How often should you post on social media in 2024?

Are you thinking you don’t get engagement on your social media because you’re not posting at the right times? Or, have you only just set up a new social channel for your business and are wondering how often you should post on social media, and on what times?

Before we dig in to give in-depth answers to your musings, here’s something you need to understand: there are no magic times to post on social media.  

Along the way, we’ll also cover how often you should post on each of the four big social channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook. You’ll learn the best times to post on each and how many times to update each social channel as well. But, our emphasis will be on testing (we’ll show you how) to find out how often you should post on social media. 

Since there’s a lot of ground to cover, let’s get to it:

How often to post on social media 

When we say, ‘how often’ I think of two parts to answer this:

• How many times &
• What times to post

That’s exactly how you should view this guide. It will talk about social media frequency, the best times to post, and how often to post on social media.

However, instead of curating the available research on this topic, we’ll tell you exactly what works on social media. In short, it’s a triple-decker to achieving your social media objectives including:

• Being consistent on social
• Actively engaging with your audience
• Offering as much value as you can so your audience waits for your posts

How frequently you should post on social media?

Instead of a formulaic approach, we favor diving into your social media analytics to understand when your audience is most engaged and, subsequently, when you should post on each channel. Quality content should be shared as frequently as you can consistently produce it. This is still true for 2024 and it will never change.

So, the right way to use this guide is to understand and digest each of the principles that we’ll lay out for you, test out some posting timings and frequency, and find out your ideal answer to how often you should post on social media. Using this information, you can go on to develop a social media posting plan from here.  

I also recommend you bookmark this piece so you can refer to it time and again to revise what matters the most in growing an engaged social media channel. Try following these posting times and measure your social media KPIs after that, I’m sure you’ll see a rising graph!

Best times to post on social media 

The correct answer to this depends on a couple of factors such as:

The time zone you are in

Chances are you’ve read 1 pm is the best time to post on so and so social channel. So, you’ve decided you’re going to schedule your update at that time. But, have you stopped to ask: which time zone is it?  

Even if you already have the answer to this, you better ask yourself: which time zone is my audience in?

Asking these two questions can show you how tough it is to point out a single time and call it the magic time to post on social media.

The industry you are in

Again, odds are a certain posting time works well for someone you know, but it isn’t delivering the same results for you. Wondering why? Because not only are your audiences different but you’re in different industries as well.

Put simply, the ideal posting time boils down to the industry you are in. Dine-in restaurants are likely to get engaged during the evening hours. On the other hand, someone in the carpentry industry is likely to get engagement in the mornings.

When your audience is active

We’ve already touched base with this. However, it’s an important factor that determines your posting time and frequency on social media, so it deserves a separate mention.

In a nutshell: it’s only when your audience is active that your social media updates will get any engagement.

Are you targeting recruiters or are you posting for busy mums? In either case, the optimal posting time differs. After all, recruiters are most likely to be active in the mornings during their work hours. Mothers, on the other hand, might check social media with their evening tea.

Thus, two important questions to ask yourself are:

•  Who is my target audience &
•  When are they most likely to be active?

How consistent you are in posting on social media

Now here comes the bitter sip: if you’re not consistent in your posts on social media, the odds of getting high engagement are low. Why? Because consistency in your presence on social media sets your followers’ expectations. Put another way, your audience becomes familiar with your updates, so they engage with them.

What’s more, the consistency of social media improves your reach. Again, why? See, when you post and engage with your audience regularly, more people will see your posts. This improves your reach or the number of people who see your posts.

Hard to believe?

Here’s an example: SEMrush on Twitter sees more engagement on their tweets than other social media accounts that don’t engage with their audience consistently.  

Note that when we talk about consistency on social media, we’re referring to both frequently posting on social as well as engaging with your audience with or without social media management tools, although you can increase engagement by 50% through a tool.

The ideal social media posting frequency

Again, it’s easy to assume that the best answer to this is posting as per proven numbers: 1-3 posts per week. However, the real answer comes down to the following:

Find the right posting balance

If you post too often, you’re at risk of boring your audience. After all, they don’t want to see posts from you round the clock. The opposite, however, is equally damaging as it means your audience is likely to forget about you if they don’t hear enough from you.

Thus, the correct way to go about posting is to find the right balance between too often and too less for each social channel.

Take a page from Career Contessa’s Instagram page that posts twice daily. This way their audience knows when to hear from them and they remain in their followers’ feeds daily as well.

Aim for consistency more than anything else

You’ll only figure out the best balance if you’re consistent in showing up on social media. If you post on a Monday only to disappear by Thursday, your audience will forget about you. On the flip side, consistent posting helps you set your followers’ expectations.

If you’re starting out, showing up daily weighs a lot more than posting by a fixed schedule. It’s only after some trial and error that you can map out this schedule, so focus on showing up regularly before you determine the best times to post on different social channels.

Offer as much value as you can

This will serve as a magnet to attract new and old followers alike. In fact, your followers won’t care about what time you’re posting. Instead, they’ll seek out your content themselves, which means social media algorithms are more likely to show them your updates. Here is an example:

Wondering how to offer value? Here are some quick and effective tips:

• Post industry tips and mind-blowing stats
• Make quick video tutorials for educating your audience
• Share relevant curated content with thoughtful captions

Now that the essentials are out of the way, let’s talk about how often you should post on specific social channels.

How often to post on X(Twitter)

X(Twitter) is a great platform for sharing business updates and helpful tips. To grow your X(Twitter) account quickly, pair your text-based content with GIFs, memes, and videos.

What’s the best time to post on X(Twitter)?

Based on an analysis of 6 million scheduled and published posts through ContentStudio, with over 30 million engagements, our internal data indicates that Wednesday, Friday, Tuesday, and Thursday yield the highest engagement on X (Twitter).

Based on ContentStudio’s study, we divided the optimal times for posting on X(Twitter) according to days of the week:

• Best time to post on X(Twitter) on Monday: 2 pm EST – 4 pm EST and 10 am EST
• Best time to post on X(Twitter) on Tuesday: 1 pm EST, 3 pm EST
• Best time to post on X(Twitter) on Wednesday: 4 pm EST, 6 pm EST and 10 pm EST
• Best time to post on X(Twitter) on Thursday: 12 am EST, and 10 am EST
• Best time to post on X(Twitter) on Friday: 6 pm EST and 2 pm EST
• Best time to post on X(Twitter) on Saturday: 7 pm EST and 12 am EST
• Best time to post on X(Twitter) on Sunday: 10 am EST and 3 pm EST

How many times should you tweet daily?

Note that Twitter’s algorithm is cracking down on bots posting every other minute. So, it helps to pause, understand when your audience is active, and tweet according. Once you learn this, you can tell if you need to tweet thrice or thirty times (which is a bit too much, honestly).

In short, here’s what helps:  

• Don’t tweet when your audience is likely to be participating in a Twitter chat. This lowers your engagement even if your followers (or a sizeable portion of them) are active
• About 3-7 tweets are ideal if you’re a business. The idea is to stay top of mind, which is why 3-7 tweets are sufficient

How often to post on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional network for salespeople, business folks, and recruiters. So, you’ll find users active during work hours. Even so, lots of users tend to actively post on LinkedIn even over the weekend.

What’s the best time to post on LinkedIn?

According to ContentStudio data, 3.49 million posts were published through the platform, with the peak engagement observed on Tuesdays.

Tuesdays exhibit the highest engagement rates for LinkedIn posts, followed closely by Mondays & Wednesdays, compared to other days. On weekends, user activity declines, resulting in fewer comments and replies, indicating passive content consumption rather than active engagement.

 

The following are the optimal times to post on LinkedIn according to the above research:

• Best time to post on LinkedIn on Monday: 12 PM EST—1 PM EST, and 4 PM EST
• Best time to post on LinkedIn on Tuesday: 9 AM EST—11 AM EST, and 1 PM EST
• Best time to post on LinkedIn on Wednesday: 8 AM EST—1 PM EST
• Best time to post on LinkedIn on Thursday: 11 AM EST, and 5 PM EST
• Best time to post on LinkedIn on Friday: 11 AM EST, and 1 PM EST
• Best time to post on LinkedIn on Saturday: 10 AM EST—11 AM EST–12 PM EST
• Best time to post on LinkedIn on Sunday: 11 AM EST and 4 PM EST—5 PM EST and 5 PM EST

Best times to post on LinkedIn vary but generally peak between 9-11 am and 1 pm (EST) on weekdays, coinciding with peak user activity. Experimentation is key to finding the ideal posting window tailored to your audience and time zone.

How many times should you post on LinkedIn?

In addition to understanding what days/times of the week are best for posting, it’s also important to consider how often you publish content. Over-publishing can lead to users becoming overwhelmed with too much information–so try not to exceed more than four posts per day at maximum.

If you’re wondering how often should I post on LinkedIn. well. Ideally, once daily. But no more than twice in a given day. Any more and you know that you’re not observing the right balance to social media posting.  

Read: LinkedIn algorithm explained: How to beat it

How often to post on Instagram

Instagram is a visual platform. So, unless you’ve high-quality images, you can’t expect success on the network unless you use some Instagram growth hacks. It’s best you stay away from using stock photos. Instead, take some pictures yourself or hire a photographer to capture images featuring your product.  

Sharing behind-the-scenes (BTS) content also helps build trust with your audience, so it’s worth giving a shot. As for the posting times and how often to post on Instagram, get them below:

What’s the best time to post on Instagram?

Wondering if there’s an optimal day to post on Instagram?

Studies suggest certain days and times garner more engagement. While specifics may differ based on audience demographics and content genre, trends remain consistent across most users.

Analyzing 3.7 million posts via ContentStudio, we found Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Monday to be peak engagement days on Instagram.

The following are the optimal times to post on Instagram according to the above mentioned research:

• Best time to post on Instagram on Monday: 4 pm EST – 7 pm EST
• Best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday: 7 pm EST
• Best time to post on Instagram on Wednesday: 4 pm EST, 6 pm EST – 7 pm EST
• Best time to post on Instagram on Thursday: 12 pm EST, and 6 pm EST – 7 pm EST
• Best time to post on Instagram on Friday: 6 pm EST – 8 pm EST and 4 pm EST
• Best time to post on Instagram on Saturday: 7 pm EST and 10 pm EST
• Best time to post on Instagram on Sunday: 6 am EST – 7 am EST and 5 pm EST

Your content will definitely perform better if you post on the optimal days, whether you manually post on Instagram or schedule it with a social media scheduler like ContentStudio!

How often should I post on Instagram to gain followers?

How often should you post on Instagram ranges from one post to two maximum. However, we advise blogging at least once every day. Brands that have a consistent posting schedule on Instagram typically see the best outcomes. Publish no more than two though. This is pretty helpful considering it helps you strike the right balance. One post per day when your audience is active can help you stay on their radar without being intrusive.

Related Read: Instagram algorithm in 2024: How to beat it?

How often should you post on Facebook? 

In 2024, Facebook’s algorithm have made organic engagement much more challenging than before. But don’t worry, focusing on building relationships with your audience still works wonders on social media.

When is the best time to post on Facebook?

To find the ideal posting time on social media, knowing your audience demographics is key. Our analysis of 22 million posts via ContentStudio shows Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday as peak engagement days on Facebook.

Based one the above study, we classified the optimal times for posting on Facebook according to different days:

• Best time to post on Facebook on Monday: 2 pm – 3 PM, and 7 pm EST
• Best time to post on Facebook on Tuesday: 2 pm – 3 pm, and 5 pm – 6 pm  EST
• Best time to post on Facebook on Wednesday: 8 am – 9 am, and 6 pm EST
• Best time to post on Facebook on Thursday: 2 pm, and 10 pm EST
• Best time to post on Facebook on Friday: 2 pm, and 5 pm EST
• Best time to post on Facebook on Saturday: 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm EST
• Best time to post on Facebook on Sunday: 6 pm, and 10 pm EST

How many times should you post on Facebook?

Most studies agree one post a day is best for Facebook. Maximum? Two per day. As for a minimum, three posts weekly on Facebook should do. This is a helpful estimate as the posting frequency helps you stay consistent as well as on top of your audience’s mind.

The estimate is also great for those who run a Facebook group. If you aren’t running a FB community yet, but are part of many, it’s best you allot some time to engaging with group members daily.

Related Read: How to build facebook marketing strategy for your business

How to get the most from your social media posts?

While consistently posting on social media is one part of the picture, taking the time to actively engage with your followers is another.  

The following 3-step plan will help you get the most out of your posts on social:

i. Know your objective

This way you have a yardstick for measuring performance and understanding how well you’re doing. Is your goal to increase brand awareness on social or drive sales? Do you want to build a community and foster customer loyalty? Getting the most from your social media posts comes down to knowing your objective adequately.

ii. Commit to engaging regularly

Ideally, take out 30-40 minutes to engage (read: like, comment, and share your follower’s content) daily. What’s more, 79% of customers expect businesses to respond to them on social within a day. So, it helps to respond to any brand mentions, queries, or messages that you may have.

iii. Tailor your content according to the platform

If you’re planning to create and post a single post on all your social profiles, stop right there. Every platform has its content requirements. For instance, short and witty captions work best for Twitter, but Instagram’s user base demands lengthy captions (think: storytelling). Analyze each platform’s requirements and then add them to a content planner.

Hence, it’s best to tweak your content according to each platform’s requirements. You can keep the message the same, but deliver it in a different format.

A few more tips to help you as you create social content are:

• Use hashtags thoughtfully

A hashtag or two best suits a tweet: 

Related read: How to use hashtags for your social media posts?

But you can add a lot more hashtags on Instagram:

You can also generate hashtags for free using ContentStudio’s hashtag generators.

• Ask questions in your captions to maximize audience engagement

Like Todoist does on LinkedIn:

• Add emojis & line break to your captions to enhance visual appeal

Grammarly does this pretty well. Have a look:

Also explore: How social media emojis enhance your online presence?

Closing notes

In 2024, figuring out how often to post on social media is like finding the right beat in a song. It’s not just about numbers; it’s about talking to real people. Engaging genuinely, responding to comments, and sharing stuff that matters are what really count.

Therefore, when devising your social media strategy, prioritize genuine connections and ensure that your online presence resonates authentically with your audience.

FAQs

How often is too often to post on social media?

Finding the right posting frequency on social media is essential. Posting too frequently, say more than 1-2 times a day, can overwhelm your audience and diminish engagement. It’s crucial to strike a balance between visibility and avoiding spamming your followers’ feeds.

How often should you engage on social media?

Engaging consistently with your audience is key to building meaningful connections. Whether responding to comments, sharing relevant content, or initiating discussions, active engagement fosters a sense of community and increases brand loyalty.

Do you need to post on social media every day?

While posting every day on social media can help maintain a presence, it’s not always necessary. Quality content should always take precedence over quantity. Focus on creating valuable posts that resonate with your audience, adjusting your posting frequency based on engagement metrics and audience preferences.

Have any more questions? Comment below and we’ll get back to you.