When Is the Best Time to Post on Facebook in 2023?

In the wide world of social media platforms, there are many ways to harness the almighty algorithm and grow your brand’s presence. Previous user interactions, overall time spent on the platform, timing of your posts—they all can work, depending on the platform. So, when is the best time to post on Facebook? 

While Facebook—which shares parent company Meta with Instagram—is focused on serving quality advertising, it’s not just the content they take into consideration. 

Here, we’ll explore why posting time matters and what the best times to post on Facebook are in 2023. 

---

Does Posting Time Matter on Facebook?

It might seem like we’re all glued to our phones 24/7, but once in a while, we do take breaks. And if you’re posting when your audience is on one—or just playing Candy Crush in another window—you might not get the engagement you’re looking for in your content. 

The average Facebook user spends 33 minutes a day on the site. That’s a considerable amount of time to make impressions, but how do you ensure your post goes up during that window and doesn’t get swamped by other posts? Just as you need to master your Facebook video ad specs and requirements, you need to understand Facebook post times and the Facebook algorithm.

Think about the composition of your own feed. It’s probably a mix of life updates from friends, suggested posts and videos, and advertising. Which of those posts are you most likely to engage with? Probably the ones that feel fresh and pop up when you’re looking to engage, right? Or the ones that stand out and grab your attention when you’re mindlessly scrolling?

Facebook marketing is powerful, and the right best practices can help you maximize that power. By being thoughtful about how you post and your Facebook ads, you’ll increase your chances of successfully reaching your target audience. 

Understanding the Facebook Algorithm

The Facebook algorithm—which is actually a few algorithms working in concert, technically, but for our purposes, let’s call it “the algorithm”—collects data from you, the user, that speaks to your interests, based on the content you interact with. It turns this data into the feed that you end up seeing on your end. Users feed the algorithm signals with actions like: 

• How long they spend watching a video or Facebook reels
• If they like, comment on, or skip content 
• The accounts they actively follow and engage with

As a user provides Facebook with more data, the algorithm—their algorithm, so to speak—refines its outputs over time. Social media algorithms also prioritize fresh posts that get immediate traction, so it’s important to time your posts as best you can to make that immediate impact. 

Best Times To Post on Facebook

It really does matter what time you post on Facebook, so you’ll want to start by taking a look at when your target audience is online. You’ll want to start by understanding your audience’s demographics and habits. 

Keep in mind, this isn’t a perfect science—Facebook, of course, keeps the granular details you’d need to game the algorithm exactly under wraps. Besides, what works for some businesses might not work for yours. The following, however, is a good primer to help you get started: 

Monday

If you’re posting on Mondays, most research says posting in the morning or during daytime hours is best. This would strongly suggest that people log onto Facebook to take a break from work rather than once they’re at home and already off the clock. 

Tuesday

On Tuesdays, you’ll want to focus on posting in the morning, between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. Folks might be checking their accounts before work or while on lunch. 

Wednesday

Some research suggests that 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. are the best times to post on Wednesdays. Again, lots of people are spending their lunch breaks plugged into social media. 

Thursday

Thursdays between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. are tied with Tuesday for the best times of the week to post on Facebook, according to some research.

Friday

Posting between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Fridays should give you the most saturated reach for global engagement. 

Saturday

The weekend generally offers lighter engagement than weekdays, for obvious reasons—people are more likely to have plans. But if you’re still ready to post on the weekends, try for Saturday morning around 9 or 10 a.m. This is often before folks have started their weekend activities and are still sipping coffee and scrolling through social media. 

Sunday

Again, the weekends are a bit lighter on engagement, but Sunday morning between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. remains your best bet, for the same reason.

Considerations for Timing Your Facebook Posts

Timing your posts is often more complicated than you’d initially think, for a few reasons.

Time Zones

With global connectivity, time zones make posting at certain times a bit of a challenge. Again, this is why you need to understand who and where your audience is. If you know your key demographic is primarily based on the west coast of the US, you can adjust your strategy accordingly. 

Geographic Location

Similar to the time zone issue, the geographic location of your customers can help you determine the best time to post on social media. (If they’re more likely to be snowed in, for example, they might be more likely to be on their phones at different times than customers who live in a warmer climate.)

User Behavior

User behavior is a great way to help you understand when to share content on social media. Often, each platform’s analytics can give you insight into when your followers are spending the most time online. For example, if your audience is most active at 10 p.m., you’ll want to take that into consideration for your posts. The more you learn about your audience, the more you can refine your posting times.

Engagement Trends

Data analytics can also help you keep track of your engagement trends. As you continue building your social media presence, you can find out what time your audience is most likely to comment on your posts. 

Types of Content

The time of the day may also dictate the best type of content to post. For example, the mornings before work may be a better time to post video marketing content as your users begin their day. Lunchtime may be a good time to post a quiz, poll, or some other interactive content. Focusing on what the end user wants is always an effective way to design your content so you can communicate as effectively as possible.

How To Measure Success

It’s important to define your goals clearly so you can determine if your campaign is moving in the right direction for your business. Some goals you can use to measure success include:

• How many new leads you’ve obtained
• The awareness of a new product
• How many customers have purchased your product

No matter your goals, ensure you set them ahead of time and track them throughout the entire campaign. 

It’s Not a Perfect Science

All the research above regarding posting times and best practices are aggregates (not to mention extremely approximate). Every industry and business is different, and user trends are dynamic—changing all the time. While the data provides general ideas about best practices and where to start, it’s essential to test your brand’s strategy and optimize it based on what you find. 

Use Facebook Analytics

Facebook Analytics, now renamed Meta Business Suite Insights, allows you to see, in quite granular detail, such data-driven insights as:

• How your Facebook page is performing
• How many people your brand is reaching 
• The level of engagement your posts are receiving, both organic and paid
• Summaries (demographic and geographic) of who likes and follows your profile across Meta accounts
• Your top-performing posts

Using these analytic tools will help you understand where your current strategy is and how you can optimize it moving forward.

Test, Test, and Test Some More

The more quality content you put out there, the more data there is to draw insights from. You may be getting excellent reach, but then find out that your audience is even more receptive earlier or later.

You’re in a dynamic relationship with your social media users, so don’t be afraid to keep testing. That applies to both the kind of content you put out and the times you release it. You may even learn surprising facts about your audience, like geographic reach you didn’t expect. 

No one has a crystal ball, but the more you communicate with your audience, the more you’ll learn about one another.

Making Facebook Videos at Scale

Facebook video is a powerful medium to reach potential and existing customers, and you have to be open to testing and refinement. But doing this all on your own can be a challenge. 

With the right partner, you can simplify this process and optimize your Facebook marketing strategy. Here at QuickFrame by MNTN, we connect you with leading creators and video production teams around the world who are ready to make the video content you need to succeed on Facebook. 

Ready to get started? Contact us today to learn more about Facebook video production.

When To Post on Facebook: Final Thoughts

With the right strategy, your Facebook video marketing will help you build your social media presence, engage your audience, and grow your business. Remember that Facebook marketing in the right hands can be a powerful tool. It’s worth getting it right—and reaping the rewards.