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With how quickly the internet changes, people can argue all day about how often to post on social media. Which networks should you use? How frequently should you post? And does the time you post really matter?
Read on to get the answers to key questions about how often to post on social media for business, or jump to the topic or network you’re curious about:
How frequently you post on social media will depend on a number of factors, namely, how the platform works and the ecosystem on each platform you choose.
When algorithms were chronological, it used to be that a higher frequency was always better. However, as algorithms have evolved, higher frequency doesn’t always equal high performance, and too many posts can also cannibalize performance.
This rule of thumb corresponds with how businesses have adapted their social media publishing schedules to meet audience demands.
According to HubSpot’s 2024 State of Social Media Report, marketers post a different amount on each platform they use.
In this post, I’ll explore different social media platforms and share the ideal number of times to post each week and the best times to share content when you do post.
Pro tip: When you know what frequency works for your business, Social Inbox can help you stay on top of your schedule. You can plan out content for each channel, schedule it, and it’ll automatically go live exactly when you want it to.
Facebook is the most used platform among social media marketers. So, it’s safe to assume they’re actively posting on it.
Our survey results showed that the best time to post on Facebook is between 12 and 3PM. 9AM-12PM and 6-9PM tie for the second-best times to post.
Social media marketers report that Saturday is the best day to post on Facebook. It’s 24% more popular than Friday, the second-best day.
Most social media marketers (35%) post on Facebook multiple times per day, and a quarter post multiple times per week.
I have to mention that engagement is an important factor in the Facebook algorithm, which can impact how visible your content is. However often you post, I recommend taking the time to engage with people who interact with your content (like replying to and liking comments).
There are three big reasons to keep publishing on Facebook:
Many people go to Facebook simply to research companies and look for thought leadership. If your Facebook page is incomplete and inactive, they may go with a competitor who is more prominent on the platform.
Social shopping is on the rise — more than 50% of marketers told us they’re increasing their investments in selling products directly on social media apps in 2024. And for good reason:
Social media marketers also told us that Facebook has brought in some of the highest ROI for them this year. They also say that:
This is especially true if you are doing any retargeting. And once you’ve published on Facebook, it’s the easiest platform to boost posts and get more distribution (and followers).
I pick up my phone to scroll through Instagram multiple times throughout the day. (Don’t roll your eyes at me; I know you do it too…)
Given this, it makes sense that there are multiple windows that social media marketers post on Instagram to get the best results. Our data shows lunchtime and post-workday hours are the most popular time frames. (12-3PM and 6-9PM, respectively).
I recommend avoiding posting in the early morning (before 9AM) and late evening (after 9PM), as the data show these periods are less effective.
Social media marketers’ use of Instagram peaks towards the end of the week. More specifically, 22% of survey respondents say Saturday is the best day to post on Instagram. Friday takes second place.
More is best on Instagram—social media marketers who leverage the app post multiple times per day and use a mix of content formats (Stories, in-feed posts, etc.).
This makes sense to me because the Instagram feed has long since been chronological, so posting more often helps with visibility. However, a balance is essential. If you go buck wild, you risk annoying your followers.
In 2021, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, suggested sharing a couple of in-feed posts per week and a couple of stories per day. You can also test out a mix of different formats and frequencies and monitor your analytics to see what works best.
The best time to post on TikTok is between six and nine PM, which aligns with users having more time to scroll freely at the end of the day. 3-6PM is the second-best time frame.
People have more time to scroll after work and more time to scroll when they’re not working at all, so it’s no surprise that social media marketers find the most success on Saturday (26%), then Friday (20%).
TikTok’s algorithm isn’t chronological, and social media marketers share content multiple times daily.
The best time to post on X (Twitter) is between 12 and 3PM. Survey respondents also indicated getting good results between 3 and 9PM.
There isn’t a significant difference between the best days to post on X. 19% of social media marketers say Saturday, and 18% say Friday.
Most of our survey respondents are posting on X multiple times a day. More posts mean more visibility, awareness, and clicks.
I don’t want to say that X is an unserious platform, but it really does run on memes and jokes. I would say that, of all the platforms you might leverage, it’s not as important to have perfectly polished prose or images as it is on other social apps.
I recommend capitalizing on the app’s “unserious” vibe and showing a bit more of your brand personality, regardless of how often you post.
LinkedIn is a business networking side, so it doesn’t surprise me that the best time to post on LinkedIn is during business hours. 24% of marketers say 3-6PM is the best time frame, and 22% say 9AM-12PM.
Monday is the best day to post on LinkedIn, as working professionals log back on after a weekend break. Friday also brings good results, as working professionals do end-of-week check-ins before logging off for a few days.
Social media marketers are more likely to post on LinkedIn multiple times per week, which makes sense. Most users probably aren’t logging in for daily check-ins like they do on other platforms. This gives you more time to create high-quality content for maximum value.
The best time to post on Pinterest to reach its 522 million+ monthly active users is between 12 and 3PM.
The best day to post on Pinterest is Saturday. Thursday is the second best.
Social media marketers using Pinterest are pinning content multiple times per day.
Maintaining a daily presence is essential for most social media platforms, unless you use LinkedIn, where posting multiple times per week is ideal.
While optimizing the time and days you post is important, it means nothing if your content isn’t relevant and exciting for your target audience.
My main takeaway for you is to create your high-quality content, and then optimize for best results by sharing it on the days and times that social media marketers told us were the best.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in June 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
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