How Frequently Should My Business Post on Social Media?

The age-old question of how often to post on social media doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all answer. The frequency of your posts hinges on various factors like your target audience, the platform you’re using, and your specific goals. Over time, you’ll get insights from your analytics tools to fine-tune your strategy. In the meantime, here’s a good starting point to consider.

How Often Should You Post on Facebook?

Facebook posts tend to follow a top-heavy pattern. Most posts perform moderately, and only a few truly stand out. Interestingly, the timing of these top-performing posts doesn’t seem to be a game-changer. What does this mean for you? It suggests that the content quality should be your primary focus, not the timing of your posts.

When it comes to how often you should post, it’s essential to avoid overdoing it. Posting more than once a day can lead to a drop in your Return on Investment (ROI). Facebook favors fresh content, but it also wants to keep users from feeling bombarded by a single company’s posts. So, your best bet is to aim for a moderate 5-7 posts per week.

Since you’re sticking to one post a day, make it count. Facebook is not the place for casual musings; it’s where you showcase your top-quality content.

How Often Should You Post on X?

On the other hand, X posts don’t seem to have a magic time of day or day of the week for optimal performance. It’s wise to post when your target audience is most active, but beyond that, don’t sweat it.

Unlike Facebook, X follows a more chronological order. The more you post, the more attention you get. That doesn’t mean you can post sloppy content, but it does mean you can worry a bit less about having perfectly polished text. To maximize results in an X-heavy marketing campaign, plan to update your content 3-5 times a day.

How Often Should You Post on LinkedIn?

Since LinkedIn is a business networking platform, it’s most active during work hours. Site traffic tends to drop after 5 p.m., so aim to publish your content before that time. The same applies to the days of the week, with Monday, Saturday, and Sunday being slower days and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday delivering better results.

In terms of frequency, the numbers on LinkedIn are similar to those on Facebook. Posting more than five times a week can lead to diminishing ROI. This is likely due to an algorithm that aims to prevent users’ feeds from being dominated by posts from a single company. So, sticking to 5-7 posts a week is generally the way to go for optimal results on LinkedIn.

How Often Should You Post on Instagram?

Instagram’s algorithm is a bit of a mystery, but it appears that a post’s half-life, or the time it takes to get half of its views, is roughly 72 hours. So, to stay visible on Instagram feeds, you should aim to post at least once a day. Of course, if your engagement is high, you can increase the frequency. Some brands even post several times an hour, but keep in mind that maintaining this pace requires a constant stream of content.

How Far in Advance Should You Plan?

Strategically planning your social media calendar is like walking a tightrope. If you don’t plan ahead enough, your team will scramble to create content under tight deadlines. Plan too far ahead, and your content might feel stale or irrelevant when it finally gets published.

The ideal planning time frame depends on your business’s nature. Weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly planning intervals are all reasonable choices, but avoid going shorter or longer than that.

In general, being as proactive as possible is a good strategy. Plan, create, and schedule your content well in advance of its publication. This approach is especially crucial for major holidays or scheduled sales events. However, be prepared to respond to real-time events that capture people’s attention.

For instance, during Super Bowl 47, the lights unexpectedly went out in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for 34 minutes. Oreo seized the moment with a tweet that said, “Power out? No problem,” alongside a picture of an Oreo cookie with the caption “You Can Still Dunk In The Dark.” The tweet garnered 15,000 replies and 20,000 likes on Facebook.

How did they do it? Oreo had a 15-person team ready during the Super Bowl, waiting for noteworthy events. While they also planned ahead with congratulatory posts for both teams, their ability to be spontaneous created a massive buzz.