Sprout Social has this week published the latest version of its best times to post report, which highlights the optimal times of day to post to the major social platforms in order to maximize engagement.

The report is based on data gleaned from Sprout’s 20,000+ customer base, providing a significant dataset to pull from and pinpoint the key posting times. That said, of course, your optimal posting times will vary dependent on your unique audience, so the pointers and charts below are not definitive. But they do serve as a good starting point for those looking to map out a more effective strategy, or a worthy change in approach if you’re looking to improve performance.

Sprout has provided industry-specific insights and more in-depth reporting in its full summary, but in this post, we’re going to take a look at some of the highlights to help provide some context as to what the latest data indicates.

Worth noting too, all the time frames listed are recorded in Central Time Zone (CST).

First off, on Facebook – Sprout says that, overall, the best time to post to Facebook for optimal engagement is on Wednesday between 11am and 12pm.

As you can see in the chart, Wednesday is the best performing day overall, while Sunday is the worst for Facebook engagement.

On Instagram, Wednesday is also a winner, along with Friday at 10am.

The worst day on Instagram? Sunday, same as Facebook. Maybe that’s because people are more likely to be at home or engaging in recreational activites on Sundays, and therefore less likely to be spending time in the apps. 

On Twitter, Wednesday and Friday also come out on top.

But as you can see, Saturday is, overall, Twitter’s worst, not Sunday, which seems like an interesting variance.

Over on LinkedIn, Spout’s data suggests Wednesdays from 8–10 a.m. and noon, Thursdays at 9 a.m. and 1–2 p.m., and Fridays at 9 a.m. are the most engaging times.

LinkedIn’s best days are Wednesday and Thursday, and it’s worst is Sunday, staying with the broader trend – though Mondays, too, look pretty slim on LinkedIn. 

As noted, there’s a heap more info in Sprout’s full report, including industry-specific insights to help you map out a more effective, engaging social posting schedule.

Again, these listings are not definitive – the guides here act as pointers for your own strategy, and may open your thinking to new opportunities. But you need to test and analyze your own data in order to determine the optimal posting practices for your unique audience.

You can read Sprout’s full best times to post report here.