The best times to post on social media continue to stray from the norm as people around the world adjust to ever changing routines.
As a result, what you found to be the best time to post on social media last year may not be as effective this year.
Sprout Social analyzed current data and issued updated recommendations for 2022, taking into account peoples’ evolving use of social media.
Noted at the beginning of the study, peoples’ self-reported use of social media is up compared to previous years:
“In fact, 71% of consumers found themselves using social more than they have in years past, which means brands and marketers need to meet their audiences where they are. And when marketers meet consumers’ expectations on social media, the benefits extend to every area of the business.
Insights in the report are based on data collected over the past year from Sprout Social’s 30,000+ customers.
Data was analyzed to understand when content was most and least frequently engaged with, then broken out by platform and industry.
Of course, there are limits to these studies, as there’s more to successful social media posts than simply posting at the “right” times. So here’s the obligatory disclaimer that correlation doesn’t equal causation.
With that said, however, you may find the data to be a useful starting point for testing the best times to post on social media for your specific audience.
Other details to note:
- Data is collected across various industries and locations
- All times frames are recorded in Central Time (CST)
- Number of engagements represents total engagements a brand received on the specific channel during that hour time frame.
Now let’s look at the current, updated best times to post on social media right now.
Best Times To Post On Social Media Overall
Overall social media engagement is highest during midweek mornings.
That refers to days between Tuesday-Thursday at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m.
The worst day to post on social media is Sunday.
Best Times To Post On Facebook
Engagement on Facebook has shifted from mid-mornings to early mornings.
Very early weekday mornings show the most consistent engagement and are considered opportune times to get eyes on Facebook posts.
The best times to post on Facebook are Mondays through Fridays at 3 a.m.
There’s also an uptick in engagement on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and noon.
The worst day to post on Facebook is Saturday.
Best Times To Post On Instagram
Instagram experienced a boom period throughout 2020 and 2021, reaching two billion monthly users as of 2022.
A growth in users created an expansion of top time periods to post on Instagram, with midday engagement on weekdays ramping up compared to previous years.
The best times to post on Instagram are identified as:
- Mondays at 11 a.m.
- Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Thursdays and Fridays 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.
There’s also opportunities for increased engagement on evenings and weekends, the study finds.
Best Times To Post On Twitter
The best times to post on Twitter have shifted “significantly” compared to last year.
Now, engagement is most concentrated during mid mornings and middays throughout the week.
Sprout Social postulates that the reason for this is a greater interest in developing news and updates, as well as a desire for entertainment via viral Tweets and memes.
Twitter’s prime engagement times are identified as Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 9 a.m.
The worst day to post on Twitter is Sunday.
Best Times To Post On LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the only social network included in the report with consistent year-over-year time periods for high levels of engagement.
Engagement on LinkedIn is highest during the US workweek, most concentrated during midday, and doesn’t extend too far out past the US workday hours.
It’s unlikely you’ll get much engagement on LinkedIn posts on the weekend, where engagement drops significantly.
The best time to post on LinkedIn is identified as Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon.
The best days to post on LinkedIn are Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The worst days to post on LinkedIn are Saturdays and Sundays.
In Summary
It bears repeating this data is not a guaranteed guide to success on social media. Your best times to post could be drastically different from what’s in this study, depending on your audience and niche.
It’s important to always do your own testing before adopting any practices recommended in industry studies.
All audiences respond differently, so there’s no single strategy that will work best for all businesses.
Source: Sprout Social
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