When you first start looking for the best times to post on Facebook, you'll find a lot of outdated information. In some cases, the data you find is as unreliable as a coin flip.

That's why we put together a transparent and clear guide for best posting time frames based on research by top-tier social media platform digital marketing experts.

As of late 2024 and early 2025, we have the top guidance for keeping your Facebook users happy while finding the sweet spot of user engagement rates and the best time to post. 

When is the best time to post on Facebook?

As a great starting point, the best time to post on Facebook is on weekdays, early mornings into the mid-afternoon. That’s of course a broad generalization with many exceptions. This may depend on your industry or the nature of your audience.

Let's first take a look at the best times to post, and then see how that varies from industry to industry.

Best times to post on Facebook

A quick life hack to find the best time to post on Facebook is to go to your Meta Business Suite, create a new post on Facebook, and then slide the “Schedule Post” button under “Scheduling Options.” 

From there, check “Active Times” to see a list of when your specific audience is historically known for high engagement.  

As you change the dates, new times will show up for that particular day of the week. Write those down to get a great idea of when you know there's decent engagement. Put a calendar reminder to check this once a month and compare it with your engagement metrics. 

Let's dig a little deeper into the weekdays to see what the best time to post on Facebook is for your target audience. 

Best time to post on Facebook on Monday

In general, anytime between 7 am and 8 pm can get you decent engagement, but data shows that pre-lunch time from 9 am to 11 am on a Monday can give you the most engagement.

Best time to post on Facebook on Tuesday

Just like Monday, the morning hours are your golden ticket to getting a lot of engagement when you want to post on a Tuesday. The best time to post is somewhere between 8am and noon, especially between 9 am and 10 am.

Best time to post on Facebook on Wednesday

Wednesday is not only hump day, but also the day when the magic happens. The most successful posts are more likely to happen on a Wednesday.

Mid-week makes sense since it's the least likely time that people will be off work, compared to Mondays and Fridays, which can be parlayed into three-day weekends. More potential customers will be on the Facebook platform and more likely see your posts.

Best time to post on Facebook on Thursday

As with other weekdays, posting in the morning hours on a Thursday gives you the best chance of getting a lot of engagement. Consider your audience's behavior. Most people like to check Facebook when they wake up or during their lunch break. These can also be good times to post your content.

Best time to post on Facebook on Friday

Friday is another strong day for posting to Facebook, and besides Wednesdays, the day that sees the most engagement. Here, anything between 11 am to 2 pm is a sweet spot.

Best time to post on Facebook on Saturday

Scheduling posts in the morning, between 8am and 11 am, can be a good time on a Saturday. But check your Meta Business Suite insights for more insight into when your audience is online on weekends, as this can vary by industry and generation.

Best time to post on Facebook on Sunday

While posting in the morning hours is generally a good idea for most days, Sunday is a little different. The ideal time to post is during the brunch hours, between 11am and 3pm local time.

Whether your target audience is sleeping in, going to church, or having some unplugged hours, there's more engagement to be found in the late morning or afternoon.

Best time to post on Facebook by time zone and location

Your social media strategy must also consider the time zone and location of your posts. Add that grain of informational salt to any data you review about the best time to post. 

Generally speaking, your audience engages during the weekday, with posts before lunch reaching the most Facebook users. 

Also, keep this in mind if you have a social media agency helping with posts, as they need to figure out the best times to post based on your local time, not theirs.

A quick tip: If you're doing research by looking at popular brands' business pages on Facebook, the post times will always be displayed in your local time, not the time when it was when the post was made live.

Best time to post on Facebook by industry

In Brandwatch's State of Social Report, we were able to get even more micro with the data by whittling it down to the best times to post, broken down by industry.  

Once again, mid-week is among the best times to post for solid engagement. On average, Wednesday and Thursday are the best days to post. 

Let's take a quick look at the breakdown, with the top two days in order of importance following the industry:

  • Automotive: Thursday, Tuesday
  • Consumer tech: Wednesday, Thursday
  • Consumer packaged goods: Tuesday, Thursday 
  • Energy: Friday, Tuesday
  • Entertainment: Friday, Wednesday
  • Financial services: Thursday, Tuesday
  • Food: Thursday, Wednesday
  • Retail: Tuesday, Wednesday

Notice what's missing there? Mondays and weekends. However, your own data and Facebook insights can give you more insights to determine when it’s the best time to post on Facebook.

Best time to post Facebook Stories

The best time to post on Facebook with a Story means knowing the difference between organic posts and paid ads. 

Organic stories have a lifespan of just 24 hours. We know audience behavior means more people are active online as soon as they wake up. Posting organic stories during pre-dawn hours gives you an excellent chance of being one of the first circles they see. 

At the same time, after-work hours provide another time slot to maximize engagement for the Facebook social network.

The one thing to avoid with Stories is lumping the time slots in with your Facebook posts since then. You run the risk of being buried behind content during the workday and not getting the benefit of early morning or evening hours of scrolling.  

How to find your best time to post on Facebook with Brandwatch

We at Brandwatch have a couple of resources that can help you find the best times to post and increase engagement. If you are interested in an overall guide on best posting times on social media, this guide is for you. If you are looking for ways how to increase your reach on Facebook, we’ve got some tips for you. And here, we have a handy list of social media management tools that can make your life easier and boost your social media efforts.

Checklist for maximizing reach on Facebook

Knowing the peak time for social platforms like Facebook is helpful, but it alone won't win the game. 

From understanding your professional dashboard within Facebook to even understanding how TikTok users influence what is on Facebook, we need to look at more than just the posting schedule. 

Now that we've identified the best time slots, let's look at other steps to success on Facebook. 

Optimize your profile

Have you ever looked at a real estate brochure with wide eyes and excitement, only to be terribly let down when you saw the actual home during a tour? That's what you want to avoid when creating a Facebook reach optimization strategy.

Start with visually enthralling images sized correctly, clear branding, accurate contact information, and specific calls to action. 

Include keyword research as part of your optimization strategy when writing descriptions. 

Post consistently

Post on Facebook in a routine you can consistently sustain throughout the year. Don't ghost your guests.

Utilize Facebook pages or social media management platform tools to schedule posts for your users during the most active times of the day. The Facebook algorithm loves reliable, engaging posts and will reward good content with more organic eyes even outside the best times to post. 

Create engaging visuals

Your posting time isn't helpful if your media is basic. People use social media platforms as a way to escape or take a brain break. 

While media companies and big brands have expert editors and graphic designers to back them up, tools like Canva and Adobe make it easy to create engaging content.

Focus on storytelling, calls-to-action, motivation, and emotionally charged content that is memorable.

Leverage Facebook stories

Here's a conversion rate fact from Facebook for you: At least 50% of people who see a Story about a product make a purchase online, while 34% go to a store to look for it. More than one in three Story consumers on social media accounts under Meta say they talked to someone else about what they saw. 

While we have already talked about the best time to post stories, we also know from Meta that more than 500 million people use them daily. The business suite connected to your social account will walk you through the specific parameters of vertical storytelling.

Include relevant hashtags

Hashtags have a different defining role in every social media network. For example, TikTok users tend to use a lot of hashtags for good reason. What works for one doesn't work for all. 

 The top three hashtag guidance we offer include:

  1. Limit hashtags: Use no more than three to five trending or categorizing hashtags per post.
  2. Never miss a # trend: When joining a viral trend, use the associated hashtag to open up your content (even organic) to a larger discovery base. Look to Google Trends to find trending topics.
  3. Analyze hashtag performance: Use social media monitoring tools to see which hashtags perform best. Also, before you post on Facebook, type in the hashtag in the search bar and let autocomplete tell you the best phrasing to use. 

Run Facebook ads

Facebook expects meaningful engagement and interactions. Organic posts from businesses don't have the prowess they once did. 

Ads offer another way to reach your ideal audience. There are dozens of options, some appearing as posts on Facebook, others as Stories or videos. Meta now invests in AI technology to help your ads reach the right people.

Facebook ads focus less on the best time to post and more on the length of time you're running an ad. Consider giving each ad a try for at least a week in the beginning.

Participate in Facebook groups

Every strategic move we've discussed so far focuses on showcasing your brand as an expert resource. Facebook groups allow you to showcase that in an organic setting. 

Join Facebook groups within your niche. Answer questions as the expert you are. Be authentic – not a salesperson. 

Boost top-performing posts

Every social media creator with a business page has experienced a moment when a seemingly “average” post on Facebook gets incredible reach. It might even go viral. Double down on that content with a boost, even if you just spend $20 in the business suite.  

Shouldn't you boost low-performing posts? No amount of money can salvage a post on Facebook that doesn't resonate with your audience.  

By boosting your top-performing posts, you're going above and beyond your organic reach to access similar people who have yet to discover the awesome opportunities you offer.

Collaborate with influencers for Facebook posts

Finding influencers for collaboration can be a game-changer and give your brand immediate access to a much wider audience.  

Because influencers already have a trusted relationship with people in your niche, a referral means their followers are more likely to engage with your brand than even targeted ads.

Use Facebook Live

As the name suggests, Facebook Live means real-time engagement with audiences. Plus, live streams are one of the few ways your followers will get notifications about your activity without you having to pay for it. 

The best time to post a Facebook Live should be considered, as most traditional workers won't have the luxury of being able to watch even emotionally engaging content during the workday. Aim for evenings, lunch hours, or weekends.

Expert tip: Be sure to answer questions from viewers or call them out by name to punctuate the authentic connection during a live stream.  

Encourage user-generated content (UGC)

Think about what images or information people might want to share with each Facebook post you create. With their permission, you can re-share their posts to show that people are talking about your brand. This not only adds a level of authenticity but can also help you build a community and increase brand trust.

Cross-promote on other platforms

Don't put all your business eggs in the Facebook basket. Spread your ad budget and content across various social media platforms.  

Within the Meta Business Suite, you can post to Facebook and Instagram at the same time while still creating individualized text, images, and posting times. 

By doing this, your business gets a better reach, and you get a better analytical snapshot of what content does best on separate platforms.

Run contests and giveaways

Contests and giveaways generate excitement, which leads to interaction. In turn, you'll be poised for a better organic reach as people comment, share, or like the post on Facebook. 

But be careful to play by the rules and review Facebook's monetization promotion guidelines before launching these types of campaigns.

Analyze Facebook Insights

While Facebook might be tight-lipped about the best times to post on its platform, the company does give you all the tools to see how your content is doing.  

Start with the Weekly Plan in the Business Suite, then watch goals get checked off as you excel. You can see results by post, ad, users, and message, and get important demographic details about your audience.

Use Facebook retargeting (Facebook Pixel)

Take your metrics to the next level by getting a Facebook Pixel ID installed on your website. This handy tool displays how users interacted with your ad and then your website. 

The real strength is the retargeting option powered by AI, which draws specific customers back to your brand's website if they've already been there. 

Utilize Facebook event promotion

If you're planning an event, don't just post about it on Facebook. Create a Facebook event to catch the eye of your ideal audience. Even when people click the “I'm interested” button, they're sending a signal to all of their friends and followers, extending your reach.

Keep up with Facebook algorithm changes

There's a decent chance something has shifted in the Facebook algorithm since you started reading this article – that's just a factor of machine learning. Expect more changes to the Facebook algorithm in 2025 and beyond as AI becomes smarter. 

Track updates through the Transparency Center from Meta or the Facebook Blog.

FAQs

What time are my followers most active on Facebook?

The Meta Business Suite offers important insights that track the time your followers are most active on Facebook. For what it's worth, those cross-posting on Instagram will also see separate ideal posting times. You can always choose to post immediately or opt for scheduling posts at optimal times.

How often should I post on a Facebook page?

Like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, your posting schedule needs to be just right. That means something different for each business brand. 

Build up to a process where you're posting meaningful interactions anywhere from five to ten times a week. Focus on peak posting times of weekday morning or early afternoon peak time slot. 

What is the 24+1 rule on Facebook?

Breaking the 24+1 rule down, the 24 means you get unlimited opportunities to message an engaged user within the first 24 hours of them contacting your business page.  

After the first day, you get the “+1” allowance, one more message, to send at your discretion to that person. Beyond that, Facebook limits the contact you can have with someone. 

What is the 3-second rule on Facebook?

Facebook's algorithms determine a video's value and importance by measuring how many people stick around through at least the first three seconds. 

Three seconds might not seem like a lot of time, but it's the differentiator between target audiences just scrolling through a feed or stopping to watch content. Check your 3-second views percentage in Meta Business Suite's Content Overview section.

Why is my Facebook page not getting views?

Three explanations could explain why a page isn't gaining traction or had engagement suddenly fall off a digital cliff. 

First, audit the consistency of your Facebook posting times, stories, posts, ads, videos, and so on. 

Secondly, refocus your strategy. Are you keeping up with the best time to post on Facebook? Have you researched the latest Facebook algorithm shifts? What about user engagement rates? Are you using engagement bait? Your Insights panel might have the answers.

Finally, check to see if you've violated any advertising rules on Facebook. Some slippery slopes of political or controversial topics can lead to violations or shadow-bans. Address or correct any issues.