Best Time to Post on Social Media for 2021 [Infographic]

Knowing what to post on social media is just half the battle. When is the best time to share your post with the world also matters a lot. Based on analysis of different posts and user behavior changes, we're sharing predictions for the best times to post on social media.

The best times to post on social media are when your customers and followers are online. There are times that work best for many brands, and we’ll check it out in this article. Each social platform will have a different time that works best for its audience. Posting times can increase engagement and influence who sees your post, so getting this right plays a part in the success of any social media strategy.

For example, the best time to post on Facebook is different than the best time to post on Instagram. Plus, when you start accounting for different time zones, it starts to get complicated.

When to Post on Social Media: Which Time Zone to Consider

The more popular your brand is, the more time zones you’ll likely need to take into account. Some influencers and brands send out the same message at different times to hit all time zones.

Ideally, you want to reach the majority of time zones without sending the exact same message repeatedly. Aim to post no more than four times a day with the same core message, but scatter them at different times to reach as many time zones as possible.

If you’re targeting the United States and Canada, you want to hit the EST time zone as that time zone has the highest number of people. However, if your target audience is in India, you want to post within the IST time zone.

Using this data, you can better plan which times work best for your audience based on their specific location. Now let's discuss some best times to post on social media to engage more visitors.

Best Time to Post on Facebook

• Best Day: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Saturday and Sunday tend to get the highest level of engagement on Facebook, likely because people have more free time.
• Best Time: 9 AM to 10 AM and 1 PM to 4 PM. These times often catch people during their morning commute or lunch breaks, and again in the afternoon when they might be winding down.
• Ideal Length of Characters for Post: 40-80 characters. Shorter posts are easier to digest quickly on Facebook's feed.
• Worst Day: Tuesday.

Best Time to Post on Instagram

• Best Day: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday.
• Best Time: 11 AM to 1 PM and 7 PM to 9 PM. Midday posts can catch people during lunch, while evening posts might reach users scrolling before bed.
• Ideal Length of Characters for Post: 138-150 characters. Instagram captions can be a bit longer, allowing for more storytelling or detail.
• Worst Day: Sunday.
• Wednesday gets the highest level of engagement on Instagram.

Best Time to Post on Twitter

• Best Day: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Weekdays are generally best as people use Twitter for news and quick updates.
• Best Time: 8 AM to 10 AM, 12 PM to 1 PM, and 4 PM to 6 PM. These times align with morning commutes, lunch breaks, and the end of the workday.
• Ideal Length of Characters for Post: 71-100 characters. Twitter's fast-paced nature favors concise messages.
• Worst Day: Sunday.
• Wednesday gets the highest level of engagement on Twitter.

Best Time to Post on LinkedIn

• Best Day: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. These are typical workdays when professionals are most active on the platform.
• Best Time: 9 AM to 11 AM. This targets users during their morning work hours, when they're checking for industry news and professional updates.
• Ideal Length of Characters for Post: 50-100 characters. Professional content often benefits from being direct and to the point.
• Worst Day: Saturday, Sunday.
• Wednesday gets the highest level of engagement on LinkedIn.

Best Time to Post on Pinterest

• Best Day: Saturday, Sunday. People often use Pinterest for inspiration and planning on weekends.
• Best Time: 8 PM to 11 PM. This late evening slot works well for users looking for ideas before winding down for the night.
• Worst Day: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
• Saturday and Sunday get highest level of engagement on Pinterest.

Best Time to Post on YouTube

• Best Day: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Weekends and the end of the week are popular for leisure viewing.
• Best Time: 9 AM to 11 AM and 12 PM to 4 PM. Morning times can catch early viewers, while afternoon slots might capture those on breaks or looking for entertainment.
• Worst Day: Monday.
• Saturday and Sunday get highest level of engagement on YouTube.

To effectively manage posting across different time zones, consider using social media scheduling tools. Platforms like Buffer, Hootsuite, or Later allow you to schedule posts in advance for specific times and dates, automatically adjusting for the target audience's local time. Creating a content calendar that maps out your posting schedule with these time zone considerations in mind can also be a huge help.