What Is the Best Time to Post on Social Media?
4 min readUpdated 21 October 2026
Quick answer
There's no single best time for everyone. Good starting points are weekday mornings and early evenings, when people check their phones, but the right time is when your own followers are active, so test and adjust.
Good starting points by platform
- Instagram: mornings before work and evenings after work.
- Facebook: late morning and early evening.
- LinkedIn: weekday mornings, when professionals start their day.
- Google Business Profile: timing matters less; post regularly, especially before weekends and offers.
How to find your best time
- 1Pick two or three time slots to test.
- 2Post at each slot for two to three weeks.
- 3Compare reach and engagement for each slot.
- 4Move your default time to the slot that performs best, and re-test every few months.
Think about your customers' day
A restaurant's lunch post works best before lunch. A gym's motivation post works in the early morning or after work. A B2B firm reaches people on weekday mornings. Match your posting time to when your customers are thinking about you.
Let Shoutly AI pick the time
Shoutly AI's Smart Scheduling suggests a posting time for each connected account based on engagement benchmarks. Keep it, set your own default per account, or change any single post.
Frequently asked questions
Does posting time really matter?
Yes. Posts get most of their engagement in the first hours, so posting when your audience is online gives each post a better start.
Should I post at the same time every day?
A consistent time helps your audience know when to expect you, but it's worth testing a few slots first.
What about weekends?
It depends on your business. Restaurants, retail and events often do well at weekends; B2B accounts usually do better on weekdays.
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