Timing is everything—especially in social media marketing.

A post published at 3 am generally won’t generate as much engagement as one published at 3 pm. However, timing also largely depends on what industry and audience you’re trying to reach and what platform you’re using. Typically, no one will be awake and online to engage with a 3 am post. However, if your target audience are night owls, then posting at that hour would indeed make sense.

The point is, the best time to post on social media isn’t a one size fits all proposition. There are, however, certain benchmarks and guidelines you can follow.

I usually post across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. So, to answer your question, here are some best practices across these platforms:

1. Facebook

According to Hootsuite, the best times to post on Facebook is between 9 am and 2 pm EST, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for B2B brands. B2C brands fare best at 12 pm EST on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.

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While a bulk of their users tend to check Facebook daily than any other network, these specific times have seen a significant spike in engagement that’s definitely worth noting.

2. Twitter

Compared to other social media platforms, Twitter posts tend to have the shortest lifespan. This means you have to pay attention to publication times more than with any other social media platform. If you’re a consumer brand seeking to maximize audience engagement, 12 pm to 1 pm early in the week (Mondays to Wednesdays) tends to be the best time to post to Twitter.

3. Instagram

Instagram is a visual platform that prioritizes recent content. For maximum engagement, weekday posts published between 12 noon and 1 pm EST have been found to get the most attention and engagement.

4. LinkedIn

Among all social media platforms LinkedIn has the most diverse best posting times. According to Hootsuite’s study, the best times to post on LinkedIn are 7:45 am, 10:45 am, 12:45 pm, and 5:45 pm EST.

Now, bear in mind that these posting times are just recommended times. My advice is to get started following these times. Then test and see what hours work best for you. Results will vary depending on numerous factors, including your industry, your audience (and their location), your product or service, and the volume of posting competition at posting time.

Hope my answer helps! If you have any questions, email me at Leadspanda and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.