Best Times to Post on Social Media During Current Pandemic

The current pandemic has disrupted our daily lives, including the times that we’re active on social media.

As many individuals and organizations started working from home, daily routines changed overnight. More people shifted their work to the internet, and social media became even more essential for connection.

As a result, previous recommendations on the best times to post on social media platform no longer applies.

In response to this development, Chicago-based software company, Sprout Social, reviewed its previous data for 2020. This time, the company considered how the pandemic had changed social media usage.

The report reads:

“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 is the breakdown of the data from Sprout Socials.

Best Times to Post on Social Media Platforms During the Coronavirus Pandemic

The best times to post on Facebook during the current pandemic are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10–11 a.m. Meanwhile, Monday, Tuesday, and Friday at 11 a.m. and Tuesday at 2 p.m are ideal for Instagram.

Let’s delve deeper.

1. Best Times to Post on Facebook

Before now, activity on Facebook peaked on Wednesday from 11 a.m. and between 1-2 p.m. But that was no longer the case since the pandemic started.

The report now suggests that activity on Facebook now remains high throughout every weekday. However, the daily peak period is at 11 a.m. compared to the rest of the day, according to Sprout Social.

With that said, the best times to post on Facebook during the COVID-19 pandemic are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10–11 a.m.

2. Best Times to Post on Instagram

In its previous report, Sprout Social identified Wednesday at 11 a.m. and Friday from 10 a.m.–11 a.m. as the best times to post on Instagram. But, that’s out the window during this period.

Now, Instagram’s activity is much more concentrated on workdays during mid-afternoon. To be precise, the best times to post on Instagram during the pandemic are Monday, Tuesday, and Friday at 11 a.m. and Tuesday at 2 p.m.

Also, previous reports suggested that weekends — especially Sundays — were the worst times to post on Instagram. However, the new Sprout Social data reports a significant shift in weekend activities.

Now, Instagram users are highly active on weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In other words, you can post on the photo-sharing app on any day or time, as long as it’s before 6 p.m.

3. Best Times to Post on Twitter

Twitter usage patterns have remained relatively consistent, compared with other social media platforms.

According to Sprout Social, this could be due to the ongoing use of the platform for checking the latest news. Twitter also serves the purpose of spreading useful public information about coronavirus disease.

With that said, the current best times to post on Twitter is Friday 7–9 a.m., with 9 a.m. showing the peak of activity.

4. Best Times to Post on LinkedIn

Like Twitter, user behavior on LinkedIn has remained relatively consistent, but for a different reason. Unlike Twitter, the consistency of LinkedIn is due to the social platform’s professionally-oriented network.

So, the best times to post on LinkedIn shifted just a little.

Before now, it was Wednesday from 8–10 a.m. and noon, Thursday at 9 a.m. and 1–2 p.m., and Friday at 9 a.m. Now, the best time for LinkedIn is Wednesday at 3 p.m, Thursday from 9–10 a.m. and Friday from 11 a.m.-noon.

Also, engagement on LinkedIn now begins around 8 a.m instead of 7 a.m every day. At the same time, engagement starts wrapping up on the platform around 4 p.m rather than 3 p.m.

Wrapping Up

Note that the reports only show how people are using these platforms during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

That means the data could shift significantly as the situation escalates in the coming weeks and months. As the data shifts, the best times to post on social media would also change.