Best Time to Post on Social Media Is Before 2 PM: Sprout Social Study

Best days to post are Tuesday and Wednesday, reveals study.

When should you post on social platforms? Organizations and marketing teams spend endless hours trying to determine when to publish on popular social platforms to gain maximum visibility and engagement. This question has gained more importance with the social media dynamics changing since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a Vox surveyOpens a new window , some people said they were posting more on social media, and some said they posted less than the pre-pandemic times. Some people even wanted to delete their social media accounts due to fatigue and rampant misinformation.

Hence, in these times, it is natural for many businesses to wonder what the best time may be to post on different platforms in 2021. A recent Sprout Social studyOpens a new window provides clarity on this. The findings showed that overall, the best days of the week to publish on popular platforms are Tuesday and Wednesday and the worst days are Saturday and Sunday. Further, the best time to post for most industries is before 2 pm on weekdays.

The following are the key findings in detail. Note that all time frames are in the Central Time Zone (CST).

Also read: How the Next 10 Years of Social Media Will Look Different From the Last

1. Best Time to Publish on Facebook

Facebook undoubtedly remains a popular social media platform despite the widespread privacy concerns among its users and the ongoing antitrust lawsuitOpens a new window . The study found fewer “off” times to the platform last year compared to the previous years. Early mornings, late nights, and weekends — all these times showed more consistent engagement. As such, they are opportune times for international brands to gain more visibility. However, the best days and times are:

Best day(s): Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday

Best time(s): 9 am-1 pm

Worst day(s): Saturday

2. Best Time to Publish on Twitter

In 2020, Twitter became the first source of information for many people, especially for the pandemic and the U.S. election-related news. At the same time, the platform, too, had to go through controversies due to misinformation and the banning of many high-profile people, like the former U.S. president Donald Trump. Having said that, the platform’s peak times for engagement continued to stay high on all weekdays, even going into the evenings. While the platform became a key resource of information, it also remains a place where customers can connect with brands. The best time to create high engagement from these potential and existing customers are:

Best day(s): Wednesday

Best time(s): Tuesday through Thursday 9-11 am, Wednesday 9 am-3 pm

Worst day(s): Saturday

Also read: Top 5 Social Media Analytics Tools for 2020

3. Best Time to Publish on Instagram

Instagram remains another popular platform, especially among the millennials and Gen Z users. Instagram also rolled out new features in 2020, such as enhanced Stories, Reels, and push discovery on the platform’s Explore page. These made Instagram an excellent platform for social media users during the pandemic.

The top times to post on Instagram expanded last year compared to the previous years, similar to Facebook. Increased engagement during middays, evenings and weekends showed increased opportunities for brands to engage with customers. Yet, the best days and times are:

Best day(s): Tuesday

Best time(s): Tuesday 11 am-2 pm, Monday through Friday 11 am

Worst day(s): Sunday

4. Best Time to Post on LinkedIn

LinkedIn undoubtedly remained the top platform for professional networking in 2020. The engagement rate, too, remained consistent throughout the workweek, while it dropped during the weekend. Interestingly, in addition to being an important platform for recruiting and employee advocacy campaigns, LinkedIn also became crucial for creating and posting a wide range of content. The best days and times are:

Best day(s): Tuesday and Wednesday

Best time(s): Tuesday through Thursday 9 am-noon

Worst day(s): Sunday

5. Best Time to Publish by Industry

While the times and days given above are the best to obtain maximum engagement in general, the best times may differ slightly depending on the industry. The following provides the best days and times for a few industries to post on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Industry	Social Media Posting Timings
Healthcare	●       Facebook Best day(s): Tuesday Best time(s): Monday through Friday 11 am Worst day(s): Sunday ●       Twitter Best day(s): Tuesday Best time(s): Monday 9 am-Noon, Tuesday 8 am-1 pm Worst day(s): Sunday ●       Instagram Best day(s): Monday, Tuesday Best time(s): Sunday 8-9 am, Tuesday 8 am-noon, 5-8 pm Worst day(s): Saturday
Restaurants	●       Facebook Best day(s): Friday Best time(s): Monday noon, Friday 1-2 pm Worst day(s): Sunday ●       Twitter Best day(s): Thursday Best time(s): Wednesday noon-2 pm, Thursday 8 am-2 pm Worst day(s): Saturday ●       Instagram Best day(s): Monday Best time(s): Monday 9 am-1 pm Worst day(s): Saturday
Tech	●       Facebook Best day(s): Tuesday, Thursday Best time(s): Thursday 3-4 pm Worst day(s): Sunday ●       Twitter Best day(s): Tuesday Best time(s): Monday 11, Tuesday and Wednesday 9 am, Tuesday 2 pm Worst day(s): Sunday ●       Instagram Best day(s): Monday Best time(s): Monday 10-11 am, 2-5 pm, 8 pm, Tuesday 10 am-1 pm, Thursday noon, Friday 11 am Worst day(s): Sunday
Travel and Tourism	●       Facebook Best day(s): Wednesday Best time(s): Tuesday and Wednesday 9 am-1 pm, Friday 10 am-noon Worst day(s): Sunday ●       Twitter Best day(s): Monday, Tuesday Best time(s): Monday 10 am-2 pm, Wednesday 8-9 am Worst day(s): Saturday ●       Instagram Best day(s): Thursday Best time(s): Thursday 7 am, Monday 11 am-3 pm Worst day(s): Saturday, Sunday

Also read: Analyzing Social Media Audience Behavior: How To Do It With Smaller Budgets

Find Your Best Time

The above findings are derived from studying Sprout Social’s 20,000+ customer base. It gives a good idea about the best times and days for businesses from different industries to gain maximum visibility and engagement for the posts on social platforms. Having said that, an in-depth analysis of your social media audience can provide you great insights into when your audience is active, and competitors are not. Using a good social media analytics platform can help you develop findings that complement the data provided here.

So, what is the best time to post for your brand? Do share with us on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window