Best Times to Get Most Likes, Shares & Tweets on Social Media - Quertime

In the fast-paced world of social media, getting your content noticed can be a challenge. To maximize engagement—likes, shares, retweets, and other forms of interaction—timing is crucial. Posting at the right moment ensures that your audience is online and ready to interact with your content. Each platform has its own unique patterns of usage, and understanding these can make the difference between a post that flops and one that goes viral.

General Best Times to Post on Social Media

Across most social media platforms, the general best time to post is during workweek hours, particularly between 9 AM and 3 PM. Users are typically more active during their breaks, or while commuting, but patterns vary depending on platform and demographic. Let’s take a deep dive into specific social networks.

1. Facebook: Best Times for Maximum Engagement

Facebook remains one of the largest social networks, boasting over 2.8 billion active users globally. Because of its broad audience, engagement patterns on Facebook can be more flexible, but some key times consistently yield higher interaction rates.

Best Times to Post

• Weekdays between 9 AM and 1 PM: This window coincides with users checking their feeds during work breaks and lunchtime.
• Wednesday at 11 AM and 1 PM: Statistically, midweek, especially around lunchtime, sees a spike in engagement as users take a break from their daily tasks.

Worst Times to Post

• Evening hours and weekends: Facebook engagement drops during late evening hours, and weekends tend to see lower activity compared to weekdays.

Tips to Maximize Engagement

• Utilize Facebook Insights: This tool shows you when your specific audience is most active, allowing for more personalized posting schedules.
• Experiment with videos and live content: Facebook’s algorithm tends to favor video content, and live streams receive even higher engagement rates, especially when held during peak activity times.

2. Instagram: Key Posting Times for Likes and Shares

Instagram is a highly visual platform with a more youth-oriented audience. Instagram users often check their feed during downtimes, making it critical to post when they are likely to be scrolling.

Best Times to Post

• Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 3 PM: Much like Facebook, the middle of the day on weekdays is optimal for Instagram.
• Wednesday at 11 AM: A particular sweet spot for high engagement, coinciding with mid-week breaks.
• Evenings (7 PM – 9 PM): Unlike Facebook, Instagram users tend to browse more in the evening hours as they wind down for the day.

Worst Times to Post

Weekends, especially Sundays: Engagement tends to drop during these days, especially in the morning hours when people are less likely to be active.

Tips to Maximize Engagement

• Utilize Stories and Reels: Stories and short-form video content, like Instagram Reels, have seen explosive growth in recent years. Posting a story around peak times will help ensure that it appears at the top of users’ feeds.
• Leverage Hashtags and User Tagging: Using the right mix of hashtags and tagging relevant accounts can also boost the visibility of your post during peak hours.

3. X (Twitter): Best Times to Get More Retweets

X (Twitter) is a fast-moving platform where timely, concise content thrives. Because of its real-time nature, knowing the best times to post can help ensure that your tweets don’t get lost in the flood of information.

Best Times to Post

• Weekdays from 9 AM to 3 PM: X (Twitter) engagement follows a similar pattern to Facebook and Instagram, with users more likely to interact with content during the day.
• Tuesday and Wednesday at 9 AM: These specific times see a higher spike in retweets and replies, especially for brands and public figures.

Worst Times to Post

Late evenings and early mornings: X (Twitter) usage drops dramatically during late-night hours, especially after 10 PM.

Tips to Maximize Engagement

• Use X (Twitter) Analytics: Just like Facebook Insights, X (Twitter) offers its own analytics tool to help determine the best posting times for your audience.
• Engage with Trending Hashtags: X (Twitter) that involve trending topics or hashtags during peak times can drastically increase the chances of getting retweets.

4. LinkedIn: Best Posting Times for Professional Engagement

LinkedIn is a professional networking platform, so it makes sense that activity spikes during workdays and business hours. Most users check LinkedIn for industry news, networking opportunities, and job searches.

Best Times to Post

• Tuesday to Thursday between 8 AM and 2 PM: These are prime times for LinkedIn as users are most active during work hours, especially in the early morning.
• Wednesday at 9 AM: The midweek tends to see the most engagement, as users are deep into their workweek routines.

Worst Times to Post

Weekends and late evenings: LinkedIn activity falls significantly outside of regular business hours, particularly on weekends.

Tips to Maximize Engagement

• Focus on Professional Content: Thought leadership articles, industry updates, and professional advice tend to perform well on LinkedIn.
• Utilize LinkedIn’s Publishing Platform: Posting long-form articles or blog posts on LinkedIn during peak hours can increase engagement with professionals in your industry.

5. Pinterest: Best Times for Pinning

Pinterest users tend to be more active in the evenings, making it a unique platform compared to others like Facebook and LinkedIn.

Best Times to Post

• Evenings (8 PM – 11 PM): Pinterest sees high activity during these hours, particularly among users planning future projects or looking for inspiration before bed.
• Saturday morning: Pinterest’s weekend activity spikes, particularly for topics like home décor, fashion, and crafts.

Worst Times to Post

• During workday hours: Pinterest tends to see lower activity between 9 AM and 5 PM on weekdays.

Tips to Maximize Engagement

• Pin Consistently: Unlike Twitter or Facebook, where a single post can go viral quickly, Pinterest requires a consistent posting strategy over time to build up momentum.
• Optimize for Search: Pinterest acts like a search engine, so using relevant keywords in your pins can increase their visibility during peak engagement times.

6. TikTok: Optimal Times for Maximum Views and Shares

TikTok is a relatively new platform with an active user base primarily made up of Gen Z. Engagement is often driven by trends and challenges, making it crucial to post when your audience is most likely to be participating in these viral phenomena.

Best Times to Post

• Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 6 AM, 10 AM, and 7 PM: These times have shown to be particularly effective for gaining views, likes, and shares.
• Weekends (2 PM – 4 PM): TikTok users tend to be highly active on weekends during these hours, as they have more free time to engage with video content.

Worst Times to Post

• Late nights and early mornings: TikTok engagement dips during the late night and early morning hours (from 10 PM to 4 AM).

Tips to Maximize Engagement

• Leverage TikTok Trends: Participate in trending challenges and use trending sounds during peak posting hours to boost your chances of going viral.
• Post Short, Engaging Content: TikTok’s algorithm favors short, highly engaging content. Posting during optimal times, combined with captivating visuals, will improve your chances of reaching a wider audience.

Conclusion

Maximizing engagement on social media is about more than just great content—timing plays a crucial role in ensuring that your posts get seen by as many people as possible. Whether you’re posting to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or TikTok, each platform has its own best times for reaching your audience. Use these insights as a guide, but also experiment and monitor your analytics to determine what works best for your specific audience. By honing in on the perfect time to post, you can significantly boost your likes, shares, and tweets, driving more engagement and making your content stand out.