Download our guide to learn how to design a posting schedule for your brand on Facebook that takes into account the best times to post, how often to post, and what kind of content to post to reach your marketing objectives.
This article will tell you everything you need to know about designing a Facebook publishing schedule for your brand.
We have tips on finding the best times to post, how to cater posting times to your audience and industry, and what content is most likely to boost engagement, reach, and conversions.
Does Timing Matter On Facebook?
If you want more people to see your Facebook content, post it at strategic times. The more people who interact with your content, the more likely Facebook’s algorithm is to show it to even more people.
Organic content on Facebook only reaches a tiny portion of a brand’s followers. To expand their reach and get people engaged with their content, marketers need to put in extra effort.
Why Facebook Matters
Facebook is the most popular social media platform with nearly 3 billion active monthly users.
- 93% of marketers say they use Facebook as part of their campaigns.
- 78 % of consumers in the U.S. have discovered products on Facebook.
- Facebook provides the highest return on investment (ROI) of all paid advertising channels.
Here’s who’s on Facebook in 2022, according to recent reports by Dataportal and Hubspot:
- 37% of all the people on the planet and 69% of Americans use Facebook.
- 73% of U.S. adults log on to Facebook daily.
- 93% of businesses are active on Facebook.
There are two main reasons why Facebook will still be relevant in 2022 and beyond. The first is that there are a huge number of people on the platform. The second is that marketers tend to get a good return on investment from advertising on Facebook.
The majority of Facebook users are actually young adults and teenagers. This is contrary to the popular belief that Facebook is only for older people.
How Old Are Facebook Users?
- Ages 13 – 17: 119.0 million users
- Ages 18 – 24: 481.1 million users
- Ages 25 – 34: 643.2 million users
- Ages 35 – 44: 401.5 million
- Ages 45 – 54: 237.0 million users
- Ages 55 – 64: 145.4 million users
- Ages 65 and up: 114.1 million users
The Facebook user base is largest among those aged 25 to 34, with the second largest group being 18 to 24 years old.
Top Age Groups On Facebook
- Largest age group: Ages 25 – 34 (643.2 million)
- 2nd Largest age group: Ages 18 – 24 (481.1 million)
- 3rd Largest age group: Ages 35 – 44 (401.5 million)
Facebook is the largest social media network with the most active users. It is a platform that connects people of all ages. Marketers and brands that want to connect with their audiences should build engaged audiences on Facebook.
How The Facebook Algorithm Works
It can be difficult for brands to create engagement on Facebook. Even getting posts in front of followers can be a challenge.
The average reach on Facebook is only 2%.
The typical Facebook engagement rate is just 0.8%.
To succeed in marketing, it is important to understand how the algorithm works.
The Facebook algorithm begins by evaluating each piece of content based on 4 signals:
- Who posted it
- When it was posted,
- What time of day the user browses
- Speed of the user’s internet connection
It then uses those signals to try and predict the following user response:
- How likely is the user to comment on a story?
- How likely is the user to spend time reading that story?
- Would the user watch the video through to completion?
- How likely is the user to say they find this story informative?
Once it collects all of the information above, the algorithm tries to predict the following factors before making its final decision:
- How likely is it that the viewer will click?
- How likely is it that the viewer will spend time with this post?
- How likely is it that the viewer will comment and share?
- How likely is it that the viewer will find it informative?
- How likely is it that this content is clickbait?
- How likely is it that the content links to a low-quality webpage?
The Facebook algorithm is designed to show content to people who are most likely to engage with it. So, timing your content to when your audience is online and creating content that is likely to encourage engagement are both important factors in how often your content is shown on Facebook.
Why Timing Matters
What are the basics of how different users use social media platforms?
While we might be familiar with the major social media platforms, understanding the basics is key to understanding why the best timing for each platform might be different.
Let’s have a look!
For example, most of the teenagers use this site to connect with their friends and spend time sharing their experiences. Most people access Facebook both at home and at work through different devices. The audience for Facebook is large, and it varies depending on who is using the site and for what purpose.
Twitter is a great way for marketers to connect with end customers. More people use it while commuting or during breaks. Like Facebook, it is mainly audience-dependent.
LinkedIn is a professional networking site that people use to connect with employers, potential employers, and other professionals. People use LinkedIn throughout the day, depending on their availability and schedule.
Pinterest is a site people visit during their leisure time, like when they’re watching TV or spending time with family in the evening.
Smartphone users love using Instagram at just about any time.
Now that you understand how different users utilize social media platforms and when they are most active, you can better determine when to post content.
Here is a detailed discussion on the best times to post content on various social media platforms in order to achieve optimal results.
Let’s get started with Facebook first!
Best Times To Post On Facebook
Brands will need to more closely monitor their social media insights in order to adjust their posting schedules to better suit their audiences in 2022.
We looked at a few different reports about when to post on Facebook in order to put together this year’s guide, and we’ve never seen such conflicting information before!
The fact that social media use has decreased makes sense when considering the past three years and all the changes in people’s schedules. Every quarter has brought different changes to the way people work and play, which affects how often they log on to social media.
While it’s wonderful that many aspects of life are returning to the way they were pre-pandemic, there are some downsides to this “new normal.”
It has been a long process to get back into routines, which means that people’s social media habits are still changing. This is why there is so much conflict in the 2022 Best Posting Time reports, because the data from any given month is likely to have changed within a couple of weeks.
Many brands and marketers will be trying to determine when their audiences are most likely to log on to Facebook and engage this year.
We recommend that you post at the following times in order to reach the most people on social media.
1pm-4pm is considered to be the best time to post on Facebook if you are targeting more readers.
How you word your posts can make a big difference in how many people click on them. tailoring your posts to be more effective on either weekdays or weekends can help you get more clicks overall.
Best days and timings to post on weekdays:
Wednesday: 3 pm
Thursday & Friday: 1 pm-4 pm
Best days and timings to post on weekends:
Saturday & Sundays: 12 pm-1 pm
The worst days to post on Facebook are Fridays and Sundays. Avoid posting on Facebook on Fridays and Sundays.
You should avoid posting on Facebook between 8 pm and 8 am every day of the week.
Moreover, some social media experts have suggested their views about scheduling content at the correct times. They are:
Elle & Co. suggests that between 1 pm and 3 pm is the most effective time to post on Facebook.
Hubspot found that people are most likely to leave for their offices at 9 am, with the next peak time being Thursday to Sunday from 1 pm-3 pm.
The best time to post on Facebook, according to Fast Company, is 3 pm on Wednesday.
They recommend posting on Thursdays and Fridays as these are the days when people are more likely to be reading. They added that usage of Facebook spikes by 10% on Fridays.
#SMM tip for FB
To get the most out of your Facebook posting, you should keep track of when your audience is online and adjust your posting schedule accordingly. SocialPilot’s Facebook scheduling tool can help you automate your posting so that you’re always making the most of your fans’ attention.
So, here’s your answer.
If you want to increase the number of likes and shares on your posts, the safest time to post on Facebook is 1 pm, 3 pm, or 4 pm.
Let’s step ahead and look at Instagram!
The Best Times to Post on Instagram
Instagram has a large audience that is active throughout the week and consists of users aged 18-30.
Approximately 60 percent of Instagram users log in at least once per day, so if you post content at the right time, you have a greater chance of increasing your interactions and followers.
But wait, there is more.
There is no single best time to post on Instagram, just like there is no universal best time to post on Facebook.
The best results will come from posting on the following times on Instagram.
Best timings for posting on weekdays:
There are three blocks of time: 6 am-9 am, 12 pm-2 pm, and 5 pm-6 pm.
Best timings for posting on weekends:
Saturday and Sunday – 9 am-2 pm
Moreover, it is best to post videos on Instagram at night from 9 pm to 8 am to attract the most audience.
But, what about the worst times?
I don’t like weekends very much in general. However, you can use the time between 9am and 2pm as suggested above.
It is best to avoid posting on Instagram between 3 pm and 4 pm every day of the week so that you do not ruin your posts. You can use SocialPilot’s Instagram scheduling tool to stay on top of your posting schedule.
Next, would you like to find out what social media experts think are the best times to post on Instagram?
Let’s take a look at what is suggested:
TrackMaven says that 9 pm-8 am on Thursdays and Mondays are the best times to post photos and videos for the highest engagement.
Based on Hubspot’s data, the best time to post is between 2 pm and 3 pm CDT, and Thursday is the best day to post.
According to Search Engine Journal, the best times to post on social media are Monday, Tuesday, and Friday at 11 am and Tuesday at 2 pm.
On the other hand, MarketingProfs believes that the best time to post on Instagram is between 1 pm and 2 pm.