Study Shows the Best Time to Post on Social Platforms in 2022

Social media plays a massive role in a brand or business’s marketing efforts. As the world increasingly becomes digital-first, social media helps companies stay connected with their audience. Regular posting on their social media handles helps businesses understand their audience and customers’ needs and pain points, as well as strategize their campaigns and offerings. Having said that, the frequency and timing of these posts have a significant role in a post’s ability to engage the audience.

Last year, we covered a study discussing the best days as well as times to share your posts on key social platforms to ensure maximum engagement. However, with consumer dynamics constantly changing, how people interact on social media has changed. Sprout Social recently conducted a study to identify the best and worst days as well as times to post on four major social platforms this year viz., Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.Â

The following are the findings from the study. Note that all timings are in Central Time Zone (CST).

See more: 5 Best Social Media Automation Tools To Save Time and Stay Ahead of Competition in 2021

Best Time to Post on Social Platforms in General

Each platform has its own features, and how users interact with each other may vary across platforms. For example, LinkedIn users may interact with each other at a time different than those on Facebook or Twitter. Interactions may also vary according to the industries.Â

Having said that, the study found that the best days for engagement overall were Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The best time to post was 9 am or 10 am. The worst day to post on most social platforms was Sunday.

The following is a deep dive into the best and the worst days and times to share your posts on the individual social platforms.

Best Time to Post on Facebook

Despite all the controversies around the social network, Facebook remains the leading social media platform used by marketers, according to StatistaOpens a new window . However, there was a shift in when there was maximum engagement on the platform compared to last year. While mid-mornings used to dominate over the previous few years, now it is early morning hours. Further, there were a few more â€œoffâ€ times than in the earlier years. However, very early mornings and mid-mornings still show consistent engagement.Â

Best day(s): From Tuesday to Thursday

Best time: Monday through Friday at 3 am, Tuesday at 10 am and noon

Worst day(s): Saturday

Best Time to Post on Instagram

Instagram saw a big boom through 2020 and 2021 and hit more than 2 billion monthly users last year, according to reportsOpens a new window . While the platform faces stiff competition from TikTok, Instagram is here to stay for some time as it keeps enhancing its current features and launching a few new ones. The platform is also popular among Millennials and Gen Z audiences. Regarding posting on the platform, the best times range between 10 am to 1 pm on most weekdays this year.

Best day(s): Tuesday and Wednesday

Best time: Monday at 11 am, Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 am to 1 pm, Thursday and Friday from 10 am to 11 am.

Worst day(s): Sunday

Best Time to Post on Twitter

Twitter has maintained its position as the go-to platform for the latest updates and breaking news. Many brands have also been using it as part of their customer care strategy. The study found that social conversations on the platform did not slow down over the last year despite the pandemic going into a second year. Having said that, the peak engagement times shifted significantly over a year. Peak engagement became much more concentrated toward mid-mornings and middays during the week.

Best day(s): Tuesday and Wednesday

Best time: Monday through Wednesday at 9 am, Friday and Saturday at 9 am

Worst day(s): Sunday

Best Time to Post on LinkedIn

LinkedIn remains a popular social networking platform for professionals. The engagement times on the platform were found to be consistent with the U.S workweek. Peak engagement hours were found to be more concentrated toward midday. Further, they did not extend much beyond the work hours as they had in previous years. The engagement was also found to drop significantly over the weekend.

Best day(s): Wednesday and Thursday

Best time: Tuesday 10 am to noon

Worst day(s): Saturday and Sunday

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

Identify the Right Time to Post for Your Brand

While the days and times given above provide a good picture in general regarding the best and worst times to share posts on the individual platform, engagement may also be affected by various factors, such as the industry. For example, the best time to post on Instagram for the fitness industry may differ from the retail sector. It may also be possible that your competitors may be less active, but your audience may be busy. Hence, it is necessary to identify the times of peak engagement and the ones appropriate to your brand to post on a platform. You can use certain social media analytics tools to gain deep insights into your audience engagement.

Given that social media platforms are a critical channel in your marketing strategy, take a data and analytics-driven approach to identify the best times to post on your target social platforms to gain the maximum audience engagement for your campaigns.

Have you identified the best time to post on social media for your brand? Let us know what your industry is and what is the best time to post on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window .