What Are the Best Times for Brands to Post to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn?

Numerous factors go into determining the best times for brands to post on social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, and conditions vary for every industry and every company, but Sprout Social took its 2019 stab at giving brands in six verticals a good starting point in answering those questions. Sprout Social’s data science team analyzed over 25,000 customer interactions across those four social platforms for brands in consumer goods, media, education, nonprofits, tech and healthcare. Manager of social media Rachael Samuels said in an email, “Marketers understand the importance of having a strong presence on social media, but with so many competing priorities, it is easy to fall into a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to publishing. While social posting can seem daunting, brands that focus on fishing where and when the fish are biting will break through the noise, build authentic connections and be memorable on social. As the landscape becomes more crowded and the volume of social content presented to consumers continues to grow, this data can help marketers create more efficient publishing efforts that achieve the highest rate of relevancy and return on investment." Facebook [kickout id="1"] Wednesday is the best day to post to Facebook, and the best time is on that day, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The safest times to post are weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Conversely, early mornings and evenings—before 7 a.m. and after 5 p.m.—generate the least engagement, and Sunday is the worst day of the week to post in terms of engagement. Sprout Social wrote, “While people frequently check in throughout the middle of the day to see what’s going on, the peak times are around lunch breaks. When people have more time to scroll through their Facebook feeds and dig into interesting posts, engagement rises correspondingly. On the other hand, late night and early evening, along with weekend days, bring in relatively low engagement. While people may check in or post a few updates from weekend activities in the middle of the day on Saturday, these times aren’t your best bet for reaching audiences.” Consumer goods: The best times to post to Facebook are Wednesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 11 a.m., and other high-engagement times include Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and Thursday at 5 p.m. Weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. are the safest times to post, while Sundays and any day between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. should be avoided. Media: Tuesday at 5 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. are the best times to post, and other solid times include Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and at 5 p.m., as well as Thursday at 5 p.m. The safest times to post are Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the lowest engagement was found on Sundays and every day from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Education: The best times for schools to post are Wednesday at 9 a.m. and Saturday at 5 p.m. The safest times are Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the most engagement taking place from 9 a.m. to noon. Saturday from noon to 9 p.m. is also strong, while the least engagement occurs on Sunday and every day from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Nonprofits: The best Facebook posting time for nonprofits is Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., and other times with strong engagement are Thursday at 10 a.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. The safest times for nonprofits to post are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Engagement wanes on Saturday and Sunday, as well as from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. every day. Tech: Tech companies had the most success posting to Facebook Wednesday at 10 a.m., with Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon representing a peak time for the sector and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday coming up as the safest times to post. Sunday and every day from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. should be avoided. Healthcare: The best time for healthcare businesses to post to Facebook is 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Wednesday, and the safest times are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. or at 4 p.m. Companies in this sector should avoid Saturday and Sunday, as well as 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. every day. Instagram [kickout id="2"] Wednesday is the best day to post to Instagram, and the best times are Wednesday at 11 a.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The safest times to post on the Facebook-owned photo- and video-sharing network are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday is the worst day to post on Instagram in terms of engagement, and the worst times are before 7 a.m. and after 5 p.m. Sprout Social wrote, “While Instagram engagement peaks midday and midweek, similar to the other major social networks, there are a few opportune windows found in the evening and morning during the middle of the week. While the safest times to post are still during those core weekday times, it could be well worth it for certain brand niches to consider if your audiences are among those reaching for the ‘Gram first thing in the morning or last thing before sleeping.” Consumer goods: Wednesday at 3 p.m. is the best time to post on Instagram, and the safest times to do so are Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Another window of high engagement opens Saturday at 10 a.m. The least engagement is generated on Sunday, as well as every day from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. Media: The best time for media outlets to post on Instagram is Friday at 9 a.m., with Wednesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. representing the safest times. Sprout Social wrote, “There’s also a period of higher engagement that lasts all the way through Thursday night into Friday morning. It’s lower than the highest peak times, but it could be a unique time to capture audiences that aren’t active in other industries’ niches.” Media brands should avoid Saturday and Sunday. Education: Schools should be in session on Instagram Friday at 10 a.m., and other strong engagement happens Wednesday at 11 a.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to noon and at 2 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The safest times for education brands to post are Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday should be avoided, as should 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. every day. Nonprofits: The best time for nonprofits to post to Instagram is Wednesday at 2 p.m., with other high engagement windows opening Monday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. are the safest times to post. The least engagement occurs on Sundays and from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. every day. Tech: 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. Wednesday is the best time for tech companies to post on Instagram, and other high-opportunity time slots include Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., Tuesday at 10 p.m. and mornings on Wednesday and Friday. The least engagement for this sector occurs on Sunday. Healthcare: The best time for healthcare practices to post on Instagram is Tuesday at 8 a.m., and the safest time is Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., but they should avoid doing so between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. every day. Twitter [kickout id="3"] Tuesday and Wednesday are the best days to tweet, and the best times to do so are Wednesday and Friday at 9 a.m. The safest times to post to Twitter are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The least engagement occurs on Saturday, and times to avoid are every day from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Sprout Social wrote, “Twitter heats up a bit earlier in the morning, probably as audiences are starting to go about their day and take a moment to catch up on and digest the biggest news and updates from their areas of interest. The peak times of engagement also carry into the lunch hour and begin to taper slightly through the late afternoon and evening, finally dropping off as late-night approaches. Like other social networks, midweek on Tuesday and Wednesday are your top days to post on Twitter, and engagement drops off on weekends. We do still see that morning check-in occurring around 9 on both Saturday and Sunday, just to a lesser extent.” Consumer goods: Sunday at 11 a.m. is the best time for these brands to tweet, with other peak engagement times including Saturday at 3 p.m. and Wednesday at 1 p.m. The safest times are Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Monday through Wednesday from noon to 3 p.m. In order to avoid low engagement, consumer goods brands should avoid tweeting on Friday and from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. every day. Media: The best times for media brands to tweet are Thursday at 9 a.m. and 8 p.m., with other high engagement occurring Thursday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. The safest times are Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon. The least engagement occurs on Saturday. Education: The best time for schools to post to Twitter is Saturday at 5 p.m., with 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. that day drawing high engagement. Safe times to tweet include Wednesday from 8 a.m. to noon and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. Nonprofits: Wednesday at 7 a.m. is the best time for nonprofits to tweet, and Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. is a period of high engagement. Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. are the safest times to post. The least engagement occurs on Saturday, Sunday and every day from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Tech: The best time for tech brands to tweet is Tuesday at 9 a.m., with high engagement being generated Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. The safest times for them to post to Twitter are Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday bring the least engagement, as does 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. every day. Healthcare: Healthcare brands should schedule their tweeting appointments for 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Wednesday, and other high-engagement time slots include Monday at 2 p.m., Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Friday at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning is also stronger than other weekday mornings. Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. are the safest times to post, and Sunday should be avoided. LinkedIn [kickout id="4"] The best day to post to LinkedIn is Wednesday, and the best times are 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and noon that same day. The safest times are Tuesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The least popular times to post to LinkedIn are every day from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. And the least engagement on the professional network occurs on Sunday. Sprout Social wrote, “Considering LinkedIn’s corporate-minded mix of thought leaders, job seekers and company page curation, it’s no surprise that activity is much more concentrated around workdays. Activity ramps up on Tuesday as people get through the Monday rush, and tapers fairly uniformly after 3 p.m. as the last tasks of the workday take priority. Weekends garner fairly low engagement, which is expected, as people step away from their devices and desks on Saturday and Sunday.”