As the social media landscape continues to change and the algorithms continue to evolve, so will the best times to post across each platform. There are industry standards that are updated annually, and we’re ready to give you the lowdown for optimal posting times for 2023!
Best Times to Post on Each Platform
In 2022, Instagram averages about 2 BILLION monthly users. On average, the best times to post on Instagram are 6 PM – 9 PM, 12 PM – 3 PM, and 3 PM – 6 PM in your target audience’s time zone. However, the level of engagement you get can change dramatically depending on what day of the week you post. Instagram is staying true to itself – lunchtime, late afternoon, and after work are still best. This is when most people are online. It also seems that Saturday’s are actually the best times to post and Mondays are the worst days to post (Hubspot)
According to Hootsuite, to get the most engagement, you should be posting 3 to 7 times a week.
A tip to increase engagement on your feed posts is to also direct your followers from Instagram stories!
Facebook is a little different, but still close to Instagram. The peak traffic on Facebook is observed the highest in the morning at 9 AM when people are starting to get online and the early afternoon between 12 PM and 3 PM as people turn to their lunch break (Status Brew). The best time to post are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays with Saturdays being the worst days.
LinkedIn continues to be for professionals and early birds! 9 AM to 5 PM are the most optimal times to post here with Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, and Thursday’s being the best times to post (Hubspot). Why? According to Hootsuite, “roughly 31% of U.S. adults use LinkedIn to network and share their professional endeavors.” Because professionals are online when they are at work, it no surprise that weekdays are the best days to post.
Twitter is going to be the platform that may not have the most solid answer as the year progresses due to controversies around it. But still, Twitter is not quite gone. There is still a significant amount of activity. The best time to post on Twitter in 2023, according to Status Brew and Hubspot is at 9 AM across all days of the week.
More specifically, up to 1 PM on Tuesdays, up to 12 P.M. on Thursdays and Fridays, up to 2 P.M. on Mondays, and up to 4 P.M. on Wednesdays have all seen the most engagement. Beating the lunch rush at 12 PM has also garnered lots of eyes.
TikTok
TikTok has grown exponentially, especially among Millennial and Gen Z users. TikTok is VERY similar to Instagram, with the best times to post being 6 PM – 9 PM, 12 PM – 3 PM, and 3 PM – 6 PM. According to Status Brew’s study, it is ALSO optimal to post in the morning between 6 AM and 10 AM, when people are waking up and checking their phones. The real key for TikTok is that there is no bad day for posting as it stays relatively equal throughout the week.
Using Insights to Find Best Times to Post
While these are the trending times and days according to the industry standard, it is important to note that everyone’s followers are different. Make sure to look at your Instagram and Facebook analytics frequently to find the best optimized times and days to post. Even TikTok has it’s own in-app insights system that will show you the times throughout the week that your videos were most viewed.
Want to see the most optimal posting times in a more detailed and visual PDF version? Click here to download our FREE Social Media Post Guide!
