Best Times to Post on Social Media — Days & Times for Every Platform

When you work in social media marketing, your life revolves around your social media calendar. This details the different types of content your brand plans to post and when.

Once you've figured out what to post, you need to figure out when to post it. Understanding the best times to post on social media helps you put your content out there when the most people are going to see it. But this data varies — both per platform and per audience.

We’ve put together a list of the best and worst times to post on social media based on a few sources:

Analyzing competitor data
Applying psychographic data (lifestyle and interests) based on each platform’s user base
Incorporating anecdotal observations of our own team

Read on to learn more about when you should be publishing your content on each social media platform.

When are the best times to post on social media? It depends.

There’s never going to be a one-size-fits-all schedule when it comes to social media posting times. For example, you’ll find as we go through our findings that early morning publishing isn't advisable on TikTok — but that’s the exact timeframe you should aim for on Instagram.

Saturday is one of the best days to post on Pinterest. But you’ll find that most other platforms don't recommend sharing content on the weekends.

This means that your social media channel of choice is going to have a major impact on what time you should share content. Some of the other factors that make posting schedules vary are:

Your target audience
The type of content you’re sharing
The platform’s algorithm
National or international holidays
Time zones

Here’s the bottom line: we’re going to share some anecdotal findings about the best times to post on social media throughout the rest of this article. However, these findings are not set in stone.

We’ll be updating this article regularly as social media platforms and algorithms change, but these specific time frames could also be different for your particular audience. Here's how to figure out your unique posting schedule based on your brand's metrics, audience, and content strategy.

If you’re looking for a basic schedule for your social media content, start with these posting time guidelines (all times are based on your local time zone):

Best times to post on social media

Guidelines for the best times to post on social media

Instagram: Tuesday & Wednesday from 6-11 a.m.
Facebook: Tuesday-Friday from 5-9 a.m.
TikTok: Tuesday-Saturday from 3-11 p.m.
X (Twitter): Wednesday & Thursday from 4-9 a.m.
LinkedIn: Wednesday & Thursday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
YouTube: Thursday & Friday from 12-4 p.m.
Pinterest: Friday & Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Overall, you shouldn’t be sticking to a single posting schedule for the entire lifetime of your social media strategy. Keep up with new trends, data surrounding the best times to post, your audience’s online behavior, and other factors as you test different posting times to find what works best for your brand.

Keep reading to dive into each platform's posting time data and discover more optimal times to publish.

Best times to post on every social media platform

Every brand needs a starting point for their posting schedule, and what’s better than industry findings? We’ve put together a guide with the best and worst times to post on each social media platform to inform your initial social media calendar.

Some of these times might surprise you, but that's based on two major reasons:

1. Chronology is less important on social media, and chronological feeds are disappearing. The only place where chronology still makes a difference is in stories. Instead, users are showing content in their feeds that the algorithm predicts they'll be most interested in based on their history.

2. Recommendation algorithms are the new governing force. This means that users are seeing a lot more content from accounts they don't follow, and these recommendation algorithms are based on factors like user interests and interaction history. Publish date and time is not the most important factor.

A note on time zones: All of the following times are based on your local time zone. Test them out, then adjust based on your audience active times.

Use this data to create your posting cadence, then analyze your results and adjust accordingly based on when you get the most reach.

When is the best time to post on Instagram?

Instagram is a visual platform with several different types of content you can create and share: feed posts, reels, and stories. With 2 billion monthly active users, Instagram is the third most used social media platform.

97.6% of U.S. marketers incorporate Instagram into their social media strategies, so understanding the best times to post is crucial.

Follow along with these guidelines.

Best times to post on Instagram:

Tuesday from 6-11 a.m.
Wednesday from 6-11 a.m.

Worst times to post on Instagram:

After 11 p.m.
Weekends

There are a few different types of Instagram posts, like image posts, reels, and stories. Each follows a different algorithm, Instagram Reels follow slightly different rules. For example, Influencer Marketing Hub has gathered that the best times to post Instagram Reels is in the early morning or late at night.

According to Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, there are four main things that the Instagram algorithm looks to when deciding which content to put in front of each user:

Information about the post: What kind of post is it? Does it have a lot of engagement already? Do people seem to like it?
Information about the author: Is the post author a friend? Do they post often?
Your activity: What kinds of content do you prefer to view or interact with?
Interaction history: How often have you interacted with the person who shared this post?

Instagram’s algorithm takes all of that information into account and decides which posts they think each user would be most interested in, pushing that piece of content to the front.

No, none of this mentions posting time. What posting time does impact is the likelihood that your content is put into the bag of potential posts that someone sees due to the algorithm. So timing is still important.

Let’s look at an example. If you’re posting in the morning, but your audience is online late at night, your post might be overlooked by the algorithm for content that was posted more recently. This is why optimal posting times — i.e., posting 1-2 hours before your target audience is online to improve the chances they see it — are so important.

Instagram’s best times are all in the morning, so people can scroll through their feeds as they start their days or take their lunch break. Test this time frame out first, and adjust if it seems like your audience is online at different times of the day.

When is the best times to post on Facebook?

Facebook has long been ranked as the number one social media platform, showcasing an astonishing 3 billion+ monthly active users (that’s more than one-third of the entire global population). With 3 billion users, it's almost impossible to pin down an exact best time to post. This is a platform where testing posting time is critical, but you can use these guidelines to get started.

Best times to post on Facebook:

Tuesday from 5-9 a.m.
Wednesday from 5-9 a.m.
Thursday from 5-9 a.m.
Friday from 5-9 a.m.

Worst times to post on Facebook:

Before 5 a.m.
After 9 p.m.
Weekends

Facebook’s best times are even earlier than Instagram, still sitting in the mornings so people can see them as they start their days. Keep time zones in mind as you schedule out your content, making sure you’re aiming for the time zone where the largest segment of your audience is.

When is the best time to post on Threads?

Threads is a newer social media platform, and was Meta’s (owner of Facebook and Instagram) response to the uncertainty of X/Twitter’s fate after Elon Musk bought the platform. Using a similar user experience to X/Twitter with a text-focused feed, Threads has quickly grown to over 150 million monthly active users.

Because the platform is so new, though, there isn’t a lot of data yet on the best times to post. Most experts see a lot of similarities to the Instagram and Facebook algorithms (surprise, surprise), so testing out those platforms’ posting schedules is the best place to start.

This means early morning up until lunchtime should be your go-to until you figure out your own Threads strategy.

When is the best time to post on TikTok?

Video-sharing platform TikTok has been one of the fastest-growing social media platforms to date, reaching 1 billion users faster than any other channel has. The network now sits at 1.5 billion monthly active users, and its new TikTok Shop makes it an exciting marketing channel for ecommerce brands.

Although only around 26% of marketers are using TikTok, but that number will likely continue to grow. Since TikTok is heavily dictated by a recommendation algorithm, understanding the best times to post will be a key part of your strategy so that you can get your content seen.

Best times to post on TikTok:

Tuesday from 4-10 p.m.
Wednesday from 4-10 p.m.
Thursday from 4-10 p.m.
Friday from 3-11 p.m.
Saturday from 3-11 p.m.

Worst times to post on TikTok:

7 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Sunday and Monday

As you can see, TikTok’s optimal time frames are in the late afternoon and into the night. This is likely due to the fact that many TikTok users like to scroll on the platform before bed, and because the user age demographics skew young. Try to target those people by posting sometime during the evening — again, keeping time zones in mind.

When is the best time to post on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is the best social media network for B2B interactions. Professionals can network with each other and B2B marketers can reach their target audience more directly than with most other platforms.

LinkedIn has over 1 billion members with 64% of marketers using the platform. Each of those marketers need to know when they should be scheduling their content, especially because B2B marketing can vary wildly from the B2C marketing on other platforms.

Best times to post on LinkedIn:

Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Thursday from 8-11:30 a.m.

Worst times to post on LinkedIn:

Before 8 a.m.
After 7 p.m.

LinkedIn is a professional social network, so it makes sense that many of its optimal times are early morning to early afternoon. Except Fridays, when folks all running a bit slower and itching to leave work — then the timing shifts to mid-afternoon.

When is the best time to post on X (Twitter)?

Twitter, recently rebranded to X after its acquisition by Elon Musk, has long been home to some of the most chaotic brand personalities. Though it only has just over 600 million monthly active users and is used by 44% of marketers, its user base is loyal.

Follow along with these posting guidelines as you create your X/Twitter strategy.

Best times to post on X (Twitter):

Wednesday from 4-9 a.m.
Thursday from 4-9 a.m.

Worst times to post on X (Twitter):

Before 4 a.m.
After 11 p.m.
Weekends

Many users are on X (Twitter) to get their news and big updates. This is why the platforms sees a lot of morning usage.

However, this platform is also big for live posting during events. So remember that you don’t always have to keep your X (Twitter) content extremely structured. If a trend or relevant event pops up, feel free to shoot out a few posts at your leisure.

When is the best time to post on YouTube?

Video sharing platform YouTube is owned by Google and is the second-most visited website in the world. With nearly two and a half billion users, it makes sense that over half of marketers use this platform for their brands.

With that type of audience, you want to be sure to get your content in front of it. Keep these posting times in mind as you create and share video content on YouTube.

The best times to post on YouTube:

Thursday from 12-4 p.m.
Friday from 12-4 p.m.

Worst times to post on YouTube:

10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Once people have finished getting their news and daily Instagram scrolls out of the way, that’s when they may decide to move onto some long-form video content on YouTube. It's also worth considering that many people watch YouTube videos by streaming them on their televisions at home.

This is why we see a much later optimal posting time for YouTube videos. Share them in the afternoon or evenings — unless you’re posting on a weekend. Then you want to get your content up first thing so it’s available during your audience’s down time.

When is the best time to post on Pinterest?

Another visual platform, Pinterest is also perfect for ecommerce businesses looking to get more eyes on their products. This is because the platform boasts over 500 million monthly active users, reaching 40% of U.S. households with an income of $150k+.

If you’re also hoping to get your products and content in front of this audience, use these recommended posting times.

Best times to post on Pinterest:

Friday from 8-11 p.m.
Saturday from 8-11 p.m.
Sunday from 8-11 p.m.

How to figure out your social media posting schedule

Now it’s time to figure out your own social media posting schedule. Like we mentioned, the above time frames are the perfect place to start until you’re able to collect some of your own audience data.

Use your social media analytics tool to take a look at your own metrics:

Your most popular posts and when they were published
Your audience demographics and behavior
Recommended posting times — Loomly lets you know if your chosen time is optimal for the platform in question via our Post Optimization Tips.

From there, you should be able to make necessary adjustments to find a posting schedule that’s going to maximize your overall performance.

This analysis should be fluid. Every quarter or so, conduct another audit to see if your post time correlates to your highest-performing content.

For example, let’s say you’ve created a posting schedule for your Facebook content using our data. It’s recommended to post weekdays from 5-9 a.m, so you’ve started scheduling each Facebook post to go out between 7-8 a.m.

However, you don’t see much engagement until later in the day. You try out late morning time frames instead, like 11 a.m.-12 p.m., and see a big boost in reach. This could mean that your specific audience is online later in the day, and that’s the ideal posting time for your content.

Do this for each of your social media platforms (as each one will have different optimal posting times) to find the best schedule for your brand so you can reach your audience.

Create your posting scheduling using the best times to post on social media

Let these social media posting times guide your overall strategy and content calendar. By keeping the best times to post on social media in mind, you’ll be able to meet your audience right where they are.

Remember that these time frames are fluid. You’ll want to check in on your social media analytics to make sure you’re always posting at the best times for your audience. Once you’ve got those time frames nailed down, take advantage of Loomly’s easy-to-use scheduling tools so that you’re always on top of your content calendar. Try our 15-day free trial today!

Social Media, Social Media Scheduling

Loomly Blog