The internet never sleeps so the best time to post on social media seems like it’s at every hour of the day. We’re going to demystify this myth so your social team can plan, prioritize and create a successful social media marketing strategy.
We worked closely with Sprout’s Data Science team to review findings and trends in social media usage over the past year from Sprout Social’s more than 34,000 customers and understand when their content was most and least frequently engaged with, broken out by platform and industry.
For more information on platform-specific optimal engagement times, including industry breakdowns, review our guides on the:
Use the data from this article to help inform your publishing calendar. However, the best way to learn how to identify your best times to post globally across each network is to start a free trial of Sprout Social and test our ViralPost® feature with your social profiles.
Best Times to Post on Social Media
According to Sprout Social's analysis of nearly 2 billion engagements across 400,000 social profiles including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok, the best times to post on social media are:
- Mondays from 11 a.m. to noon
- Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 to 4 p.m.
- Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Fridays from 10 to 11 a.m.
- Best days to post on social media: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
- Worst days to post on social media: Sundays
Each social channel has its benefits depending on your goals, campaigns, content type and target audience. If you’re seeking to uncover changes to and improve your engagement, revisit your social media KPIs. Does your current social strategy align with meeting those KPIs? Of course, if increasing likes and comments are some of your KPIs, knowing which days get the most engagement helps you reach those goals as well.
While interpreting the data for each social network individually, we consistently notice that the highest times of engagement are Tuesdays through Thursdays generally between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Midweek mornings prove to be a successful time across most social platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Pinterest and TikTok see higher engagement in the afternoons.
There’s more to posting on social media than this quick stat, though. Each network sees varying ranges of engagement throughout the week and at remarkably different times. And when you isolate industries on each network, engagement varies even more. So even though Tuesdays through Thursdays between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. are generally the best times to post on social, consider other variables before you schedule any posts.
Best time to post on social media in the UK
Overall, the best times to post on social media in the UK are Tuesday and Thursday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Weekday mornings are a great time to post across many of the most popular social platforms in the UK including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you target UK users of Tiktok or Pinterest, afternoon posts receive higher engagement. It is important to remember this data is collated and industry, content and goals will also play a role in the right time to post for your business but this is a useful starting point.
Best Times to Post on Facebook
- Mondays from 9 a.m. to noon
- Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
- Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
- Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
- Fridays from 9 to 11 a.m.
- Best days to post on Facebook: Mondays through Thursdays
- Worst days to post on Facebook: Sundays
It’s true: Facebook is still the most used platform by marketers worldwide at 89%, and by monthly active users at 3.05 billion (yes, billion). The impact Facebook has on our social media use as consumers and marketers is still ever present. Compared to last year, high engagement periods on Facebook are still within mid-mornings during weekdays and matching general business hours.
Optimal send times for Facebook are Mondays through Fridays starting mostly at 9 a.m. until early afternoon, generally 2 p.m. What does this mean for marketers? Most users are taking a quick break in their routines for Facebook, making it the best time to schedule posts for target audiences to interact with.
With a solid Facebook marketing strategy, businesses connect with the right audiences with their content, whether it’s keeping audiences informed of products or sharing access to exclusive deals. Remember, engagement is a combination of how often you post on social media and what content types you post.
Best Times to Post on Instagram
- Mondays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
- Fridays at 11 a.m.
- Best days to post on Instagram: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
- Worst days to post on Instagram: Sundays
Where Facebook was the most-used platform by marketers worldwide, Instagram comes in second at 80%. Interestingly, Instagram ties with Facebook for the social media platforms that offer marketers the highest ROI at 29%. This is because social media continues to evolve with ecommerce and offering frictionless experiences to users. And even though the competition for short-form video between Instagram and TikTok continues to heat up, Reels still generate more likes and saves than static Instagram posts.
The best times to post on Instagram are weekdays generally between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., with Tuesdays and Wednesdays engagement times extending to 4 p.m. We recommend scheduling posts Tuesdays through Thursdays between 10 and and 3 p.m. for optimal engagement. It’s wise to test these benchmarks against your current metrics too.
Instagram has grown a long way since its photo-only days. The app, which has 2 billion monthly active users, is a platform to share images, videos, Reels and live streams, just to name a few creative content types. It is also an avenue to collaborate and partner with other brands and provides a stream of revenue through its ecommerce capabilities.
The Instagram algorithm is unpredictable. To be successful on the platform is a balance of consistently posting high-quality content that will engage and entertain your audiences. That’s a lot to ask for with each piece of content published. But using that as a guiding post can help with your Instagram marketing strategy.
Best Times to Post on LinkedIn
- Best times to post on LinkedIn Company Pages:
- Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon
- Thursdays at 10 a.m.
- Best days to post on LinkedIn Company Pages: Tuesdays through Thursdays
- Worst days to post on LinkedIn Company Pages: Weekends
Unsurprising for this professional-focused social platform, LinkedIn engagement times are consistent with general business hours. High engagement hours are more concentrated midday and don’t extend too far out past the workday hours. Businesses are less likely to get eyes on their LinkedIn marketing efforts on the weekend when engagement and usage drops.
Because LinkedIn content is centered around professional thought-leadership and career growth, it makes sense that a majority of audiences engage with this content throughout their working day. By midday, there’s buzz on the platform, and the best times to post on LinkedIn are Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and noon and Thursdays at 10 a.m..
Yes, LinkedIn is a business and employment-focused platform, but it’s more than a job board and networking platform. LinkedIn provides a platform for professional storytelling and advocacy, from both employees and employers alike. Contributors of all levels can share their subject-matter expertise, create conversations that challenge business-as-usual, and uplift professional voices around the world.
With over 1 billion members in 200 countries and regions, LinkedIn is important for a wide range of business opportunities. Businesses on LinkedIn are finding new ways to generate leads, find co-marketing partners, highlight company culture and attract talent. Because of these additional business opportunities LinkedIn provides, it makes sense that posting and engagement match with the business hours.
Best Times to Post on Pinterest
- Tuesdays through Fridays at 1 a.m.
- Thursdays at 3 a.m.
- Best days to post on Pinterest: Weekdays
- Worst days to post on Pinterest: Weekends
While people may associate Pinterest as the visual search engine where users go to research and discover DIY projects and inspiration products, it also presents an opportunity to expand your community and brand awareness. While not all brands may be on the platform, those who use it know more of Pinterest’s benefits.
This is the second year we’re providing the best times to post on Pinterest. We’re seeing a significant shift in engagement hours this year compared to last. Whereas last year we saw a nearly universal spread across all hours of the day every day of the week, this year we’re seeing significant engagement at the early hours of the morning and lower moderate engagement midday during weekdays. Interestingly, Tuesdays through Fridays at 1 a.m. and Thursdays at 3 a.m. are peak time to post on Pinterest.
It may be a combination of when users are struck with inspiration and the Pinterest algorithm that affects engagement times, but that shouldn’t stop you from creating a social media calendar with posts scheduled at those hours.
Best Times to Post on TikTok
- Tuesdays from 4 to 6 p.m.
- Wednesdays from 9 to 11 a.m., noon, and 2 to 6 p.m.
- Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 6 p.m.
- Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m.
- Best days to post on TikTok: Wednesdays and Thursdays
- Worst days to post on TikTok: Sundays
As the youngest digital platform on this list, TikTok has grown significantly and made waves in half as many years as the others on this list. With the app now amassing over 1.5 billion active global users who spend an average of 23 hours on the app every month, TikTok has competitive power against other platforms.
The best times to post on TikTok are Tuesdays and Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m., Wednesdays, Thursdays mornings from 9 to 11 a.m. and Thursdays from 2 to 6 p.m. Afternoons are when the highest engagements are on the platform; users are looking to fill their afternoon entertainment boost. However, generally, mid-morning through the afternoon (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) on Tuesdays through Fridays see above average engagement on the app.
With TikTok trends changing quickly, it’s important to understand how trends start, evolve and influence. Once you understand how these forces, moments or signals work, you can create a better TikTok trend strategy to implement rather than participating reactively.
How to find your own best times to post on social media
Social marketers can plan content more effectively when they’re armed with data. And as platforms evolve, how brands and consumers use social will evolve with them, or vice versa. Staying aware of new content formats and trends might help you reach your audience in unexpected ways, or even find new segments and personas you weren’t focusing on before.
While you may be ready to jump in and post at these provided peak engagement times as part of your strategy, consider pairing this data with your own social media data analysis. You may discover that your specific target audience is active near the peak times we’ve outlined or hours earlier.
A social media management tool like Sprout Social can help you drill into your analytics and develop tailored findings for your brand accounts across all networks, holistically and individually. Gain competitive insights by comparing your performance to your competitors, to find new opportunities for engagement.
With features like post tagging and cross-network reporting, you can separate different factors like post author or types of content, and drill down into how your posting time influenced your social success.
Sprout’s patented ViralPost® technology uses the same data we’ve used to look at all our customer accounts to determine the best time to post tailored for your account. ViralPost® algorithmically determines the results for our Optimal Send Times feature, a publishing option available in all plans. Our proprietary machine learning feature isn't new, but we're constantly learning and improving our product to help brands surface insights faster. Our goal is to help people who use our product work more effectively.
With Optimal Send Times, the specific times offered are based on when your audience engages the most using your publishing history. ViralPost® also continually updates and refines to save you time from doing the repeated analysis and allowing you more time to craft great content.
Want to see it in action? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of Sprout Social or request a personalized demo and try it for yourself.
Start a free Sprout Social trial
How Sprout gathered the data
We understand that these reports can raise questions about just where the data is coming from. That’s why we want to be clear about the data we pulled and how we got here.
Sprout Social’s Data Science team gathers this information by analyzing nearly 2 billion engagements across 400,000 social profiles across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok. We synthesize this information in collaboration with our Data Science team to provide you with the article you read above.
Unfortunately, we do not have engagement data for YouTube or Threads, yet.
Start a free Sprout Social trial
Best Times to Post on Social Media
According to Sprout Social's analysis of nearly 2 billion engagements across 400,000 social profiles including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok, the best times to post on social media are:
Each social channel has its benefits depending on your goals, campaigns, content type and target audience. If you’re seeking to uncover changes to and improve your engagement, revisit your social media KPIs. Does your current social strategy align with meeting those KPIs? Of course, if increasing likes and comments are some of your KPIs, knowing which days get the most engagement helps you reach those goals as well.
While interpreting the data for each social network individually, we consistently notice that the highest times of engagement are Tuesdays through Thursdays generally between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Midweek mornings prove to be a successful time across most social platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Pinterest and TikTok see higher engagement in the afternoons.
There’s more to posting on social media than this quick stat, though. Each network sees varying ranges of engagement throughout the week and at remarkably different times. And when you isolate industries on each network, engagement varies even more. So even though Tuesdays through Thursdays between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. are generally the best times to post on social, consider other variables before you schedule any posts.
Best time to post on social media in the UK
Overall, the best times to post on social media in the UK are Tuesday and Thursday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Weekday mornings are a great time to post across many of the most popular social platforms in the UK including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you target UK users of Tiktok or Pinterest, afternoon posts receive higher engagement. It is important to remember this data is collated and industry, content and goals will also play a role in the right time to post for your business but this is a useful starting point.
Best Times to Post on Facebook
It’s true: Facebook is still the most used platform by marketers worldwide at 89%, and by monthly active users at 3.05 billion (yes, billion). The impact Facebook has on our social media use as consumers and marketers is still ever present. Compared to last year, high engagement periods on Facebook are still within mid-mornings during weekdays and matching general business hours.
Optimal send times for Facebook are Mondays through Fridays starting mostly at 9 a.m. until early afternoon, generally 2 p.m. What does this mean for marketers? Most users are taking a quick break in their routines for Facebook, making it the best time to schedule posts for target audiences to interact with.
With a solid Facebook marketing strategy, businesses connect with the right audiences with their content, whether it’s keeping audiences informed of products or sharing access to exclusive deals. Remember, engagement is a combination of how often you post on social media and what content types you post.
Best Times to Post on Instagram
Where Facebook was the most-used platform by marketers worldwide, Instagram comes in second at 80%. Interestingly, Instagram ties with Facebook for the social media platforms that offer marketers the highest ROI at 29%. This is because social media continues to evolve with ecommerce and offering frictionless experiences to users. And even though the competition for short-form video between Instagram and TikTok continues to heat up, Reels still generate more likes and saves than static Instagram posts.
The best times to post on Instagram are weekdays generally between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., with Tuesdays and Wednesdays engagement times extending to 4 p.m. We recommend scheduling posts Tuesdays through Thursdays between 10 and and 3 p.m. for optimal engagement. It’s wise to test these benchmarks against your current metrics too.
Instagram has grown a long way since its photo-only days. The app, which has 2 billion monthly active users, is a platform to share images, videos, Reels and live streams, just to name a few creative content types. It is also an avenue to collaborate and partner with other brands and provides a stream of revenue through its ecommerce capabilities.
The Instagram algorithm is unpredictable. To be successful on the platform is a balance of consistently posting high-quality content that will engage and entertain your audiences. That’s a lot to ask for with each piece of content published. But using that as a guiding post can help with your Instagram marketing strategy.
Best Times to Post on LinkedIn
Unsurprising for this professional-focused social platform, LinkedIn engagement times are consistent with general business hours. High engagement hours are more concentrated midday and don’t extend too far out past the workday hours. Businesses are less likely to get eyes on their LinkedIn marketing efforts on the weekend when engagement and usage drops.
Because LinkedIn content is centered around professional thought-leadership and career growth, it makes sense that a majority of audiences engage with this content throughout their working day. By midday, there’s buzz on the platform, and the best times to post on LinkedIn are Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and noon and Thursdays at 10 a.m..
Yes, LinkedIn is a business and employment-focused platform, but it’s more than a job board and networking platform. LinkedIn provides a platform for professional storytelling and advocacy, from both employees and employers alike. Contributors of all levels can share their subject-matter expertise, create conversations that challenge business-as-usual, and uplift professional voices around the world.
With over 1 billion members in 200 countries and regions, LinkedIn is important for a wide range of business opportunities. Businesses on LinkedIn are finding new ways to generate leads, find co-marketing partners, highlight company culture and attract talent. Because of these additional business opportunities LinkedIn provides, it makes sense that posting and engagement match with the business hours.
Best Times to Post on Pinterest
While people may associate Pinterest as the visual search engine where users go to research and discover DIY projects and inspiration products, it also presents an opportunity to expand your community and brand awareness. While not all brands may be on the platform, those who use it know more of Pinterest’s benefits.
This is the second year we’re providing the best times to post on Pinterest. We’re seeing a significant shift in engagement hours this year compared to last. Whereas last year we saw a nearly universal spread across all hours of the day every day of the week, this year we’re seeing significant engagement at the early hours of the morning and lower moderate engagement midday during weekdays. Interestingly, Tuesdays through Fridays at 1 a.m. and Thursdays at 3 a.m. are peak time to post on Pinterest.
It may be a combination of when users are struck with inspiration and the Pinterest algorithm that affects engagement times, but that shouldn’t stop you from creating a social media calendar with posts scheduled at those hours.
Best Times to Post on TikTok
As the youngest digital platform on this list, TikTok has grown significantly and made waves in half as many years as the others on this list. With the app now amassing over 1.5 billion active global users who spend an average of 23 hours on the app every month, TikTok has competitive power against other platforms.
The best times to post on TikTok are Tuesdays and Fridays from 4 to 6 p.m., Wednesdays, Thursdays mornings from 9 to 11 a.m. and Thursdays from 2 to 6 p.m. Afternoons are when the highest engagements are on the platform; users are looking to fill their afternoon entertainment boost. However, generally, mid-morning through the afternoon (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) on Tuesdays through Fridays see above average engagement on the app.
With TikTok trends changing quickly, it’s important to understand how trends start, evolve and influence. Once you understand how these forces, moments or signals work, you can create a better TikTok trend strategy to implement rather than participating reactively.
Best Times to Post on X (FKA Twitter)
X (formerly known as Twitter) has consistently been the platform for up-to-the-minute conversations and breaking news. And that didn’t stop X from being part of the news itself on the network last year. Businesses and brands continuously look to X to participate in trending topics that align with their brand values in the process. However, due to global conflicts and vocal executives, some brands have limited their social strategies around X.
Despite all this, X peak times for engagement extended slightly compared to last year, with hours extending further into the weekday afternoons. The best times to post on Twitter are Mondays through Fridays beginning at 9 a.m. and extending until nearly 3 p.m..
This extension of engagement on X could reflect an interest in developing news and updates as the day unfolds, as well as a desire for entertainment. There were also d several global events that kept users engaged on the app last year. Brands also use X as part of their customer service strategy, as an alternative to traditional customer support options.
How to find your own best times to post on social media
Social marketers can plan content more effectively when they’re armed with data. And as platforms evolve, how brands and consumers use social will evolve with them, or vice versa. Staying aware of new content formats and trends might help you reach your audience in unexpected ways, or even find new segments and personas you weren’t focusing on before.
While you may be ready to jump in and post at these provided peak engagement times as part of your strategy, consider pairing this data with your own social media data analysis. You may discover that your specific target audience is active near the peak times we’ve outlined or hours earlier.
A social media management tool like Sprout Social can help you drill into your analytics and develop tailored findings for your brand accounts across all networks, holistically and individually. Gain competitive insights by comparing your performance to your competitors, to find new opportunities for engagement.
With features like post tagging and cross-network reporting, you can separate different factors like post author or types of content, and drill down into how your posting time influenced your social success.
Sprout’s patented ViralPost® technology uses the same data we’ve used to look at all our customer accounts to determine the best time to post tailored for your account. ViralPost® algorithmically determines the results for our Optimal Send Times feature, a publishing option available in all plans. Our proprietary machine learning feature isn't new, but we're constantly learning and improving our product to help brands surface insights faster. Our goal is to help people who use our product work more effectively.
With Optimal Send Times, the specific times offered are based on when your audience engages the most using your publishing history. ViralPost® also continually updates and refines to save you time from doing the repeated analysis and allowing you more time to craft great content.
Want to see it in action? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of Sprout Social or request a personalized demo and try it for yourself.
Start a free Sprout Social trial
How Sprout gathered the data
We understand that these reports can raise questions about just where the data is coming from. That’s why we want to be clear about the data we pulled and how we got here.
Sprout Social’s Data Science team gathers this information by analyzing nearly 2 billion engagements across 400,000 social profiles across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok. We synthesize this information in collaboration with our Data Science team to provide you with the article you read above.
Unfortunately, we do not have engagement data for YouTube or Threads, yet.
Start a free Sprout Social trial