Best Time To Post on Facebook: 1.4M Posts Analyzed

Even after all these years, Facebook still plays a major role in most users’ daily lives and many brands' social media strategies. While many would have expected the platform's traction to plateau, it has only become increasingly apparent that Facebook remains a pillar across social media platforms. This means it’s more crucial than ever to know exactly when you should be posting to catch not only your target audiences’ attention but also the algorithms. 

Finally, an answer to the long-awaited question: What is the single best time to post on Facebook? According to Dash Social’s data (where we collected results from over 1,000 brands and 1.4 million posts), the best overall time to post on Facebook is 9 p.m. Brands that post at this time see an average engagement rate of 5.3%.  

Surprised? When you think about it, this timing actually makes a lot of sense. Most people use social media as a way to wind down after a hectic day. Once you get home from work, cook dinner, clean up, and maybe even throw a workout in there, the evening creeps up on you fast. By 9 p.m., it's finally time to sit back and relax either on the couch or in bed, and shamelessly scroll.

When it comes to the best time to post on Facebook per day, the answers may shock you. While many brands post during their own working hours, the data shows they’re completely missing a core group of their audience. Make sure this doesn’t happen to you by uncovering the best times of day to post every day and learn exactly why these times perform so well. 

Best Time To Post on Monday

The best time to post on Facebook on Monday is 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., both with an average engagement rate of 5.2%.

Why? After a long Monday, all that a lot of people want to do is sit back, relax, and scroll on Facebook. But of course, that must wait until you get all of your post-work activities done, like commuting, grocery shopping, or dinner. The later evening time slots work perfectly because once the day is done, your brand can be the first thing users see when they open up the app.    

Best Time To Post on Tuesday

Tuesdays are one of the days with the highest engagement. With an average engagement rate of 5.3%, the best times to post on Facebook are 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Why? While there is no specific or obvious reason that Tuesdays are the most engaging day of the week on Facebook, there are some factors that may come into play. On Tuesdays, people have gotten the chance to settle back into their weekly routines, possibly recovering from the stress that comes with Mondays. This allows for a little more scroll time throughout the day, especially before bed. 

Best Time To Post on Wednesday

If you’re looking for the best time to post on Facebook on Wednesday, it is 9 p.m., with an impressive average engagement rate of 5.2%. 

Why? It’s hump day! Engagement remains on the higher end on Wednesdays, especially in the evenings, as people continue to use Facebook as their outlet to decompress and take a load off before they go to sleep. Providing fresh content to users who are likely already exhausted from the first half of the week can help provide a new perspective and hopefully take their minds off the looming still-to-dos.   

Best Time To Post on Thursday

The best time to post on Facebook on Thursdays is at 10 p.m. Brands that post during this time are likely to see an engagement rate of around 5.2%.

Why? At this point, you’ll have noticed a pattern, and the pattern is that during the week, Facebook users are the most engaged on the app in the evening. And for Thursdays, the trend is no different. It’s almost the weekend, which means most people can and will justify staying up a bit later to scroll content that’s all about looking forward to the weekend, and watch Reels.    

Best Time To Post on Friday

On Fridays, there are a few best times to post on Facebook: 6 a.m. for the early risers and 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. for the night owls, all with an average engagement rate of 4.9%. 

Why? Though Facebook engagement is on the lower side on Fridays, brands do have options for when they should post. While 6 a.m. acts a bit of an outlier in comparison to the rest of the week, it actually makes sense when you think about the habits we form to get ready for the weekend extra early. The evening timeslots can be attributed to those scrollers who are just looking to chill out after a long week. 

Best Time To Post on Saturday

It’s finally the weekend, but when are users most active? The best time to post on Facebook on Saturday, with a 4.8% average engagement rate, is at 5 a.m.

Why? Surprisingly, Saturdays have the lowest engagement across the board. This is due to many factors, but mainly because people are busy. Saturdays are the prime day for people to get off technology and enjoy their free time outside of work or other obligations. If you want to post on Facebook on this day, make sure it's early in the morning to catch the late-night scrollers or early risers. 

Best Time To Post on Sunday

The best time to post on Facebook on Sunday is either at 4 a.m. or 7 p.m. Posting at either of these times can result in an average engagement rate of around 5%. 

Why? Sunday’s offer brands two polar opposite options when it comes to times to post on Facebook, both with their own specific reasons. Like Saturdays, many people are up quite late on Sundays, explaining the 4 a.m. time slot. When it comes to 7 p.m., you can thank the ‘Sunday Scaries’. The avoidance that comes with the start of a new week, more often than not, leads to scrolling, scrolling, and more scrolling on Facebook. 

While the above overview casts a wide net, timing isn’t one-size-fits-all, especially across industries. Keep reading to learn the best times to post for brands in the fashion, beauty, publishing, and retail industries. 

Fashion

We’ve all heard of fashionably late, but what about fashionably early? The best time for fashion industry brands to post on Facebook is 3 a.m. Fashion brands really capitalize on being the early bird who gets the worm, with an average engagement rate of 7.3% and being the first thing users see upon opening their Facebook app. 

Beauty 

Like the fashion industry, beauty brands thrive in the early hours of the morning, so early, in fact, that they could almost be considered the night. The best time for beauty brands to post on Facebook is at 12 a.m. At this time, beauty brands see a whopping 8.2% average engagement rate, meaning this is a can-not-miss timeslot for posting. 

Retail

The early (and we mean early) morning risers and night owls on Facebook just keep winning. Retail brands see the highest average engagement at 3 a.m. (8.1%) and 1 a.m. (7.7%). Now these results likely aren't because users are actually awake at this time, but more so because these posts are at the forefront to greet them during their morning scroll. 

Publishing 

Does it come as a surprise to anyone that publishing industry brands thrive in the evening? Facebook users are sat from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., ready to take in all of the happenings of the day after dinner and before bed. While the average engagement rate is slightly higher for 7 p.m. at 4.8%, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. isn’t far behind at 4.7%.

Facebook Reels are a completely different beast. Because of this, you’d think they have their own unique quirks and best times to post, but that’s actually not the case at all. 

The best overall time to post on Facebook Reels is 9 p.m. 

Like regular feed posts on Facebook, this is the ultimate time to catch users after they’ve had a busy day and are just looking to scroll and unwind. Facebook Reels are especially effective during this time because they appear much more frequently on users’ feeds, and if the content is good enough, will convince them to stop the constant scroll.  

When it comes to the best days to post Facebook Reels, you want to post on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. 

These are the days when users are most interactive with Facebook Reels. To amp up your performance even more on these days, post your content between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. for the highest engagement rate. 

The earlier analysis is based on global data, but now it’s time to go down under to unlock premium posting times for Australian brands on Facebook. The best time for Australian brands, or brands whose target audiences reside in Australia, to post on Facebook is 3 a.m. Brands that post at 3 a.m. see an astounding average engagement rate of 7.6%. 4 a.m. is a close runner-up option with an average engagement rate of 6.0%.

These timeslots and engagement rates showcase how beneficial it is to be the first thing that shows up on Aussie’s feeds in the morning, but they aren’t you’re only options. During the day, brands can expect an average engagement rate between 3.6% and 4.6% from the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Times that experience the lowest amount of average engagement (around 2.6%)  and may want to be avoided are 12 a.m. and 7 a.m.

Across the pond, the best posting times on Facebook are just slightly different from the global or Australian time slots. If you’re a brand based in the UK or you’re looking to target those in the UK, your optimal posting time is 1 a.m. with an average engagement rate of 5.5%. Just an hour later at 2 a.m., brands are also seeing impressive results with an average engagement rate of 5.4%.

Like Australia, it’s important for UK brands to be the first thing on a user's mind when they open up Facebook, but luckily, these early mornings aren’t your only hope. 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 11 p.m. also boast serviceable average engagement rates ranging from 4.0% to 4.5%. In terms of what times you shouldn’t be posting, 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. bring in the lowest average engagement rate, hovering around 3.5%.

Finding your specific best times to post on Facebook is actually easier than you think, and you have options. If you’ve got some spare time on your hands, you can do this manually: 

1. Identify a time frame in which you will look at all of your posts. (3-6 months should give you enough data if you’re posting regularly)
2. Gather post-performance data like likes, engagement rate, and any other metrics that are relevant to your team. 
3. Sort these results based on what day and what time the highest (and lowest) performers are. 
4. You will now have a rough idea of what times are the most effective for you. 

This process is extremely manual, but worth it if you’re able to put in the time. If you’re able to invest in a tool, the process is much, much simpler. Tools like Dash Social’s Scheduler have your own specific best time to post on Facebook data built directly into the feature. This means you don’t even have to leave the platform or think twice to know exactly when your audience is most engaged; it’s in the data already collected by Dash. 

While you’ll never be able to nail down exactly what’s impacting your content when you post, there are a couple of factors you can lean on to give some context. Here are three of the most impactful reasons your content may or may not be performing: 

1. Audience Demographics 

Where your target audience is located is the most impactful reason your content may or may not be hitting. You need to consider what time of day it is for them, even more so than for yourself. Beyond just time of day, consider what the lifestyle of your target demographic is, what time they would typically be online, and when they may be busy at work or not around to check their feed. Knowing your audience behaviour is the only way to truly know when the best time to post on Facebook is.  

2. The Facebook Algorithm  

Unfortunately, the Facebook algorithm controls when and where your content shows up, no matter what time you post it. But don’t fret, being at the mercy of the algorithm isn’t always a bad thing, especially if you’re doing all the right things. Ensure you’re posting consistently, creating high-quality content, and interacting with your audience authentically and regularly to show the algorithm that your content is worth surfacing at any time of day. 

3. Content Variety 

Lastly, content variety is a significant factor. It’s not surprising to know that the types of content you’re putting out actually directly impact how they’re showing up in users' feeds. There are just certain types of content that perform better on different days of the week or different times of day. Think timely posts about the ‘Sunday scaries’ or that 2 p.m. feeling on a Thursday that we can all relate to. Serving users and the algorithm different types of content for different times or days of the week shows that you’re listening and relatable. 

Unless otherwise noted, the data in this Facebook report is sourced from brands across a range of industries and locations. All Facebook post times are recorded globally and then localized, meaning the recommended times can be applied to your local time zone for similar results.

To identify the best overall times to post on Facebook, Dash Social’s BI team, with the help of our Senior Insights Manager, analyzed over 1,000 brands and 1.4 million unique posts published globally across Beauty, Retail, Publishing, and Fashion from January 1 to December 31, 2024. This analysis gives a robust and reliable view of how timing truly impacts results. 

While these findings offer a strong starting point, we always recommend testing with your own results to identify the strongest posting times for your specific audience and strategy.

How often should you post on Facebook?

Posting around once a day is a good rule of thumb for how often you should post on Facebook. This way, you regularly surface on users' feeds, but you do not oversaturate their scroll to the point that they will see too much of you. 

When should I post on Facebook to get the most likes? 

The best day and time to post on Facebook to get the most likes is Tuesday at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Brands that posted during this time saw the highest engagement rate at around 5.3%. 

Does posting to Facebook consistently help? 

Yes. By posting consistently on Facebook, you’re signalling to your followers and to the algorithm that your content is worth paying attention to. Having a consistent posting schedule is step one for any successful Facebook marketing strategy and cannot be ignored.