When Is the Best Time to Post on Twitter (X) in 2023?
Before you fire off your next tweet without looking at the clock, you might want to think again. Every social media platform’s algorithm takes several components into account, including the best time to post on Twitter—or as it’s now known, X. (For the purposes of this article, and to spare your eyes the constant repetition of “X / Twitter,” we’ll refer to the platform as Twitter henceforth—that’s what the URL still says, anyway.)
With a large user base that spans the globe, Twitter is an effective platform for reaching potential customers. In the past few years, the company has implemented multiple changes to make the site more engaging, including expanding its maximum character count and allowing users to monetize their accounts.
Like many other social media platforms, Twitter is also a popular place to share videos. At one point, the company estimated its users view more than 2 billion videos every day.
Here, we’ll walk you through how the algorithm works on the platform, the best times to post on Twitter, and some best practices to improve your social media strategy.
Does Posting Time Matter on Twitter?
Since posting time is taken into account by the Twitter algorithm, posting time is important. The more people you reach right away, the more likely the algorithm is to extend your post to more users.
You can improve your chances of successfully reaching a wider audience by posting when people are more likely to be on the site. While people do tend to engage with long-form videos in the evening and on weekends, they’re more likely to scroll through social media platforms, including Twitter, in the morning.
Understanding the Twitter Algorithm
While Twitter users can search for and follow you on their own, the Twitter algorithm adds content to each user’s For You feed based on how they engage with content on the site. If your potential customers have their feeds set to For You or Following, the algorithm will move content up or down based on their interests.
By taking the time to understand your audience and their needs, you can drive relevant content to them on the platform. Plus, with related hashtags and topics, you can more effectively tell social media algorithms what your content is about, which helps them to share it with the right people.
Best Times To Post on Twitter
Knowing the best times to post on Twitter will help you schedule your posts and tailor your video content to reach a broader range of people. These guidelines can provide you with a starting point as you develop your Twitter marketing strategy.
Monday
Twitter is a popular platform for users checking out trending topics and looking for local news. Throughout the week, the site sees its highest engagement levels later in the morning. On Mondays, you can post from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to reach the broadest audience.
Tuesday
Overall, Tuesday is a popular day for Twitter engagement, with the most active times ranging between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The same study found that Tuesday is one of the most popular weekdays for Twitter engagement in the healthcare industry, which peaks around 8 a.m. In the hospitality industry, people are more likely to engage around 10 p.m. on Tuesdays.
Wednesday
Wednesday is another high-traffic day for Twitter users, with popular times again ranging from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. However, people tend to stay engaged most of the day. If you’re launching a big ad campaign with lofty goals, consider launching it midday on Wednesday.
Thursday
In general, Twitter engagement is pretty steady on Thursday. This is also a good day for nonprofits, schools, and educational businesses to post between 9 a.m. and noon. Later in the morning, around 10 a.m., is the best time to post on Thursday for the travel industry.
Friday
Twitter use tends to taper off on Friday, peaking around 11 a.m. and winding down throughout the day. Still, Friday is a good day to post for businesses in the hospitality industry, as people are making their last-minute weekend plans.
Saturday
Across industries, Saturday has some of the lightest engagement as people ditch their phones to unplug and enjoy the weekend. Like Friday, however, Saturday is a good time for hospitality-based businesses to engage new potential customers.
Sunday
Overall, Sunday is the worst day to post on Twitter if you want to engage a large group of people. You can still reach your audience with targeted content but expect less of a response.
Considerations for Timing Your Twitter Posts
No matter where your brand is located, Twitter can help you reach your target audience. With the ability to connect with global and local audiences, you can reach people around the world, build awareness, and drive traffic to your website. But there are some considerations to keep in mind while you’re creating your Twitter content strategy.
Time Zones
If your marketing team operates in a different time zone than your core customer base, make sure you time your tweets around your audience’s time zone. You want to reach potential customers when they‘re online. For example, if your marketing team is in Chicago but you’re tweeting to promote a branch in California, you’ll be two hours ahead, and your audience may not see your content.
Geographic Location
With Twitter, you can add your location to different posts, which helps the algorithm know who is most likely to engage with your content. Plus, users can filter tweets based on their locations, so adding a location can help more people find your brand.
User Behaviors
For your audience, peak engagement times may differ from industry averages. You can determine the best time to reach your particular audience by monitoring your tweets and taking note of which ones get the most engagement. Track trends and engagement rates on your own Twitter feed to get a better sense of user behaviors for your audience.
Engagement Trends
In 2023, Twitter users still commonly use the site to stay up to date on news and current events. As such, you may see an uptick in traffic during major world events or when important news breaks (including headlines about the platform itself).
It’s in poor taste to promote your business using a hashtag related to a crisis, of course, so make sure to keep an eye out for events around the globe.
When the time is right, however, you can post on the heels of large events, such as the Olympics, which can help boost your visibility.
Types of Content
Certain types of video content are appropriate for engaging your audience at different times of the week. You’ll want to test different content types, including text, photo, and video posts, to find what works best for your audience.
Once you know what’s most effective, you can continue narrowing it down and refining the content. For example, once you know your audience loves a good video production, you can test to see whether they prefer live-action or animated videos.
How To Measure Success
To gauge your marketing efforts, look at some of your key performance indicators (KPIs), including follower growth, mentions, top tweets, profile visits, and video performance. Keeping track of these metrics over time will help you better understand how your audience is growing and what types of content are getting the most traction.
It’s Not a Perfect Science
Although Twitter users, on average, are more likely to engage with your brand in the morning during the week, this isn’t a rule across the board. Your ideal times may vary based on your industry and customer demographics. If you’re just starting out or refreshing your brand’s social media presence, research other brands in your industry to see when your customers are most likely to engage.
Use Twitter Analytics
Twitter analytics can give you helpful insights into your followers’ behaviors and top-performing tweets. Plus, this lets you know which content didn’t land quite right with your audience, so you can optimize your strategy.
With these tools, you can learn what resonates with members of your target audience and when you’re most likely to reach them on the platform.
Test, Test, and Test Some More
To understand which tweets will draw in the most users, keep tweeting. The beauty of Twitter is that it’s easy to use. You can tweet multiple times a day to draw new viewers to your videos, but be sure not to post too much. Over-posting can make you look like spam to the algorithm, and no one wants that.
Twitter also lets you promote tweets through paid ad campaigns. For these, try multivariate testing to find out which elements of your ads are most effective with your audience. While just on one platform, this can serve as a starting point for your ads on other social media networks. These tests help you assess which ads will be more effective with your target audience.
Making Twitter Videos at Scale
Short-form videos are the most appropriate for Twitter, but even these can be time-consuming when you’re trying to produce several of them at the same time. When you’re trying to scale your business, creating Twitter videos might not be the first thing on your mind.
That’s where QuickFrame by MNTN comes in. With our end-to-end video production platform, we connect brands like yours to leading video creators and production teams around the globe. We’ll work with you to understand your use case and desired results and pair you with an experienced video expert who’s ready to make custom videos for your brand.
Ready to get started? Contact us today.
When To Post on Twitter: Final Thoughts
Optimal Twitter post times vary across industries and from business to business, so it’s essential to find what works best for you—and to stay abreast of the platform’s ongoing evolutions. By posting often and using analytics to understand your followers, you can learn the best times to engage your audience and build your brand.
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