Best times to share content on social media

You have some great brand content that you want to share online, but when is the best time to post it?

Thanks to an analysis of millions of tweets, posts, emails, opens, and responses, TrackMaven and AddThis may have the answer for you. Their data shows the best day and times for posting content, depending on the channel.

Take a look at the key findings below, which show the best and second best days and times for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, email, and blogs.

Best days to share content

 

According to the data from the studies, to get the highest engagement level, you should write or schedule your Tweets and Facebook posts on Sundays, Instagram shares on Mondays, email blasts on Thursdays, and blog posts on Saturdays. According to the data, people spend more time on weekends on Facebook, longer-format content such as blogs, and on Twitter. Unsurprisingly, Google+ and LinkedIn posts get the most engagement on weekdays, especially on Tuesdays for LinkedIn and Wednesdays for Google+.

Conversely, weekends are not a good time to reach people through email, LinkedIn, and Google+. Instagram engagement is pretty consistent on every day except Monday, so a steady stream of Instagram shares should get consistent engagement. Content shared on Fridays gets the least engagement overall.

Best times to share content

 

If we look at the data according to the time of day it is shared, the best time of day to engage with content again varies according to where it is shared. Emails are best sent in the afternoon or late evening. Tweets get more engagement in the late hours or late afternoon, and Facebook is more effective after hours, from midnight to 1 a.m. or 8 to 11 p.m. LinkedIn and Google + get the most shares mid-morning during the week.

Blog posts also get more engagement off-hours, either in the late evening from 9 p.m. to midnight or before work from 4 to 6 a.m. Instagram photos are popular all day long, but videos get more views if they are posted during non-work hours from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m.

The best time for you?

What is the best time for you to share your brand content? Since the results are aggregated across all audiences, both B2B and B2C, your optimal schedule for sharing content might be different. However, the data from the studies can show the types of content people typically are in the mood to read and share at certain times of the day and days of the week.

The only way to find out the best days and times to reach your audience is to test it yourself, but the information above can serve as a starting point for your tests.

Note: All times are EST.

For more information, visit TrackMaven.