Ask Mandy Q&A – When Should I Post on Twitter?
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I love when I get asked questions about Twitter. It’s my absolute favorite platform and honestly, the one that’s brought me the most clients. However, when it comes to your Twitter strategy, it’s hard to tell what is the best time to post. They do not have a cool feature like Facebook where you can see when your community is online.
With this week’s question, I got to dig in and do some research –
What is the optimal time to post to Twitter?
First off, Twitter is a very fast-paced platform. I always joke you better buckle in and hold on. This is a platform that requires dedication – daily.
Here are some things to consider when using Twitter –
- Twitter is such a popular network for mobile users that it can be a bit tricky to lock down exactly when the best time to post is.
- The majority of Twitter primarily use a mobile device—rarely loading up Twitter on their desktops.
- Tweets with image links get 2x the engagement rate of those without.
- Tweets with less than 100 characters get 17% more engagement.
- Tweets with hashtags get twice as many retweets.
To answer the question, your optimal time depends on who your target audience is.
Some questions to ask to figure out your optimal time(s):
- Who is your audience?
- What time zone are they located in?
- What is their occupation?
- What percent is using Twitter via their mobile device?
- Will you schedule tweets or post them in real-time?
See, optimal times vary for each business. If you are business in the United States that does most of their work for clients in Europe, then the optimal US times would not apply. You would need to research the optimal times for Europe. Likewise, if you are based in Europe but do business in Asia, you’d need to find their optimal times.
With social media, there’s no one general measure – it depends on many factors, the main one being your audience and their usage pattern. Moms use Twitter much differently than dads; college students are on a different times than the 50+ crowd. What works for Mary may not work for Martha.
There are some widely-used suggestions that you could try and apply to your audience’s time zone –
- B2B brands get better engagement during the week.
- B2C brands get better engagement on the weekends.
- Most link clicks happen between 12pm and 6pm.
- Mobile users are more likely to use Twitter during their commute times.
The most common piece of advice on the web, and I often give, is that it’s really trial and error. Try posting at certain times on week and then do another set the next week and compare the two. You and the response you get are really the only accurate measures you can get for your business (or your client).
If you are actively using Twitter, how do YOU know when you should post on Twitter?
Sources:
A Scientific Guide to Posting Tweets, Facebook Posts, Emails, and Blog Posts at the Best Time
10 Surprising New Twitter Stats to Help You Reach More Followers
When’s the Best Day & Time to Post on Social Media?
The Social Media Frequency Guide
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