The Best Times to Post on Social Media in 2023

Now that we are officially in 2023, digital marketers are researching one crucial topic – the best times to post on social media.

Why does this matter, and how will the right time affect the interactions and views posts get?

This blog will take you through peak times on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and the logic behind these.

Social Media – The Virtual Connection to the World

Social media has become the most common medium where people and brands extensively reach out to one another. You could be a brand trying to find new customers or an influencer wanting to reach out to more followers.

You could be someone looking for inspiration or a budding artist wanting to flaunt your creations. Social media platforms are the perfect place for everyone to stay virtually connected, get help, grow professionally and personally, or even make a living!

According to Statista, the social media penetration in India in 2022 was 58.31%. This is set to grow to 61.66% in 2023. By 2025, the report says that 67% of the country’s population will access social networks. With such an expansive user group, social media platforms are here to stay.

Image Source: Statista

If you want your presence noticed on these platforms, you should know what is the best time to post. Why so? We will discuss more of this in the coming sections. Keep reading.

What is The Ideal Time to Post on Social Media, and Why does It Matter?

What would you feel when someone says that when you post on social media matters as much as what you post? When Artificial Intelligence and data analysis rules social media platforms, the exact time you post content can make or break the engagement the post receives.

Why so?

• Every social media platform has its own high and low traffic times. Knowing what is the ideal time to post on social media on each of these platforms will ensure your reach is better.
• Your ideal posting time will vary depending on the type of engagement you are looking for. If you want people to respond to content, posting when they are fully available will help. If you want people to order food from you, choosing a time close to lunch or dinner may help.

Best Times to Post on Instagram

Do posting times matter on Instagram? Absolutely yes.

Instagram is the place to be, whether you want followers or buyers. This is the market for youngsters and teens, and there is a sweet spot for posting on Instagram if you want the post to reach more people.

Instagram’s algorithm is still based on recency, which means that when you and another poster posts similar content and with the same strategy, recency will be considered necessary. The most recent posts will appear on top of the feed.

Below are the peak hours on Instagram throughout the week, according to a 2023 research blog by Hootsuite.

Please note that the U.S. Pacific time zone is used here. However, this could also be adapted for the Indian time zone.

This is a posting window you can start with if you are new to using Instagram and want to try out your audience.

What are The 3 Best Times to Post on Instagram?

The following are the 3 best times to post on Instagram.

• The best time to post on Instagram is at 11.00 AM on Wednesday. This is the time that marketers have noted maximum engagement.
• On Fridays, it is seen that people are already in the weekend mode. So content posted by around 2.00 PM gets the best traction.
• If you are keen on posting on the weekends, choose 9.00 AM on Saturday. People wake up, grab a cup of coffee and start scrolling their Instagram at this time.

Best Time to Post Reels

Reels gather the most engagement on Instagram, which is why many influencers post reels multiple times a day. The best time to post reels on Instagram is between 9.00 AM and 12.00 PM on any weekday.

People use reels as a distraction when they start to work at the beginning of the day.

Now that you have a clear idea of when is the best time to post on Insta let’s look at other popular social media platforms.

Best Time to Post on Facebook

As of 2022, 2.3 billion people use Facebook. This is still a popular platform to gather an audience, showcase your business, and reach out to more prominent communities.

Like Instagram, Facebook also uses different algorithms to decide which post appears first on a person’s newsfeed. CoSchedule, a digital marketing institute, recently researched the best time to post on Facebook in 2023.

The following are the research study results considering the U.S. Pacific time zone.

What are The Peak Times to Post on Facebook?

The top peak times to post on Facebook are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The generic time frame to post is in the morning, between 7.00 AM and 11.00 AM.

Best Time to Post on Twitter

Did you know that about 500 million tweets are sent out every day? Twitter is the place to be as a brand if you want to engage with buyers and potential customers one-on-one.

Besides other strategies used by Twitter software to show posts, recency is always prioritized.

This means that when you post at the right time if your tweet is the latest, it will show up on your followers’ feeds. That’s why knowing the best time to post on Twitter is essential.

According to experts in the industry, the morning from 8.00 AM to 10.00 AM is considered one of the best social media posting times on Twitter. This could be when people want to know what’s happening worldwide and use Twitter to search for that day’s viral information.

Also, Fridays at 3.00 PM is another best time to post on Twitter. This could also be because people finish their work early on Friday and relax with their phones.

Again, the Pacific Standard Time zone is used for reference here.

What are The Standard Best Times to Post on Twitter?

The following are some of the best times to post on Twitter, depending on your local time zone.

1. Mornings between the time people wake up and start working. Just like how the older generation sat with their newspapers in the morning, the current generation uses Twitter for their morning dose of news.
2. Breaktimes and lunch times. These are periods that officegoers use to scroll through their feeds.
3. Weekdays are preferred for posting over weekends because weekends are used for going out, being with friends and family, and looking through more entertaining platforms like Instagram.

According to Twitter algorithms, the posting time is slightly different if you want the most retweets on your post. While people see tweets more during the mornings and afternoons, they don’t reply or retweet them due to lack of time.

The best time to post on Twitterfor retweets is between 8.00 PM and 11.00 PM. This is the time people wind up for the day and have enough time to respond, retweet, and engage.

When is The Best Time to Post on Social Media on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a professional social media platform that, unsurprisingly, sees less engagement on Saturdays and Sundays.

When is the best time to post on social media on LinkedIn? It is during the mid of the week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Check the table below if you want more detailed information on when to post on these three days.

How to identify the best social media posting times

While many algorithms could give you the approximate social media posting window for better engagement, nothing will provide you with more clarity than your accounts.

Follow these tips to identify the best social media posting times on your social media accounts.

1. Make a note of all your best-performing posts and write down the type of content, the posting day and time, and the engagement data.
2. See if you can find a pattern in all these best-performing posts in terms of days and approximate time windows posted.
3. If you find a pattern, try repeating this for the coming weeks and see if the engagement is still high.
4. If it works, this could be your answer to what is the best time to post.
5. You can also get a posting timeframe based on the type of audience for your content. For example, if most of your followers are college students, they may not be online during the time they are in college. If your followers are top executives, their only available time to be online could be early mornings. You need to make use of that window.
6. Another easy way to find the correct posting times is to find out when your competitors are posting! Follow the same schedule and see if that works for you.
7. Use social media analytics tools available to analyze what is happening to your posts and make tweaks accordingly. Multiple free and paid tools are available right now.

Conclusion

As an influencer, entrepreneur, or digital marketer, knowing the best times to post on social media will help your posts reach the right people at the right time and ensure the engagement levels are as expected.

Social media marketing is always a fluid concept. Tactics that work today may not work tomorrow, so staying agile and in the learning mode is essential.

Also Read: 15 High Income Skills Without A Degree Needed!

Many brands and influencers on social media have excellent posts. However, these don’t reach the target audience because they disappear in the millions of posts that fight for space on the feed daily. By knowing when to post, you can grow on social media platforms and make a mark for yourself in the digital area.