When is the best time to post on social media?

Social media marketing isn’t as easy as it looks, and it’s always frustrating when you spend time creating content, only for it to hardly rack up any views or engagement.

Timing is extremely important, and can be the difference between your content flopping or receiving tons of likes. Therefore, it’s crucial to know the best time to post on social media. 

But how are you supposed to know when that is?

For UK businesses, we’ve broken down the best posting times for different platforms, so you don’t have to guess or rely on trial and error. That way, you’ll know exactly when to hit “publish” to give your posts the best chance of getting noticed.

Summary: The best time to post on social media

Before diving into the data, we’ve put together a quick list that summarises the best days and times to post on each platform. While every audience is different, these data-backed time slots will help give you a strong starting point to maximise your reach and engagement.

• TikTok: Sunday (8:00), Tuesday (16:00), Wednesday (17:00)
• Instagram: Tuesday (9:00 to 11:00, 17:00 to 18:00), Friday (7:00, 10:00, 18:00 and 21:00), Sunday (10:00, 12:00, 19:00, and 23:00)
• Facebook: Tuesday (16:00 to 20:00), Thursday (16:00 to 21:00)
• X (Twitter): Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (9:00 to 15:00)
• LinkedIn: Tuesday (10:00 to 12:00), Wednesday (10:00 and 14:00 to 15:00), Thursday (8:00 and 10:00 to 11:00)
• YouTube: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday (15:00 to 17:00)

The best time to post on TikTok UK

While it might be the youngest on this list, TikTok has become one of the most dominant social media platforms for reaching huge audiences, with 2.3 million users in the UK alone. 

Meanwhile, the TikTok Shop has seen 58% of users shop directly through the app, with 55% of purchases being made after seeing a product in a video.

Data from Buffer indicates that Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday are the best days to post on TikTok. In terms of specific timings, they are as follows:

Source: Buffer.com

From these findings, we can see a clear pattern that shows evenings are usually the best time to post on TikTok. This is likely when most people are winding down for the day, scrolling more, and thus more likely to engage with content. 

When should you go live on TikTok?

TikTok Live has also become a popular social commerce channel for businesses to showcase products and sell directly to viewers in real-time, with over 6,000 lives hosted in the UK every day. 

Unlike posting content on TikTok, the best times for TikTok Live are a little different. Here’s a breakdown of the best times to start streaming:

Source: Buzzvoice.com

The best time to post on Instagram UK

Having first launched in 2010, Instagram is now one of the world’s largest social media platforms. 

As of January 2025, there are almost 34.71m users in the UK, making it a key platform for businesses, creators, and influencers looking to reach a wide audience.

Instagram has also dipped into the social commerce space, introducing Instagram Shop in 2020. According to SproutSocial, 61% of users turn to Instagram to find their next purchase. 

With this in mind, the best times to post on Instagram are:

Source: Recurpost.com

Unlike TikTok, where the best times to post lean towards the afternoon and evenings, Instagram has a wider variety of good times throughout the day, so there’s a little more opportunity to get seen. In this case, the best days would be Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Best times for Instagram’s specific features

Aside from regular image posts, Instagram’s other features include stories, Instagram Reels, and Instagram Live. Here are the best times to post with these features:

Source: Recurpost.com, Gyre.pro

The best time to post on Facebook UK

What started as an online directory for Harvard University students has evolved into one of the world’s largest social networks.

Founded by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, Facebook isn’t just a simple social network anymore. It has become a major platform for businesses, content creators, and communities all in one.

It also boasts approximately 53.3m users in the UK, representing around 79.9% of the total population.

But even with such a massive user base, there are still specific times when posting on Facebook gets the most reach and engagement.

Source: Sproutsocial.com

Based on the above findings, Mondays and Thursdays are the best days to post on Facebook, as they have the largest time window for posting. Similar to TikTok, the evening appears to be the best time to post, likely because users have more free time after a typical working day. 

Best times for Facebook’s specific features

Meta (the parent company of Facebook) acquired Instagram in 2012, and so it offers the same features as the platform. However, the best posting times differ slightly, as seen below:

Source: Birdeye.com, Sprii.io, Recurpost.com

The best time to post on X (Twitter) UK

Despite its controversial rebrand — with the number of monthly active users (MAU) dropping by 32.7m in 2022 following Elon Musk’s acquisition — X (formerly Twitter) continues to be an influential digital marketing platform for engagement and customer interaction.

As of August 2024, the UK is the fifth-largest user of the platform, and many companies use it to interact directly with customers, handle service enquiries, respond to feedback, and stay connected in real-time.

But for general marketing activities, the best times to post on X are: 

Source: Socialfollowers.uk

Unlike other platforms, the best times to post on Twitter tend to start in the morning. Additionally, the golden time for posting is the middle of the week (Tuesday to Thursday), as that’s when users are most active. And while Sunday has the longest window, engagement tends to be lower, so midweek mornings are your safest bet for getting noticed.

The best time to post on LinkedIn UK

LinkedIn is the oldest platform on the list, having first launched in 2003. Since then, it’s become the go-to network for professionals, businesses, and anyone looking to build their career or industry connections.

As of 2024, there are 70m organisations on LinkedIn globally. It’s also the best platform for B2B marketing, as it lets businesses directly connect with other businesses that are most likely to be interested in their products or services.

So for B2B brands looking to showcase their expertise and reach the right clients, the best times to post on LinkedIn are:

Source: Buffer.com

These findings suggest that weekdays are generally the best times to post on LinkedIn. Specifically, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday have the strongest level of engagement, as professionals are more active during the workweek and more likely to check updates and interact with posts.

The best time to post on YouTube UK

While not the first video-sharing site, YouTube first graced the Internet in 2005 — the very first video being a 19-second clip of co-founder Jawed Karim sharing his day at the San Diego Zoo. 

Twenty years later, YouTube is now the largest video-sharing site in the world, with around 54.8m UK users as of early 2025. 

Unsurprisingly, its vast success has made it the ultimate platform for video marketing, enabling businesses, creators, and brands to reach large audiences and turn viewers into loyal fans or customers.

Like other platforms, timing matters on YouTube, so here are the best times to post on the platform:

Source: Buffer.com

It’s clear from these findings that late afternoon to early evening is the best time to post to YouTube. However, in terms of specific days, research by Buffer found that Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are the best days of the week to post to YouTube. 

On the other hand, it found that Saturdays and Sundays had the lowest engagement, suggesting that posting on the weekend doesn’t get the best results. 

Additionally, it found that 16:00 on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday were the best days to post on YouTube Shorts — a feature introduced to the UK in 2021.

When should you go live on YouTube?

YouTube introduced its live streaming service in 2011, allowing creators to broadcast to their audience in real-time. The best streaming times on YouTube differ slightly from the main platform and YouTube Shorts.

Source: Livereacting.com

How to find your personal best times to post

The best way to determine the right time to post on your social media channels is to look at when your audience is most active. Fortunately, most platforms offer built-in analytics that’ll show you exactly that.

Here’s how to find your audience analytics for each platform.

How to find audience analytics on TikTok

To access audience analytics on TikTok, you must first ensure you have a business account. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to access your audience analytics through the following steps:

• On your profile, tap the burger menu
• Select Business Suite
• Tap Analytics

From there, you’ll find several tabs that offer detailed insights into your account and audience. Here’s a quick summary:

• Overview tab: A summary of the number of video and profile views, your total follower count, and the total likes, comments, and shares on your videos.
• Content tab: Insights into your content performance, including the total watch time, average watch time, traffic sources (e.g., “for you” page, search, etc.), and audience demographics.
• Followers tab: A breakdown of your followers’ demographics (e.g., age, gender, and location), when your followers are most active, and what other sounds and videos they’ve watched in the last seven days.
• LIVE tab: Analytics specifically for your live streams, including total live video views, new followers gained during the stream, and a ranking of your top viewers.

How to find audience analytics on Instagram

Similar to TikTok, you’ll need a specific kind of Instagram account to access these analytics, known as a “Professional” account.

• Go to your profile and tap the hamburger menu in the top-right corner
• Select “View professional dashboard” and then “Your Audience”

In this dashboard, you’ll be able to find useful insights about your followers. This includes:

• Top locations: A breakdown of your audience by city and country, showing where the majority of your followers are based.
• Age range and gender: The age and gender breakdown of your followers.
• Most active times: This shows you when your followers are most active on the app, broken down by day of the week and hour of the day. 
• Content you’ve shared: Lets you filter your posts by different metrics (likes, reach, comments, etc.) so you can see which posts are performing the best.
• Accounts reached: The number of unique accounts that have seen your content, plus a breakdown of followers vs non-followers to see if your content is reaching new audiences.
• Accounts engaged: The number of unique accounts that have interacted with your content, plus a demographic background of those who engaged.

How to find audience analytics on Facebook

• Go to your Facebook page and click on “Professional Dashboard” in the left-hand menu to access Meta Business Suite.
• Once in Meta Business Suite, click on “Insights” and then “Audience”

The “Audience” section provides a detailed breakdown of your followers and the people your content has reached. Here’s what you’ll find:

• Demographics: This includes the percentage of your audience in different age groups and gender identities, as well as the cities and countries where your audience is located.
• Audience growth: An overview of how your follower count has changed over time, including new followers and unfollows.
• Active times: A graph of when your followers are most active on the platform, which you can view either by day or hour.
• Results: An overview of your page’s performance, including reach (how many people saw your content) and engagement (the number of likes, comments, and shares).
• Content: This shows you the performance of each individual post, which you can filter by reach, engagement, or impressions.

How to find audience analytics on X (Twitter)

• Go to your profile and select the post you want analytics for
• Click the small bar graph icon at the bottom of the post

After you click this icon, a pop-up window will appear, showing you key metrics for that specific post, including:

• Impressions: how many times the post was seen
• Engagements: the total number of interactions (likes, replies, reposts, link clicks)
• Detail expands: how many people clicked to expand the post
• Profile clicks: how many people clicked on your profile after seeing the post

It’s important to note that X only offers analytics on a per-post basis. For an overview of all your content, it’s worth investing in a third-party analytics tool, such as Hootsuite, Buffer, or Sprout Social.

These platforms connect with the X API and offer more in-depth data, including follower demographics, audience activity, and hashtag/keyword analysis.

How to find audience analytics on LinkedIn

• Go to the company page you manage
• In the left-hand menu of your page’s dashboard, click on “Analytics”

In this section, you will see several tabs with different types of data, including:

• Visitors: The audience demographics for people who have visited your page (even if they don’t follow you), including job function/seniority, industry and company size, and location.
• Followers: A demographic breakdown of your followers with information on follower growth over time, age and gender, job title, industry, company, and location.
• Content: The performance of your individual posts, which you can filter by impressions, video views, and engagement.

How to find audience analytics on YouTube

• Go to YouTube Studio
• Click on “Analytics” and then select the “Audience” tab

The “Audience” tab is a goldmine of information that can help tailor your digital marketing strategy. The most useful analytics are:

• Returning vs new viewers: A chart that shows the balance between people watching your videos for the first time and those returning to your channel.
• Viewer activity: This metric shows the days and hours when your audience is most active on YouTube, based on the last 28 days.
• Subscriber demographics: A breakdown of your audience by age, gender, country/region, and top subtitle/CC languages.
• Audience subscriptions: This shows what other channels your audience is subscribed to and watches, which is useful for both competitor analysis and potential affiliate marketing opportunities.
• Videos your audience watched: This feature shows which other videos (from outside your channel) your viewers have watched in the last seven days.

Why posting time is critical for social media algorithms

Posting time matters because social media algorithms push content that gets quick engagement. If you post when your audience is online, your content is more likely to receive likes, comments and shares right away.

This kind of early activity tells the algorithm that your post is worth showing to more people. So, timing can be the ultimate difference between a flop and a viral hit.

And while the above gives you data-backed starting points for each platform, the ultimate source of truth will always be your own audience analytics. Every audience behaves differently, so checking when your followers are most active is the best way to perfect your posting schedule.

Conclusion

Overall, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to the perfect posting time. 

The data shows different peak times for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube, but what really matters is your audience.

The more you pay attention to your analytics and experiment with posting times, the better you’ll understand when your followers are most likely to engage. Never leave it to guesswork — let the data guide you so you can post with confidence and get the results you want.

Your audience is the compass that helps you nail down your perfect schedule, and with a little testing and consistency, you’ll soon find the sweet spot that gets your content seen, shared, and remembered.