Time is of the essence!
The best time to post on social media varies depending on several factors, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
With more than 5 billion people worldwide using the internet, it feels like the best time to post on social media is all the time. However, there’s a fine line between giving your followers value and annoying them with too much content.
Before we dive into how to find your best time to post on social media, let’s have a quick, big-picture discussion about what this question really means.
TLDR; Everything you need to know
What are you posting to social media?
When posting your content on social media, the “when” is equally important as the “what”. If you’re not seeing the levels of engagement you’d like on your posts, you need to look at the time and day you’re posting. You also need to consider the length of your posts.
When is the best time to post on social media?
If you’ve ever turned to Google for a concrete answer for the best time to post on social media, you’ve likely found yourself sifting through a sea of wet cement.
Whether it’s 6 a.m. on a Tuesday or 37 minutes after a full moon, everyone has an opinion on when you should be posting on social media; however, the reality is more nuanced than that.
So, when is the best time to post? Well, here’s an answer you’ll probably not like: it depends. Finding the best time to post on social media depends on the platform, industry, audience, time of year, and many other factors.
In the cocaine-fuelled words of Matthew McConaughey in The Wolf of Wall Street, the best time to post on social media is “Fugayzi, fugazi. It’s a whazy. It’s a woozie. It’s fairy dust.”
With that said, let’s look at four tips for finding the best time (for you) to post on social media.
1. Let social media platforms help you
It might not seem like it all the time, but social media platforms want your content to do well. Crazy, right?
Because it’s in their best interest, every social media platform under the sun is packed with analytics tools to help you find what does and doesn’t work.
In Meta Business Suite, for example, the Planner tab will let you know the weekly days and times your followers are most active on Facebook and Instagram.
Kylie Jenner may want you to believe she’s a self-made billionaire, but no one achieves anything alone. Don’t be afraid to use the free resources and tools available to you on social media.
2. Post content when people have time for it
We’ve all heard the phrase treat others how you want to be treated. It’s a saying as old as time and applies to social media.
When planning your content, consider when you use social media—this of it as personal market research. It may seem oversimplified, but posting social media when people have time to engage with it is common sense.
Your social media content is far less likely to succeed if you constantly post when people don’t have time for it.
3. Don’t fear weekend posts
While it’s true that social media engagement typically peaks during weekdays, it’s worthwhile experimenting with posting on the weekend, too.
Weekends often afford users a more leisurely browsing experience, allowing them to absorb content at their own pace and offering ample time to deliberate on potential purchases.
Tip: keep your weekend content fun and light-hearted. Use the weekends to highlight your brand personality or experiment with a different tone, setting your content apart from the more business-oriented weekday posts. The relaxed atmosphere of the weekend can create a unique space for connecting with your audience on a more personal and engaging level.
Enter your email to download our free calendars and get ahead of all the fun dates for 2024.
4. Always be testing
Explore different days and times to gauge how your audience responds. This experimentation can uncover untapped pockets of engagement and reveal when your content resonates most effectively.
However, the key to this trial-and-error approach is meticulous tracking. Keep a close eye on performance metrics, analysing the impact of varying posting times on reach, engagement, and overall audience interaction. This data-driven approach will empower you to refine your social media strategy, ensuring it aligns seamlessly with the ever-changing habits of your followers and maximises the effectiveness of your content delivery.
So, the conclusion?
While there might not be one set time to post on social media that works for everyone, there are times that will work best for you and your audience. Discovering what those times are is going to take… you guessed it: time.
Enjoyed this article? Enter your email below for social media tips & tricks delivered to your inbox every Monday morning.
