Best Time to Post for Maximum Engagement on Social Media in 2025

Creating great content is only half the battle. To truly succeed on social media in 2025, you need to post when your audience is online and ready to engage.

With constantly changing algorithms and user behaviors, finding the right time to post is more important than ever. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter) reward early engagement—and if no one sees your post in the first hour, it’s likely to disappear into the feed.

This article covers:

• The best global posting times for major platforms
  
• How to find your personal best posting window
  
• AI-powered tools to help you schedule content
  
• Tips to boost visibility and engagement
  

Why Posting Time Still Matters

Algorithms in 2025 prioritize initial engagement—likes, comments, shares, and saves within the first 30–60 minutes of a post going live. If you publish during low-traffic hours, fewer people will see your content, even if it’s high-quality.

According to Sprout Social (2025), publishing during peak activity hours can improve engagement by up to 42% compared to off-peak hours.

Best Times to Post by Platform (2025)

The following data is based on global engagement trends across millions of posts, verified by Sprout Social (2025), Later (2025), and Hootsuite (2024).

All times are presented in local time zones.

1. Instagram

Instagram engagement is highest when users are on break or winding down.

• Best Days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
  
• Best Times:
  
  • 10 AM to 1 PM
    
  • 5 PM to 6 PM (for Reels)
    

📉 Avoid: After 8 PM or before 7 AM

Note: Reels posted during evening hours tend to get more replays and saves (Meta, 2024).

2. TikTok

TikTok thrives on momentum—posting when your audience is most active helps get you on the For You Page (FYP).

• Best Days: Monday to Friday
  
• Best Times:
  
  • 12 PM to 3 PM
    
  • 6 PM to 9 PM
    

📉 Avoid: Early mornings (before 10 AM)

Insight: Videos posted between 12–3 PM get 28% more views than those posted at night (Later, 2025).

3. Facebook

Facebook’s audience skews slightly older and remains consistent throughout weekdays.

• Best Days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
  
• Best Times:
  
  • 9 AM to 12 PM
    
  • 3 PM to 5 PM
    

📉 Avoid: After 7 PM

Insight: Midday posts targeting working professionals and parents perform best (Hootsuite, 2024).

4. LinkedIn

Since LinkedIn is used mostly by professionals, content performs best during work hours.

• Best Days: Tuesday to Thursday
  
• Best Times:
  
  • 7 AM to 9 AM
    
  • 11 AM to 1 PM
    

📉 Avoid: Weekends and after 6 PM

Insight: Posts published before the workday begin see higher CTR and engagement (HubSpot, 2024).

5. X (formerly Twitter)

Twitter/X thrives on trends and real-time events, but general engagement follows a clear weekday pattern.

• Best Days: Monday to Thursday
  
• Best Times:
  
  • 9 AM to 11 AM
    
  • 6 PM to 9 PM
    

📉 Avoid: Weekend afternoons

Insight: Tweets that go out around lunchtime and evening commute hours tend to get higher impressions and replies (Sprout Social, 2025).

Quick Summary Table

Platform	Best Days	Best Times	Peak Use Case
Instagram	Tues–Thurs	10 AM–1 PM, 5–6 PM	Reels & Carousels
TikTok	Mon–Fri	12–3 PM, 6–9 PM	Short-form video, tutorials
Facebook	Mon, Wed, Fri	9 AM–12 PM, 3–5 PM	Images, videos, Facebook Live
LinkedIn	Tues–Thurs	7–9 AM, 11 AM–1 PM	Text posts, docs, thought content
X (Twitter)	Mon–Thurs	9–11 AM, 6–9 PM	Threads, real-time discussions

How to Find Your Personalized Best Time

While global benchmarks are helpful, your audience might behave differently. Here’s how to get accurate data:

1. Use Native Analytics

• Instagram & Facebook: Use Meta Business Suite
  
• TikTok: Tap “Creator Tools” > “Analytics” > “Follower Activity”
  
• LinkedIn: Go to post-level analytics
  
• X/Twitter: Visit Twitter Analytics
  

2. Use AI Scheduling Tools

These platforms automatically analyze your audience’s behavior and suggest optimal times:

• Later
  
• Metricool
  
• Hootsuite
  
• Buffer
  
• Socialinsider
  

📌 Tip: These tools track historical performance, peak engagement hours, and geographic trends.

Posting Frequency: Timing + Consistency = Results

Here’s a general guide to how often to post per platform for steady engagement:

Platform	Suggested Frequency
Instagram	3–5 posts/week + Stories daily
TikTok	4–6 videos/week
Facebook	3–5 posts/week
LinkedIn	2–3 posts/week
X (Twitter)	1–2 tweets/day

📌 Pro Tip: Use Later or Metricool to schedule all your posts at optimal times based on your audience data.

Should You Post on Weekends?

It depends on your niche.

Post on weekends if you’re in:

• Travel, food, fitness, or entertainment
  
• B2C eCommerce or DTC brands
  
• Global content with multi-timezone audiences
  

Use your analytics to test whether weekend posts perform better or worse. Some brands find that Sunday evening works well for behind-the-scenes or lifestyle content.

Final Tips for Posting at the Right Time

• ✅ Monitor engagement data weekly to spot new trends
  
• ✅ Post during your audience’s active hours, not just your own
  
• ✅ Manually engage 15 minutes before and after posting
  
• ✅ Avoid posting just because it’s “on schedule”—adapt as needed
  
• ✅ Experiment across multiple time slots, then double down on what works
  

References

HubSpot. (2024). State of Marketing Report 2024. https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-marketing

Hootsuite. (2024). Social Media Trends 2024. https://www.hootsuite.com/research/social-trends

Later. (2025). Best Time to Post on Social Media in 2025. https://later.com/blog/best-time-to-post-on-social-media/

Meta. (2024). How Instagram Ranks Feed, Reels, and Stories. https://transparency.fb.com/en-gb/features/feed-instagram/

Sprout Social. (2025). Best Times to Post on Social Media. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/best-times-to-post/