Social media can be a powerful tool. But have you ever wondered why some posts that you thought would be extremely popular never received the traction that you expected? Maybe it wasn’t the post itself. Maybe it was the time of day that you posted it.
We set out to learn the best and worst times our clients should post on social media networks. Our goal was to help our clients maximize the effectiveness of their social media activity by understanding the best and worst times to engage in social media activity.
The following is what we found, based on our research and experience:
Twitter: The best time to post is between 1 pm – 3 pm. The worst time to post is between 9 pm and 9 am. Traffic seems to build after 11 am and fades after about 3:30 pm. The peak days are Monday – Thursday, and try to avoid posting after 3 pm on Friday.
Facebook: The best time to post is between 1 pm – 5 pm. The worst time to post is between 9 pm and 8 am. Traffic seems to build after 9 am and fades after about 4:30 pm. The peak time is Wednesday between 3 – 4 pm, and try to avoid posting on weekends.
LinkedIn: The best time to post is between 6:30 am – 9:30 am and 5 pm – 6:30 pm. The worst time to post is between 9:30 pm and 6:30 am. Traffic typically builds before and after normal business hours. The peak days are Tuesday – Thursday, and try to avoid posting on Monday and Friday.
Google+: The best time to post is between 8:30 am – 11:30 am. The worst time to post is between 7 pm and 9 am. Traffic tends to build after 9 am and fades after about 5:30 pm. The peak time is during work hours, and try to avoid posting in the evening.
Pinterest: The best time to pin is between 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm. The worst time to pin is between 5 pm and 7 pm. Traffic tends to build after 12 pm and begins to fade after about 4:30 pm. The peak time is Saturday morning, and try to avoid posting in the late afternoon.
These are just guidelines based on what we have seen to generate the greatest results for our clients. Your success may vary a bit depending on your industry and target audience.