First Rule: Know Your Audience
Before publishing, it is important to remember that the first thing to do is to know about your audience. Indeed, the suggested hours below might not be the best for your followers. For example, if you are located in England, but your followers are in Canada, you need to take into account the time lag. We then invite you to take the time to check the statistic sections of each social media platform you use. Tools like Google Analytics can help you know more about your audience too.
Second Rule: Publish If You Have Something to Say
Here is another essential rule to follow. In light of the massive amount of posts on each social media, it is crucial to publish only when you have something to say or if you answer your followers’ needs. Many people feel that they must post every day not to be forgotten. On the contrary, it has been demonstrated that people who publish less often but take the time to create relevant content have better results. People have a limited quantity of time when they are on social media. You now compete against all the other contents. Therefore, make it counts!
The Length of the Contents
Did you know that all social media contents are not equal? Besides having to find the relevant media for your audience, we have to tell you that your posts can expire. It means they last only for a limited period before being absorbed by all the other contents. According to the latest statistics, a tweet lasts on average 18 minutes, a Facebook post 5 hours, a picture on Instagram 21 hours, a post on LinkedIn 24 hours, a video on YouTube 20 days, and a pin on Pinterest 4 months. Consequently, you need to choose the right moment to post if you want to reach the most people, especially if the social media you use is offering short-shelf life.
When Should You Post According to the Social Media Platforms
We did researches on the latest trends regarding the best moment you should publish on social media. Of course, we suggest you do a few tests to find the best time according to your audience.
Facebook
Facebook is still today the most used social media. It is suggested to avoid publishing content on Mondays and Tuesdays. Saturdays and Sundays are the best days for engagement. Why not publish your content during the weekends? Regarding the hours, the best time would be between noon and 4 pm Once more, do not hesitate to see your results on your Facebook statistics page and adapt consequently.
Instagram
Instagram is getting more and more popular, especially with younger generations. We must take into account that posts are published with mobile phones; it can bring more flexibility to the whole process. Therefore, the optimal time may vary a lot from an account to another. In general, evenings and mornings would be the best moments to publish on Instagram. Saturdays and Thursdays would also be the best days of the week to use the platform.
Pinterest
Why do you use Pinterest? It might be to find inspiration for your projects. People have time for these projects mostly on evenings and weekends. Consequently, it is used outside business hours. The best days to publish on this social media are on Saturdays and Sundays. Moreover, you will have better results when creating pins in the evenings. It is the moment when people use the most Pinterest.
LinkedIn
As you might already know, LinkedIn is a social media for the business world. It is then normal to say that it is mostly used during business hours. Indeed, we can confirm that only a few people visit this platform during evenings or weekends. It is then recommended to publish in the middle of the week for better results. Also, the best time to post content on LinkedIn would be just before noon.
Twitter
Contrary to what people may think, it is during weekdays that it is better to tweet. Indeed, unlike Facebook, results are less good during Saturdays and Sundays. Regarding the time, it all depends on your targeted audience. If you are writing for businesses, it is suggested to post between noon and 4 pm If you want to reach people, it is better to publish your content outside work hours, especially before 9 am and before supper time.
YouTube
Last but not least: YouTube! It is recommended to publish your videos from Thursdays to Sundays. Your content must be available during the weekends. Indeed, Saturdays and Sundays are the days that people watch most videos. Otherwise, it is suggested to publish during evenings during weekdays or mornings during the weekends. You need to check your results on your statistic page to make sure your publish time is optimal.
In conclusion, as we mentioned above, the best time to publish can change drastically from a social media platform to another. You must also take into account who you are targeting. For example, a retired worker will not check his Facebook page at the same time as a teenager. We suggest you make tests and analyze your results in order to find the best moments to publish for your targeted audience. Good luck!