Best Times to Post on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn [2023]

In today‘s digital world, optimizing your social media posting strategy is key to reaching more people and driving better engagement. With so many platforms and users becoming more active at different times, understanding optimal posting times is essential.

In this comprehensive guide, we break down the best times to post on major social networks in 2023 so you can boost your performance.

Why Posting Time Matters

Posting when your audiences are most active results in more views, shares, likes, and comments. Scheduling social media content allows brands to engage users when they‘re most likely to respond.

For example, posting in the middle of the night typically leads to lower reach and engagement. But posting during peak hours when more users are browsing their feeds leads to better visibility.

Tools like social media calendars and schedulers like Hootsuite, Buffer, and Sprout Social make it easy to plan when your content goes out for optimal timing.

When Users Are Most Active on Each Platform

Here‘s an overview of when activity peaks across the major social networks:

  • TikTok – Early mornings, afternoons, and evenings
  • Instagram – Weekdays during midday and evenings
  • Facebook – Weekdays, especially midday and evening
  • Twitter – Weekday afternoons and evenings
  • LinkedIn – Tuesdays-Thursdays during working hours
  • YouTube – Varies, but weekday afternoons and evenings see more traffic
  • Pinterest – Evening hours, especially Saturday evenings
  • Reddit – Early mornings and evenings get more engagement

Next, let‘s break down the best times to post on each major social platform.

Best Times to Post on TikTok

As TikTok continues its meteoric rise, with over 1 billion monthly active users, brands wanting to tap into its audience need an optimized posting approach.

The best times to post on TikTok are:

  • Early mornings (before 10 am)
  • Afternoons (12 pm – 5 pm)
  • Evenings (after 7 pm)

Mondays and Fridays tend to see more engagement, while Wednesdays have slightly lower performance. Videos under 60 seconds have the highest engagement.

Best Days and Times for TikTok

Here‘s a more detailed breakdown of the highest performing posting times for TikTok:

  • Mondays: 6-10 AM, 9-10 PM
  • Tuesdays: 2 AM, 4 AM, 9 PM
  • Wednesdays: 7-8 AM, 11 PM
  • Thursdays: 5-9 AM, 3-7 PM
  • Fridays: 5-9 AM, 3-7 PM
  • Saturday: 7-11 AM, 4-8 PM
  • Sunday: 7-11 AM, 4-8 PM

So focus your TikTok efforts around these peak user engagement times for better visibility and response.

Best Times to Post on Instagram

With over 2 billion monthly users on Instagram, timing your posts well gives you the best shot at going viral.

The key Instagram posting times are:

  • Weekdays: 9 AM – 12 PM
  • Fridays-Sundays: 3-6 PM and 6-9 PM

Instagram engagement starts to climb in the morning as users check their feeds during breakfast or commutes. Engagement peaks during lunch hours and remains higher through the late afternoon and early evening.

Engagement begins declining between 8-9 PM as users wind down for the night. It hits a day-low from 11 PM – 6 AM.

Best Days and Times for Instagram

For more specifics, here are the top Instagram posting times by day:

  • Mondays: 10 AM – 1 PM
  • Tuesdays: 12 – 1 PM, 8 – 9 PM
  • Wednesdays: 7 AM – 3 PM
  • Thursdays: 1 – 2 PM
  • Fridays: 10 AM – 1 PM
  • Saturdays: 12 – 1 PM, 5 – 6 PM
  • Sundays: 7 – 8 AM, 3 – 4 PM

So focus your Instagram efforts around weekday midday hours and Friday through Sunday early evenings.

Best Times to Post on Facebook

As the world‘s largest social network, timing Facebook posts well is crucial for brands.

The best times to post on Facebook are:

  • Weekdays (especially Tuesday-Friday)
  • Midday (11 AM – 1 PM)
  • Evenings (5 PM – 6 PM)

Facebook usage and engagement peak multiple times throughout the day:

  • Early morning usage from users catching up over breakfast
  • Mid-morning usage as users take a social media break
  • Afternoon usage on lunch breaks and commutes home
  • Evening usage winding down from the workday

So the key is timing posts to align with these daily traffic spikes for better visibility.

Best Days and Times for Facebook

The highest-performing Facebook posting times are:

  • Mondays: 12 – 1 PM and 2 – 4 PM
  • Tuesdays: 9 – 11 AM and 1 – 2 PM
  • Wednesdays: 11 AM – 1 PM and 2 – 3 PM
  • Thursdays: 10 AM – 12 PM
  • Fridays: 9 AM – 12 PM
  • Saturdays: 11 AM and 6 – 8 PM
  • Sundays: Avoid posting

The weekends tend to have lower engagement levels, so focus your Facebook efforts Monday through Friday.

Best Times to Post on Twitter

Timing is everything if you want your Tweets to gain maximum visibility.

The key Twitter posting times are:

  • 12 – 3 PM Weekdays
  • 5 – 6 PM Weekdays
  • Avoid early mornings

Engagement rates peak in the early afternoons and evenings when users are scrolling Twitter on lunch breaks or commutes home for the day. They begin ramping up around 9 AM and remain higher until around 8 PM when usage starts to taper for the night.

Best Days and Times for Twitter

The highest-performing Twitter posting times are:

  • Mondays: 12 – 1 PM and 5 – 6 PM
  • Tuesdays: 1 – 3 PM
  • Wednesdays: 12 – 2 PM and 5 – 6 PM
  • Thursdays: 12 – 1 PM
  • Fridays: 12 – 1 PM and 3 – 4 PM

Fridays tend to perform best, while the weekends see declining engagement similar to Facebook.

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn

As the world‘s largest professional social network, timing is key for engaging LinkedIn‘s audience of 675+ million members.

The best times to post on LinkedIn are:

  • Tuesdays & Thursdays: 10 AM – 12 PM
  • Weekdays: 12 – 1 PM
  • Tuesdays: 8 – 9 AM

Usage on LinkedIn aligns very closely with business hours, with engagement peaking on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

Most social media engagement happens outside of working hours. But because LinkedIn is focused on professional networking, usage patterns follow work schedules.

Best Days and Times for LinkedIn

For optimal timing, aim to post on LinkedIn during these times:

  • Mondays: 7 – 8:30 AM, 12 – 1 PM
  • Tuesdays: 8 – 9 AM, 12 – 1 PM
  • Wednesdays: 10 – 11 AM
  • Thursdays: 8 – 9 AM, 10 – 11 AM
  • Fridays: 7 – 8 AM, 12 – 1 PM

Usage declines significantly on nights and weekends, so stick to weekday business hours.

Best Times to Post on YouTube

With over 2 billion monthly logged-in users, YouTube presents a huge opportunity for brands to engage massive audiences.

The best times to upload YouTube videos are:

  • Weekdays (especially Tuesday-Friday)
  • Afternoons and Evenings (12 PM – 9 PM)

Viewership peaks during lunch hours and the afternoon commute home from work. Engagement remains relatively high throughout evenings.

Best Days and Times for YouTube

For optimal YouTube timing, upload videos during these high-traffic times:

  • Tuesdays: 12 – 6 PM
  • Wednesdays: 1 – 3 PM
  • Thursdays: 12 – 5 PM
  • Fridays: 12 – 6 PM
  • Saturdays: 11 AM – 2 PM, 7 – 8 PM
  • Sundays: 3 – 7 PM

YouTube engagement patterns mirror weekday work schedules, with lower viewership late nights and early mornings.

Best Times to Post on Pinterest

With an audience of over 400 million monthly active Pinners, timing your Pins to their usage patterns is key to success.

The best times to Pin on Pinterest are:

  • Evenings (5 PM – midnight)
  • Saturdays & Sundays (year-round)
  • Thursdays & Fridays (during Dec, Sep – Nov)

Engagement peaks on Saturday evenings year-round. During the fall and holiday season more traffic shifts to Thursday and Friday nights.

Best Days and Times for Pinterest

For optimal Pinterest timing, focus on these top traffic times:

  • Mondays: 7 – 10 PM
  • Tuesdays: 3 – 5 PM, 8 – 10 PM
  • Wednesdays: 5 – 7 PM
  • Thursdays: 3 – 6 PM (Sept. – Nov.)
  • Fridays: 2 – 4 PM (Sept. – Nov.)
  • Saturdays: 5 – 7 PM, 9 – 11 PM
  • Sundays: 3 – 6 PM, 9 – 10 PM

Pinterest users tend to browse while watching TV in the evenings or relaxing on weekends. So align your Pin timing with these patterns.

Putting It All Together

Optimizing your posting times takes experimentation to see what performs best for your audience.

Use this data as a starting point for identifying your ideal timing.

Pay attention to when your followers are most actively liking, commenting and sharing your updates to refine your strategy further.

Tools like Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Sendible make it easy to schedule social media posts in advance for optimal timing.

Consistent posting during your audience‘s peak times will help you maximize your social media performance.