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The Best Times to Post on Social Media: A Guide for SMBs

Melody Jaimon • Mar 18, 2024

Editor's Note: This post was last updated on August 30, 2023

Australians are some of the most active social media users in the world. Facebook leads the way, with around 60% of the country's population actively engaging on the platform and 50% of the population logging onto Facebook at least once a day. With these statistics, it becomes clear that timing your posts and using a social media calendar can be a big deal in rising above the noise and capturing the attention of your desired audience.

Best Time to Post on Social Media in General

To build a sizeable following on any social media platform, you must create exciting and relevant content your audience wants to see. But, if you don't know the best time to post your content, most of them will never see it. Monday to Friday is the best time to post on social media when most people use a computer or mobile device. Specifically, the optimal times for posting are early mornings between 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM when people travel to work, during lunchtime between 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, or early evenings between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM when people travel back home.

This article is written considering all the statistics and data from 25 studies. This includes anonymous data from customers and 24 other companies from around the World Wide Web. However, I am not diving deep into the world of social media algorithms, instead presenting the results from these studies about the best time to post on social media platforms.

Now, let's find the best time to post on some of the most popular Social Media channels.

Instagram

Studies have found (after analysing 12 million Instagram stories and posts) that the best time to post on Instagram is between 9 AM and 11 AM.

But is that the best time to post on Instagram for your business? Every Instagram account has a target audience, with followers in different audience's time zone, so finding your best time to post on Instagram, also known as the Instagram algorithm, is essential. Scheduling your Instagram posts for optimised times is proven to help you reach more followers and get more engagement on your posts.

On average, here are the best times to post on Instagram during the week within each time zone globally:

Best time to post on Instagram each day

Monday:

Best Times: 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Why: People often catch up on work and social media after the weekend.

Tuesday:

Best Times: 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Why: Tuesdays are productive days for users, making it a good time for engagement.

Wednesday:

Best Times: 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM
Why: It is often considered a peak time or day for engagement as it's in the middle of the workweek.

Thursday:

Best Times: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Why: Similar to Tuesdays, Thursdays are productive days when users are active.

Friday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Why: Users are often excited about the weekend and might engage during work breaks.

Saturday:

Best Times: 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Why: People have more leisure time to browse on weekends.

Sunday:

Best Times: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Why: Like Saturday, users are likelier to engage during their free time.

Want to level up your hashtag game? Learn how to research and find the best Instagram hashtags.

Facebook

Knowing the best time to post on Facebook can massively help your business stand out and reach more of your audience. As a matter of fact, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to the best time to post on Facebook as numerous studies have been conducted on the subject which yielded different results. However, some conclusions were made in general across the globe.

Overall, the best time to post on Facebook globally is as follows.

Monday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Why: People start their workweek and may check Facebook posts during their morning routine.

Tuesday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Why: Users are in work mode and are likely to engage during these early hours.

Wednesday:

Best Times: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Why: It is often considered a peak engagement day as people settle into their week.

Thursday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Why: Users engage during work breaks and in the early afternoon.

Friday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Why: People might engage before winding down for the weekend.

Saturday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Why: People have more free time to engage on weekends.

Sunday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Why: Similar to Saturday, users are active during their leisure hours.

Ever wondered what strategies could significantly boost your Facebook presence? Check out our blog on how to increase your organic reach on Facebook.

TikTok

TikTok is a well-known platform for short videos that has experienced tremendous growth, especially among younger generations in different time zones. Since TikTok is well-liked by younger audiences, the best time to post on it is on weekends and evenings from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM as these times fall around free time when users tend to interact more with short video material.

However, it will still depend on your objectives and target audience, so posting on TikTok might be advantageous for various reasons.

Remember that TikTok content demands an original and visually appealing approach. Popular post videos frequently show music, effects, humour, and brief narration. Before uploading, it's a good idea to get familiar with the TikTok platform's culture, trends, and preferences. For the best outcomes, posting times should be considered, and you should also modify your amazing post content to reflect your target market and successful brand personality.

What is the best time to post on TikTok each day?

Monday:

Best Times: 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Why: Users are getting ready for the week and might engage in the early morning hours. Evening engagement is also high.

Tuesday:

Best Times: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Why: Afternoon and evening are often active periods when users have leisure time.

Wednesday:

Best Times: 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Why: Morning engagement and evening activity are strong on Wednesdays.

Thursday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Why: Users often engage during morning hours and after work or school in the evening.

Friday:

Best Times: 5:00 AM to 8:00 AM and 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Why: Early morning engagement and Friday night activity are both notable.

Saturday:

Best Times: 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Why: Users have more free time on weekends, making these periods ideal for engagement.

Sunday:

Best Times: 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Why: Morning and evening engagements can be significant on Sundays.

Twitter

X (formerly known as Twitter) is a social networking and news website that allows users to send and receive brief messages. Since real-time updates and conversations frequently take place on X, previous Twitter users looking for breaking news and information may be attracted to social media posts during lunchtime and early afternoon. So the best time to post is Mondays at 7:00 AM PST and Wednesdays at 10:00 AM PST.

The platform uses a deliberate message size restriction to make engaging content scan-friendly: by default, each post is limited to 280 characters or less. The constrained word count encourages concise and witty writing, which makes tweets simple to read but challenging to compose. Twitter, as it was initially known, became a well-liked social media platform due to the constraint, which started at 140 characters.

The best time to post on X (formerly Twitter) each day

Monday:

Best Times: 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Why: People catch up on news and updates at the beginning of the workweek.

Tuesday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Why: Users are in work mode and likely to engage during these high engagement hours.

Wednesday:

Best Times: 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Why: Mid-morning and lunchtime are often active periods on Twitter.

Thursday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Why: Similar to Tuesday, users engage during work breaks.

Friday:

Best Times: 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Why: People are most active online before the weekend and during lunch breaks.

Saturday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Why: Users have leisure time on weekends for most engagement.

Sunday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Why: Similar to Saturday, users engage during free time on Sundays.

LinkedIn is quite different from the other social platforms on this list because it consists more of a niche audience. LinkedIn attracts more professionals and career-focused people looking to network with others in their industry or gain insights for professional development. However, while the overall audience is smaller than other networks, its unique focus can attract more leads via an organic posting schedule. For this reason, your posts can hold more value, especially for B2B companies, so seeing your content is highly significant and posting time is essential.

The best time to post on LinkedIn is indicated below:

Monday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Why: People are catching up on work and might engage with professional content.

Tuesday:

Best Times: 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Why: Users are settling into their workweek and engaging during these hours.

Wednesday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Why: Morning and afternoon are often active periods on LinkedIn.

Thursday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Why: Similar to Tuesday, users engage during their work routine.

Friday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Why: Users are active before the weekend and might engage during work hours.

Saturday:

Best Times: Generally avoid posting on Saturdays.
Why: LinkedIn engagement is typically lower on weekends, so it's not the best time to post.

Sunday:

Best Times: Generally avoid posting on Sundays.
Why: Like Saturday, users are less active on LinkedIn during weekends, so this is not the time to post.

Google My Business

Research has suggested businesses that post once per day in Google My Business (GMB) have seen good results and improved rankings. The secret is Google tends to look favourably at businesses that use Google products more often. However, keep in mind that only the most recent Google post is visible in a search, so if there is some significant news, offer or sale you want people to see, it might be a good idea not to have another post for the next six days. Otherwise, that post will be buried behind the fresh posts. Consider this when figuring out how often to post to Google My Business.

What is the best time to post on Google My Business?

Monday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Why: Any weekday would be the best time to post in GMB.

Tuesday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Why: Any weekday would be the best time to post in GMB.

Wednesday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Why: Any weekday would be the best time to post in GMB.

Thursday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Why: Any weekday would be the best time to post in GMB.

Friday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Why: Users are active before the weekend and might engage during work hours.

Saturday:

Best Times: Generally avoid posting on Saturdays.
Why: GMB engagement is typically lower on weekends.

Sunday:

Best Times: Generally avoid posting on Sundays.
Why: Similar to Saturday, users are less active on GMB during weekends.

Need a GMB listing optimisation advice that actually works? Here's the fastest way to optimise your Google My Business listing.

While Pinterest is majorly overlooked as a marketing platform, it can be a powerful tool for businesses if used correctly. If your content marketing strategy needs good visuals, getting on Pinterest is appropriate.

What is the best time to post on Pinterest each day?

Monday:

Best Times: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Why: Users are likely to engage during afternoon and evening leisure hours.

Tuesday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Why: Users often seek inspiration and ideas during work breaks and evenings.

Wednesday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Why: Mid-morning and early afternoon engagement is notable.

Thursday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Why: Similar to Tuesday, users engage during work breaks and evenings.

Friday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Why: People are often looking for weekend-related inspiration on Fridays.

Saturday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Why: Users have more leisure time on weekends, making these periods ideal for maximum engagement.

Sunday:

Best Times: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Why: Similar to Saturday, users are likely to engage during their free time on Sundays.

If you are keen on improving your social media content management, we can be your social media marketer and help you craft effective posts that can get the highest engagement! Schedule a coaching session with us today by clicking on the below button.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What time is the highest traffic on TikTok?

Peak times and traffic periods on TikTok depend on the nature of the content you're providing, audience behaviour, and time zone.

People frequently check their social media during breaks. Therefore, posting during lunchtime, between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM is suggested.

TikTok frequently sees increased traffic between 5:00 PM and 9:00 PM during the late afternoon and early evening. During this time, many people have already finished their work or school assignments, giving them extra free time to surf the app. However, posting later in the evening, between 9:00 PM and 12:00 AM, may also be ideal depending on your target audience, with some users using TikTok till the wee hours of early morning.

Additionally, Saturdays and Sundays, particularly in the afternoon and evening, can be popular times for TikTok engagement.

What time is the highest traffic on Twitter?

Weekdays, especially Tuesday through Thursday, tend to increase Twitter activity. Users frequently check Twitter for brief updates and news during their breaks, so posting during lunchtime, between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM can be successful.

Additionally, most engagement could be observed as people wind down their workdays from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Twitter interaction can also be at its highest in the late evening, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM or after work, when lots of users catch up on their feeds.

You can get the most consistent engagement from individuals following those debates if you tweet about live events, conferences, or current subjects and post right before or during the event.

During weekends, engagement on Twitter tends to be a little lower. However, tweeting in the mornings from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM can still draw in people trying to catch up on news and updates.

What time is the highest traffic on LinkedIn?

Since LinkedIn is a platform for professional networking, the hours when it receives the most traffic tend to coincide with regular business hours. As a result, LinkedIn receives the most traffic during the workweek, particularly from Tuesday to Thursday. Additionally, mornings, starting at 7:00 AM are considered the best time to post on the platform.

Peak times or peak hours for LinkedIn engagement can start from 8:00 to 9:00 AM. Many workers begin daily by networking with colleagues and reading the latest business news.

Also, posting during lunchtime, around 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM can be effective as people often use this time to browse social media. Professionals might also take quick breaks and check LinkedIn from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

Because LinkedIn primarily focuses on professional networking and career-related information, publishing there should be avoided on weekends when traffic is typically lower.

What time is the highest traffic on Google My Business?

Since Google My Business primarily serves as a resource for customers using Google Search and Google Maps, it doesn't have the same kind of "traffic" as other social media networks. However, depending on when people are actively looking for businesses and services, the highest engagement rates and visibility of your Google My Business listing may change.

Just like other social media marketing channels, weekdays tend to have higher engagement since people are more likely to look for businesses at work. The timeframe usually ranges between 9:00 AM to 11 AM, 12:00 PM to 1 PM, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

What time is the highest traffic on Pinterest?

The best time to post on Pinterest for higher traffic is in the evening between 8:00 PM and 11:00 PM. During this time, people tend to settle down from their day and actively search for inspiration or ideas on Pinterest. Although some users enjoy browsing Pinterest late at night, consider posting after 11:00 PM and 1:00 AM if your audience finds your content relevant.

Furthermore, the best time to post on Pinterest is on Saturdays and Sundays, particularly during afternoon and evening hours, as many users have more free time on weekends to browse and pin material.

What is the best time to post on social media in Australia, and why?

The platform you're using, your target audience, and the kind of material you're sharing can all affect the best time for you to publish on social media in Australia.

You can hire social media marketers who use platform insights, analytics tools, and A/B testing to determine your social media usage and uncover the best time to post for your specific audience and objectives while developing your social media strategy.

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