Learning how to schedule Instagram posts in advance helps free up your social media team to do other important tasks, like strategy building, content creation, community engagement and more.

Throughout this article, we’re going to talk about the different ways you can schedule your Instagram content, the benefits for doing so and a few great scheduling tools to keep in your arsenal.

Table of contents:

• How to schedule Instagram posts from the Instagram app
• How to schedule Instagram posts from Meta Business Suite
• How to schedule Instagram posts using Sprout Social
• Benefits of scheduling Instagram posts
• Tips for scheduling posts on Instagram
• Instagram scheduling tools to use

How to schedule Instagram posts from the Instagram app

After years of users asking for it, Instagram finally added in-app scheduling near the end of 2022. Users are able to schedule up to 25 posts per day and up to 75 days in advance. Keep in mind, only business profiles have access to this feature. Personal profiles are unable to schedule content.

Follow these steps to get started:

Step 1: Open your Instagram app and tap the + at the bottom of the screen or swipe the home feed to the right to create a new piece of content.

Step 2: Select Post or Reel, depending on the type of content you’re creating.

Step 3: Either take a photo or record a video using the in-app camera or upload one from your camera roll.

Step 4: Add any stickers, effects, etc., then add your caption.

Step 5: Tap Advanced Settings at the bottom of the screen.

Step 6: Toggle the Schedule this post option on, then select your preferred date and time from the menu that appears.

Step 7: Go back to the previous screen and tap Schedule.

How to schedule Instagram posts from Meta Business Suite

You can also use the Meta Business Suite to schedule your Instagram content. First, connect your Instagram Business Account to your Facebook Page so you can access both from the Meta Business Suite.

Then follow these steps:

Step 1: In Meta Business Suite, click Create post or Create reel.

Step 2: Specify which Instagram account you want to share your post or reel to. It may also include your Facebook Page—it’s up to you whether you also want it to post to your Facebook Page or only to Instagram.

• Step 3: Upload your media, then write out your caption. Be sure to include your mentions and hashtags (you can even save hashtags to reuse in your content). You can even geotag a location if you wish.
• Step 4: Toggle the Set date and time option on, then select your preferred date and time. Click Active times to access a popup showcasing some of the upcoming times that your audience is active.

Step 5: Once you’ve selected your time, click Save then click Schedule.

How to schedule Instagram posts using Sprout Social

Scheduling Instagram posts natively is straightforward, but how about when you have a larger social strategy across multiple platforms to plan and schedule?

With a dedicated social media publishing tool like Sprout, you can do so much more. Cross-posting. Team collaboration and permissions. In-depth analytics. The list goes on.

We make it so easy to upload to your feed, add a Carousel or Story imagery, finalize your content and schedule it whether you’re on desktop or mobile.

Below is a precise, step-by-step process of how to schedule Instagram posts on Sprout.

Step 1: Open your Sprout Social calendar

The first thing you need to do is open Sprout Social to the calendar menu. You can view this as a list, week or monthly calendar. Next, it’s time to choose the image(s) or video to post. If you’re not 100% sure what you should publish, check out our in-depth guide on Instagram post ideas.

Step 2: Compose your Instagram post

Click the pencil/paper icon in the top right corner of your screen. Choose your Instagram account to get started composing your new Instagram post.

Upload your photo or video, input your caption and hashtags, tag users and more.

Step 3: Select your preferred date and time

Scroll down in the Compose interface to the When to post section. Choose your preferred date and time—or select the Optimal Send Times option to see when Sprout Social says your audience is most likely to see your content.

Step 4: Stage your post for scheduling

After your content is edited and approved, you can click Schedule to add it to your calendar, or move the post to Draft, Queue or Submit for Approval. Let’s take a look at each option:

• Schedule: Use the schedule feature when you want to publish your Instagram posts at a specific time. This is great for when you’re launching an Instagram contest and want the post to go live right when it starts. It’s also helpful if you’re scheduling an Instagram post as a part of a larger campaign, and need content to go out at a specific time of the day. Plan finished content for the future and see your scheduled posts in Sprout’s Publishing Calendar.
• Draft: Not sure if your post is ready to go live quite yet? Want to create multiple “backup” Instagram posts for the future? Draft is a great spot to park your unfinished content or items that still need approval.
• Queue: The Sprout Queue is ideal for edited posts ready to go live—especially if you’re not sure when to post your content. When you queue your Instagram posts, Sprout picks the best time to publish within the window you specify.
• Submit for Approval: Choosing an approver ensures your content is properly edited, grammatically correct, timely and on-brand. Select specific approvers to review your content before it goes live.

Benefits of scheduling Instagram posts

Businesses have begged for scheduling features on Instagram for years. But why are so many marketers eager to queue up their content? Below are some of the biggest benefits of scheduled Instagram posts.

1. Develop a more comprehensive content strategy

Food for thought: Different types of content (think: carousels, images, Stories and Reels) all receive different rates of engagement. This means brands need to diversify their content strategies and not just post the same type of content over and over.

When you schedule posts on Instagram, you give yourself time to actually assess your content calendar.

And when you don’t have to rush to publish Instagram posts, you have time to gather the various assets you need to create fresh, compelling content.

Want to spend a few days workshopping a storytelling post or editing a video? No problem.

2. Free up your schedule to interact more with followers

If nothing else, scheduling Instagram posts can free up some serious time in your schedule. That means more opportunities to interact with followers and reply to comments.

Even the best Instagram scheduler can’t do the legwork of building relationships with customers. When you stick to a social media post scheduler consistently, you can dedicate more time to engagement.

3. Better time management means higher quality posts

Think about the effort that goes into any given post or campaign.

Writing captions. Tweaking images. Tagging. And that doesn’t even scratch the surface.

Writing Instagram posts last-minute is a recipe for burnout. By scheduling posts on Instagram, you can batch your time appropriately and craft more meaningful posts.

4. Create seamless marketing campaigns beyond Instagram

Your social media campaigns shouldn’t be siloed.

From organic and paid social to email and beyond, all of your channels should be on the same page in terms of creatives, landing pages and promotions. This creates a better customer experience.

Through social scheduling, you ensure that your posts fire off at the right time. If you’re using a social media management tool such as Sprout Social, you can actually sync all of your social channels (think: Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest) so you don’t have to publish manually or in real-time.

5. Encourage collaboration and brainstorming

Again, scheduling encourages brands to begin working on posts well in advance.

This means marketers and colleagues have time to hash out the best captions and creative assets.

Useful for both social teams and marketers looking for feedback from clients or influencers, collaboration and Instagram scheduling go hand in hand. Coupled with a social media approval process, it’s a cinch to get multiple sets of eyes on your content before it goes live.

Tips for scheduling posts on Instagram

We’ll say it again: You can’t just queue up your posts months or weeks in advance and expect your Instagram to grow on autopilot.

Below are some key considerations for brands looking to leverage Instagram scheduling for the first time.

1. Optimize your post timing to maximize engagement

A nice added bonus of scheduling is that your business isn’t beholden to “business hours.”

Based on our research on best times to post on Instagram, there’s a correlation between time of day and engagement:

Although these numbers aren’t the be-all, end-all of follower activity and vary based on your time zone, they’re eye-opening in terms of when the average Instagram user is active:

Marketers using Sprout social as their Instagram scheduler can increase engagement with our ViralPost algorithm that optimizes post timing. Rather than guess or decide when to post via trial and error, you’ll know exactly when to post, based on real follower engagement data.

2. Take extra care when crafting your captions

It’s no secret that Instagram captions represent valuable real estate when it comes to engagement.

They shouldn’t be treated as an afterthought. For each post, consider:

• Which hashtags are you using? How many? Are they in your first comment (see below)?
• Do you need to tag any accounts?
• Did you write an appropriate call-to-action?
• How does this caption compare to your most recent one(s)?

Much like your content strategy needs to be diverse, the same rings true for your Instagram captions.

When you schedule posts in advance, you have time to put your captions under the microscope and ensure there’s some variety. Likewise, you can confirm that you’re using the right hashtags and aren’t missing any key details before your post goes live.

3. Keep a close eye on your content calendar

Piggybacking on the point above, scheduling based on a defined content calendar encourages both variety and consistency in terms of your posts.

As you queue up your posts, ask yourself:

• Are we hitting the appropriate publishing frequency (think: daily, four times a week)?
• Is there enough variation in our content schedule (think: video versus carousel versus photo)?
• How are we promoting this content to encourage engagement (think: Stories, questions in CTA)?
• Are there opportunities to cross-post this content to other networks (like Facebook)?
• Have the appropriate stakeholders reviewed this post before it goes live?

The answers to all of the above ensure more thoughtful, goal-driven posts that are poised to perform well. Below is a quick snapshot of what a content calendar looks like in the Sprout app:

4. Block off time to engage with customers

Despite popular belief, scheduling Instagram posts doesn’t make your presence more “passive.”

Quite the opposite, honestly.

Yet again, scheduling frees up your schedule to interact with customers in real-time.

Mind your notifications and make sure your comment section never gathers cobwebs. Be proactive and make a point to respond to social customers ASAP for the sake of satisfaction and loyalty.

5. Know when to hit “pause” on your scheduling

Whether due to a brand emergency or a bigger crisis management effort, sometimes you need to put a stop to your scheduled content.

Failure to do so could come off as insensitive or result in otherwise poor engagement when your followers’ minds are elsewhere. For example, publishing promotional content during certain holidays, on somber occasions or in the wake of tragedies is not the best for your brand’s reputation.

This speaks to how Instagram scheduling is so much more than putting your brand on autopilot. As a side note, Sprout has built-in features to pause scheduled posts and resume them when the time is right.

Instagram scheduling tools to use

Third-party tools can make Instagram scheduling even easier than the in-app tool. Additional apps allow you to schedule content to multiple social media platforms at once, have additional features and can help with your overall social media management. Here are three tools you might consider.

Sprout Social

Sprout Social’s Instagram scheduling tool is a great option to consider when looking to schedule social media content ahead of time. Not only can you schedule content on a number of platforms—Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Pinterest, YouTube and more—but you can also get access to optimal scheduling times, create a collaborative process with your team and analyze your post performance.

Meet Edgar

Meet Edgar is an automated scheduling tool. The way this software works is you’ll upload your Instagram post creative and set a category, then the automation creates various content and schedules it for you. Essentially, Meet Edgar makes sure you never run out of content, even when you haven’t scheduled anything new.

SocialBee

SocialBee is another great scheduling tool, this time with an AI generation feature. With SocialBee, you can let AI generate your captions for you, making your strategy more efficient. Upload your visuals and let the AI take over from there, crafting your caption and scheduling your post.

Learn how to schedule posts on Instagram today

The post How to schedule Instagram posts: Your complete guide for 2023 appeared first on Sprout Social.

That’s where Twitter scheduling comes in.

Scheduling Twitter posts ensures that your content is published when your followers are more likely active and can significantly improve your Twitter engagement and reach. It also ensures you don’t have to be “on” at all times of the day to manually Tweet when your audience is most active.

In this guide, we’ll discuss the importance of scheduling Twitter posts and why it makes sense for your Twitter marketing strategy—plus a few key scheduling tips. And to help you get started, you’ll also learn how to schedule Tweets—with and without Sprout Social’s powerful scheduling tool.

Table of contents

• Benefits of scheduling Tweets
• How to schedule Tweets on Twitter
• How to schedule Tweets using Sprout Social
• How to schedule Tweets on mobile
• How to view scheduled Tweets
• How to schedule multiple Tweets
• Tips for scheduling Tweets

Benefits of scheduling Tweets

Why should you care about scheduling posts on Twitter, and why does it matter for your Twitter marketing? Let’s break down the reasons why scheduling Twitter posts makes sense for businesses.

1. Improves organization and productivity

Scheduling Twitter posts ahead of time allows you to organize your Twitter publishing efforts so you can remain productive during the day. For example, if you have to Tweet multiple times throughout the day, scheduling Tweets means you can continue your daily tasks without interruption.

With Twitter scheduling, you can dedicate a couple of hours each day or week to schedule your content in batches. This keeps you and your content organized well ahead of time and helps maintain productivity.

2. Helps maintain your posting schedule

Planning and scheduling your Tweets can be useful if you’re trying to establish or maintain a content calendar. By planning out Tweets for the week or month ahead, you have the opportunity to create a consistent posting schedule where there’s no risk of forgetting to send out a Tweet at a certain time.

So rest easy knowing you can publish your Tweets based on your pre-planned schedule, whether it’s around a specific campaign or seasonal content.

3. Ensures consistent cross-platform messaging

If your social media strategy involves sharing a similar message across all your social media accounts, Twitter scheduling simplifies the process, ensuring your cross-platform messaging is cohesive.

This also makes sense when you’re managing multiple Twitter accounts. By using a social media scheduler, you can schedule your posts to go out at the same time across all social media channels to maintain consistency.

4. Allows you to run tests on optimal send times

Schedule Tweets to go out at different times throughout the week to find out which timing works best for your audience. You might be surprised to discover when your audience is most active. Using Sprout’s research on the best time to post is a good starting point but can vary based on your industry or audience.

5. Helps you target different time zones

Scheduling Twitter posts also makes sense when you have to target audiences in specific locations. You can schedule your Tweets to go out at the optimal send times for different time zones.

This improves your chances of reaching the right target audience at the right time no matter where they live. This goes back to finding the best time to Tweet according to your audience, and testing on social media can help.

How to schedule Tweets on Twitter

Twitter has its own in-app scheduling tool—currently available only on desktop—that makes it easy to schedule one Tweet at a time.

Step 1: Select the Tweet Composer

Head to Twitter.com with your Tweet idea. Click inside the Tweet Composer to get ready to Tweet.

Step 2: Write out your Tweet

Compose your Tweet. You can add media (like an image, video or GIF), add a poll, add an emoji or tag your location.

Pro Tip: If you include an image or GIF in your Tweet, add a description to it for accessibility.

Step 3: Click schedule

Click the icon of a calendar with a click in the bottom right corner—this is the scheduling option.

Step 4: Select your schedule date

Input the date and time you want your Tweet to go live. With Twitter’s tool, you can schedule Tweets out as far in advance as 18 months. Once you’ve chosen the correct date and time, click Confirm in the top right corner.

Step 5: Click schedule

You’ll see a small snippet above the Tweet confirming the date and time it will go live. Click Schedule to finish scheduling and add it to your queue of Tweets.

How to schedule Tweets using Sprout Social

The native Twitter scheduler is a great tool for the platform, but if you have to manage brand accounts across various social media platforms, it’s nice to have something more comprehensive. Sprout is a robust social media publishing platform that you can use to schedule your posts for Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok and more.

Using Sprout, you can schedule your social posts weeks and months ahead. And since you can visualize your posting calendar, it’s much easier to work on campaigns and promotions. The tool even lets you schedule recurring posts to simplify your planning and productivity.

Here’s how you can use Sprout to schedule Twitter posts.

Step 1: Click on the blue compose button

From the Publishing dashboard, click on the blue Compose button at the top right-hand corner of the screen. This will open up a New Post window, where you can write out your Tweet.

Step 2: Compose your Tweet

If you’ve connected multiple Twitter profiles to Sprout, choose the Twitter profile where you want to publish your Tweet from the Profile Picker drop-down menu at the top. Then compose your Tweet, including images and/or videos as well.

Step 3: Click the “When to post” option

Under your post in the Composition window, you’ll find a When to post option next to a drop-down menu. Click on the drop-down button and select a Specific date and time.

Step 4: Choose the date(s) you want to publish

Select the date(s) and time(s) when you want your Tweet to publish. If you’re not too sure about what time to schedule your posts, select Use Optimal Times, and Sprout will provide you with options for the best time to post based on your Tweet performance history. You can also select multiple dates and times for recurring Tweets.

Step 5: Click schedule

Once you’re done, simply click the Schedule button. And that’s it! You’ve scheduled your Tweet using Sprout.

How to schedule Tweets on mobile

It’s just as easy to schedule Tweets via the Sprout Social mobile app. Start by downloading the app from the App Store or Google Play Store and log into your Sprout Social account.

Then follow these steps.

Step 1: Tap “Compose”

Tap the Compose icon in the bottom right corner of your calendar.

Step 2: Type out your Tweet

Type out your Tweet and add any additional media.

Step 3: Tap “Schedule”

Tap Schedule from the top dropdown menu, select your preferred date and time, then tap Save.

How to view scheduled Tweets

Looking back at your currently scheduled Tweets can help you make sure that you haven’t left any out from your planned content calendar. You also may want to go back and edit or reschedule your scheduled Tweets if a new promotion suddenly comes up and you need to create new content.

How to view scheduled Tweets on Twitter

To view any Tweets you’ve scheduled through Twitter itself, click the schedule icon again. There’s a link at the bottom of the popup for Scheduled Tweets. Click this.

You’ll be taken to your Drafts section, which has two tabs: Unsent Tweets and Scheduled. You can view all of your scheduled Tweets and click on any you might need to edit, reschedule or delete.

How to view scheduled Tweets in Sprout Social

After scheduling your Tweets using Sprout, you can view them in the Publishing Calendar. There are a number of different ways you can view these Tweets, depending on what makes the most sense for your needs.

List view

Here, you can view your scheduled posts in list format in order of when they’ll go out.

Week view

Or you can use the week view to visualize the posts you’ve scheduled throughout that particular week. The weekly view also helps you visualize the post volume for the current and upcoming week, and what order posts will be published, in case you want to make some adjustments.

From here, you can easily switch things around by moving the cards. For instance, if you see that you have too many Tweets going out on Tuesday, you can drag one of the cards to schedule the post for another day of the week.

Month view

If you select the month view, you can visualize your publishing schedule for the entire month. You’ll be able to see how many posts you have scheduled on a certain day and on which platform. This is a great way to review your monthly publishing calendar and find out if there’s any need for adjustments, especially based around different marketing campaigns or holidays.

How to schedule multiple Tweets

If you have a lot of Tweets to schedule, the idea of sitting at your desk and scheduling one by one likely seems like a bit of a nightmare. Luckily, with Sprout’s bulk scheduling capabilities, you don’t have to worry about that.

When creating your content, do so in a spreadsheet. You can use either Excel or Google Sheets, but if you’re incorporating emoji into your Twitter content, you’ll want to opt for Google Sheets to avoid formatting issues.

You’ll need to format your spreadsheet with the following column headers:

• date: In dd/mm/yyyy or mm/dd/yyyy format, depending on your import preferences.
• time_24hr: Place in 24-hour format. Each of your Tweets must be scheduled at least 10 minutes apart from each other as well as at least 10 minutes after the time you’re uploading your spreadsheet to Sprout.
• message_text: Your Tweet content. Remember that it must be less than 280 characters—unless you’re subscribed to Twitter Blue where you get up to 4,000 characters. If you need to include a link, paste it into this column.
• public_image_url: If you’re adding an image to your Tweet, use this column to paste the link to your public image URL. Consider uploading it to your CMS and grabbing the link from there.

Once you’ve completed your spreadsheet, export it as a CSV. Then you’ll head to the Publishing dashboard in your Sprout Social account before clicking to the Calendar view. Then click the three dots to access Bulk Post Import.

Once you click that, you’ll be taken to the Import Posts dashboard so you can drag and drop your CSV to upload your Tweets. Select your Twitter account then make sure you have the correct date format based on how you formatted dates within your spreadsheet.

Then click Start Import to begin importing your newly scheduled Tweets.

If there are any issues with some of your Tweets, you can download a CSV of any that weren’t able to be imported so that you can fix the formatting errors and re-upload the remaining content.

This makes it incredibly easy to schedule an entire month’s worth of Twitter content at once, without having to spend your entire day scheduling Tweet after Tweet.

Tips for scheduling multiple Tweets

Ready to start scheduling your Tweets? It can be such a huge time-saver that we highly recommend it. But first, here are a few tips to help make scheduling as easy as possible.

Identify how often you should post

Before you start creating and scheduling your Twitter content, identify how often to post. While our overarching recommendation is 3-4 Tweets per day, you should also pay attention to your historical data to see how many Tweets get you the best reach and engagement.

You can then stick to this number of daily Tweets as you create and schedule your content. This ensures you’re sticking with the number that generates the best results.

Review your scheduled Tweets

After a day of scheduling—or even if you used the bulk scheduling option—always go back to review your scheduled Tweets. By reviewing your calendar, you can double check that you haven’t missed any content or double-posted any content, eliminating potential errors.

Check analytics regularly

While scheduling Tweets can be a huge time-saver, that doesn’t mean you get to neglect other parts of your Twitter strategy—including monitoring your analytics. Keeping an eye on your Twitter analytics can help you make sure your strategy is still working, that you’re posting the right frequency and amount of Tweets and that your engagement isn’t dropping.

The post How to schedule Tweets: Your brand’s complete guide in 2023 appeared first on Sprout Social.

With so many brands competing for users’ attention, managing and growing a LinkedIn account takes enormous time, dedication, and effort. So, it’s no surprise that many marketers find building a LinkedIn presence overwhelming.

If your content marketing strategy includes posting on LinkedIn, you may be wondering how to handle this task effectively. That’s where social media scheduling tools come in, allowing you to deliver content that meets your brand’s needs, while being timely and relevant to customer interests.

In this guide, we’ve compiled some helpful tips and best practices for scheduling your posts on LinkedIn.

Table of contents

• Why should you schedule your posts on LinkedIn?
• How to schedule posts on LinkedIn
• How to schedule posts with LinkedIn Native Scheduler
• How to schedule posts on LinkedIn using Sprout Social
• 5 Tips for Scheduling Your LinkedIn Posts

Why should you schedule your posts on LinkedIn?

Scheduling your LinkedIn posts allows you to optimize the execution of your LinkedIn strategy, which provides an efficient means to distribute your content on the platform effortlessly.

1. Saves time and reduces unnecessary workload

Establishing a LinkedIn presence requires much time, effort, and dedication, which is time-consuming. By scheduling posts, you spend less time on manual publishing on LinkedIn, freeing you up to focus on higher-level tasks such as content creation, analysis, and engagement.

2. Helps you stay consistent

Scheduling your posts allows you to plan content in advance and set them to post at the right times. This way, you maintain a consistent LinkedIn presence without staying on the platform or worrying about posting daily.

3. Grow your profile engagement faster

Scheduling your LinkedIn posts will help you reach your audience at the best times when they’re most active on LinkedIn. When scheduling your post, you can choose the best time when your audience will be available and target your posts to show up at that time, thereby increasing engagement.

4. Keeps you organized

Keeping track of your LinkedIn account can be stressful, especially if you manage multiple accounts simultaneously. Scheduling your posts takes the burden off of that. All you need to do is create your posts and schedule a publishing time.

5. Helps you scale your LinkedIn efforts

Growing your audience on LinkedIn comes with much dedication and time. Scheduling makes it easier. When you schedule your posts, it gives you the advantage of posting consistently and growing your account.

How to schedule posts on LinkedIn

There are two ways to schedule posts on LinkedIn. First, you can schedule your posts with the LinkedIn Native scheduler, but that comes with some restrictions we’ll soon discuss. The second option is scheduling with a third-party platform like Sprout Social. Let’s discuss each one in detail.

How to schedule posts with LinkedIn Native Scheduler

1. Log in to your LinkedIn account and click the ‘Start a post’ box at the top of the homepage.

2. Enter the body text of your post and attach any images, videos, or documents. If you’re attaching an image, you can edit it, tag other users, and add alt text. If you’re posting a video instead, upload a customized thumbnail and an SRT file for subtitles.

3. Click the clock icon in the lower right corner to open the schedule dialog.
4. In the scheduling dialog, select a date and time from the dropdown to schedule your post. If your audience is in a different time zone, consider scheduling in their time zone.

5. Select ‘Next’ to save your schedule settings and return to your post preview.
6. When you’re all done, review your post for spelling errors, formatting issues, and ensure it matches your brand’s guidelines and tone. Also, review your image and hashtags to ensure they’re accurate for your post.

7. Click the schedule button, and you’re done.
8. If you wish to view scheduled posts on LinkedIn, click ‘View all scheduled posts’ on the schedule dialog to see all scheduled posts.

In the scheduled posts window, you can preview all scheduled posts and their publish dates. To delete a post, simply click on the delete icon, and if you want to reschedule, click on the clock icon to select a new date and time.

That’s it. You’ve scheduled your first post on LinkedIn.

Limitations with the native LinkedIn scheduler

While it seems straightforward to schedule content with LinkedIn’s native scheduler, there are several limitations that social media managers should be aware of. These limitations may hinder your ability to schedule posts effectively.

• Limited scheduling options: LinkedIn’s native scheduler provides fewer options for scheduling posts. For instance, it only allows scheduling for up to three months in advance. In addition, LinkedIn doesn’t allow bulk scheduling, which means that each post must be scheduled individually, which is time-consuming.
• Limited analytic features: LinkedIn’s analytics only provide a basic insight into your LinkedIn content performance and audience behavior. It doesn’t give you much freedom to track your audience demographic data or metrics like click-through rates, follower growth, or engagement rates.
• Inability to tag people and pages: Using LinkedIn’s native scheduler prevents you from tagging people or pages in your post. This could limit the reach and engagement of your post.
• No support for managing multiple LI accounts at once: With the native LinkedIn scheduler, you can only schedule posts for one account at a time. This is a drawback, especially for social media managers who manage multiple accounts.
• Limited posting options: You can’t schedule articles, newsletters, multiple image posts, events, or polls with the LinkedIn scheduler. This has to be done manually.
• Limitations on approval collaboration: The LinkedIn scheduler discourages the collaboration of teams in real-time. Posts can only be made and seen by one person, so every review, approval, or collaboration must be done outside the tool.
• Posts cannot be edited after uploading: Once a post has been scheduled for upload, it can’t be edited. In the event that any corrections need to be made, you would need to delete the entire post and repost it.

How to schedule posts on LinkedIn using Sprout Social

An alternative to scheduling posts with LinkedIn’s native scheduler is to use a social media scheduling tool like Sprout Social. Here’s how to do it:

Create your LinkedIn post

The first step is to create your post. Before writing, be clear on the goal of the post and how it will benefit your audience. A good LinkedIn post starts with an attention-grabbing hook, which could be a question, a story, a compelling statement, or statistics.

On the Sprout dashboard, click the Compose icon to open up a new post. Input your post in the text box provided and format it for a better reading experience. You can also add emojis or product links. Use relevant hashtags if possible.

On the right side, you can preview changes to your posts to see the outcome on LinkedIn in real-time.

Add media to your post

Upload approved media content to your post to make it stand out. This could be an image, video, or document to enhance your post and make it stand out. After uploading, you can edit your images on Sprout with the integrated image editor tool or resize them using our social media resizer.

Here, you can crop the image size and add filters, frames, new texts, overlays, or stickers. Once you’re done, export the image to save your changes.

You can also add descriptive text to your image to provide additional context, information, or details to the viewer. Include relevant keywords related to your image or post to improve the searchability of your post and increase its visibility to a broader audience.

Preview and optimize your post

After editing your post, click the profile picker to select the LinkedIn profile for your post. Sprout Social allows you to manage multiple LinkedIn accounts at once and lets you post on a company or personal page.

Set up approval permissions for collaboration and approval of each post. This is useful for social media teams and marketers who need their clients’ or managers’ feedback on posts before they go live.

Finalize your post

After your content is optimized, you can finalize it for publishing. This includes submitting content for approval, saving it as a draft, or publishing your post immediately. Contents needing approval can be saved as drafts until all reviews are complete.

On Sprout’s calendar, you can view, share, and collaborate on your monthly scheduled content in a calendar view. You can add notes to each comment from another team member. And if you’re bulk scheduling your posts in Sprout, you can view all your scheduled posts at once and correct them accordingly.

Schedule your post for publishing

Once you’re all set, select when you want the post to go out. You can publish your post immediately, auto-schedule with Sprout Queue, or schedule it for later.

Pick a specific date and time to schedule your posts. Better still, take advantage of Sprout’s tool, ViralPost, to pick optimal times when your audience is most active on LinkedIn.

You can also auto-schedule your posts with Sprout Queue to fill engagement gaps and publish posts automatically throughout the day. You don’t need to input a time or day when the post will go live; Sprout Queue takes care of that for you.

5 Tips for Scheduling Your LinkedIn Posts

Ready to start scheduling your LinkedIn posts? Consider these five tips to help you effectively schedule your LinkedIn posts.

1. Know your audience

Before posting on LinkedIn, define who your ideal audience is. You need to know: who are you talking to? What do they do? What do they like? A generic response like “CEOs” or “marketers” won’t do. You must dive deeper and answer specific questions like:

• Location: get clear on your audience’s location so you can customize posting times to when they’re most active.
• Professional details: Find out what they do and their position.
• Buying power: Find out their role in the buying process. For example, content heads often suggest project management software for their team.
• Industry: What industry are they currently in? Do they use familiar lingo?
• Content type: Study the content types they engage with. Pay attention to the content that gets the most shares, likes, comments, and reposts. This will give you an idea of what topics and content types resonate with them.
• Online behavior: Pay attention to the type of content they engage with. Find out what content gets the most shares, likes, comments, and reposts. This will give you an idea of what topics and content types resonate with them.

With the social listening tool on Sprout Social, you can collect in-depth data about your audience. Research your audience by location, seniority, and job function to know who you’re reaching.

2. Monitor and optimize your posting timing

The best time to post on LinkedIn is during optimal hours, when your audience is most active and likely to engage with your post. Our research at Sprout Social found that the best times to post on LinkedIn could vary depending on the industry and demographics.

However, on average, the best time we found to post on LinkedIn is 10 a.m. on Tuesday. But don’t let this restrict your posting schedule to this time. Keep a close eye on your LinkedIn analytics to determine which posts perform well and adjust your posting schedule accordingly.

3. Experiment with different content types

The best post types on LinkedIn can differ depending on your industry. We studied 3,000 LinkedIn posts and found that long-form “how-tos” perform 31.5% better than every other content type. This is unsurprising, as LinkedIn is a community of professionals who share ideas and learn from one another.

However, we also found that posts with a single image perform 2x better than text-based posts and have a 98% higher comment rate, whereas posts with videos get 5x more engagement on LinkedIn. This means uploading video content from webinars or tutorials would perform well on LinkedIn.

In the content benchmark for 2023, we also researched content types that perform well on social media, not just LinkedIn.

Experiment with different post formats to find your audience’s sweet spot for engagement. Depending on the vibe, you could choose to alternate content types for each posting day. For example, posting a meme gives off a relaxed feeling, which fits into a weekend mood. Meanwhile, text-based posts, videos, or slides would fit well for other days.

But if you’re still clueless about what to post on your company’s page, check out this post on LinkedIn’s best practices for marketing professionals.

4. Take time to engage with your audience

Scheduling a post is one part of a successful LinkedIn strategy; the other is engaging with your audience. Engaging with your audience humanizes your brand and fosters a positive customer relationship. This helps you gain credibility, build authority, and increase brand loyalty.

Also, engaging with your audience increases your account’s visibility on the channel. Think of it this way: the more you show up in the comment section, the more people engage with you, which gets more eyeballs on your profile.

You can engage with your audience by:

• Leaving meaningful comments on people’s posts
• Reposting content that is meaningful and true to your brand
• Replying to comments on your posts
• Responding to questions, comments, and messages

5. Optimize your LinkedIn marketing strategy with data

At intervals, study your LinkedIn analytics to measure what’s working and what’s not, so that you can adjust your content accordingly. Sprout Social provides in-depth social media analytics and reporting features to help you measure your content performance, track your brand mentions, and monitor your competition.

Don’t just create multiple posts in advance without looking at past results. Leverage data to:

• Analyze your best-performing posts and how you can re-create them for more success.
• Break down your least-performing posts and list possible mistakes.
• Optimize your LinkedIn strategy to suit the audience’s needs.

Optimize your LinkedIn Strategy with Scheduled Posts

Scheduling your LinkedIn posts enables you to plan your content in advance to ensure more consistent follower engagement. Without it, you’ll have to manually post your content on LinkedIn, which can be time-consuming and insufficient.

Regardless of how good you think your LinkedIn content strategy is, it’s always best to schedule posts in advance so you can implement a consistent and strategic content calendar.

Want to start scheduling your LinkedIn posts? Sprout Social’s LinkedIn scheduler makes it easy to schedule posts on LinkedIn. Sign up for a free 30-day trial today!

The post How to schedule LinkedIn posts in 2023 appeared first on Sprout Social.

With more than 900 million members across 200 countries, businesses have a large audience and employee advocates to extend their reach. With the right LinkedIn marketing strategy, combined with these optimal posting times, you could see improved engagement.

Learn how to identify your best times to post globally on LinkedIn a free trial of Sprout Social and test our ViralPost® feature.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

Disclaimer: Data from Sprout Social include users from various plan types, industries and locations. All time frames are recorded globally, meaning you should be able to publish with the times provided in any timezone and see positive engagement results. Number of engagements represents total engagements a brand received on the specific channel during that hour time frame. Industry-specific data includes mid- to high-level engagement times. We recommend testing with your own accounts to find the most optimal send times.

• What are the best times to post on LinkedIn?
• What are the best times to post on LinkedIn by industry?
  • Consumer Goods
  • Hospitals & Healthcare
  • Hospitality
  • Media
  • Nonprofit
  • Restaurants
  • Schools & Education
  • Travel & Tourism
• How to find your own best times to post on social media
• How Sprout gathered the data
• Find your best times to post with Sprout

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn

• Best times to post on LinkedIn Company Pages:
  • Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon
• Best days to post on LinkedIn Company Pages: Tuesdays through Thursdays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn Company Pages: Weekends

Unsurprising for this professional-focused social platform, LinkedIn engagement times are consistent with general business hours. High engagement hours are more concentrated midday and don’t extend too far out past the workday hours. You’re less likely to get eyes on your LinkedIn content on the weekend when engagement drops significantly.

Because LinkedIn content is centered around professional thought leadership and career growth, it makes sense that a majority of audiences engage with this content throughout their working day. By midday, there’s buzz on the platform, and the best times to post on LinkedIn are Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and noon.

Yes, LinkedIn is a business and employment-focused platform, but it’s more than a job board and networking platform. LinkedIn provides a platform for professional storytelling and advocacy, from both employees and employers alike. Contributors of all levels can share their subject-matter expertise, create conversations that challenge “business as usual,” and uplift professional voices around the world.

Businesses on LinkedIn are finding new ways to generate leads, find co-marketing partners, highlight company culture and attract talent. Because of these additional business opportunities LinkedIn provides, it makes sense that posting and engagement match with the business hours.

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn by Industry

There’s no definitive answer to what the best times to post on LinkedIn are, and we can only offer insight with the data we have. Industry is just one factor that plays into the success of your social posts. Consider as well as your target audience, business goals and the content itself.

Use this industry-level data to help inform your publishing calendar, and test your own optimal send times with social experiments.

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Consumer Goods

• Best times to post on LinkedIn for Consumer Goods:
  • Mondays at 11 a.m.
• Best days to post on LinkedIn for Consumer Goods: Mondays and Tuesdays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Consumer Goods: Saturdays and Sundays

The consumer goods industry covers a large portfolio of products, ranging from packaged food and beverages to clothing and accessories and everything in between. While the US was facing inflation at nearly 8.5%, US consumers spent 18% more in March 2022 than they did two years prior. After two years into the pandemic, consumers were ready to spend similar to their pre-pandemic habits and more in 2022.

For consumer goods businesses on LinkedIn, only very few days see any engagement. Based on our data, the best times to post on LinkedIn for consumer goods are Mondays at 11 a.m., and Mondays and Tuesdays as the best days to post. Be cautious if you’re a consumer goods business, but also be sure to test your own best times to post.

Consumer goods social media resources

• Solutions for Social Commerce
• How to master social media for retail and win more customers
• What is social commerce? Stats, examples & tips for your strategy
• Mobile commerce: what it is and why you should care

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Hospitals & Healthcare

• Best times to post on LinkedIn for Hospitals & Healthcare:
  • Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at 6 p.m.
  • Wednesdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• Best days to post on LinkedIn for Hospitals & Healthcare: Tuesdays through Fridays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Hospitals & Healthcare: Sundays

Hospitals, clinics and healthcare providers have been put to work on social media the last few years, due to the pandemic. However, social media for healthcare is more than navigating healthcare crises. It’s about educating the public, helping patients feel more comfortable with healthcare visits and doctors’ appointments, promoting their programs for aspiring physicians and establishing themselves as pillars in the community.

Healthcare and hospitals on LinkedIn see consistent engagement nearly every single day starting at 7 a.m. seven days a week. However, the best times to post on LinkedIn for hospitals and healthcare are Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at 6 p.m., as well as Wednesdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Consistent engagement can be seen Tuesdays through Fridays from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Hospital and healthcare social media resources

• Social media and healthcare: how to keep patients engaged
• Why healthcare orgs should invest in social listening, stat
• Supporting HIPAA Compliance on social: a cheat sheet

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Hospitality

• Best times to post on LinkedIn for Hospitality:
  • Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon and at 1 p.m.
  • Fridays at 4 p.m.
• Best days to post on LinkedIn for Hospitality: Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Hospitality: Sundays

As consumers crave some semblance of pre-pandemic life, ‘ businesses can also sense it. Hospitality businesses see higher engagement consistently throughout the day and into early evening hours during weekdays on LinkedIn.

The best times to post on LinkedIn for the hospitality industry are Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. and Fridays at 4 p.m. However, businesses see consistent engagement throughout the day from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Hospitality social media resources

• Social media marketing tools for the travel industry
• How Allegiant Air’s customer relations team is taking flight with Sprout Social
• How Loews Hotels & Co succeeds at scale with Sprout Social’s all-in-one platform
• When to create separate social media accounts for your multilocation business [Free Worksheet]

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Media

• Best times to post on LinkedIn for Media:
  • Wednesdays at 11 a.m.
  • Thursdays at 9 a.m.
• Best days to post on LinkedIn for Media: Weekdays, especially Wednesdays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Media: Sundays

The media and entertainment industry sees consistent engagement on LinkedIn. Media businesses should expect engagement from early weekday mornings through the afternoons. Major global events, political upheavals and business news have a relevant impact on media impressions on all networks, including LinkedIn. As a business and employment-focused social media platform, it makes sense that professionals come to engage in emerging news.

News travels quickly, and the best times to post on LinkedIn for the media and entertainment industry are Wednesdays at 11 a.m. and Thursdays at 9 a.m. However, posting between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. sees just as high engagement. Avoid posting on LinkedIn over the weekends, since there is limited engagement in this industry.

Media social media resources

• How to supercharge your media relations strategy with social
• How RADIO.COM used social listening to crown the #ArtistOfTheSummer
• Social media and journalism: how to effectively reach the public

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Nonprofit

• Best times to post on LinkedIn for Nonprofit:
  • Wednesdays at noon
• Best days to post on LinkedIn for Nonprofit: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Nonprofit: Saturday and Sundays

Our data for the best times to post on LinkedIn for nonprofits shows consistent engagement throughout the week during general business hours. The best times to post on LinkedIn for nonprofit organizations are Wednesdays at noon, but between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Fridays showing promising engagement as well.

However, even with the consistent audience engagement seen in the heatmap above, it’s important for nonprofits (and all businesses) to test their own best times to post. Whether it’s through social testing or using Sprout’s Optimal Send Times feature, find what times work best for your organization on LinkedIn.

Nonprofit social media resources

• Turning moments into momentum: How nonprofits can leverage #GivingTuesday year-round
• How this nonprofit institute boosts messaging reach with Employee Advocacy by Sprout Social
• The ultimate social media for museums guide

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Restaurants

• Best times to post on LinkedIn for Restaurants:
  • Tuesdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
• Best days to post on LinkedIn for Restaurants: Tuesdays through Fridays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Restaurants: Saturdays and Sundays

In 2022, everyone was ready to get back to their pre-pandemic routines, and restaurants were ready with open doors. While online orders and delivery services may have become new offerings for some restaurant and bar locations, the desire to draw patrons has not. Target audience and platform goals factor into ways businesses connect with their customers. Many restaurant businesses used LinkedIn to promote job fairs, individual employment positions, as well as news articles highlighting their accolades.

Restaurants and bars on LinkedIn see decent engagement midday during the week between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. However, the peak engagement and best times to post on LinkedIn for restaurants and bars are Tuesdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Restaurant social media resources

• The complete guide to social media for restaurants & bars
• 5 tips from the man behind #Sprinklegate
• Auntie Anne’s SMM Bari’s TikTok Bootcamp [Webinar]

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Schools & Education

• Best times to post on LinkedIn for Schools & Education:
  • Tuesdays at 10 a.m.
  • Fridays at 6 a.m.
• Best days to post on LinkedIn for Schools & Education: Tuesdays through Thursdays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Schools & Education: Saturday and Sundays

Universities, higher education institutions and schools didn’t see much engagement on LinkedIn compared to other social networks, despite there being 131,000 schools listed. Keep in mind that some schools manage multiple social profiles (per college, athletics, etc.) to meet these needs and effectively target distinct audiences at the right time.

Opportunities for engagement are sporadic during weekdays, and virtually nonexistent over the weekends. The best times to post on LinkedIn for education and schools are Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and Fridays at 6 a.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays see more engagement throughout the days, whereas Mondays and Fridays are relatively light.

From highlighting student life to sharing school updates, a social media strategy for education needs to fulfill multiple functions. Are you looking to engage with students past, present and future? Are you looking to keep a pulse on sentiment and brand health?

Schools and education social media resources

• Choose wisely: Higher education marketers take on College Decision Day
• All aboard: How Purdue University increased their social media engagement by 24%
• University branding: How to build your school’s brand on social media
• Higher ed playbook: Using social to unite your university
• LinkedIn for colleges: Best practices for higher education

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Travel & Tourism

• Best times to post on LinkedIn for Travel & Tourism:
  • Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m.
  • Thursdays at 10 a.m.
• Best days to post on LinkedIn for Travel & Tourism: Tuesdays through Thursdays
• Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Travel & Tourism: Weekends

Travel and tourism industries appear to have maximized their engagement on LinkedIn. As many travel restrictions continued to be lifted and the semblance of “normal” crept back into many peoples’ lives, travel and tourism businesses saw an opportunity to capitalize on the suppressed desires to travel.

The best times to post on LinkedIn for travel and tourism businesses are Tuesdays from 9 a.m. until noon then again at 1 p.m., as well as on Fridays at 10 a.m. However, these businesses see solid engagement almost every weekday from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Travel and tourism social media resources

• How Allegiant Air’s customer relations team is taking flight with Sprout Social
• How to manage multiple social media accounts
• When to Create Separate Social Media Accounts for your Multilocation Business [Free Worksheet]

How to find your own best times to post on social media

Social marketers can plan content more effectively when they’re armed with data. And as platforms evolve, how brands and consumers use social will evolve with them, or vice versa. Staying aware of new content formats and trends might help you reach your audience in unexpected ways, or even find new segments and personas you weren’t focusing on before.

While you may be ready to jump in and post at these provided peak engagement times as part of your strategy, consider pairing this data with your own social media data analysis. You may discover that your specific target audience is active near the peak times we’ve outlined or hours earlier. If you use a LinkedIn analytics tool, it should contain a host of relevant data.

A social media management tool like Sprout Social can help you drill into your own analytics and develop tailored findings for your brand accounts across all networks, holistically and individually. Gain competitive insights by comparing your performance to your competitors, to find new opportunities for engagement.

With features like post tagging and cross-network reporting, you can separate different factors like post author or types of content, and drill down into how your posting time influenced your social success.

Sprout’s patented ViralPost® technology uses the same data we’ve used to look at all our customer accounts to determine the best time to post tailored for your individual account. ViralPost® algorithmically determines the results for our Optimal Send Times feature, a publishing option available in all plans. Our proprietary machine learning feature isn’t new, but we’re constantly learning and improving our product to help brands surface insights faster. Our goal is to help people who use our product work more effectively.

With Optimal Send Times, the specific times offered are based on when your own audience engages the most using your publishing history. ViralPost® also continually updates and refines to save you time from doing the repeated analysis yourself and allowing you more time to craft great content.

Want to see it in action? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of Sprout Social or request a personalized demo and try it for yourself.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

If you’re looking for more of our findings from this year’s study of our customer data, see what we learned about the best times to post across eight industries on these networks:

• Best times to post on Social Media 2023
• Best times to post on Facebook 2023
• Best times to post on Instagram 2023
• Best times to post on TikTok 2023
• Best times to post on Twitter 2023

How Sprout gathered the data

We understand that these reports can raise questions about just where the data is coming from. That’s why we want to be clear about the data we pulled and how we got here.

Sprout Social’s Data Science team gathers this information by analyzing nearly 2 billion engagements across 400,000 social profiles across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok.

Find your best time to post with Sprout

Now’s the time to test your content calendar. Are you posting when your followers are most active? Start your free trial of Sprout Social and discover the best times to post on social media today.

The post Best times to post on LinkedIn in 2023 appeared first on Sprout Social.

It’s important to understand how posting on TikTok at the right times can be a huge benefit to your TikTok marketing strategy. Users on average spend 23.5 hours per month on the platform, meaning there is an opportunity to engage with a consistent audience. Keep an eye out for emerging trends or subcultures on the platform and test your own content.

Learn how to identify your best times to post globally on TikTok with a free trial of Sprout Social and test our ViralPost® feature.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

Disclaimer: Data from Sprout Social include users from various plan types, industries and locations. All time frames are recorded globally, meaning you should be able to publish with the times provided in any timezone and see positive engagement results. Number of engagements represents total engagements a brand received on the specific channel during that hour time frame. Industry-specific data includes mid- to high-level engagement times. We recommend testing with your own accounts to find the most optimal send times.

• What are the best times to post on TikTok?
• What are the best times to post on TikTok by industry?
  • Consumer Goods
  • Hospitality
  • Media
  • Nonprofit
  • Restaurants
  • Schools & Education
  • Travel & Tourism
• How to find your own best times to post on TikTok
• How Sprout gathered the data
• Find your best times to post with Sprout

Best Times to Post on TikTok

• Best times to post on TikTok:
  • Tuesdays from 2 to 6 p.m.
  • Wednesdays from 2 to 5 p.m.
  • Thursdays from 3 to 5 p.m.
• Best days to post on TikTok: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
• Worst days to post on TikTok: Sundays

As the youngest digital platform on this list, TikTok has grown significantly and made waves in half as many years as the others on this list. With the app now amassing over 1 billion active global users who spend nearly 20 hours on the app every month, TikTok has competitive staying power.

The best times to post on TikTok are Tuesdays from 2 to 6 p.m., Wednesdays from 2 to 5 p.m. and Thursdays from 3 to 5 p.m. Afternoons are when the highest engagements are on the platform; users are looking to fill their afternoon entertainment boost. However, generally, mid-morning through the afternoon (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) on Tuesdays through Thursdays see higher engagement on the app.

With future market trends changing quickly, it’s important to understand how trends start, evolve and influence. Once you understand how these forces, moments or signals work, you can better create a TikTok trend strategy to implement rather than participating reactively.

Best Times to Post on TikTok by Industry

There’s no definitive answer to what the best times to post on TikTok are, and we can only offer insight with the data we have. Industry is just one factor that plays into the success of your social posts. Consider as well as your target audience, business goals and the content itself if you’re looking to get more views and engagement.

Use this industry level-data to help inform your publishing calendar, and test your own optimal send times with social experiments.

Best Times to Post on TikTok for Consumer Goods

• Best times to post on TikTok for Consumer Goods:
  • Tuesdays from 3 to 5 p.m.
  • Wednesdays at 3 p.m.
• Best days to post on TikTok for Consumer Goods: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
• Worst days to post on TikTok for Consumer Goods: Saturdays and Sundays

The consumer goods industry covers a large portfolio of products, ranging from packaged food and beverages to clothing and accessories and everything in between. While the US was facing inflation at nearly 8.5%, US consumers spent 18% more in March 2022 than they did two years prior. After two years into the pandemic, consumers were ready to spend similar to their pre-pandemic habits and more in 2022.

For consumer goods businesses on TikTok, only very few days see any engagement. Optimal engagement for consumer goods on TikTok is Tuesdays from 3 to 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 3 p.m.

Very few hours throughout the days see any engagement either. Be cautious if you’re a consumer goods business, but also be sure to test your own best times to post.

Consumer goods social media resources

• Solutions for Social Commerce
• How to master social media for retail and win more customers
• What is social commerce? Stats, examples & tips for your strategy
• Mobile commerce: what it is and why you should care

Best Times to Post on TikTok for Hospitality

• Best times to post on TikTok for Hospitality:
  • Thursdays at 2 p.m.
  • Fridays at 9 a.m.
• Best days to post on TikTok for Hospitality: Thursdays and Fridays
• Worst days to post on TikTok for Hospitality: Wednesdays

As consumers crave some semblance of pre-pandemic life, businesses can also sense it. While hospitality businesses see higher engagement on other social platforms, there is limited concentrated engagement and optimal posting times on TikTok.

The best times to post on TikTok for the hospitality industry are Thursdays at 2 p.m. and Fridays at 9 a.m. There are moderately light engagements Thursdays through Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., which would still be ideal times to post. Essentially late evening hours when people were looking to engage with hospitality brands.

Hospitality social media resources

• Social media marketing tools for the travel industry
• How Allegiant Air’s customer relations team is taking flight with Sprout Social
• How Loews Hotels & Co succeeds at scale with Sprout Social’s all-in-one platform
• When to create separate social media accounts for your multilocation business [Free Worksheet]

Best Times to Post on TikTok for Media

• Best times to post on TikTok for Media:
  • Mondays at 8 a.m.
  • Tuesdays from 5 to 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
  • Wednesdays from 6 to 8 a.m.
  • Thursdays at 6 a.m. and from 8 to 11 a.m.
  • Fridays at 9 a.m.
  • Sundays from 6 to 8 a.m.
• Best days to post on TikTok for Media: Tuesdays through Thursdays
• Worst days to post on TikTok for Media: Saturdays

Engagement in the media and entertainment industry peaks on TikTok. Media businesses can expect consistently high engagement nearly every day between 6 and 11 a.m. Major global events, political upheavals and business news have a relevant impact on media impressions on all platforms, including TikTok.

News travels quickly, and the best times to post on TikTok for the media and entertainment industry are Mondays at 8 a.m., Tuesdays from 5 to 9 a.m., Wednesdays from 6 to 8 a.m., Thursdays from 8 to 11 a.m., Fridays at 9 a.m., and Sundays from 6 to 8 a.m.

Media social media resources

• How to supercharge your media relations strategy with social
• How RADIO.COM used social listening to crown the #ArtistOfTheSummer
• Social media and journalism: how to effectively reach the public

Best Times to Post on TikTok for Nonprofit

• Best times to post on TikTok for Nonprofit:
  • Tuesdays from 3 to 5 p.m.
• Best days to post on TikTok for Nonprofit: Tuesdays
• Worst days to post on TikTok for Nonprofit: Saturdays and Sundays

Our data for the best times to post on TikTok for nonprofits shows concentrated engagement in midweek afternoons that can extend into the early evening hours.

The best times to post on TikTok for nonprofit organizations are Tuesdays from 3 to 5 p.m., however, there’s almost as much engagement three hours prior and after. Wednesdays see some near-peak engagement between 1 and 6 p.m.

However, even with the audience engagement seen in the heatmap above, all businesses need to test their own best times to post. Whether it’s through social testing or using Sprout’s Optimal Send Times feature, find what times work best for your organization on TikTok.

Nonprofit social media resources

• Turning moments into momentum: How nonprofits can leverage #GivingTuesday year-round
• How this nonprofit institute boosts messaging reach with Employee Advocacy by Sprout Social
• The ultimate social media for museums guide
• How to make money on TikTok

Best Times to Post on TikTok for Restaurants

• Best times to post on TikTok for Restaurants:
  • Mondays at noon and 3 p.m.
  • Tuesdays from 2 to 5 p.m.
  • Thursdays at 4 p.m.
• Best days to post on TikTok for Restaurants: Mondays and Tuesdays
• Worst days to post on TikTok for Restaurants: Saturdays

In 2022, everyone was ready to get back to their pre-pandemic routines, and restaurants were ready with open doors. While online orders and delivery services may have become new offerings for some locations, the desire to draw patrons has not. Target audience and platform goals factor into ways businesses connect with their customers. Offering unique promotions or showcasing your menu in an attention-grabbing way on TikTok will keep your restaurant in mind for potential customers.

Restaurants and bars on LinkedIn see decent engagement at midday during the week. However, the peak engagement and best times to post on TikTok for restaurants and bars are Mondays at noon and 3 p.m., Tuesdays from 2 to 5 p.m. and Thursdays at 4 p.m.

Restaurant social media resources

• The complete guide to social media for restaurants & bars
• 5 tips from the man behind #Sprinklegate
• Auntie Anne’s SMM Bari’s TikTok Bootcamp [Webinar]

Best Times to Post on TikTok for Schools & Education

• Best times to post on TikTok for Schools & Education:
  • Wednesdays at 7 a.m.
• Best days to post on TikTok for Schools & Education: Wednesdays
• Worst days to post on TikTok for Schools & Education: Mondays and Sundays

Universities, higher education institutions and schools see some, but not much, engagement on TikTok according to our data. Keep in mind that some schools manage multiple social profiles (per college, athletics, etc.) to meet these needs and effectively target distinct audiences at the right time.

Schools and education don’t see many concentrated opportunities on TikTok; however, this shouldn’t prevent them from using the entertainment platform, since there’s an opportunity to engage with the next wave of students: Gen Z. The best times to post on TikTok for education and schools are generally Wednesdays at 7 a.m.

From highlighting student life to sharing school updates, a social media strategy for education needs to fulfill multiple functions. Are you looking to engage with students past, present and future? Are you looking to keep a pulse on sentiment and brand health?

Schools and education social media resources

• Choose wisely: Higher education marketers take on College Decision Day
• All aboard: How Purdue University increased their social media engagement by 24%
• University branding: How to build your school’s brand on social media
• Higher ed playbook: Using social to unite your university

Best Times to Post on TikTok for Travel & Tourism

• Best times to post on TikTok for Travel & Tourism:
  • Wednesdays from 3 to 5 p.m.
• Best days to post on TikTok for Travel & Tourism: Wednesdays and Thursdays
• Worst days to post on TikTok for Travel & Tourism: Sundays

Travel and tourism industries see some decent engagement on TikTok. As many travel restrictions continued to be lifted and the semblance of “normal” crept back into many peoples’ lives, travel and tourism businesses see an opportunity to capitalize on the suppressed desires to travel.

The best times to post on TikTok for travel and tourism businesses are Wednesdays from 3 to 5 p.m. And these peak hours see moderate engagement in the hours before and after those optimal times.

Travel and tourism social media resources

• How Allegiant Air’s customer relations team is taking flight with Sprout Social
• How to manage multiple social media accounts
• When to Create Separate Social Media Accounts for your Multilocation Business [Free Worksheet]

How to find your own best times to post on TikTok

Social marketers can plan content more effectively when they’re armed with data. And as platforms evolve, how brands and consumers use social will evolve with them, or vice versa. Staying aware of new content formats and trends might help you reach your audience in unexpected ways, or even find new segments and personas you weren’t focusing on before.

While you may be ready to jump in and post at these provided peak engagement times as part of your strategy, consider pairing this data with your own social media data analysis. You may discover that your specific target audience is active near the peak times we’ve outlined or hours earlier.

A social media management tool like Sprout Social can help you drill into your analytics and develop tailored findings for your brand accounts across all networks, holistically and individually. Gain competitive insights by comparing your performance to your competitors, to find new opportunities for engagement.

With features like post tagging and cross-network reporting, you can separate different factors like post author or types of content, and drill down into how your posting time influenced your social success.

Sprout’s patented ViralPost® technology uses the same data we’ve used to look at all our customer accounts to determine the best time to post tailored for your account. ViralPost® algorithmically determines the results for our Optimal Send Times feature, a publishing option available in all plans. Our proprietary machine learning feature isn’t new, but we’re constantly learning and improving our product to help brands surface insights faster. Our goal is to help people who use our product work more effectively.

With Optimal Send Times, the specific times offered are based on when your audience engages the most using your publishing history. ViralPost® also continually updates and refines to save you time from doing repeated the analysis, and allowing you more time to craft great content.

Want to see it in action? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of Sprout Social or request a personalized demo and try it for yourself.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

If you’re looking for more of our findings from this year’s study of our customer data, see what we learned about the best times to post across eight industries on these networks:

• Best times to post on Social Media
• Best times to post on Facebook
• Best times to post on Instagram
• Best times to post on LinkedIn
• Best times to post on Twitter

How Sprout gathered the data

We understand that these reports can raise questions about just where the data is coming from. That’s why we want to be clear about the data we pulled and how we got here.

Sprout Social’s Data Science team gathers this information by analyzing nearly 2 billion engagements across 400,000 social profiles across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok.

Find your best time to post with Sprout

Now’s the time to test your content calendar. Are you posting when your followers are most active? Start your free trial of Sprout Social and discover the best times to post on social media today.

The post Best times to post on TikTok in 2024 appeared first on Sprout Social.

Businesses see the value of Twitter in terms of staying close to emerging topics, trends and sentiments from global audiences. And now, more than ever, marketers understand the importance of staying close to the conversations and brand sentiment. And as a platform for conversations and customer care, it’s important to understand how to use Twitter for business in a meaningful way.

Learn how to identify your best times to post globally on Twitter a free trial of Sprout Social and test our ViralPost® feature with your profiles.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

Disclaimer: Data from Sprout Social include users from various plan types, industries and locations. All time frames are recorded globally, meaning you should be able to publish with the times provided in any timezone and see positive engagement results. Number of engagements represents total engagements a brand received on the specific channel during that hour time frame. Industry-specific data includes mid- to high-level engagement times. We recommend testing with your own accounts to find the most optimal send times.

• What are the best times to post on Twitter?
• What are the best times to post on Twitter by industry?
  • Hospitals & Healthcare
  • Hospitality
  • Media
  • Nonprofit
  • Restaurants
  • Schools & Education
  • Travel & Tourism
• How to find your own best times to post on social media
• How Sprout gathered the data
• Find your best times to post with Sprout

Best Times to Post on Twitter

• Best times to post on Twitter:
  • Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Fridays 9 a.m. to noon
• Best days to post on Twitter: Tuesdays through Thursdays
• Worst days to post on Twitter: Sundays

Twitter has consistently been the platform for up-to-the-minute conversations and breaking news. And 2022 didn’t stop with breaking news and trends on or about Twitter. Brands looking to participate in trending topics need to be timely but conscious of their brand values in the process.

Twitter peak times for engagement grew significantly compared to last year, with hours consistently at late-morning to midday during weekdays. The best times to post on Twitter are Tuesdays through Fridays beginning at 9 a.m. and taper off around noon.

This could reflect an interest in developing news and updates as the day unfolds, as well as a desire for entertainment. Keep in mind many brands use Twitter as part of their customer service strategy, as an alternative to traditional customer support options. Brands should continue to build trust between their customers and proactively improve customer experience through social listening.

Best Times to Post on Twitter by Industry

There’s no definitive answer to what the best times to post on Twitter are, and we can only offer insight with the data we have. Industry is just one factor that plays into the success of your social posts. Consider as well as your target audience, business goals and the content itself.

Use this industry-level data to help inform your publishing calendar, and test your optimal send times with social experiments.

Best Times to Post on Twitter for Hospitals & Healthcare

• Best times to post on Twitter for Hospitals & Healthcare:
  • Mondays at 2 p.m.
  • Tuesdays at 8 a.m.
  • Thursdays from 8 to 11 a.m.
• Best days to post on Twitter for Hospitals & Healthcare: Tuesdays and Thursdays
• Worst days to post on Twitter for Hospitals & Healthcare: Weekends

Hospitals, clinics and healthcare providers have been put to work on social media the last few years, due to the pandemic. However, social media for healthcare is more than navigating healthcare crises. It’s about educating the public, helping patients feel more comfortable with healthcare visits and doctors’ appointments, promoting their programs for aspiring physicians and establishing themselves as pillars in the community.

The best times to post on Twitter for healthcare and hospitals stay consistent compared to last year. Nearly every single day sees moderate engagement starting at 7 a.m. seven days a week. However, the best times to post on Twitter for hospitals and healthcare are Mondays at 2 p.m., Tuesdays at 8 a.m., and Thursdays from 8 to 11 a.m. Higher than average posting times are Tuesday and Thursday midmornings into early afternoons.

Hospital and healthcare social media resources

• Social media and healthcare: how to keep patients engaged
• Why healthcare orgs should invest in social listening, stat
• Supporting HIPAA Compliance on social: a cheat sheet

Best Times to Post on Twitter for Hospitality

• Best times to post on Twitter for Hospitality:
  • Tuesdays at 10 p.m.
  • Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
  • Fridays at 8 p.m.
• Best days to post on Twitter for Hospitality: Fridays and Saturdays
• Worst days to post on Twitter for Hospitality: Sundays and Mondays

The hospitality industry has seen more engagement and posting days on Twitter. Consumers are craving some semblance of pre-pandemic life and businesses sense it. Hospitality businesses see higher engagement consistently in the evening hours, starting at 6 p.m. almost every day of the week, whereas last year, it was only for three days of the week.

The best times to post on Twitter for the hospitality industry are Tuesdays at 10 p.m., Wednesdays at 8 p.m. and Fridays at 8 p.m. Essentially late evening hours when people are looking to engage with hospitality brands. Moderate engagement last a few hours before or after those optimal posting times, and is relatively light during average business hours.

Hospitality social media resources

• Social media marketing tools for the travel industry
• How Allegiant Air’s customer relations team is taking flight with Sprout Social
• How Loews Hotels & Co succeeds at scale with Sprout Social’s all-in-one platform
• When to create separate social media accounts for your multilocation business [Free Worksheet]

Best Times to Post on Twitter for Media

• Best times to post on Twitter for Media:
  • Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 10 p.m. to midnight
• Best days to post on Twitter for Media: Tuesdays and Thursdays
• Worst days to post on Twitter for Media: Saturdays

The media and entertainment industry also sees consistent engagement on Twitter. Media businesses could expect engagement from early weekday mornings through the afternoons. Major global events, political upheavals and business news have had a relevant impact on media impressions on all networks, especially Twitter.

News travels quickly, and the best times to post on Twitter for the media and entertainment industry are Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Media social media resources

• How to supercharge your media relations strategy with social
• How RADIO.COM used social listening to crown the #ArtistOfTheSummer
• Social media and journalism: how to effectively reach the public

Best Times to Post on Twitter for Nonprofit

• Best times to post on Twitter for Nonprofit:
  • Mondays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and at 8 p.m.
  • Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon
• Best days to post on Twitter for Nonprofit: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays
• Worst days to post on Twitter for Nonprofit: Saturdays

Our data for the best times to post on Twitter for nonprofits shows consistent Twitter engagement throughout the week during general business hours and extending into the evening.

The best times to post on Twitter for nonprofit organizations are Mondays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 8 a.m., Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon.

However, even with the consistent audience engagement seen in the heatmap above, all businesses need to test their own best times to post. Whether it’s through social testing or using Sprout’s Optimal Send Times feature, find what times work best for your organization on Twitter.

Nonprofit social media resources

• Turning moments into momentum: How nonprofits can leverage #GivingTuesday year-round
• How this nonprofit institute boosts messaging reach with Employee Advocacy by Sprout Social
• The ultimate social media for museums guide

Best Times to Post on Twitter for Restaurants

• Best times to post on Twitter for Restaurants:
  • Thursdays at 11 p.m.
• Best days to post on Twitter for Restaurants: Tuesdays and Fridays
• Worst days to post on Twitter for Restaurants: Sundays

In 2022, everyone was ready to get back to their pre-pandemic routines, and restaurants were ready with open doors. While online orders and delivery services may have become new offerings for some locations, the desire to draw patrons has not. Target audience and platform goals factor into ways businesses connect with their customers. Offering unique promotions and updates on Twitter will keep your restaurant in mind for potential customers.

Twitter engagement for restaurants and bars shows decent engagement midday during the week between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., generally. However, the peak engagement and best time to post on Twitter for restaurants and bars is Thursdays at 11 p.m.

Restaurant social media resources

• The complete guide to social media for restaurants & bars
• 5 tips from the man behind #Sprinklegate
• Auntie Anne’s SMM Bari’s TikTok Bootcamp [Webinar]

Best Times to Post on Twitter for Schools & Education

• Best times to post on Twitter for Schools & Education:
  • Mondays at 10 a.m.
  • Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to noon
  • Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to noon
  • Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon
• Best days to post on Twitter for Schools & Education: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
• Worst days to post on Twitter for Schools & Education: Sundays

Universities, higher education institutions and schools see a significant increase in engagements on Twitter compared to last year. Keep in mind that some schools manage multiple social profiles (per college, athletics, etc.) to meet these needs and effectively target distinct audiences at the right time.

High opportunities for engagement start midmorning and go through later evening hours. The best times to post on Twitter for education and schools are Mondays at 10 a.m., Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to noon, and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon.

From highlighting student life to sharing school updates, a social media strategy for education needs to fulfill multiple functions. Are you looking to engage with students past, present and future? Are you looking to keep a pulse on sentiment and brand health?

Schools and education social media resources

• Choose wisely: Higher education marketers take on College Decision Day
• All aboard: How Purdue University increased their social media engagement by 24%
• University branding: How to build your school’s brand on social media
• Higher ed playbook: Using social to unite your university

Best Times to Post on Twitter for Travel & Tourism

• Best times to post on Twitter for Travel & Tourism:
  • Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Thursdays at 10 a.m.
  • Sundays at noon
• Best days to post on Twitter for Travel & Tourism: Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays
• Worst days to post on Twitter for Travel & Tourism: Saturdays

Travel and tourism industries nearly tripled their engagement on Twitter compared to last year. As many travel restrictions continued to be lifted and the semblance of “normal” crept back into many peoples’ lives, travel and tourism businesses see an opportunity to capitalize on the suppressed desires to travel.

The best times to post on Twitter for travel and tourism businesses are Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursdays at 10 a.m., and Sundays at noon. And these peak hours see moderate engagement in the hours before and after those optimal times.

Travel and tourism social media resources

• How Allegiant Air’s customer relations team is taking flight with Sprout Social
• How to manage multiple social media accounts
• When to Create Separate Social Media Accounts for your Multilocation Business [Free Worksheet]

How to find your own best times to post on social media

Social marketers can plan content more effectively when they’re armed with data. And as platforms evolve, how brands and consumers use social will evolve with them, or vice versa. Staying aware of new content formats and trends might help you reach your audience in unexpected ways, or even find new segments and personas you weren’t focusing on before.

While you may be ready to jump in and post at these provided peak engagement times as part of your strategy, consider pairing this data with your own social media data analysis. You may discover that your specific target audience is active near the peak times we’ve outlined or hours earlier.

A social media management tool like Sprout Social can help you drill into your analytics and develop tailored findings for your brand accounts across all networks, holistically and individually. Gain competitive insights by comparing your performance to your competitors, to find new opportunities for engagement.

With features like post tagging and cross-network reporting, you can separate different factors like post author or types of content, and drill down into how your posting time influenced your social success.

Sprout’s patented ViralPost® technology uses the same data we’ve used to look at all our customer accounts to determine the best time to post tailored for your account. ViralPost® algorithmically determines the results for our Optimal Send Times feature, a publishing option available in all plans. Our proprietary machine learning feature isn’t new, but we’re constantly learning and improving our product to help brands surface insights faster. Our goal is to help people who use our product work more effectively.

With Optimal Send Times, the specific times offered are based on when your audience engages the most using your publishing history. ViralPost® also continually updates and refines to save you time from doing the repeated analysis and allowing you more time to craft great content.

Want to see it in action? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of Sprout Social or request a personalized demo and try it for yourself.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

If you’re looking for more of our findings from this year’s study of our customer data, see what we learned about the best times to post across eight industries on these networks:

• Best times to post on Social Media 2023
• Best times to post on Facebook 2023
• Best times to post on Instagram 2023
• Best times to post on LinkedIn 2023
• Best times to post on TikTok 2023

How Sprout gathered the data

We understand that these reports can raise questions about just where the data is coming from. That’s why we want to be clear about the data we pulled and how we got here.

Sprout Social’s Data Science team gathers this information by analyzing nearly 2 billion engagements across 400,000 social profiles across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok.

Find your best time to post with Sprout

Now’s the time to test your content calendar. Are you posting when your followers are most active? Start your free trial of Sprout Social and discover the best times to post on social media today.

Use of Twitter nomenclature across Sprout refers to newly rebranded X platform and related terminology

The post Best times to post on Twitter in 2023 appeared first on Sprout Social.

What types of content do users engage with and how often should you post on social media? While we can’t answer those questions in this article, we can answer when to post on social media. For frequency, read our guide on how often to post on social to uncover data to help guide your social strategies.

Remember: with Instagram as a discovery platform of trends, brands, products or services, it’s important to get high-quality photos and content in front of potential consumers’ eyes at the right time.

Learn how to identify your best times to post on Instagram with a free trial of Sprout Social and test our ViralPost® feature.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

Disclaimer: Data from Sprout Social include users from various plan types, industries and locations. All time frames are recorded globally, meaning you should be able to publish with the times provided in any timezone and see positive engagement results. Number of engagements represents total engagements a brand received on the specific channel during that hour time frame. Industry-specific data includes mid- to high-level engagement times. We recommend testing with your own accounts to find the most optimal send times.

• What are the best times to post on Instagram?
• What are the best times to post on Instagram by industry?
  • Consumer Goods
  • Hospitals & Healthcare
  • Hospitality
  • Media
  • Nonprofit
  • Restaurants
  • Schools & Education
  • Travel & Tourism
• How to find your own best times to post on social media
• How Sprout gathered the data
• Find your best times to post with Sprout

Best Times to Post on Instagram

• Best times to post on Instagram:
  • Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon
  • Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Fridays from 9 to 11 a.m.
• Best days to post on Instagram: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
• Worst days to post on Instagram: Sundays

Where Facebook was the most-used platform by marketers worldwide, Instagram comes in second with 79%. Not surprisingly, Instagram is also the second most preferred platform for customer service after Facebook, for marketers and consumers. With the competition for short-form video between Instagram and TikTok still heating up, Reels account for 30% of time spent on the Meta-owned platform.

The best times to post on Instagram are Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., generally. Similar to Facebook, the “off” hours are the early morning hours every day of the week, from midnight until 4 a.m.

Instagram has grown a long way since its photo-only days. The app, which has nearly 2 billion monthly active users, is a platform to share images, videos, Reels, and live streams, just to name a few creative content types. It is also an avenue to collaborate and partner with other brands and provides a stream of revenue through its e-commerce capabilities. There are opportunities to get more followers on Instagram if you use use the platform to its full potential.

The Instagram algorithm is unpredictable. To be successful on the platform is a balance of consistently posting high-quality content that will engage and entertain your audiences. That’s a lot to ask for with each piece of content published. But using that as a guiding post can help with your Instagram marketing efforts.

Best Times to Post on Instagram by Industry

There’s no definitive answer to what the best times to post on Instagram are. We can only offer insight with the data we have. Industry is just one factor that plays into the success of your social posts. Consider as well as your target audience, business goals and the content itself.

Use this industry-level data to help inform your publishing calendar, and test your optimal send times with social experiments.

Best Times to Post on Instagram for Consumer Goods

• Best times to post on Instagram for Consumer Goods:
  • Thursdays at 2 p.m.
• Best days to post on Instagram for Consumer Goods: Tuesdays and Thursdays
• Worst days to post on Instagram for Consumer Goods: Sundays

The consumer goods industry covers a large portfolio of products, ranging from packaged food and beverages to clothing and accessories and everything in between. While the US was facing inflation at nearly 8.5%, US consumers spent 18% more in March 2022 than they did two years prior. After two years into the pandemic, consumers were ready to spend similar to their pre-pandemic habits and more in 2022.

For consumer goods businesses on Instagram, every day has some engagement, but the peak engagement time is on Thursdays at 2 p.m. However, Tuesdays at 10 a.m. also see significant engagement, relative to the rest of the week.

Consumer goods social media resources

• Solutions for Social Commerce
• How to master social media for retail and win more customers
• What is social commerce? Stats, examples & tips for your strategy
• Mobile commerce: what it is and why you should care

Best Times to Post on Instagram for Hospitals & Healthcare

• Best times to post on Instagram for Hospitals & Healthcare:
  • Thursdays at 1 p.m.
• Best days to post on Instagram for Hospitals & Healthcare: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays
• Worst days to post on Instagram for Hospitals & Healthcare: Sundays

Hospitals, clinics and healthcare providers have been put to work on social media the last few years, due to the pandemic. However, social media for healthcare is more than navigating healthcare crises. It’s about educating the public, helping patients feel more comfortable with healthcare visits and doctors’ appointments, promoting their programs for aspiring physicians and establishing themselves as pillars in the community.

Best times to post on Instagram for healthcare and hospitals nearly doubles. Every single day sees moderate engagement starting at 7 a.m. seven days a week. However, the best times to post on Instagram for hospitals are Thursdays at 1 p.m. Higher than average posting times are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons starting at 1 p.m. until about 4 p.m.

Hospital and healthcare social media resources

• Social media and healthcare: how to keep patients engaged
• Why healthcare orgs should invest in social listening, stat
• Supporting HIPAA Compliance on social: a cheat sheet

Best Times to Post on Instagram for Hospitality

• Best times to post on Instagram for Hospitality:
  • Tuesdays at 10 a.m.
  • Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Thursdays at noon
  • Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon
• Best days to post on Instagram for Hospitality: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
• Worst days to post on Instagram for Hospitality: Sundays

The hospitality industry has seen a shift in higher posting and engagement days on Instagram. Consumers are craving some semblance of pre-pandemic life and businesses sense it. Hospitality businesses see higher engagement earlier in the week, compared to last year when their higher engagement was in the latter half. Thankfully businesses in the industry see a return on their efforts throughout most of the workday.

The best times to post on Instagram for the hospitality industry are Tuesdays at 10 a.m., Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursdays at noon, and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon. Essentially late mornings and into the lunch hours during the week, presumably as people are beginning to plan their weekends. Moderate engagement lasts a few hours until about 5 p.m. While weekends are relatively light in engagement for hospitality businesses, there’s still enough engagement on posts to continue posting then.

Hospitality social media resources

• Social media marketing tools for the travel industry
• How Allegiant Air’s customer relations team is taking flight with Sprout Social
• How Loews Hotels & Co succeeds at scale with Sprout Social’s all-in-one platform
• When to create separate social media accounts for your multilocation business [Free Worksheet]

Best Times to Post on Instagram for Media

• Best times to post on Instagram for Media:
  • Mondays at 11 a.m.
  • Wednesdays at 11 a.m.
  • Thursdays at 10 a.m.
• Best days to post on Instagram for Media: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays
• Worst days to post on Instagram for Media: Saturdays and Sundays

Engagement in the media and entertainment industry also sees a resurgence on Instagram. Audiences could be checking into the app for longer sessions rather than quick visits throughout the day, or the algorithm and newsfeed refreshes are manipulating the higher engagements. Major global events, political upheavals and business news have a relevant impact on media impressions on all networks, including Instagram.

As it goes, news travels quickly, and the best times to post on Instagram for the media and entertainment industry are Mondays at 11 a.m., Wednesdays at 11 a.m., and Thursdays at 10 a.m. However, there is still considerable engagement from 5 a.m. through 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Media social media resources

• How to supercharge your media relations strategy with social
• How RADIO.COM used social listening to crown the #ArtistOfTheSummer
• Social media and journalism: how to effectively reach the public

Best Times to Post on Instagram for Nonprofit

• Best times to post on Instagram for Nonprofit:
  • Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
  • Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon
• Best days to post on Instagram for Nonprofit: Wednesdays
• Worst days to post on Instagram for Nonprofit: Saturdays and Sundays

Our data for the best times to post on Instagram for nonprofits shows consistent Instagram engagement throughout the week during general business hours. Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon are the best times to post on Instagram for nonprofits.

However, even with the consistent audience engagement seen in the heatmap above, all businesses need to test their own best times to post. Whether it’s through social testing or using Sprout’s Optimal Send Times feature, find what times work best for your organization on Instagram.

Nonprofit social media resources

• Turning moments into momentum: How nonprofits can leverage #GivingTuesday year-round
• How this nonprofit institute boosts messaging reach with Employee Advocacy by Sprout Social
• The ultimate social media for museums guide

Best Times to Post on Instagram for Restaurants

• Best times to post on Instagram for Restaurants:
  • Mondays at 2 p.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m.
• Best days to post on Instagram for Restaurants: Mondays
• Worst days to post on Instagram for Restaurants: Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays

In 2022, everyone was ready to get back to their pre-pandemic routines, and restaurants were ready with open doors. While online orders and delivery services may have become new offerings for some locations, the desire to draw patrons has not. Target audience and platform goals factor into ways businesses connect with their customers. Offering unique promotions and updates on Instagram will keep your restaurant in mind for potential customers.

Those in the bar and restaurant industry see most of their engagement in the early half of the week, Mondays through Wednesdays. The best times to post for restaurants on Instagram are Mondays at 2 p.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m. However, there are almost just as many engagements Mondays through Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Restaurant social media resources

• The complete guide to social media for restaurants & bars
• 5 tips from the man behind #Sprinklegate
• Auntie Anne’s SMM Bari’s TikTok Bootcamp [Webinar]

Best Times to Post on Instagram for Schools & Education

• Best times to post on Instagram for Schools & Education:
  • Tuesdays at 11 a.m. and from 1 to 4 p.m.
  • Wednesdays at noon and 3 p.m.
  • Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon
• Best days to post on Instagram for Schools & Education: Tuesdays
• Worst days to post on Instagram for Schools & Education: Sundays

Universities, higher education institutions and schools see a significant increase in engagements on Instagram compared to last year. Keep in mind that some schools manage multiple social profiles (per college, athletics, etc.) to meet these needs and effectively target distinct audiences at the right time.

High opportunities for engagement start midmorning and go through early evening hours. The best times to post on Instagram for education are Tuesdays at 11 a.m. and from 1 to 4 p.m., Wednesdays at noon and 3 p.m., and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon.

From highlighting student life to sharing school updates, a social media strategy for education needs to fulfill multiple functions. Are you looking to engage with students past, present and future? Are you looking to keep a pulse on sentiment and brand health?

Schools and education social media resources

• Choose wisely: Higher education marketers take on College Decision Day
• All aboard: How Purdue University increased their social media engagement by 24%
• University branding: How to build your school’s brand on social media
• Higher ed playbook: Using social to unite your university

Best Times to Post on Instagram for Travel & Tourism

• Best times to post on Instagram for Travel & Tourism:
  • Tuesdays at 10 a.m.
• Best days to post on Instagram for Travel & Tourism: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
• Worst days to post on Instagram for Travel & Tourism: Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays

Travel and tourism industries nearly doubled their engagement on Instagram relative to last year. As many travel restrictions continued to be lifted and the semblance of “normal” crept back into many peoples’ lives, travel and tourism businesses see an opportunity to capitalize on the suppressed desires to travel.

The best times to post on Instagram for travel and tourism brands are earlier in the week: Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. saw consistent engagement, as well as Fridays between 7 a.m. and noon. But the peak time to post on Instagram is 10 a.m. on Tuesdays for travel and tourism businesses.

Travel and tourism social media resources

• How Allegiant Air’s customer relations team is taking flight with Sprout Social
• How to manage multiple social media accounts
• When to Create Separate Social Media Accounts for your Multilocation Business [Free Worksheet]

How to find your own best times to post on social media

Social marketers can plan content more effectively when they’re armed with data. And as platforms evolve, how brands and consumers use social will evolve with them, or vice versa. Staying aware of new content formats and trends might help you reach your audience in unexpected ways, or even find new segments and personas you weren’t focusing on before.

While you may be ready to jump in and post at these provided peak engagement times as part of your strategy, consider pairing this data with your own social media data analysis. You may discover that your specific target audience is active near the peak times we’ve outlined or hours earlier.

A social media management tool like Sprout Social can help you drill into your analytics and develop tailored findings for your brand accounts across all networks, holistically and individually. Gain competitive insights by comparing your performance to your competitors, to find new opportunities for engagement.

With features like post tagging and cross-network reporting, you can separate different factors like post author or types of content, and drill down into how your posting time influenced your social success.

Sprout’s patented ViralPost® technology uses the same data we’ve used to look at all our customer accounts to determine the best time to post tailored for your account. ViralPost® algorithmically determines the results for our Optimal Send Times feature, a publishing option available in all plans. Our proprietary machine learning feature isn’t new, but we’re constantly learning and improving our product to help brands surface insights faster. Our goal is to help people who use our product work more effectively.

With Optimal Send Times, the specific times offered are based on when your audience engages the most using your publishing history. ViralPost® also continually updates and refines to save you time from doing the repeated analysis and allowing you more time to craft great content.

Want to see it in action? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of Sprout Social or request a personalized demo and try it for yourself.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

If you’re looking for more of our findings from this year’s study of our customer data, see what we learned about the best times to post across eight industries on these networks:

• Best times to post on Social Media 2023
• Best times to post on Facebook 2023
• Best times to post on LinkedIn 2023
• Best times to post on TikTok 2023
• Best times to post on Twitter 2023

How Sprout gathered the data

We understand that these reports can raise questions about just where the data is coming from. That’s why we want to be clear about the data we pulled and how we got here.

Sprout Social’s Data Science team gathers this information by analyzing nearly 2 billion engagements across 400,000 social profiles across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok.

Find your best time to post with Sprout

Now’s the time to test your content calendar. Are you posting when your followers are most active? Start your free trial of Sprout Social and discover the best times to post on social media today.

The post Best times to post on Instagram in 2023 appeared first on Sprout Social.

With the help of our Data Science team, we’ve been able to analyze nearly 2 billion social media engagements across 400,000 social profiles across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok. And even more, we’re able to provide an analysis of the best times to post on Facebook.

As the most-used platform by marketers worldwide and boasting nearly 3 billion monthly active users, there’s no denying Facebook’s staying power. With a large opportunity for engagement, it’s important to understand how posting on Facebook at the right times will benefit your social media content strategy.

Learn how to identify your best times to post on Facebook with a free trial of Sprout Social and test our ViralPost® feature.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

Disclaimer: Data from Sprout Social include users from various plan types, industries and locations. All time frames are recorded globally, meaning you should be able to publish with the times provided in any timezone and see positive engagement results. Number of engagements represents total engagements a brand received on the specific channel during that hour time frame. Industry-specific data includes mid- to high-level engagement times. We recommend testing with your own accounts to find the most optimal send times.

• What are the best times to post on Facebook?
• What are the best times to post on Facebook by industry?
  • Consumer Goods
  • Hospitals & Healthcare
  • Hospitality
  • Media
  • Nonprofit
  • Restaurants
  • Schools & Education
  • Travel & Tourism
• How to find your own best times to post on social media
• How Sprout gathered the data
• Find your best times to post with Sprout

Best Times to Post on Facebook

• Best times to post on Facebook:
  • Mondays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Thursdays from 8 a.m. to noon
• Best days to post on Facebook: Mondays through Thursdays
• Worst days to post on Facebook: Sundays

Don’t look alarmed. Facebook is still the most used platform by marketers worldwide at 90%, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. We’ve seen an interesting shift in most engagement times matching general business hours versus very early morning hours in recent years. What does this mean for marketers?

Optimal send times for Facebook are Mondays through Thursdays starting at 8 a.m. until early afternoon, generally 1 p.m. The only “off” hours for posting on Facebook are very early hours on Fridays through Mondays, generally midnight until 4 a.m.

With a solid Facebook marketing strategy, businesses can target the right audiences at the right time with their content. Keep in mind, engagement also has to do with how often you post on social media and what you post. Not all social content translates well across every social media platform. Posting the right content on the right platform makes a difference.

Best Times to Post on Facebook by Industry

Remember, while we’d like to believe there’s a definitive answer to what the best times to post on Facebook are, we can only offer insight with the data we have. Industry is just one factor that plays into the success of your social posts.

Use this industry-level data to help inform your publishing calendar, and test your optimal send times with social experiments.

Best Times to Post on Facebook for Consumer Goods

• Best times to post on Facebook for Consumer Goods:
  • Mondays at 7 p.m.
  • Tuesdays from 6 to 8 p.m.
  • Fridays from 6 to 8 p.m.
• Best days to post on Facebook for Consumer Goods: Mondays
• Worst days to post on Facebook for Consumer Goods: None, generally speaking

The consumer goods industry covers a large portfolio of products, ranging from packaged food and beverages to clothing and accessories and everything in between. While the US was facing inflation at nearly 8.5%, US consumers spent 18% more in March 2022 than they did two years prior. After two years into the pandemic, consumers were ready to spend similar to their pre-pandemic habits.

With the increase in spending habits, consumer goods’ social media engagements also grew. For consumer goods businesses on Facebook, every single day saw solid engagement after 7 a.m. That’s right: weekdays and weekends. For peak engagement, Mondays at 7 p.m. and Tuesdays and Fridays from 6 to 8 p.m. are optimal times for this industry.

Consumer goods social media resources

• Solutions for Social Commerce
• How to master social media for retail and win more customers
• What is social commerce? Stats, examples & tips for your strategy
• Mobile commerce: what it is and why you should care

Best Times to Post on Facebook for Hospitals & Healthcare

• Best times to post on Facebook for Hospitals & Healthcare:
  • Mondays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 8 p.m.
  • Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 8 p.m.
  • Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 6 to 8 p.m.
  • Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 4 to 7 p.m.
  • Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• Best days to post on Facebook for Hospitals & Healthcare: Mondays and Tuesdays
• Worst days to post on Facebook for Hospitals & Healthcare: Weekends, relatively

Hospitals, clinics and healthcare providers have been put to work on social media the last few years, due to the pandemic. But, social media for healthcare is more than navigating healthcare crises. It’s about educating the public, helping patients feel more comfortable with healthcare visits and doctors’ appointments, promoting their programs for aspiring physicians and establishing themselves as pillars in the community.

Best times to post on Facebook for healthcare and hospitals expands compared to last year. Every single day sees solid engagement around 7 a.m., both weekdays and weekends. Yet, peak posting times on Facebook for hospitals are weekdays from 9 a.m. through noon (through 1 p.m. on Fridays only), and Monday and Tuesday afternoons from 1 to 8 p.m. Evening hours are equally engaging Wednesdays through Fridays.

Hospital and healthcare social media resources

• Social media and healthcare: how to keep patients engaged
• Why healthcare orgs should invest in social listening, stat
• Supporting HIPAA Compliance on social: a cheat sheet

Best Times to Post on Facebook for Hospitality

• Best times to post on Facebook for Hospitality:
  • Mondays from noon to 9 p.m.
  • Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Fridays at 3 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.
• Best days to post on Facebook for Hospitality: Mondays through Thursdays
• Worst days to post on Facebook for Hospitality: Sundays, relatively

What an impressive jump in posting and engagement from the hospitality industry! Consumers see some semblance of pre-pandemic life and brands sense it. Compared to the year prior, the hospitality went full-force with posting on social media and they saw a return on their efforts throughout most of the day.

You can’t go wrong posting anytime after 10 a.m. on most weekdays and still find significant engagement. However, peak times last for several hours until about 8 or 9 p.m. While weekends are relatively light in engagement for hospitality businesses, there’s still moderate engagement where posts are still being noticed and interacted with.

Hospitality social media resources

• Social media marketing tools for the travel industry
• How Allegiant Air’s customer relations team is taking flight with Sprout Social
• How Loews Hotels & Co succeeds at scale with Sprout Social’s all-in-one platform
• When to create separate social media accounts for your multilocation business [Free Worksheet]

Best Times to Post on Facebook for Media

• Best times to post on Facebook for Media:
  • Mondays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Tuesdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Wednesdays from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Thursdays at 11 a.m.
• Best days to post on Facebook for Media: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
• Worst days to post on Facebook for Media: Weekends, relatively

Engagement for the media and entertainment industry also see a resurgence on Facebook last year. Audiences could be checking into the app for longer sessions rather than quick visits throughout the day, or it could be multiple quick check-ins and algorithm newsfeed refreshes that are manipulating the higher engagements. Major global events, political upheavals and business news have had a relevant impact on media impressions on all networks.

As it goes, news travels quickly, and the best times to post on Facebook for the media and entertainment industry are Mondays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesdays from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Thursdays at 11 a.m. However, there is still solid engagement in the early evenings in the first half of the week.

Media social media resources

• How to supercharge your media relations strategy with social
• How RADIO.COM used social listening to crown the #ArtistOfTheSummer
• Social media and journalism: how to effectively reach the public

Best Times to Post on Facebook for Nonprofit

• Best times to post on Facebook for Nonprofit:
  • Mondays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Best days to post on Facebook for Nonprofit: Mondays through Wednesdays, but especially on Tuesdays
• Worst days to post on Facebook for Nonprofit: Sundays

Compared to last year’s data, there’s been a significant increase in Facebook activity for nonprofits. Our data for the best times to post on Facebook for nonprofits shows solid Facebook engagement throughout the week during general business hours as well as midday on weekends. Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. are the best times to post on Facebook for nonprofits.

However, even with the consistent audience engagement seen in the heatmap above, all businesses need to test their own best times to post. Whether it’s through social testing or using Sprout’s Optimal Send Times feature, find what times work best for your organization on Facebook.

Nonprofit social media resources

• Turning moments into momentum: How nonprofits can leverage #GivingTuesday year-round
• How this nonprofit institute boosts messaging reach with Employee Advocacy by Sprout Social
• The ultimate social media for museums guide

Best Times to Post on Facebook for Restaurants

• Best times to post on Facebook for Restaurants:
  • Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon
  • Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11 a.m.
• Best days to post on Facebook for Restaurants: Mondays and Wednesdays
• Worst days to post on Facebook for Restaurants: Weekends, relatively

In 2022, everyone was ready to get back to their pre-pandemic routines, and restaurants were ready with open doors. While online orders and delivery services may have become new offerings for some locations, the desire to draw patrons has not. And restaurants saw nearly 2x more engagements on Facebook than last year’s analysis.

Those in the bar and restaurant industry see consistent engagement between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. almost every single day. The best times to post for restaurants on Facebook though are just before or around lunchtime: Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon and Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 11 a.m.

Different platforms offer a unique way for businesses to connect with their customers. Target audience and their social media platform preferences also play a factor in this. Offering unique promotions and updates suited for each platform will keep your restaurant in mind for potential customers.

Restaurant social media resources

• The complete guide to social media for restaurants & bars
• 5 tips from the man behind #Sprinklegate
• Auntie Anne’s SMM Bari’s TikTok Bootcamp [Webinar]

Best Times to Post on Facebook for Schools & Education

• Best times to post on Facebook for Schools & Education:
  • Mondays from 9 a.m. to noon
  • Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon
  • Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Fridays at 10 a.m.
• Best days to post on Facebook for Schools & Education: Mondays through Wednesdays
• Worst days to post on Facebook for Schools & Education: Weekends

There was no slowing down for universities, higher education institutions and schools on Facebook. Keep in mind that some schools manage multiple social profiles (per college, athletics, etc.) to meet these needs and effectively target distinct audiences at the right time. Research by BestColleges reports that 60% of remote learners expect to enroll in online courses even after campuses return to normal and 90% of online program graduates would recommend online learning to others.

High opportunities for engagement start midmorning and go throughout the day, but the best times to post on Facebook for education are Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Fridays at 10 a.m.

From highlighting student life to sharing school updates, a social media strategy for education needs to fulfill multiple functions. Are you looking to engage with students past, present and future? Are you looking to keep a pulse on sentiment and brand health?

Schools and education social media resources

• Choose wisely: Higher education marketers take on College Decision Day
• All aboard: How Purdue University increased their social media engagement by 24%
• University branding: How to build your school’s brand on social media
• Higher ed playbook: Using social to unite your university

Best Times to Post on Facebook for Travel & Tourism

• Best times to post on Facebook for Travel & Tourism:
  • Mondays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon
• Best days to post on Facebook for Travel & Tourism: Mondays and Tuesdays
• Worst days to post on Facebook for Travel & Tourism: Sundays

Travel and tourism industries nearly double their engagement on Facebook. As many travel restrictions continued to be lifted and the semblance of “normal” crept back into many peoples’ lives, travel and tourism businesses saw an opportunity to capitalize on the suppressed desires to travel.

The best times to post on Facebook for travel and tourism brands are earlier in the week: Mondays and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. until about 2 or 3 p.m., as well as on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon. In general, on Facebook, there is significant engagement midday and early in the week for travel and tourism, as people are preparing for their weekend destinations.

Travel and tourism social media resources

• How Allegiant Air’s customer relations team is taking flight with Sprout Social
• How to manage multiple social media accounts
• When to Create Separate Social Media Accounts for your Multilocation Business [Free Worksheet]

How to find your own best times to post on social media

Social marketers can plan content more effectively when they’re armed with data. And as platforms evolve, how brands and consumers use social will evolve with them, or vice versa. Staying aware of new content formats and trends might help you reach your audience in unexpected ways, or even find new segments and personas you weren’t focusing on before.

While you may be ready to jump in and post at these provided peak engagement times as part of your strategy, consider pairing this data with your own social media data analysis. You may discover that your specific target audience is active near the peak times we’ve outlined or hours earlier.

A social media management tool like Sprout Social can help you drill into your analytics and develop tailored findings for your brand accounts across all networks, holistically and individually. Gain competitive insights by comparing your performance to your competitors, to find new opportunities for engagement.

With features like post tagging and cross-network reporting, you can separate different factors like post author or types of content, and drill down into how your posting time influenced your social success.

Sprout’s patented ViralPost® technology uses the same data we’ve used to look at all our customer accounts to determine the best time to post tailored for your account. ViralPost® algorithmically determines the results for our Optimal Send Times feature, a publishing option available in all plans. Our proprietary machine learning feature isn’t new, but we’re constantly learning and improving our product to help brands surface insights faster. Our goal is to help people who use our product work more effectively.

With Optimal Send Times, the specific times offered are based on when your audience engages the most using your publishing history. ViralPost® also continually updates and refines to save you time from doing the repeated analysis and allowing you more time to craft great content.

Want to see it in action? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of Sprout Social or request a personalized demo and try it for yourself.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

If you’re looking for more of our findings from this year’s study of our customer data, see what we learned about the best times to post across eight industries on these networks:

• Best times to post on Social Media 2023
• Best times to post on Instagram 2023
• Best times to post on LinkedIn 2023
• Best times to post on TikTok 2023
• Best times to post on Twitter 2023

How Sprout gathered the data

We understand that these reports can raise questions about just where the data is coming from. That’s why we want to be clear about the data we pulled and how we got here.

Sprout Social’s Data Science team gathers this information by analyzing nearly 2 billion engagements across 400,000 social profiles across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok.

Find your best time to post with Sprout

Now’s the time to test your content calendar. Are you posting when your followers are most active? Start your free trial of Sprout Social and discover the best times to post on social media today.

The post Best times to post on Facebook in 2023 appeared first on Sprout Social.

In this article, we’ll break down the basics of using a social media calendar, along with key benefits and strategies to help manage your social content.

What is a social media calendar?

A social media calendar is a strategic, hyper-detailed plan of upcoming posts for all of your social channels organized by publish date and time. Along with the publish date and time for posts, your social media calendar can also include links, tags, @-mentions, copy and media, such as images and video.

You can use a digital calendar, spreadsheet or a social media management platform like Sprout that offers an interactive dashboard and the ability to schedule posts.

Benefits of using a social media calendar

A content calendar is the key to a successful social media plan because there are so many benefits to using one from saving time to streamlining collaboration.

Here are a few:

1: Saves time and widens team bandwidth

A social media calendar saves time by staying organized, especially when managing multiple accounts. As a social media manager, planning out a social calendar months in advance saves you from scouring trending topics and news stories every day looking for ideas. It will also give you more bandwidth to track and test different strategies to see what resonates most with your audience. Your team will also have more time to focus on creating high-quality content.

2: Maintain a consistent posting schedule

Of course, there’s no hard rule for how much you should post, but it’s important to post frequently to maintain an active presence. A social media content calendar allows teams to prioritize quality, not quantity. Plus, planning will also build greater consistency in terms of your brand voice and style, rather than posting in a reactive or unplanned way.

3: Quality assurance and brand safety

Proactive scheduling allows social teams to check their work and protect their brand’s reputation. It’s easier to catch a typo or prevent a potential public relations crisis when you aren’t rushing and a workflow approval process is in place. Using a social media calendar will help catch these mistakes sooner rather than later.

4: Streamline cross-functional collaboration

A well-crafted social media calendar improves visibility because it provides an overview of all upcoming content. A content calendar streamlines communication and cross-functional collaboration because everyone can look at the calendar and know what lies ahead. It also promotes alignment for department or organizational-wide initiatives because it provides a set posting schedule. Having a posting schedule is important because your social media should support your overall organizational marketing efforts.

For example, your team can ensure social posts sync up with larger campaigns. Stakeholders in the campaign can easily view what you have planned and provide feedback, if necessary.

How to create a social media content calendar

1. Conduct a social media audit

Before creating your social media content calendar, you need to conduct a social media audit of past content to evaluate your current online presence.

Consider the following during your audit:

• Important metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) for each account by platform to define success
• Your brand’s goals for each account by platform
• Your target audience
• Highest and lowest performing posts and campaigns
• Opportunities for improvement or experimenting
• Publishing frequency

Pull together native analytics from sources like Twitter Analytics or Facebook Insights. If you’re using Sprout Social, you will find metrics across multiple social networks in one place: Sprout’s Report Builder.

Pay attention to your brand’s analytics to pin down what could be contributing to your highest and lowest performing posts. If you want even more ideas for your calendar, consider doing a competitive analysis during your audit. Auditing a competitor in your industry can help you identify gaps.

Completing an audit will help you identify how to curate posts for your social media calendar template and what content you should create for your audience. The goal is to give you a strategy to fill each day of your content calendar. If you’re able to identify what’s going well and opportunities for improvement, you’ll be better positioned to meet your brand’s goals.

2. Use a social media calendar template

Create a social media content calendar template to stay organized, streamline workflows, improve collaboration and track metrics. Your social media calendar template should include the following:

• Social media networks and accounts
• Date and time
• Social copy including hashtags and links
• Media (GIFs, images, video, etc.)
• Approval steps
• Space for collaboration and feedback notes
• KPIs
• Key (a color-coordinated key with labels to organize your content)

Level up your social media content calendar template with these advanced additions:

• Published post links
• UTM tracking links
• Geo-tag
• Network-specific format (Story, feed post, short-form video like Reels or TikTok, etc.)
• Associated campaigns, like a new product launch
• Approval status
• Paid or organic post (include budget details for paid posts)

These additions provide more context, especially if you want to dig deeper into tracking performance. For example, UTM tracking links enable you to measure traffic from a platform, traffic type (referral, paid or organic) and the specific campaign that brought the traffic in.

Use a digital calendar or spreadsheet for your template, or automate your calendar building with tool like Sprout’s social media calendar to lower the lift on your end.

3. Select your social media channels and content types

Now that you’ve completed an audit and created a social media content calendar template, you’re ready choose the channels and type of content you want to post.

Which channels does your audience engage with the most? And what types of content resonate with them? Lean on your analytics while brainstorming your social media post ideas and identify themes and/or categories to determine the type of content your will schedule in the content calendar.

Once you have a few basic topics in mind, go deeper with a research tool like social listening to learn more about what your audience wants to see. By using listening for competitive research, you’ll see a comprehensive view of the hashtags, keywords, brands and topics that engage with your audience across different social channels. Use this information to plan posts that are highly relevant to your audience and expand your reach to others who may be interested in your content.

Overall, make sure that the majority of the content you work into your social media calendar is intended to help your audience. While the exact mix will vary depending on your brand, niche and the types of content your audience responds to the most, a good rule of thumb is to make two-thirds of the content informational and one-third or less promotional.

While promotional content tends to be sales-focused, a constant stream can alienate followers, making it essential to prioritize engagement over selling in your social media calendar. For example, on Instagram we feature Sprouters talking about their favorite emojis:

4. Define a social media calendar posting schedule

Once you have an idea of the types of content you’re going to post, you’ll need to create a posting schedule to help keep track of ideal times for publishing.

You should aim for a sweet spot based on your audience’s preference, because social moves fast—posting too much, too little or too late can result in dropped engagement. Posting frequently is important, but don’t emphasize quantity over quality. Be wary of sharing content that is irrelevant or redundant for the sake of meeting a posting quota.

Consider the patterns that arose from your audit and competitive analysis. Take a look at publish dates and times for each platform and make a note of any specific themes. This information will help you organize and plan your posts to get the most visibility.

There’s a lot of competing information on publishing cadences. Some professionals recommend posting as regularly as possible to stay top of mind. Others suggest only posting if you have high quality and valuable information to add to the conversation.

There are also best practices around the best times to post on social media, on each platform, broken down by specific industries and niches. Check out our guide on how often to post on social media per channel to learn more. Sprout’s data science team analyzed posting frequencies for more than 30,000 Sprout Social customers to determine the industry average for some of the most popular social media networks.

Sprout also takes the guesswork out of posting cadences by analyzing the best times for you. Using a tool like Sprout’s ViralPost® feature helps you target posting times based on your individual audience data. ViralPost reviews this data and suggests Optimal Send Times for each platform you use.

5. Track and analyze your social media content calendar

Your social media calendar isn’t just a planning tool. It’s also a way to track and measure metrics across every platform you use. Analyze the information you collect from your social media campaigns and continue to optimize your social media calendar.

If you tag posts to specific campaigns, you can keep track of content that may need to be optimized or repurposed. When content performs well, save it or make a note to reintroduce it again in the future when it’s time to reevaluate your strategy again or brainstorm more upcoming posts.

For example, Sprout’s Asset Library lets you store videos, text and images in an easy-to-access library so you can re-incorporate high-performers into your social media strategy. Storing everything in a pre-approved library also ensures that all creative assets are on point in terms of quality and brand style guidelines.

Account for specific campaigns across different social platforms. Different social media platforms serve different purposes, so you should plan strategically when looking to increase the reach of a given post on other platforms. It’s important to remember that just because a post is popular on one platform, doesn’t mean it will perform well on others.

6. Improve your social media calendar by sharing across teams

You probably work frequently with other teams within your organization since social is a key pillar for many brands’ marketing strategies. Social media collaboration can strengthen your content and help your brand reach organizational goals. Seek feedback from your team and marketing stakeholders to improve your social media calendar. The goal here is to iterate your social media calendar as your marketing strategy and business evolves.

Including teams outside marketing will give you fresh ideas for things to post, while also supporting priorities across the organization. The product team can let you know when new features, services or products will be launching. Human resources and public relations can remind you of important dates and company milestones worth posting about.

Modern social teams work with a variety of teams and stakeholders, so you need an easy and reliable way to make sure that everyone involved can access the right tools, accounts and organize their deliverables. When your calendar is integrated into a social media management platform like Sprout Social, you increase the visibility of what needs to be created and approved across contributors.

Sprout’s content calendar include tools like approval workflows that emphasize collaboration so you can grant people in different departments access to relevant parts of the social media calendar.

Social media calendar apps

There are many social media management tools and social media scheduling tools out there to choose from. Here’s a quick overview of our top three favorite tools:

Google Calendar/Sheets

Google Calendar and Sheets are free and fairly intuitive to use. There are a bounty of social media calendar templates you can use from Google Sheets and Calendar. Both apps can be used to allow users to easily view upcoming posts and add comments for feedback and other collaboration.

Notion

Notion is a powerful note taking app, but it’s also a tool for marketers. The app has a database feature that can be used to create templates, including social media calendars. Notion is highly customizable and collaborative so users can easily view the status of content and give feedback via comments all within one platform.

Sprout Social

Okay, so yes, we’re definitely tooting our own horn here, but Sprout’s tools will truly help your social media team.

Our interactive content calendar’s publishing and scheduling tools are designed to increase visibility, improve team efficiency and boost customer loyalty, so social teams have more bandwidth for creative efforts, like participating in relevant trends. For instance, you can follow up on your scheduled posts by establishing a process for responding and engaging with your audience.

With Sprout, you can assign replies to different members of the team, which ensures that your followers always get a timely response when they tag you or comment on a post. Sprout’s Asset Library can also be used to create Auto-Responses and Saved Replies to frequently asked questions on social media. If your company handles support through a separate social media team your marketing team can always control the messaging, no matter who is posting.

Essentially, Sprout’s interactive content calendar allows you to manage the social experience, end to end.

Level up with a social media calendar

Your time is too valuable to spend deciding what to post every single day. A well-planned social media content calendar lets you use your time to plan for the future and focus on other aspects of your marketing strategy. Take your content planning to the next level with Sprout’s social media calendar features.

The post A complete guide to creating a social media calendar appeared first on Sprout Social.

You might think that one account per platform is ideal, but depending on your business’ needs and your social media goals, it could be in your best interest to manage multiple social media accounts for different functions. We’ll help you figure out how to evaluate your account needs and create a strategy tailored to a multi-account approach.

4 signs your business needs multiple social media accounts

How can you determine if your business needs multiple social media accounts?
It can be difficult to tell when you’ve outgrown the need for one social media account per network. Here are four ways you can evaluate whether it’s time to invest in multiple social media accounts.

Customer support dominates your feed

Customers increasingly turn to social media for customer support. They don’t want to wait for someone to email them back or navigate a maze of phone prompts to get to an agent. They want to make a quick post and have someone get back to them quickly. According to The Sprout Social Index™, 30% of consumers expect a response from brands within the same day.

When your business grows to the point that most of your posts are responding to support issues or complaints, it might be time to dedicate an account to those issues. Xbox Support’s Twitter account is an excellent example of a support account. Their posts are tailored toward informing users about issues they’re working to fix and they reply to user issues with solutions or directions to their DM support channel.

You manage multiple audiences

Take a look at your ideal customer profiles (ICP)–or maybe ICPs. How much do they have in common? If your audiences are starting to break out into distinct segments, it might be time to consider having multiple social profiles to cater to each.

For example, Texas A&M University has audiences of faculty, students and alumni. Beyond that, the university encompasses 16 academic colleges, 19 NCAA sports and hundreds of departments. What matters to a life sciences student probably won’t have a lot of overlap with what matters to a football-obsessed alumnus. With that level of difference, you have to break up your social accounts to make sure you stay relevant.

If you’re a large corporation, you might have audiences looking for information beyond marketing, sales and customer care. At Sprout, we have an investor relations Twitter to showcase relevant highlights for that audience. Enterprise companies with a high volume of job openings might have a careers account dedicated to job seekers. If important messages aren’t relevant to a large portion of your core audience, it might be time for multiple accounts.

For instance, New Jersey Transit runs 14 separate Twitter accounts for each transit line they operate. If a user was looking for information about bus service but NJ Transit’s feed was cluttered with information about hiring, train service interruptions and police activity, they’d become pretty frustrated. NJ Transit manages that complexity through multiple accounts.

You deal with regional differences

If your business has multiple locations, or serves a variety of regions, managing multiple social accounts might be in your best interest. A snowstorm in New York might close your locations there, but that doesn’t matter at all to your customers in sunny Florida. Having multiple social accounts can help you navigate regional complexities.

A great example of this strategy is Aldi’s Twitter accounts. As a multinational company, there are bound to be differences in products and audiences across borders. Aldi splits their social presence into Aldi US and Aldi UK, with vastly different content featured on each. On the UK account, they feature products solely available at those locations and alter their tone and spelling to match the regional standard. On the US account, they use American spelling and tone, while referencing uniquely American cultural events, like the NFL playoffs.

You have a lot of variety in your product suite

If you’re an enterprise-level business, chances are that you have a lot of products. While all of those products might be relevant to a business at large, they probably won’t resonate with each individual user.

As your product suite grows, it might be advantageous to create accounts for specific products or user audiences. For example, Salesforce manages accounts for different products so they can reach a wider audience with relevant content.

How to manage multiple social media accounts in 5 steps

Managing multiple social media accounts can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Follow these five steps to get started.

Step 1: Have a strategy in place

Having a solid social media strategy is imperative for any brand, but it’s especially important when you’re managing the complexity of multiple accounts. To get started, there are a few things you need to evaluate.

First, establish what accounts you need to create. Document your requirements. Are you going to segment accounts by purpose, like support vs. marketing? Or does it make more sense to segment by attributes like audience, location or product? Once you have those answers, decide how many accounts you need and how your team should manage them. You should also think about how your teams will interact.

We combat decentralization by creating relationships and being a resource for other departments or teams in the Texas A&M system that are working in social. Recently, for example, we got a message in Sprout about our recreational sports center. Even though the message wasn’t directed to the Texas A&M rec sports social channels, we were able to pass it along to the right people because we’ve built the relationship.

Krista Berend
Director of Social Media at Texas A&M

After you’ve decided what accounts to create, make tangible goals for each. You’ll need KPIs to make sure the additional complexity is delivering results for your business. Measure your performance against those KPIs constantly and don’t be afraid to adapt or tweak when you’re underperforming.

If you’re looking for a place to start, this 30-day social media plan template is a great jumping off point.

Step 2: Document your brand guidelines

When you have one social media manager and one account per platform, it’s pretty easy to stay within brand guidelines. But when you add the complexity of managing multiple accounts, you need more formal governance. Make sure you have a brand guide with directions for your voice, tone and visuals handy for each account.

When you’re dealing with different audiences, there might be slight shifts you want to make across accounts. Keeping a voice that resonates with your audience is the priority—which means making room for a little nuance. Document those differences in your guidelines as well so there’s never any confusion about how to apply your overall brand voice in specific contexts.

Step 3: Reuse content

Having multiple social media accounts means having to create more content. That’s just math. It’s even more important to have a strong content repurposing strategy.

Crossposting across platforms is a great way to get started. What works well as a Reel could work well as a TikTok. Retweeting relevant content across multiple accounts gets more eyes on the same post, but it also has the benefit of bringing more eyes to your other accounts. You can turn video content into GIFs to share on other platforms. The world of content reuse is endless if you get creative.

Another way to repurpose your content is developing a library of reusable assets. Sprout Social’s Asset Library allows you to organize and categorize frequently used creative assets, helping everyone on your team ensure they’re using approved media.

Step 4: Invest in a social media management tool

It’s hard enough to manage one social media account natively. It’s nearly impossible to manage multiple social media accounts without a helping hand.

Social media management tools keep your DMs, content calendar, replies, mentions and metrics under one roof. Even if you have multiple accounts, they’ll all be housed in one place so you can see everything in one screen, in real time. It also creates a single source of truth for sophisticated social teams so you can stay on the same page and keep writing the same story. Sprout Social is an all-in-one social media management platform that helps teams tackle all the day-to-day aspects of social—from publishing and engagement to reporting and plan for tomorrow.

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Step 5: Automate your tasks

When you’re managing multiple accounts, scaling can be difficult. That’s where automation comes into play. Social media automation tools will take care of the little tasks so you can focus on strategy.

Managing multiple social media accounts means multiple sources of DMs. Sprout Social’s Smart Inbox aggregates all of your messages across accounts and platforms into one view. You can reply directly from the platform so you won’t ever miss a message. Applying tag-based Inbox Rules can also help automatically route the request to the right responder.

Coming soon, Sprout users on the Advanced plan will also have access to Custom Post Variables, which gives teams the ability to dynamically change specific parts of a social post depending on predefined custom variables. One post can quickly be tailored to each of your location or product-specific accounts, taking one more thing off of your social media to-do list.

Manage multiple social media accounts with minimal stress

Creating and managing multiple social media accounts doesn’t have to be stressful. With the right set of tools and a clear goal, having multiple accounts will improve your audience relationships and simplify your processes.

Interested in trying out a tool that’ll make managing multiple accounts a breeze? Try out Sprout Social for 30 days.

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