Most social media users don’t care much about the optimal posting frequency and days to post on social media. No wonder an average Joe doesn’t get many followers on social media.
However, most social media influencers keep track of their social media content performance. Hence, they figure out the best time and day to publish on specific platforms.
Facebook has over 3 billion monthly active users. So, creating the best-quality content isn’t good enough. Instead, you must craft a solid, data-driven content strategy for Facebook to get noticed.
Therefore, figuring out the best time and day to post content is crucial to building a robust social media marketing campaign.
I’ll dig deeper into the topic and explain why you should care about publishing Facebook content at the right time.
In order to understand the best time to post on any social media platform, it’s important to comprehend the user demographics. It helps us determine the type of user base we will deal with.
The data from Statista tells us that 18-24 and 25-34 are the most significant user age brackets in the Facebook global audience distribution.
Based on 22 million posts scheduled and published via ContentStudio, our internal data chart revealed that Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday are the best days to attract engagement on Facebook.
Based on ContentStudio’s study, we classified the optimal times for posting on Facebook according to different days and time:
Starting with the beginning of the week, Mondays present unique opportunities for engagement. As people transition back to work mode after an energizing weekend, they often check their social media feeds during specific windows throughout the day.
The optimal posting times for Monday are 2 PM – 3 PM EST and 7 PM EST. These time slots align perfectly with lunch breaks and evening wind-down periods when users are most likely to scroll through their Facebook feeds.
During our analysis of Facebook accounts across various industries, we found that the afternoon slot captures professionals during their lunch break, while the evening time frame reaches users who are settling in after work. Consider this your golden opportunity to engage with audiences during their natural social media browsing habits.
Tuesday brings renewed focus and motivation as people settle into their weekly rhythm. Users are typically more engaged and actively seeking fresh, inspiring content to fuel their productivity.
The prime posting windows for Tuesday are 2 PM – 3 PM EST and 5 PM – 6 PM EST. These timeframes strategically target the afternoon energy dip and the transition period between work and personal time.
Based on our comprehensive analysis of Facebook engagement patterns, Tuesday’s afternoon slot performs exceptionally well because users often take mental breaks from their work routine. The early evening window captures the post-work crowd who are checking social media before transitioning to evening activities.
Wednesday represents the midweek momentum when users are fully immersed in their weekly routines yet still receptive to engaging content. This day offers excellent opportunities for both morning and evening engagement.
The optimal posting times for Wednesday are 8 AM – 9 AM EST and 6 PM EST. These slots effectively capture the morning coffee crowd and the evening unwind audience.
Our data analysis reveals that Wednesday mornings are particularly effective for catching users during their daily routine setup, while the evening slot performs well as people seek entertainment after a productive day. This combination provides excellent reach across different user behavior patterns.
Thursday builds anticipation for the approaching weekend while maintaining weekday engagement levels. Users are often planning ahead and looking for content that bridges their workweek with upcoming leisure time.
The prime posting opportunities for Thursday are 2 PM EST and 10 PM EST. These strategic times target both the midday break and late evening browsing sessions.
Through our analysis of posting performance across multiple Facebook accounts, we’ve observed that Thursday’s afternoon slot captures users during lunch breaks and procrastination moments. The late evening time effectively reaches users who are winding down while mentally preparing for Friday and weekend plans.
Friday embodies the transition from work mode to weekend vibes, creating unique engagement opportunities as users begin to mentally shift gears toward leisure time.
The optimal posting windows for Friday are 2 PM EST and 5 PM EST. These timeframes align with the afternoon productivity dip and the end-of-workday transition period.
Our research indicates that Friday afternoon posts perform exceptionally well because users are beginning to mentally check out of work responsibilities. The 5 PM slot is particularly effective as it captures the post-work crowd who are excitedly making weekend plans and seeking entertaining content to match their elevated mood.
Saturday presents a different dynamic as users shift into weekend mode, often balancing personal activities with casual social media browsing. While weekend engagement can be more scattered, strategic timing can yield excellent results.
The prime posting times for Saturday are 1 PM, 2 PM, and 3 PM EST. This afternoon window captures users during their weekend leisure browsing when they’re most likely to engage with content.
Based on our analysis of weekend posting patterns, Saturday afternoons are ideal because users are often taking breaks from weekend activities, sharing their own experiences, and looking for inspiration. This timeframe effectively reaches people who are casually browsing with their morning coffee extended into afternoon relaxation time.
Sunday combines relaxation with preparation for the upcoming week, creating opportunities for both inspirational and practical content engagement.
The optimal posting times for Sunday are 6 PM EST and 10 PM EST. These evening slots capture users during their Sunday wind-down and weekly preparation periods.
Our comprehensive analysis shows that Sunday evening is particularly effective for engagement as users are settling into their weekly routine preparation.
The 6 PM slot catches people during dinner time and early evening relaxation, while the 10 PM window reaches those who are mentally transitioning from weekend mode back to the upcoming work week mindset.
The ContentStudio study determined the best days to post on Facebook based on the most engagements. Tuesday and Thursday seem to be the days when most people prefer to post, and they get a lot of engagement.
On the other hand, ContentStudio users get the lowest engagement on Facebook on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
Surprisingly, Thursday appears to be the day when the majority of the users get the most attention on Facebook.
Whether you’re posting on Facebook manually or scheduling your content for Facebook using a social media scheduler like ContentStudio, you’ll be better off opting for the optimal days to post.
Don’t sleep on this opportunity of getting a lot of engagement on Facebook – try posting 4 to 5 posts a week on Facebook.
Always schedule or publish Facebook content on Fridays to drive loads of engagement. Furthermore, create content to share on Facebook on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Tuesdays.
We’ve compiled extensive data from multiple research sources and combined it with our internal analytics at ContentStudio to identify the optimal posting times for different industries.
After analyzing thousands of Facebook posts across various sectors, we’ve discovered that industry-specific timing can significantly impact your content’s performance.
Our research reveals distinct patterns in how different audiences engage with content based on their professional schedules, lifestyle habits, and consumption behaviors. Here are the best times to post on Facebook by industry:
9 AM to 12 PM on weekdays. The food industry thrives during meal planning hours when users are deciding what to eat or cook. Morning posts capture breakfast inspiration and lunch planning, while the noon timeframe aligns with lunch decisions.
8 AM to 10 AM on Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 AM to 11 AM on Fridays. Educational content performs best when students and educators are starting their day or planning their week. These morning windows align with academic schedules and learning mindset periods.
11 AM on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 AM to 12 PM on Thursdays. Financial services see peak engagement during mid-morning business hours when professionals are actively managing their workday and financial decisions.
Also Read: The leading social media management platform for financial professionals
3 PM to 5 PM on Tuesdays and 9 AM, 11 AM, and 12 PM on Fridays. Tech audiences engage during afternoon energy dips and Friday morning productivity periods when they’re seeking innovative content and industry updates.
7 AM to 9 AM, 6 PM to 8 PM, and 2 PM to 4 PM on weekdays. B2B software audiences are most active during commute times and afternoon productivity breaks, aligning with professional workflows and decision-making periods.
Also Read: Simplify social media management for the technology industry
5 AM to 8 AM before and after shifts. Healthcare professionals have unique schedules that require early morning engagement windows that align with shift changes and daily routine preparation.
Also Read: The one-stop social media management for healthcare professionals
9 AM to 12 PM during check-in and meal service periods. Hospitality content performs best when travelers are planning their day or seeking dining options, coinciding with hotel check-in times and meal decisions.
Before 9 AM, around 2 PM during lunch, and after 8 PM. Media consumption follows natural news cycles and break periods when audiences actively seek information and entertainment content.
Also Read: Redefine entertainment social media with ContentStudio
There is no right or wrong answer to this query. There are many factors, however, that define the best time for someone to post on Facebook at or from a particular location.
Some people think way too much before posting on social media, and that hinders their publishing process.
By no means I’m against content planning, content scheduling, or social media strategies. However, if all this makes someone overthink the whole process, then it’s a red flag, for sure.
In order to find the best time to post on Facebook based on the location, it’s essential to discuss the factors that define the specific day as good or bad for social media posting.
Our research, experience, and data have shown some of the worst times to post on Facebook, but there may be some exceptions for brands based on different factors.
Here are the worst times and days to post on Facebook:
Social media is a crowded space. A gazillion posts are coming every minute. As a result, it poses a challenge for brands and individuals to reach their target audience.
A lot of businesses and creators fail to dominate the social media market just because they remain unable to calibrate the following things:
Therefore, it becomes difficult for those brands and content creators to penetrate a competitive social media environment.
Since Facebook is one of the top-tier social media platforms, it’s crucial to devise an out-of-the-box strategy to capture the audience’s attention.
We all know that hundreds of new posts appear on the timeline every few seconds, regardless of the platform. Facebook algorithm equally plays an important role.
In fact, the attention span of an average user is very short, especially on all major social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok.
Therefore, it’s vital to find the best time to post on Facebook so that our content gets the attention it deserves.
Several factors influence the best time to post on Facebook or any other social media platform.
The reason why these factors matter is that they impact the social media poster or the target social media audience belonging to the specific location.
Hence, it’s essential to understand the factors that come into play when determining the best time to post on Facebook or any other social media platform based on the targeted location.
Let’s take a look at those factors:
Many social media experts try to capitalize on weekdays when it comes to social media and often schedule a few posts or Facebook stories for the weekend.
Remember that the weekend is mostly Saturdays and Sundays for the world. However, the weekend or off day in the middle east is Friday. People go to work on Saturdays and Sundays in middle eastern countries like UAE and Saudi Arabia.
It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t post on the weekend, even if you’re targeting an audience in the middle east. All you need is to take this fact into account that the response from all parts of the world won’t be the same even on the weekends.
One of the factors that might affect social media responses, whether it’s Facebook or Twitter, is the public holiday. The same rule applies here. Entire Europe and America celebrate New Year and Christmas—the offices close for at least a week.
On the other hand, China celebrates the Chinese New Year according to their traditional lunar-solar Chinese calendar somewhere between January and February.
Therefore, it’s necessary to factor in the essential dates of your targeted territories before scheduling or posting Facebook content.
Sometimes, countries go through unusual circumstances that massively impact people’s lives. The basic needs like water, electricity, and shelter could be wiped out overnight.
In such circumstances, it’s impossible to pay attention to social media. In fact, most people don’t have access to the internet in such difficult times. We’ve seen horrific scenes from the Russia-Ukraine war lately.
Therefore, unusual circumstances completely change how people react to the usual stuff.
Natural catastrophes such as earthquakes and floods destroy the communication infrastructure—telecom, internet, and mobile services.
Social media marketing becomes irrelevant in such areas or territories when a natural catastrophe hits. Often, people fight for their lives when they go through such difficult times.
Therefore, there is no point in reaching out to those people (with your marketing messages) when they’re going through a rough patch.
Social media publishing quickly becomes unrelated when a tragedy or the government announces national mourning. Usually, companies and marketers avoid publishing social media content during those times.
The recent demise of England’s Queen Elizabeth ll is a prime example of how people pay respect to such events.
The ContentStudio data revealed that Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are suitable days to post on Facebook.
Surprisingly, one of my Facebook pages’ insights showed a similar trend. However, every Facebook page is different. So don’t take my word on this. Instead, dig deeper into your Facebook insights and find the best time and day for yourself.
Since every social media platform is different, don’t be surprised if you find the best times and days to post on Instagram quite different from Facebook.
Figuring out the best time and day to post on any social media platform means you’re halfway through the process.
Remember that now you need a secret sauce to get attention on that social media platform – a recipe to cook something worth tasting.
It all comes down to the “great content” that hits the bullseye. Don’t shy away from experimenting with different topics to see what your audience likes the best.
We’re curious about the best time and day for you to post on Facebook. Talk to us on Facebook and let us know the best time for you to publish on Facebook.
The best time to post on Facebook is on Thursday at 2 PM and 10 PM EST.
The best time to post on Facebook on Friday is 2 PM and 5 PM EST.
The worst times to post on Facebook are on Saturday 8 am to 11 am, 6 pm to 10 pm.
Posting in the morning is better. According to our general data, Facebook activity increases in the morning and continues until noon before falling as the night draws closer.