Boost Your Social Media Presence, Writers: The Best Times to Post in 2024
Where to focus your time this year!
Social media is today’s ‘word of mouth,’ so it's crucial we understand the best times to post on various platforms to maximize engagement and visibility. I’ve linked sources throughout and below that provide a comprehensive look into the ideal posting times across various platforms.
What type of content works best? Depends on your goals. Here’s a handy guide from Hootsuite:
Instagram: Creative visual content, like Reels and Stories, to promote engagement and discovery.
Pinterest: Product and shopping-focused visuals to drive conversions.
LinkedIn: B2B-focused marketing campaigns and brand building.
Facebook: Letting your grandma know. (Okay, okay, kidding.)
X/Twitter: Anything goes - text, video, visuals, GIFs, audio spaces…there are many ways to connect with readers.
Of course, each platform can have multiple goals. For example, you can use Pinterest for both brand awareness and driving conversions. But generally speaking, set one or two goals per platform to focus on.
These are general guidelines, and the effectiveness can vary based on your genre, specific audience, and content type. Regular testing and adjustments based on engagement data from your specific audience are crucial for optimal social media strategy.
Here's a comprehensive guide tailored to 2024. These are based on local time. If confused, remember that the majority of the US population is on EST. Let’s break it down:
Social Media Platforms - Best Times To Post On Each One
Instagram
Best Times: 9 a.m. on Monday or Tuesday; 6 a.m.-9 a.m., 12 p.m.-2 p.m., and 5 p.m.-6 p.m. on weekdays; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on weekends.
Frequency: 1-2 posts per day.
Takeaway: Early week posts should be more entertaining, while promotional content can be posted towards the weekend.
TikTok
Best Times: 9 a.m. on Saturday; 2 p.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday; 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Frequency: 1-2 posts per day.
Takeaway: Mix entertaining, educational, and promotional content. Post later on weekdays and earlier on weekends.
YouTube
Best Times: 6 p.m. on Friday; 2 p.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday; 2-4 p.m. on weekdays and 9-11 a.m. on weekends.
Frequency: 1-2 videos per week.
Takeaway: Post a couple of hours before peak times for the algorithm to index your content, especially for long-form videos.
LinkedIn
Best Times: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday; variety throughout the day.
Frequency: Post 1-2 times per day. Weekly posting can double content engagement.
Takeaway: Post a mix of written content in the morning and videos in the afternoon.
X(formerly Twitter)
Best Times: 9 am-3 pm on weekdays; especially Friday, 9 am-11 am on Sundays.
Frequency: Post 3-5 times per day due to the platform's fast-paced nature.
Takeaway: Focus on mornings and capitalize on trending events. Post 2-3 times per day. And participate in hashtag memes such as #MondayBlogs, where you share blog posts and repost others, on Mondays. More here.
Facebook
Best Times: Weekdays, early to mid-morning, especially Mondays.
Frequency: 1 post per day
Takeaway: Weekdays are best, with early to mid-morning being optimal. Sundays should be avoided. Share a mix of informative posts, videos, and curated (aka, strategically chosen by you) content.
Pinterest
Best Times: Evenings and weekends
Frequency: Post at least once per week (3-4 times/week is ideal), focusing on quality and relevance.
Takeaway: Focus on visually appealing pins, infographics, and link to blogs or articles.
Great article from Hootsuite linked here.
Additional Tips
Audience Demographics: Understand your audience’s habits on each platform. For instance, Instagram users are active in the evenings, especially in certain industries like real estate, retail, and entertainment.
Content-Type: Adapt your strategy based on your content. For example, videos on Instagram are recommended to be posted from 9 pm-8 am.
Flexibility: These times are guidelines based on general trends. It's important to test and adjust based on your specific audience engagement.
Hashtags: These are now linkable on most social media platforms except Threads (expect it soon, though). Unsure which hashtags to use? See what’s trending, and if your topic of interest post (blog, promo, photos) fits, use that hashtag.
Don’t Newsjack, Though: (the process of adding your thoughts and opinions into breaking news stories. It’s piggybacking on trending news topics to get yourself noticed), and rarely goes over well. My opinion. More on that next week.
Leverage this information to optimize your social media strategies, ensuring your content reaches the right audience at the right time. Remember, consistency and engagement with the audience are key! More here ⬇️
Crack the Code to Book Marketing Success: Maximize Your Focus in 2024
As you navigate the world of New Year's resolutions, especially in the context of writing, book marketing, and personal growth, it's essential to understand why we often fail. BadRedhead Media, LLC’s All Things Book Marketing! is a reader-supported publication.
Links To Explore In This Article:
SocialPilot: Best Times to Post on Social Media {2024 Complete Guide}
Search Engine Journal Article: The Best Times To Post On Social Media In 2024
Hootsuite Blog: Best Time to Post on Social Media in 2024 and How to Plan a Winning Cross-Platform Campaign: Tips and Examples
Social Media Demographics: What Marketers Need to Know in 2024
These sources provide a comprehensive look into the ideal posting times across various platforms. Keep in mind that these are general guidelines, and the effectiveness can vary based on your specific audience and content type.
Regular testing and adjustments based on engagement data from your specific audience are crucial for optimal social media strategy. I’ve found that running ads (even for $1/day or less) provides great demographic data to help your niche down further for future ads.
***
Got Branding? Hear the replay!
• I was thrilled to be the featured guest on Vennie Kocsis’ XSpace last week (Tuesday), 1/16, at 6 pm pst/9 pm est, where we had a wonderful discussion about author branding.
It’s recorded, so you can listen to the replay): https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1BdGYrLLypXJX (No special equipment required.)
• Next month’s #BookMarketingChat space is on Wednesday, 2/7 at 2 pm pst/5 pm est with special guest, Hannah from Book Award Pro.
Click now to set a reminder.
Sponsor:
💜 Thank you, Booklinker, my exclusive advertising sponsor for 2024! Free universal book links for all authors. Super easy to use. And they have a fantastic blog here.💜
See you next week!
So much to do as an indy author, and every week I'm finding more to do. Some days, ouch, but I enjoy all the creativity that surrounds the writing part of being an author, too. I definitely appreciate your tips and tricks. I'm reading them and doing the work. It's like trying to catch lightning in a bottle, to use an ancient cliche.
Thanks, Rachel! Important information.