Best Time to Post on Facebook

05 Dec Best Time to Post on Facebook

So you have a Facebook business page and you are struggling to get the word out.  It’s no secret, Facebook had to find a way to monetize, so it changed it’s algorithms to depress post views in an effort to push you towards purchasing ads.

Businesses and marketers alike have been chasing the constantly changing Facebook algorithms in an attempt to get more post exposure.  One of the first things they look at is: what time to post?

I’d love to give you a simple answer to this.  But the fact is there isn’t.

Pretty much all the social media experts say one thing in common, most users tend to check Facebook right after lunch and dinner.  According to Zephoria the highest Facebook traffic is between 1-3 pm midweek, and at 7 pm.  Moz agrees, citing after lunch breaks and after dinner.  SproutSocial suggests 1-2 pm and 3-4 pm on Thursday and Friday.  AdExpresso maintains 9 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm.

Yes.  These are the times when the most users are on Facebook.  There is no denying that.  As a general rule of thumb, without any homework, I, too would suggest posting between 1-3 pm and after dinner, perhaps around 5-7 pm.

However, the best times to post depends on YOUR particular audience.  If your audience is the elderly market, and you are marketing to an audience that is 55+, you may be better off advertising early in the morning, at around 5 am.  If you are a nightclub and you are marketing to a 21+ audience, you may be better off advertising around 10-11 pm.  Every page is different.  Every audience is different.

Here is the good news.  You can experiment!  Don’t worry, taking an educated guess and posting a few posts at the wrong time will not make or break your Facebook page!  This is the beauty of the internet.  Be smart, take an educated guess, and then try.  A/B test.  Be sure to record and measure your results.

Also, if you already have an established Facebook Business page, look at your Audience Insights.  Go to Insights and Posts, and you will be able to see which posts have gotten the most engagement.  Track this over a period of time, and you will be able to identify an optimal post schedule.

Keep in mind that it is not only posting times that matter, but also the post content that is important.  By combining the two, you should experience more engagement and hopefully some viral posts!