Mirror mirror on the wall, when is the best time to post on social media, after all?
It’s a question social media marketers have been asking since the dawn of time — well, since the dawn of Facebook, at least — but we’re here to help.
Lucky for you, the Hootsuite team analyzed thousands of social media posts on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, and more, to see if certain days and times universally get more engagement than others.
Here are the best (and worst) times to post in 2024.
Bonus: Download our free, customizable social media calendar template to easily plan and schedule all your content in advance.
Generally, the ideal time to post on social media overall is 8:00 AM PST (5:00 AM EST) on Wednesdays. But every network has its own sweet spot.
- The best time to post on Facebook is 7:00 AM PST on Tuesday.
- The best time to post on Instagram is 11:00 AM PST on Wednesdays.
- The best time to post on X (Twitter) is 7:00 AM PST on Monday.
- The best time to post on LinkedIn is 9:00 AM PST on Tuesday.
- The best time to post on TikTok is 7:00 PM PST on Thursday.
- The best time to post on Threads is 8:00 AM PST on Tuesday.
- The best time to post on Pinterest is 12:00 PM on Friday.
Wondering if these times ring true for your audience and brand? Use Hootsuite’s Best Time to Publish tool to find the best times to post on social media based on your data.
Best time to post on Instagram
The best time to post on Instagram is 11:00 AM PST on Wednesdays.
When to post on Instagram:
- Monday: 11:00 AM PST
- Tuesday: 8:00 AM PST
- Wednesday: 11:00 AM PST
- Thursday: 11:00 AM PST
- Friday: 2:00 PM PST
- Saturday: 8:00 AM PST
- Sunday: 6:00 PM PST
Recency is a key ranking signal in Instagram’s algorithm. This means that audience behavior is an important factor in posting times. Thinking about when your audience scrolls, and planning accordingly, will help you capture the most attention.
While early morning tends to garner the most engagement for brand accounts on Instagram, the Hootsuite social team recommends adjusting your strategy slightly when posting on your personal account.
“If you’re managing a brand account, I think it’s always good to post on Instagram early in the day. However, I find that when it comes to personal accounts, your own Instagram account for example, most people prefer to post at night time — 8 or 9 p.m.” says Eileen Kwok, Social Marketing Specialist at Hootsuite.
The team also notes that certain industries may have better luck on Instagram when people are leisurely scrolling in the evening. For example, people tend to house hunt, shop, and watch videos later in the day. Real estate, retail, and entertainment accounts might get better results posting on Instagram in the evening.
Key Instagram stats to keep in mind when posting:
View all the latest Instagram statistics here (and catch up on Instagram demographics while you’re at it.)
Best time to post on Facebook
According to Hootsuite data, the best time to post on Facebook is 8:00 AM PST on Tuesdays and Thursdays, according to our analysis.
When to post on Facebook:
- Monday: 8:00 AM PST
- Tuesday: 7:00 AM PST
- Wednesday: 7:00 AM PST
- Thursday: 8:00 AM PST
- Friday: 7:00 AM PST
- Saturday: 10:00 AM PST
- Sunday: 11:00 AM PST
When it comes to getting seen on the Facebook algorithm, past performance and follower activity are both important. You also want to think about what time your target audience tends to scroll, paying attention to differences in time zones. Regardless of the platform, you always want to post in the time zone of your target audience.
“Our biggest piece of advice is always to target the time zone where your audience is. For us, North America and the U.K. are our primary targets. If we’re posting things at 3 p.m. PST, that’s 10 p.m. in the U.K. We have to be a bit more morning-focused to make sure we’re reaching our U.K. audience,” says Trish Riswick, Social Marketing Team Lead at Hootsuite.
The good news is that almost half of all users check Facebook multiple times a day, and they spend longer on this social media platform than many others, so you’ve got a few chances throughout the day to post during peak times.
Key Facebook statistics to keep in mind when posting:
For more facts, check out the latest Facebook statistics and Facebook demographics.
Best time to post on LinkedIn
The best time to post on LinkedIn is 9:00 AM PST between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to our analysis.
When to post on LinkedIn:
- Monday: 11:00 AM PST
- Tuesday: 6:00-8:00 AM PST
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM PST
- Thursday: 2:00 PM PST
- Friday: 8:00 PM PST
- Saturday: 4:00-5:00 AM PST
- Sunday: 6:00 AM PST
According to Trish, it’s best to post a variety of content types throughout the day on LinkedIn. “We tend to post more written content in the morning and videos in the afternoon,” she says. That’s because people tend to engage with videos and longer-form content later in the day, while they’re generally seeking readable material early in the morning.
“You would think that early mornings would tend to do better on LinkedIn, but we’ve found that our afternoon posts do sometimes blow up. While it used to be primarily professionals who are up and scrolling at 5 a.m., LinkedIn now has a lot of young professionals who are browsing in their leisurely time, too. We do still see a lot of success before 9 AM on LinkedIn, though,” she adds.
Riswick emphasizes the importance of not making assumptions about your audience on LinkedIn. Today, over 78% of LinkedIn users are from outside the US. Understanding who makes up your market, and what times of day they are most likely to be online, is key to creating a high-performing posting strategy.
Key LinkedIn stats to keep in mind when posting:
Here’s the full list of LinkedIn statistics and LinkedIn demographics that matter to marketers, to help inform your posting time.
Best time to post on X (Twitter)
The best time to post on Twitter is 7:00 AM PST on Mondays and 10:00 AM PST on Wednesdays, according to our analysis. When the Hootsuite social team looked at their data, they found the most success posting on weekdays between 7:00 to 10:00 AM PST.
When to post on X (Twitter):
- Monday: 7:00 AM PST
- Tuesday: 7:00 AM PST
- Wednesday: 10:00 AM PST
- Thursday: 11:00 AM PST
- Friday: 9:00 AM PST
- Saturday: 9:00 AM PST
- Sunday: 9:00 AM PST
Like Instagram, the X (Twitter) algorithm prioritizes recency and puts a premium on trends. Twitter says they determine trending topics based on “topics that are popular now, rather than topics that have been popular for a while or on a daily basis.”
Capitalizing on events — the Super Bowl, awards shows, etc. for example — and posting relevant content around those events can help you get more attention. However, the Hootsuite social team also warns that these events could potentially take eyes off content that isn’t directly related to them. “It’s smart to keep in mind what’s going on in the world as a basis of when you should be posting. For example, if it’s the Super Bowl and social media will be really busy with content, maybe you don’t want to post on that specific time or even on that day because you will get less engagement,” says Eileen.
Among the big social media platforms, X is popular for news and current events. That’s why, according to Trish, mornings tend to be the sweet spot for posting on X.
“We recently ran a poll that suggested we should be posting more readable things in the morning when people are just getting ready for work or on their lunch break. People are more likely to want to start their day reading because they’re more awake. I think that plays a role in why morning posts do better on [X].”
Key (X) Twitter stats to keep in mind when deciding the best time to Tweet:
Here’s our full list of Twitter statistics (and Twitter demographics, too.)
Best time to post on TikTok
According to our analysis, the best time to post on TikTok is at 7:00 PM PST on Thursdays.
When to post on TikTok:
- Monday: 10:00 PM PST
- Tuesday: 9:00 AM PST
- Wednesday: 7:00 AM PST
- Thursday: 7:00 PM PST
- Friday: 4:00 PM PST
- Saturday: 11:00 AM PST
- Sunday: 4:00 PM PST
Unsurprisingly, TikTok spend the most time on the app in their leisure hours, which tend to be later in the day. If you’re in an industry that does well on most channels in the early morning — such as finance or politics — you’ll want to adjust your posting times to later on TikTok.
The TikTok algorithm requires a bit more time than the other platforms to post and display videos to the right feeds. That means you’ve got to think ahead and be a bit more patient than you would on other platforms.
Eileen’s advice is: “Don’t get discouraged if your post doesn’t garner a lot of views in the first couple of hours it’s posted. TikTok videos tend to need 24 hours to be fully pushed out, so we recommend keeping the post out even if it doesn’t receive enough engagements right off the bat.”
Another important thing to note: TikTok doesn’t always publish videos the second you hit “post,” so you’ve got to keep that in mind when strategizing your post times. In other words, post a bit earlier than the time you want your video to start showing up on peoples’ feeds.
“We’ve learned the hard way that on TikTok you should post a bit earlier than when you actually want your video to go up,” says Trish. “Sometimes TikTok can take a little bit to actually get your video out because it’s trying to figure out what your video is, whose algorithm it should fall on, that kind of stuff. That’s why adding the right keywords is so important — because it helps move you into the algorithm quicker.”
Need help with TikTok keywords? We’ve got you in our guide to TikTok SEO.
Key TikTok stats to keep in mind while posting:
Check out even more TikTok stats on our blog.
Best time to post on Threads
According to our data, the best time to post on Threads is 8:00 AM PST on Tuesdays.
When to post on Threads:
- Monday: 9:00 AM PST
- Tuesday: 8:00 AM PST
- Wednesday: 12:00 PM PST
- Thursday: 9:00 AM PST
- Friday: 2:00 PM PST
- Saturday: 12:00 PM PST
- Sunday: 1:00 PM PST
The Instagram Threads algorithm works similarly to the Instagram in Facebook algorithms (no surprise there) in that it ranks content based on:
- What you’ve liked in the past
- How likely you are to interact with the post
- How much other people like the post
And while the Threads feed is technically created by the algorithm (although there is a chronological view available) there’s still something to be said for getting the right posts in front of the right people, at the right time.
“So far, we’ve found the posting times [on Threads] are consistent with Facebook and Instagram,” says Eileen Kwok of the Hootsuite social media team. “We’ve tested posting from 9 am to 1 pm and have found that this time window has worked well for us and offered a healthy amount of engagement.”
Eileen continues, “For Threads, a lot of the engagement happens in the comment section. We’ve seen tons of creators and brands responding back to our posts and by kickstarting a conversion in the comments, this in turn bumps up our engagement.”
For this reason, creating Threads posts that are built to drive engagement, whether that be questions that prompt answers, or hot topic discussions that light up your comment section, is recommended.
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you start posting on Threads:
Struggling to come up with engaging Threads? Check out these 45 Creative Threads Ideas to help you get started. Plus, learn how to schedule Threads posts to hit your audience at the right time, every time.
Best time to post on Pinterest
The best time to post on Pinterest, according to our data, is 12:00 PM PST on Tuesdays and Fridays.
When to post on Pinterest:
- Monday: 10:00 AM PST
- Tuesday: 12:00 PM PST
- Wednesday: 10:00 AM PST
- Thursday: 6:00 PM PST
- Friday: 12:00 PM PST
- Saturday: 1:00 PM PST
- Sunday: 4:00 PM PST
Pinterest is the place where dreams come to life. From kitchen inspo to style advice, trends, recipes, and makeup tips, there’s something for everyone on the world’s 15th largest platform.
But, unlike other social media platforms, Pinterest isn’t built for algorithmic domination. It’s a place where you go plan your wedding or backyard renovation project, but not the place you’ll spend 6 hours a day endlessly scrolling video content (*cough* TikTok *cough*)
Because of this, posting times and strategies differ on Pinterest than on competing platforms. Your audience is less likely to wake up and start scrolling Pinterest, but they might spend a good chunk of time there in the evening, as they plan their next project or hobby. The best times to post on Pinterest reflect these user-insights.
Eileen Kwok reminds users to focus on Pinterest SEO, not just posting times. “In my opinion the platform prioritizes your SEO strategy over the time you post. If you’re inputting the right keywords in your caption and optimizing your profile, your posts will get prioritized by the algorithm.”
Here’s the Pinterest stats you should keep in mind as you start posting:
Check out our full list of Pinterest stats plus Pinterest demographics to inform your strategy.
Finding the best time to post to social media isn’t just about picking a random time and hoping for the best. It’s a blend of art and science, influenced by a variety of factors that shape your audience’s online behavior.
Let’s dive into what makes the timing tick.
1. Your unique audience
Your audience isn’t just a statistic; they’re real people with their own quirks and habits. Understanding who they are is the first step to figuring out when they’re most likely to be scrolling through their feeds.
When determining your personal best time of day to post on social media, think about your audience’s demographics (age, gender, location, interests), as well as their social media habits. Are they night owls or early birds? Do they work 9-to-5 jobs or have flexible schedules? Knowing these details can give you clues about when they’re most active online.
But don’t stop there — use analytics tools provided by social media platforms to dig deeper. Look for patterns in when your audience is most engaged. Maybe they’re more active on weekdays during lunch breaks or evenings after dinner. By tapping into these insights, you can tailor your posting schedule to catch their attention when they’re most receptive.
“In this day and age, most users are chronically online and everyone’s fighting for your attention on your feed. So invest in creativity, have a solid social media strategy, and learn how to properly track your ROI so you can prove the value that you’re delivering,” says Eileen.
Pro tip: Need help nailing down your target market? Use our in-depth guide on finding your target market to get started.
2. Your industry
Different industries have different rhythms when it comes to social media activity. What works for a fashion brand might not be the best strategy for a tech startup.
Take a moment to consider the nature of your business and how your audience interacts with similar businesses. For example, if you’re in the fitness industry, you might find that your followers are most active in the early morning or late afternoon when they’re squeezing in workouts.
On the other hand, if you’re in the entertainment industry, evenings and weekends might be prime time for engagement when people are winding down and looking for something to do.
It’s worth keeping an ear to the ground in your industry, whether you learn tactics worth emulating, or just spot some pitfalls to avoid. (You might even consider adding publishing schedules to your ongoing social listening endeavors.)
3. The competition
Keep an eye on what your competitors are doing, too. While you don’t want to copy them outright, monitoring their posting schedules can give you insights into when your shared audience is most active.
Take a survey of their high-performing posts (or even do a full social competitive analysis) and see what patterns crop up, or perhaps reverse-engineer your competitors’ strategies.
Here at Hootsuite, for instance, we’ve learned to avoid publishing on the hour, because that’s when a lot of brands post. Instead, we post on the :15 or :45 mark to give our content a little breathing room.
Hootsuite’s industry benchmarking tool within Analytics shows you how you stack up to the competition. It’ll even give you personalized tips for how to gain an edge against the leaders in your industry.
4. Time zones
Understanding your audience’s time zones is crucial for ensuring that your posts reach them when they’re most likely to be online. If your followers are scattered across the globe, you’ll need to consider the different time zones they live within.
For example, if you’re based in Vancouver but have followers in New York, London, and Tokyo, posting at 9:00 AM local time might mean reaching your East Coast audience bright and early, but missing out on engagement from your international followers who are fast asleep.
At Hootsuite, our channels strive to catch people across North America (PST through EST) by posting in the morning or early afternoon, Pacific Time. For channels that also want to catch the UK, the earlier in the morning, the better.
Meanwhile, brands with a substantial audience in a specific region might consider creating a separate handle for that audience. (This may have the added benefit of allowing you to post in a target language, too.)
To accommodate everyone, you’ll need to find a balance that maximizes visibility across multiple time zones. This might involve scheduling posts at different times throughout the day or using social media management tools that allow you to schedule posts in advance and target specific time zones.
Hint, hint. We know just the tool…
5. Platform algorithms
Social media platforms are constantly tweaking their algorithms to deliver the best possible experience for users. While the specifics are often shrouded in mystery, one thing’s for sure: timing matters. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter reward content that generates engagement shortly after it’s posted. That means if you want your post to get maximum visibility, you’ll need to time it just right.
Pay attention to when your audience is most active and aim to publish during those peak periods. But don’t forget about the lifespan of your content either.
While some posts might have immediate impact, others — like evergreen content — can continue to attract engagement over time. Experiment with different posting times and track the results to find what works best for your audience and content strategy.
“While posting times have always been a hot topic, I do think they matter less compared to a couple years ago. In my opinion it’s more important to focus on your content strategy and to get a good understanding of who your target audience is, their online behaviours, and the value your content can potentially serve them.”
- Eileen Kwok, Hootsuite Social Media Strategist
6. Current events and trends
Social media is a dynamic landscape, shaped by current events, holidays, and trends. Paying attention to what’s happening in the world can help you capitalize on timely opportunities to connect with your audience.
Is there a big industry conference happening? A national holiday or observance? A viral meme or trending topic? Incorporating these events into your posting schedule can help your content feel relevant and timely, increasing the likelihood of engagement.
Just be mindful of the context and tone of your posts — what might be appropriate for one event could be off-putting for another. Keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening and be ready to adapt your strategy accordingly.
Paige Schmidt, Hootsuite’s Social Engagement Coordinator, has noticed that events and trends are big in 2024. “There’s a growing demand for relevant and timely content that aligns with pop culture events such as sports events, award shows, and music/movie releases. Brands that plan content around these events or mark them for scheduling stand to capture audience attention effectively,” she says.
7. Experimentation and analysis
At the end of the day, there’s no one-size-fits-all formula for the perfect posting time. What works for one brand might not work for another. That’s why it’s essential to approach your posting strategy with a spirit of experimentation and a willingness to learn.
Test different posting times, frequencies, and types of content to see what resonates most with your audience. Use analytics tools to track key metrics like engagement, reach, and click-through rates, and use that data to refine your approach over time.
You should also take a look at your top-performing posts from the past, and see what can be mimicked or improved upon there. Take a close look at posts that did the best in terms of:
- Awareness (i.e., posts that have high impressions)
- Engagement (i.e., posts that earned impressive engagement rates)
- Sales/Traffic (i.e.,posts that attracted a lot of clicks)
Next, take a look at what time of day or week you posted successful content, and see what kind of patterns emerge.
Pro tip: Hootsuite Analytics’ Best Time to Publish feature pulls your unique posting history automatically, without any data-crunching, and suggests times to post in order to maximize your ROI.
Remember, social media is a constantly evolving landscape, so be prepared to adapt and iterate as you go.
“It can be gutting when you’ve worked hard on a post and it doesn’t land. My best piece of advice is to be patient. Sometimes the algorithm needs more time to place your content and sometimes your audience needs more time to warm up to the type of content you’re creating. Consistency is key, so keep trying!”
– Trish Riswick, Social Marketing Team Lead, Hootsuite
Gone are the days of blindly tossing content into the digital ether and hoping for the best. Hootsuite offers two powerful tools – Best Time to Publish and Recommended Times in Composer – to help you schedule your posts at the best times for your audience.
Here’s how to take advantage of both.
Best Time to Publish
Imagine having your own personal social media strategist whispering in your ear, telling you exactly when to hit that “post” button. That’s exactly what Hootsuite’s Best Time to Publish feature does for you.
Here’s how it works:
- Tailored suggestions: Hootsuite analyzes your social media performance over the last 30 days to provide personalized recommendations for the best times to publish your posts.
- Cross-platform compatibility: Whether you’re managing Facebook Pages, Twitter accounts, Instagram Business profiles, LinkedIn Pages, Pinterest, YouTube, or TikTok, Hootsuite can tell you exactly when your audience is most active on each individual platform.
- Simple Implementation: Once you have your suggested posting times, scheduling your posts is a breeze. Just hop over to the scheduling tool in Hootsuite and plug in your content for those optimal times.
Recommended Times in Composer
Ever find yourself staring at a blank screen, wondering when on earth to schedule your next post? Say goodbye to that uncertainty with Hootsuite’s Recommended Times in Composer.
Here’s how it can simplify your life:
- Smart recommendations: When creating or scheduling a post in Composer, simply select “Schedule for later” and let Hootsuite do the heavy lifting. You’ll be presented with recommended times based on your audience engagement data.
- Continuous improvement: The more you post, the smarter Hootsuite’s recommendations become. As your engagement data grows, so too does the accuracy of your suggested posting times.
Get personalized recommendations for the best time to post on every network and manage your Facebook presence alongside other social channels with Hootsuite. From a single dashboard, you can schedule and publish posts, engage the audience, and measure performance. Try it free today.
