What’s the best time to post on social media? This is a common question for users and social media professionals, and it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to answer definitively. To help, Sprout Social has created a report detailing the best times to post on each social network.
The best times to post on each social network depend on many factors, such as specific audiences, each platform, and user behavior in each country.
This report analyzed 20,000 accounts and, while it provides significant data, timings will vary depending on each account’s audience. These times should be used as a reference guide, not a formula, and should be adapted as you publish and analyze your own results.
All times shown in the report—and used in this article—are based on U.S. Central Time (CST).
Facebook, with over 2.498 billion active users, is the most used social network and the first analyzed in the report. The best time to post on this platform is between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Wednesday. As shown in the image below, Wednesday is generally the best day to post on Facebook, and Sunday is usually the worst. Remember, this information is just a guideline.
Best time: Wednesday, 11 a.m. and 1-2 p.m.
Best day: Wednesday.
Worst day: Sunday.
On Instagram, the best days to post are Wednesdays and Fridays, always between 10 and 11 a.m. The worst day is also Sunday, as people tend to disconnect from social media for leisure.
Best time: Wednesday at 11 a.m. and Friday between 10 and 11 a.m.
Best day: Wednesday.
Worst day: Sunday.
The next image shows the best time to post on Twitter. Wednesdays and Fridays are the best days, especially between 9 and 11 a.m. The biggest change is the worst day, which for Twitter is Saturday.
Best time: Wednesday and Friday at 9 a.m.
Best days: Wednesday and Friday.
Worst day: Saturday.
Again, remember these times are not a formula, just a guide, as each account and platform has its own best times. The best way to find your optimal posting time is to regularly analyze your post results.
