As the coronavirus outbreak continues to disrupt everyday life, the times people are active on social media are drastically shifting.
With that being the case, all previous recommendations regarding the best times to post on social media are out the window.
Sprout Social has reviewed recent data to revise its recommendations for 2020, taking into account how peoples’ usage of social media has changed.
“Overall, we found that the best times to post have shifted somewhat as more aspects of work and life move online-first.
In some cases, we found that these times have shifted more in just the last few weeks of changed behavior than they did from 2019 to early 2020.”
Here are the current, updated best times to post on social media right now.
Best Times to Post on Facebook
Activity on Facebook is now consistently high throughout every weekday.
Previously, activity peaked on Wednesday from 11 a.m. and 1-2 p.m,, making that the best time to post on Facebook.
Now, peoples’ Facebook activity is sustained throughout the week.
There’s actually a daily peak at 11 a.m. compared to the rest of the day.
Knowing that, Sprout Social now says the best times to post on Facebook are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10–11 a.m.
Best Times to Post on Instagram
Instagram’s activity is now much more concentrated in the work day,
Previously, Wednesday at 11 a.m. and Friday from 10 a.m.–11 a.m. were identified as the best times to post.
Now there’s less early morning activity, as well as a sharp drop-off after 6pm.
Therefore, mid-afternoon has been identified as an ideal time to post.
Specifically – Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 11 a.m. and Tuesday at 2 p.m. are the best times to post on Instagram.
Another interesting shift when it comes to Instagram activity is that weekends, especially Sundays, were traditionally the worst times to post.
Now, Instagram users are highly active on weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
So it sounds like any day/time is a good time to post on Instagram, as long as it’s before 6 p.m.
Best Times to Post on Twitter
Perhaps due to the ongoing use of Twitter to check the latest news, Twitter usage patterns have remained relatively consistent.
According to Sprout Social, the current best time to post on Twitter is Friday 7–9 a.m., with 9 a.m. showing the peak of activity.
That’s only a slight change from what was previously identified as the best time – Wednesday and Friday at 9 a.m.
Best Times to Post on LinkedIn
Compared to the dramatic shift in Facebook and Instagram activity, user behavior on LinkedIn has remained largely similar.
That’s likely due to the nature of LinkedIn being a more professionally oriented network.
The current best times to post on LinkedIn are:
- Wednesday at 3 p.m
- Thursday at 9–10 a.m.
- Friday from 11 a.m.-noon.
In addition, the hours of regular weekday activity now begin and end a little later in the day.
Now, LinkedIn engagement begins around 8 a.m. rather than 7 a.m. every day.
Engagement tends to level off around 4 p.m. rather than 3 p.m.
Those changes could be attributed to changes related to remote working and the lack of morning commutes.
Keep in Mind – Things Can Change
It’s important to keep in mind this data reflects how people are using social media today.
That means these recommendations could shift even further depending on how the pandemic situation escalates over the coming weeks and months.
For more data on current social media trends, see Sprout Social’s full report here.
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