Operating a business Facebook account is usually very different from how you run your personal Facebook account. You don't regularly upload pictures of your drunken exploits for a start. Nor do you (usually) share multiple images of your baby or child doing cute things. You have a dedicated Facebook business page (and possibly a group), and you make posts that you believe will be of interest to the people who follow you. Some (but certainly not all, hopefully) of your posts may promote your brand and its product.
But unless you are paying for Facebook advertising, it can be hard work keeping your brand visible on Facebook. The organic reach of Facebook business posts is low, thanks to the current algorithm that favors posts made by friends and family. Since July 2023, Facebook's engagement rate for organic posts plummeted down to 1.52% from 2.58%. Therefore you have to do whatever it takes to make your brand visible on Facebook. One of the best strategies is to post at the best times on Facebook. There is little point posting when few of your potential customers are looking at Facebook, and by the time they do come online, your post will be old news.
We recently looked at How to Optimize Your Social Media Posting Schedule. We briefly looked at when you should make your posts on each of the leading social networks, to generate high engagement. This post looks more closely at Facebook, including some suggested posting times for brands in specific industries.
Best Times to Post on Facebook:
- Monday: 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 3:00 PM
- Tuesday: 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM , 3:00 PM
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM , 1:00 PM, 4:00 PM
- Thursday: 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM , 4:00 PM
- Friday: 11:00 AM, 4:00 PM, 6:00 PM
Calculate your best time to post on Facebook here:
What are the Best Times to Post on Facebook?
Overall Best Times to Post on Facebook
As with most things in life, there is no easy answer as to the best times of post on Facebook. There have been numerous studies on the subject, and they all come up with different results.
Sprout Social was able to make some overall conclusions from a survey of their clients' Facebook posting. They expressed all of their times in terms of the Central Time Zone (CST). You may find similar results if you use the same timezone as the bulk of your target market.
Sprout Social’s main conclusions were:
- The best times to post are 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
- The overall best days are Mondays through Thursdays
- You will get the most consistent engagement on weekdays from 8 am–2 pm
- The worst day is Sunday, which sees the least amount of engagement.
People are more likely to take notice of your Facebook posts mid-week, from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Many people probably check their Facebook apps during their morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea breaks.
Perhaps surprisingly, people make less of an effort to check Facebook during the weekends, or when they are at home in the evenings.
Different People Use Facebook in Different Ways
Understanding the intricacies of Facebook's vast user base is crucial for marketers aiming to optimize their social media strategies. Statusbrew's extensive analysis sheds light on the pivotal role of timing in maximizing post reach and engagement. Their research, encompassing a diverse range of industries, reveals that the best times to post on Facebook vary significantly, underscoring the platform's dynamic nature. By leveraging these insights, marketers can fine-tune their posting schedules to align with their audience's habits, ensuring that their content has the greatest impact.
They did find some general conclusions from the surveys, however, many of which confirmed SproutSocial's results.
- Hootsuite suggests posting between 8 am and noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays
- In only a slight variation, Hubspot says 6 and 9 pm and 12 pm – 3 pm are generally best
- Similarly, Brandwatch suggested that 11 am – 3 pm is when most engagement occurs
- Buffer suggests posting between 1pm – 3pm on during the week and Saturdays
One thing comes through clearly, however. Different people use Facebook in different ways, and it is better to use more precise methods to find the optimal time for your Facebook audience.
Finding Your Best Time with Facebook Insights
One way you can find the best time to post on Facebook to your social audience is to use your Facebook Insights. You will need a Facebook page to have access to these. You can gain access to your insights by clicking on the appropriate link at the top of your page.
You want to see when your Facebook fans are online. You can do this by clicking on Posts in the lefthand menu. This gives you a breakdown of when your fans are online, both by day and time.
Look for any spikes in the data, indicating the times when your Facebook audience is most active.
Facebook Insights also shows you data about your most successful posts (further down the same page as your audience data). Take note of the posts that show the most engagement. You will be able to see when they were posted. You could consider posting more often at the same times.
Suggested Best Times by Sector
Navigating the digital currents requires a keen understanding of when your audience is most receptive. The following insights offer a detailed guide to optimizing your Facebook posts according to industry-specific peak times.
B2C Brands
Consumer brands thrive on connection, and timing is key to maximizing this engagement. The golden hours for B2C brands on Facebook span from 9 AM to 10 AM, a time when many users check their feeds to start their day. Lunch hours from 12 PM to 1 PM also offer a high engagement window, as do the hours from 4 PM to 5 PM, when people are winding down their workday. The weekend vibe extends to social media, with Friday, Saturday, and Sunday emerging as the top days for B2C interactions, reflecting the relaxed and shopping-friendly mindset of the audience.
B2B Brands
Professional engagement for B2B brands on Facebook peaks in the mid-afternoon, from 3 PM to 4 PM, when business professionals take a break or look for industry insights. The best days to post are Tuesday to Thursday, aligning with the core business week when professionals are most active and open to business-related content.
Media Brands
For media brands, the early morning slots at 7 AM capture the attention of those seeking the latest news with their morning coffee. The extended morning period from 6 AM to 9 AM also garners high engagement, coinciding with the daily commute and the start of the workday. Tuesdays and Fridays are particularly potent for media posts, likely due to audience habits of catching up on news at the beginning and end of the workweek.
Healthcare Brands
Healthcare brands find their audience most attentive at 11 AM, a time when individuals may take a health-focused break or seek wellness content. Mondays and Fridays are the peak days for such posts, possibly reflecting a mindset of starting and ending the week with health in mind.
Education Brands
The educational sector sees its highest engagement at 10 AM, a time that may coincide with student and faculty breaks or the start of the academic day. Wednesdays and Thursdays are the standout days for educational content, which may be when students and educators are most deeply engaged in learning activities and looking for educational resources.
Tech Brands
IT brands hit their stride from 3 PM to 4 PM, a time when tech enthusiasts and professionals may be looking for a mental shift or exploring new industry trends. Thursday stands out as the prime day for tech-related posts, a time when the tech community is likely looking ahead to new innovations and planning for the upcoming end of the week.
Non-Profits
Non-profits have a broad window of opportunity from 10 AM to 5 PM, reflecting the varied schedules of their supporters. Midweek days, specifically Wednesday and Thursday, are when their content is most likely to resonate, as supporters are active online and engaged with social issues during the workweek.
Using Social Media Marketing Platforms to Post at the Best Time on Facebook
Many of the social media management platforms help you find the best times to make your Facebook posts. We have previously reviewed many of these platforms.
One of the most important uses of a social media marketing calendar is to schedule your posts in advance. Scheduling posts in advance can also be performed with the help of social media scheduling tools. You don't have to be online to make the post. This means that you can plan your post for any time you like.
You can easily select post times, based on the research you've read about in this article, or by using your own social analytics to determine when your followers will most likely be online. Some of these platforms will even identify the "best" time for your posts.
Loomly
One of your first tasks when setting up Loomly is to set up a calendar, which includes your timezone and industry. Loomly gives you the option of scheduling posts directly or via Buffer. You can easily set the times fo your Facebook posts whenever you create them.
PromoRepublic
PromoRepublic has a strong design focus. You can set a posting schedule for different types of posts. PromoRepublic suggests a suitable posting schedule for each of your social networks, but you can easily modify this to however you want your posting to go. You can select a country and time zone for each social account.
You organize your posting schedules across a centralized calendar. If you don’t want to set your own timeslots, you can rely on PromoRepublic’s Autopilot. This is an AI tool that analyzes your page audience's peak engagement. It suggests the best time options and the most relevant types of content for your audience.
| Day | Best Times to Post on Facebook |
| Monday | 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 3:00 PM |
| Tuesday | 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 3:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM , 1:00 PM, 4:00 PM |
| Thursday | 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM , 4:00 PM |
| Friday | 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM , 6:00 PM |
| Saturday | |
| Sunday |
Buffer
Buffer offers a straightforward service. You attach your social media accounts, then schedule content to post to each account. Whenever you find an item you want to share, you add it to your "buffer," and the software publishes it on your behalf at an agreed time.
You set up a publishing schedule for each of your social accounts. This means that you won’t need to think about post dates and times when you create posts – Buffer will automatically place new posts at the right place in the queue.
If you have a paid plan, you have access to Analytics relating to your posts and social accounts. This will help you refine the best times to publish your Facebook posts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best time to post on Facebook?
Unless you pay for Facebook advertising, it can be hard work keeping your brand visible on Facebook. The organic reach of Facebook business posts is low, thanks to the current algorithm that favors posts made by friends and family. One of the best strategies to combat this is to post at the best times on Facebook. According to Sprout Social research, the best times to post on Facebook are Wednesday at 11 am and 1 pm.
What is the best time to post on Facebook for maximum exposure?
As we discussed in this article, the best day to post on Facebook is Wednesday. And the best times are 11 am and 1 pm. You will get the most consistent engagement on weekdays from 9 am–3 pm. As we saw, people are more likely to take notice of your Facebook posts mid-week, from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. This probably reflects that people check their Facebook apps during their morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea breaks.
How do I get more Facebook likes?
As always, you will get more Facebook likes long-term if you use conventional organic methods – buying likes never does your account any good long-term. Some useful techniques to increase the likes for your Facebook page include:
Plan your Facebook marketing – don’t do things ad hoc and random
Define your target audience and only actively seek likes from them
Create a compelling page that attracts people
Promote your page on other channels
Post relevant, high-quality content
Engage consistently
How do I know if my Facebook posts are being seen?
You can’t know for sure whether individual people see your posts. You can get some general data from your Facebook insights page, however. This will show you page, post, and video data for the mast 28 days. This gives you key metrics for your page and the posts you have made. This will show you which posts had a particularly good (or bad) response. Post Reach shows your basic post reach stats such as impressions, engaged users, consumptions, and video views.
Do hashtags do anything on Facebook?
Although Facebook has never taken to hashtags like some of the newer social platforms, they still have a valuable role to play there. You can search for #-terms in Facebook’s search bar, to find posts that highlight that hashtag (although it works imperfectly). Marketers often use the same branded hashtags on their Facebook pages that they do in their other social marketing. It is best only to use one or two hashtags per post, however. Research shows just one hashtag gives optimal engagement.
When is the worst time to post on Facebook?
We saw in this article that the best time to post on Facebook is during the week, particularly on a Wednesday. Surprisingly you are likely to receive most engagement during traditional working hours and the breaks around them. Conversely, the worst time to post on Facebook is on a Sunday, when you are likely to receive comparatively low engagement. Education brands perform better than most at the weekend, however. Indeed, Sprout Social found Saturday 5 pm is a peak time for that sector.
