If your brand is about to post an animated video, we assume to do it at 9 a.m. People consume media more willingly in the morning.

Since Instagram users reach the app from their phones, you expect them to be there anytime. Talking about algorithms, we should mention an exciting feature called “recent post.” The trick is to publish your content at the appropriate time so that the app could recognize it as valid for the “recent” type of thing.

Facebook

Facebook, for years, remains the most visited social media in the world. It mustn’t be that hard to find your audience here; on the contrary – brands have a fantastic opportunity for that. There is a Facebook algorithm that is structuring the way people see posts, but it is not something you are supposed to break.

Facebook is a marketing space, no less than YouTube, for example. It’s safe to assume that the algorithm is on your side. However, make sure you are aware of the changes that might happen to the algorithm. Facebook is the space to post on weekdays. It is safe to assume that the best time from lunch breaks to the end of the working day.

To reach the audience on Facebook is much easier if you post in the middle of the day. Numerous researches show that the worst day to post on Facebook is Sunday – the level of engagement is very low. Unlike Instagram, if you post on Facebook early in the morning, you are likely to be missed by the audience.

Twitter

Twitter is entirely different from Facebook and Instagram. This is where brands can connect with their followers directly. Twitter is less about explainer video or photos unless it’s fueled by some facts and refers to a bigger picture. To share opinions and insights on any relevant topic is the best from Tuesday to Friday at 10 a.m.

Some studies have shown that Tuesday and Wednesday are the best days to post. Twitter is a space to express customer care, and it is better than any other social media for such behavior. Some followers are likely to judge those brands who do not answer on Twitter. You can keep an eye on what type of content worked well. What kind of impressions, retweets, and likes something gained you?

LinkedIn

The audience on this social media is less diverse that you might have on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. Business-oriented and less entertainment seeking, the users’ behavior here is more predictable. Online activity on LinkedIn is whirling around working days. You can post here from Tuesday to Friday, expecting a high level of engagement from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Even if you know the best time to post something on social media, it doesn’t mean your brand will thrive thanks to this schedule. Not at all. The best way here is to find out what works best for your audience. To work in a carefully calculated way, one should know the time preferences of the audience. Or, more precisely – when these people can reach offered content.

So start by looking at your own data and only then compare with general statistics. Before you begin posting a vast quantity of content your team has been generating, think when your data looks the same with general stats. It might be a clue. We recommend testing what might be the best time for publishing content. Test it on the same type of content. Post it on different days, times of the day, and various platforms.

What could affect the best time to post on social media?

A significant impact on social media and the way their content is structured has in-built things – algorithms that are changing very fast. To outsmart them is quite hard; it’s basically the “setting” of social media. The only disturbing thing for the marketers is to get used to these changes. Users’ engagement depends on many factors, and to provide the base for it, you should learn everything about them.

Find out what location, demographics, and profession represents your audience. There are also differences between what to post and when. Some content drives engagement while people are working; another information is better for after-working hours. The other thing you should be aware of is your own goals. What you want to reach with particular content will affect when it is better to post it.

So, what are your aims – views, commentaries, sales, likes? In addition to all we were saying, it is worth emphasizing that the time zone of the audience you are targeting is critical. Focus on this, and it will be much more clear when you should post something.

Conclusion

Having data about the best time to post on social media is a great way to build a strong online presence and engaged audience. On-time is never late, contrary to what they say. Especially in the case of social media posting. The brand’s social media activity shouldn’t be considered too narrow. Developing content planning is vital, but the time you would post it as necessary.

Every brand has a different audience. Some of them have different audiences depending on a social media page. One of the core things in marketing is to know who exactly represents your audience. The part of this knowledge is to be aware of a time when your followers most likely check Instagram, Facebook, or any other social media. Consistency in social media is key. Followers’ behavior is also not chaotic – it depends on habits, preferences, and the schedule of a day.

Social media is, without doubts, the best way to be present online as a brand. People browse each social media in one way or another but not in the same way. It seems that if you know and understand how exactly your audience behaves, you won’t be devoid of the best scheduling strategy. Keep in mind that there is no best time to post for all times – be flexible to changes that might be required.