The cornerstone of any effective social media strategy is creating authentic and compelling posts that grab the attention of your chosen audience. However, it’s important to recognise that, just like in comedy, the key to unlocking the potential of your social media posts is—wait for it—timing!
Why is The Timing of Social Media Posts Important?
The main reason that timing is so important when it comes to social media posts, is that you want to get as many eyes as possible on your content. And to do that, you need to recognise that there are optimal windows to post, that often differ by platform.
Social media’s recency algorithms play a big part too, as they prioritise newer posts over older ones. And so it follows that if you’re posting at a time when the target audience on your preferred social media site are not actively on that platform, by the time they do engage, your post may well have been overtaken on their feed by a myriad of other content.
Timing is also crucial when it comes to reactionary content, as some of the most popular posts of all time have been dreamed up in response to world events, or even other social media posts.
However, if you miss the boat and post when the subject is no longer trending, and people have moved on to something else to talk about, then your potentially viral post may end up as nothing more than a footnote.
Or worse still, someone else could beat you to the punch!
Our innate understanding of the social media landscape means we are impeccably placed to recommend the best times to post on social media.
However, it’s really important to note that there are no hard and fast rules for the exact times that you should be looking to engage with your social media audience, and many factors can, and must come into play.
Understanding Your Audience’s Online Behaviour
The North Star you should always gravitate towards when working out the optimum time to post social media content, is a thorough understanding of when your target audience is active on social media.
The key to working this out is to have a good idea about the core demographics of your chosen platform, which will then allow you to make an educated assumption as to when they are most likely to be active online.
And to take this a step further, it’s also a good idea to formulate a rough profile for this demographic, in terms of their working and social habits.
Analysing Peak Times – A Platform-by-Platform Guide
Now that we’ve covered the insights that should drive your social media timing strategy, it’s time for a deeper dive into the optimum times to post social media content, for all the major platforms.
It may lack the X Factor of its more modern rivals, but like that jumper you still love from the mid-2000s, Facebook is still going strong!
In fact, we’re probably underselling the house that Zuckerberg built with that comparison, as Facebook is still the biggest social media site in the world, with over 3 billion active users worldwide. It also remains the most popular destination for digital marketers.
Over half of all Facebook users are between the ages of 25 and 44, suggesting that they are young, and young-ish, professionals. So, taking advantage of the scrolling habits of commuters and those checking the site out immediately before work and in their lunch hour is a good idea.
As is posting on Friday morning, when many people, but not us of course, slow down at work, ahead of the weekend.
And speaking of the weekend, the early bird catches the worm too, to take advantage of those precious weekend lie-ins before leisure time with family and friends commences!
When it comes to the best days to post on Facebook, as it is one of the best social media platforms for checking out what your family and friends have been up to, earlier in the week tends to have a spike in engagement, as people catch up on the weekend’s events.
TikTok
The rise of TikTok shows no signs of slowing down, and it has cemented its place as the fastest growing social media platform, with more and more users discovering its unique mix of authentic video content every day.
TikTok users tend to be younger, with less regimented work schedules, and are far more likely to be checking the site out in their leisure hours. They’re also more likely to stay up late.
This means that while hitting the early morning sweet spot is still recommended, it’s also a good idea to post early in the evening too.
When it comes to the weekend, posting later in the morning is recommended, as TikTok users are far more likely to be catching up on some precious sleep!
There’s a double shot of opportunity on Instagram, with users able to post both stories and feed posts. And none other than the Head of Instagram recently said that the optimum activity to grow your account was a couple of stories per day and a couple of feeds per week.
The Instagram algorithm also likes a nice even spread of social activity, so it’s also important to spread your updates evenly throughout the week.
And when it comes to the timing of your posts, studies have shown that engagement with Instagram tends to peak in the middle of the working day, with weekend relaxation scrolling tending to take place mid-morning.
As the elder statesman of the UK social media scene, LinkedIn has shown remarkable resilience since its launch in 2002, growing from a job search platform to a genuine way to engage with lots of people, and build your brand as a result.
However, for all its strengths, LinkedIn is still seen as a predominantly business site, and as a result it’s not really a “scroll on the sofa” site. It’s arguably the most-visited site during business hours, with the time away from your day job often made worthwhile by the new insights it can unearth.
So, the peak times for posting on LinkedIn are certainly working hours, and an effective LinkedIn social content posting strategy will often allow for multiple posts during the day.
X
Finding an optimum time to post on X is arguably more important than any other platform, due to the fact that it is one of the fastest moving social media sites.
In fact, a recent study found that the half-life of the average tweet, which is the time in which they will receive half of their eventual impressions, is just 80 minutes after posting.
However, there are insights to be gained from the motivations and habits of X users, chief of which is the fact that many people use X as a news source, which means they are likely to be checking just before they go to bed, and often first thing after they wake up.
So, earlier Tweets than normal may get some cut through, along with catering to the night owls!
And lest we forget, X is also the perfect place for reactionary posts, where the normal rules don’t apply, and the idea is to post as quickly as possible, regardless of time.
When you’re working out the best time to post on Pinterest, you should never lose sight of the fact that it is a source of visual inspiration to its millions of users.
People look to Pinterest for ideas spanning a variety of different parts of their lives, particularly home decor, DIY, fashion and beauty. This often involves a certain engagement of the brain to think of something you want to look for, rather than looking for entertainment, as is the case with TikTok or Instagram, for example.
This tells us that Pinterest users are less likely to be logging in during the working day, as they may not have the headspace at that time to engage effectively with the site, preferring instead to leave it for their leisure time.
Recommended Post Times by Platform
8am & 12pm weekdays, 9am Saturday & Sunday
TikTok
8am & 5pm weekdays, 10am Saturday & Sunday
9am & 12pm weekdays, 10am Saturday & Sunday
8am, 12pm & 3pm weekdays
X
7am, 12pm, 7pm weekdays, 9am & 5pm Saturday and Sunday
5pm weekdays, 9am & 2pm Saturday and Sunday
Tools and Techniques for Sharing Posts
Staying on top of everything that is going on in the wide and wacky world of social media can feel like counting blades of grass in your garden, and juggling a host of posts on different platforms is no mean feat.
However, there are ways to make your life easier.
The first is to take advantage of the scheduling feature that is available through all the business accounts of the major social media sites. The nuts and bolts vary between platforms, but they all offer the opportunity to schedule multiple posts ahead of time. You can check out our blog on social media tools for more information!
Secondly, utilising the services of social media management experts such as Social Chameleon, who can offer effective suggestions of what to post and when, can free up valuable time, while at the same time ensuring you are targeting the right people.
Adapting Your Timing Strategy to Different Time Zones
Social media content creation often requires you to take a worldwide outlook, and you may well find yourself needing to target a global audience with your social media posts.
The two major elements of this strategy involve an in-depth knowledge of time zones, and a deep understanding of any differences in social media habits across the world.
For instance, if you’re targeting a west coast USA audience, it’s worth noting that their “commute” may well involve cycling or driving, leading to a lesser chance of a cheeky scroll through social media on their commute.
Balancing Reactive Content with Strategic Timing
Striking the right balance between predetermined and reactive content is hugely important.
Reactive content not only shows you have your finger on the pulse of what’s going on in your industry, and society in general, but social media history tells us that it can provide golden opportunities to achieve astronomic engagement.
However, too much of it, at the expense of new insights, can lead to your brand or business being seen as lacking original ideas. Conversely, too little reactive content can make you seem too insulated.
Added to that, too many posts of any nature, or too many posts within a specific timeframe, can also dilute the message you are trying to convey.
This is where the holistic approach we follow at Social Chameleon comes into its own, utilising an effective combination of social media monitoring, analytics, and community engagement, to strike the right balance between reactive and proactive content.
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