Does Timing Really Matter When Posting on Social Media?
Social media marketing can lead to huge success for your brand. But you must be sure to go about it in a strategic, thoughtful way. This includes choosing the right day and time for your brand’s posts. Yes, timing matters enormously when posting on social media. If you’ve been posting at random and have been disappointed with the results, our San Diego social media agency is here to help. Read on to find out more about the right time and timeline considerations for posting on social media.
Why Does Timing of Social Media Posts Really Matter?
You put time and effort into your brand’s social media campaigns. But if you don’t get the timing right, that work will be for naught, because most of your target audience won’t see it. Timing matters so much because it’s a way to use the algorithm to your advantage.
Because social media is a major marketing landscape of the moment, it’s extremely competitive. If your target audience sees a similar brand’s post before yours, it’s highly likely they’ll choose your competition. For increased visibility, try to post when competitors aren’t as active.
Is There a Universal Best Time to Post on Social Media?
The short answer to this question is, not exactly. There’s no single perfect time because of all the different factors at play. Figuring out your brand’s perfect time to post depends on your industry and the demographics of your target audience.
And for the general best times, it still varies based on the day of the week as well as the specific social media platforms. There is a general best timeline to post based on these factors. You can then use data and analytics to tweak this timeline for your best results.
What Are Determining Factors for the Best Time to Post?
- Your goals, which can include:
- Getting the most pageviews
- Increasing brand awareness
- Growing follower counts
- Selling services or products
- Increasing engagement
- Your target audience:
- B2B social media campaigns work best on weekdays and during work hours
- B2C campaigns are better on weekends or off-work hours on weekdays
- Time zones: Follow the time zone most of your customers are in, even if it’s different than your time zone.
What Is the Best Timeline for Posting Based on the Social Media Platform?
We’ll start by going through each major platform. Each has its own algorithm. The general best time for posting on all of these apps varies by the day of the week. The best timing also varies based on your goal and the type of content you’re posting. Also, keep in mind that there are tools available for scheduling posts ahead of time.
- Best starting time: 9:00 a.m.
- Highest traffic: 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
- Best time for likes: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday through Friday
- Best time for clicks: 3:00 p.m.
- Best time for optimum shares: 1:00 p.m.
- Best time to post video content: noon to 1:00 p.m. or 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
- Best days of the week to post: Wednesday through Saturday. The worst day to post is usually Sunday.
The day-by-day general timeline for when to post on Facebook is:
- Monday: 9:00 a.m. to noon
- Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- Thursday: 11:00 a.m. to noon
- Saturday: 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
- Sunday: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Instagram is perhaps the most significant platform for social media marketing. To fully take advantage of its potential, note these as the best times and days:
Overall time: between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
- Best day: Tuesday is a heavy traffic day for Instagram. You can find an audience successfully anytime from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on this day.
- Worst day: Sunday
There are also specifications for posting different kinds of Instagram content.
- Instagram Reels: Brands should post four to seven Reels a week. The optimum days and times are Tuesdays at 8:00 a.m., Thursdays at 11:00 a.m., and Friday at 4:00 a.m.
- IGTV: Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m.
- Lives: Noon to 7:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday
- Stories: Since these posts only last 24 hours, this is one area where timing isn’t as important.
TikTok
TikTok is one of the fastest growing social media platforms. It’s also a great way to reach a Gen Z audience, though the app has users of all ages.
Analytics have shown that the best time to post on TikTok is in the morning. It coincides with users checking their phones when they first wake up. It’s also smart to post later at night when users are taking their last looks through social media before going to sleep.
The absolute best days and times to post on TikTok are:
- Tuesday at 8:00 a.m.
- Thursday at 11:00 a.m.
- Friday at 4:00 a.m.
Other times that will yield optimum engagement on these key days of the week are:
- Tuesday: 2:00 a.m., 4:00 a.m., and 9:00 a.m.
- Thursday: 12:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., and 7:00 p.m.
- Friday: 5:00 a.m., or between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
As with Facebook and Instagram, Sunday is the worst day. If you still want to post content on Sundays, the best times are 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. or at 4:00 p.m.
The most important thing to note is that 9:00 a.m. is the optimal time to post on Twitter, any day of the week. But for some more variety, follow the timelines below.
- Monday: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- Tuesday: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- Wednesday: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Thursday and Friday: 9:00 a.m. to noon
Additional best times to post on weekdays: Noon, when people are on lunch breaks, and from 5:00 p.m. to 6 p.m., which is when people get off work and may go to happy hours.
- Best day: Wednesday, or weekdays in general
- Worst days: Weekends show less engagement, starting at 3:00 p.m. on Fridays.
Since this is a social media platform centered on careers, working hours are the absolute best times to post. Naturally, this also means that weekdays are the best days. Specifically, posting between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday should yield good engagement. The optimal days to post are midweek, a.k.a., Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Unlike other social media platforms, weekend posting should be avoided. There may be some users on weekends, but the analytics and common sense show it’s not worth posting. Once again, Sunday is the worst day of the week.
It’s important to tailor these timelines for your specific brand. When you work with a social media marketing team, they’ll have access to the best tools for analytics, testing, and optimization. And they’ll have indispensable expertise and insight. Plus, by paying attention to the latest trends, they’ll make sure you stay ahead of the competition.
As you can see, our team here at InnoVision Marketing Group are experts in social media marketing. You can find out more information about our San Diego social media agency by exploring InnoVision’s website. You’ll find our portfolio of successful social media marketing for major brands. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. Remember, timing is of the essence.
