Bit.ly, the URL shortening service, have used all their data from providing those URLs to see when is the best time to post on Twitter or Facebook. They have been exploring how content propagates through these social networks, particularly how the day and time something is posted affects the eventual amount of attention it will receive.

Twitter – What is the best time to tweet to achieve click-throughts?

twitter-tweets

For Twitter, posting in the afternoon earlier in the week is your best chance at achieving a high click count (1-3pm Monday through Thursday). Posting after 8pm should be avoided. Specifically, don’t bother posting after 3pm on a Friday since, as far as being a gateway to drive traffic to your content, it appears that Twitter doesn’t work on weekends.

twitter-peaks

The peaks of Twitter activity fall before the optimal time to post. The peak traffic times for Twitter are 9am through 3pm, Monday through Thursday. Posting on Twitter when there are many people clicking does help raise the average number of clicks, but it in no way guarantees an optimal amount of attention, since there is more competition for any individual’s attention. An optimal strategy must weigh the number of people paying attention against the number of other posts vying for that attention.

Facebook – What is the best time to post to achieve click-throughts?

facebook-posts

Links posted from 1pm to 4pm result in the highest average click throughs. The peak time of the week was on Wednesday at 3pm. Links posted after 8pm and before 8am will have more difficulty achieving high amounts of attention. As with Twitter, avoid posting on the weekends.

facebook-peaks

Facebook traffic peeks mid-week, 1 to 3pm. While traffic starts to increase around 9am, one would be wise to wait to post until 11am. Traffic from Facebook fades after 4pm. Despite similar traffic counts at 8pm and 7pm, posting at 7pm will result in more clicks on average than posting at 8pm.

If you need help with driving traffic to your website via social media, phone Poole-based web design agency CuCo, serving Bournemouth, London and beyond!