The best time to post on LinkedIn in 2025: A data-driven guide
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LinkedIn has evolved from a simple job board into a powerful content platform where professionals share insights, build networks, and establish thought leadership. Read more on our blog. With over 900 million members worldwide, timing your posts right can be the difference between getting lost in the noise and maximizing your reach. But when exactly should you post to get the best results?
This guide dives deep into the data behind LinkedIn engagement, offering practical advice on when to post, how to determine your audience’s active hours, and tools to help you schedule content efficiently. Whether you’re growing your personal brand or managing a company page, you’ll find actionable strategies to boost your LinkedIn presence. Check out our solutions.
Why timing matters on LinkedIn
According to Podawaa’s research, LinkedIn introduced “Suggested Posts” in early 2024, promoting engaging content with longer shelf lives. However, timing still plays a crucial role in achieving above-average engagement. Here’s why:
- LinkedIn’s algorithm prioritizes fresh, relevant content
- User engagement patterns follow predictable business hours
- Your audience has specific active periods depending on their industry and location
- The first hour of engagement significantly impacts a post’s overall reach
Think about it: You could craft the perfect thought leadership piece, but if your audience isn’t online when you publish, they might never see it. By the time they check LinkedIn again, your post risks being buried under newer content.
The best times to post on LinkedIn in 2025
Multiple studies, including comprehensive analyses by Sprout Social and LinkedIn’s own research, have analyzed millions of posts to determine optimal posting times. Here’s what the data reveals:
General consensus on best posting times
The most engagement on LinkedIn occurs during standard business hours on weekdays. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown: Find out more about employee engagement.
- Best days: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
- Best general timeframes: Early morning (7-8 AM), mid-morning (10-11 AM), and lunchtime (12-2 PM)
- Worst days: Saturday and Sunday
Best times by day of the week
| Day | Best Times to Post | Source |
|---|
| Monday | 8 AM, 10 AM, 10 AM-1 PM | According to Podawaa and Sprout Social |
| Tuesday | 10 AM, 10-11 AM | Based on LinkedIn data analysis |
| Wednesday | 10-11 AM, 2-3 PM | According to multiple studies |
| Thursday | 9 AM-1 PM, 12-2 PM | Based on engagement data |
| Friday | 10-11 AM | According to Sprout Social |
| Saturday | 9 AM, 12 PM | Based on weekend engagement patterns |
| Sunday | 7 AM-5 PM, 12 PM | According to engagement studies |
According to Sprout Social’s analysis of LinkedIn data, the highest concentration of engagement occurs on Thursdays from 9 AM to 1 PM. This makes Thursday midday a prime time for important announcements or your most valuable content.
Why these times work
These optimal posting times align with professional behavior patterns:
- Early morning (7-8 AM): Professionals checking social media before starting their workday
- Mid-morning (10-11 AM): First coffee break or transitioning between morning tasks
- Lunchtime (12-2 PM): Professionals browsing during their lunch break
- Mid-afternoon (3-4 PM): Second coffee break or mental break from deep work
Finding your personal best time to post
While the general data provides a great starting point, your specific audience might behave differently. Here’s how to find your personal best time to post:
Step 1: Analyze your current audience
LinkedIn’s native analytics provide valuable insights about when your followers are most active:
- Go to your LinkedIn Page (for company pages) or profile
- Click on “Analytics” or “View analytics” on posts
- Review engagement patterns across different days and times
- Look for trends in when your top-performing posts were published
Step 2: Consider your industry
Different industries have different rhythms:
- Technology and Marketing: Active throughout the day, with peaks during standard business hours
- Healthcare: Often more active early morning or late evening (before/after shifts)
- Education: Typically active midday and evenings
- Finance: Most engaged during early morning and standard business hours
Step 3: Factor in time zones
If your audience spans multiple time zones, consider these strategies:
- Primary audience approach: Focus on the time zone where most of your audience is located
- Split testing approach: Alternate posting times to reach different geographical segments
- Content recycling approach: Repost important content at different times to maximize reach
Step 4: Test and measure
Create a systematic testing plan:
- Select 3-4 different posting times based on research
- Post similar content types at these different times over several weeks
- Track performance metrics (impressions, engagements, clicks)
- Adjust your strategy based on what the data reveals
Content types that perform best on LinkedIn
While timing is crucial, the type of content you post also significantly impacts engagement. According to data from over 1 million LinkedIn posts:
- Carousel posts receive 278% more engagement than video posts, 303% more than image posts, and 596% more than text-only posts
- Text posts with 1-2 images perform better than those with no visuals
- Posts with 1300-1600 characters (about 225-250 words) tend to get the most engagement
- Posts that ask questions generate more comments and interaction
Content calendar template for LinkedIn
Creating a balanced content calendar helps maintain consistent engagement while testing different posting times. Here’s a simple weekly template:
| Day | Content Type | Theme | Best Time to Post |
|---|
| Monday | Text + Image | Industry Insights | 10 AM |
| Tuesday | Carousel | How-To Guide | 10 AM |
| Wednesday | Poll | Community Engagement | 11 AM |
| Thursday | Long-form Text | Thought Leadership | 10 AM |
| Friday | Video | Behind-the-Scenes | 11 AM |
LinkedIn scheduling tools: Post at optimal times without the hassle
Consistency is key to LinkedIn success, but manually posting at specific times isn’t always practical. Fortunately, several tools make scheduling easy:
- LinkedIn’s Native Scheduler: Built directly into LinkedIn, allows scheduling up to 90 days in advance
- Pros: Free, integrated directly with platform
- Cons: Limited features compared to dedicated tools
- Buffer: Popular social media management platform with free tier
- Pros: User-friendly interface, supports multiple platforms
- Cons: Limited posts in free version
- Hootsuite: Comprehensive social media management with limited free plan
- Pros: Robust analytics, multi-platform support
- Cons: Most advanced features require paid subscription
- Later: Visual-focused scheduling tool with LinkedIn support
- Pros: Great for image-heavy content, intuitive calendar view
- Cons: Limited analytics in free version
For businesses and serious LinkedIn marketers, these paid tools offer advanced features:
- Sprout Social: Comprehensive social media management platform
- Features: Advanced analytics, competitive reports, CRM integration
- AuthoredUp: LinkedIn-specific content creation and scheduling tool
- Features: Text editor, post templates, content library
- Monday.com: Project management platform with social media capabilities
- Features: Team collaboration, workflow automation, multiple view options
- CoSchedule: WordPress-friendly marketing calendar
- Features: AI-powered capabilities, 15+ integrations, content organization
How to set up LinkedIn post scheduling: Step-by-step guide
Using LinkedIn’s native scheduler:
- Start creating your post as usual
- Write your content and add any media
- Click the dropdown arrow next to the “Post” button
- Select “Schedule post”
- Choose your desired date and time
- Click “Schedule”
Using a third-party tool (example with Buffer):
- Connect your LinkedIn account to Buffer
- Create a new post within Buffer
- Write your content and add media
- Select LinkedIn as your publishing platform
- Choose your posting time or use Buffer’s suggested times
- Add to queue or schedule for a specific time
Tracking success: Essential LinkedIn analytics
To refine your posting strategy, you need to track performance metrics. Here are the key LinkedIn analytics to monitor:
Engagement metrics
- Impressions: Number of times your post was shown to LinkedIn users
- Reactions: Total number of likes, celebrates, supports, etc.
- Comments: Total number of comments on your post
- Shares: Number of times your content was shared
- Click-through rate (CTR): Percentage of clicks divided by impressions
- Total engagements: All interactions with your post (likes, comments, shares, clicks)
How to access LinkedIn analytics
For personal profiles:
- Go to your profile
- Click on “Posts & Activity”
- Select a post to view its analytics
For Company Pages:
- Go to your Company Page
- Click “Analytics” in the top navigation
- Select “Updates” to see post performance
Creating a LinkedIn analytics dashboard
To track your progress over time, create a simple spreadsheet with these columns:
- Post date and time
- Post type (text, image, video, carousel)
- Topic/theme
- Impressions
- Engagements
- Engagement rate
- Comments
- Shares
- Link clicks (if applicable)
Track this data weekly to identify patterns and optimize your strategy.
Advanced LinkedIn posting strategies
Once you’ve mastered the basics of timing, try these advanced strategies: Improve employee performance.
Content batching
Create multiple posts at once during your most creative hours, then schedule them for optimal posting times:
- Set aside 2-3 hours weekly for content creation
- Create 5-10 posts in one sitting
- Schedule them across the week at your best times
- Use the time saved to engage with others’ content
The 4-1-1 content rule
Follow this ratio for balanced content that doesn’t feel too self-promotional:
- 4 pieces of educational or entertaining content
- 1 soft promotion (like sharing relevant company news)
- 1 direct promotion (product or service offering)
Repurposing content strategy
Maximize the value of high-performing content by repurposing it in different formats:
- Turn a popular text post into a carousel
- Extract key points from an article for multiple text posts
- Create a poll based on a controversial opinion that generated discussion
- Update older but valuable content with new insights
Finding the perfect posting time for your audience
While general best practices provide a starting point, the perfect posting time depends on your specific goals and audience. Here’s a framework to develop your personalized LinkedIn strategy:
Step 1: Define Your LinkedIn Goals
Your goals influence when you should post:
- Brand awareness: Focus on times with highest impression potential
- Community building: Target times when people are most likely to comment
- Lead generation: Post when decision-makers in your target industry are most active
- Recruiting: Post job opportunities when job seekers are most active (typically evenings)
Step 2: Analyze Your Audience Demographics
LinkedIn Analytics provides valuable audience insights:
- Check the industry breakdown of your followers
- Review the seniority level of your audience
- Note geographical locations and time zones
- Consider job functions represented in your audience
Step 3: Create a Posting Test Plan
Systematically test different posting times:
| Week | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|
| 1 | 8 AM | 10 AM | 12 PM | 2 PM | 4 PM |
| 2 | 9 AM | 11 AM | 1 PM | 3 PM | 5 PM |
| 3 | 7 AM | 9 AM | 11 AM | 1 PM | 3 PM |
Use similar content types for each test to ensure valid comparisons.
Step 4: Analyze and Adjust
After your testing period:
- Identify the top 3 performing time slots
- Look for patterns in engagement (comments vs. likes vs. shares)
- Create your new posting schedule based on these insights
- Continue to refine as your audience grows
Common LinkedIn posting mistakes to avoid
Even with perfect timing, these mistakes can hurt your engagement:
Posting without engagement
Scheduling posts but not returning to engage with comments reduces algorithm favor. Set aside 15-30 minutes after posting to respond to early comments.
Inconsistent posting schedule
Posting three times one week and then disappearing for two weeks confuses the algorithm and your audience. Consistency beats frequency. Learn about continuous feedback.
Ignoring analytics
Posting based on general best practices without checking your specific results wastes potential. Review performance data at least monthly.
Constantly sharing promotional content turns off connections. Follow the 80/20 rule: 80% valuable content, 20% promotional.
Case study: Optimizing LinkedIn posting times
At FidForward.com, we experimented with different posting times for our financial advisory content. Here’s what we discovered:
- Initial approach: Posting daily at 9 AM based on general best practices
- Testing phase: Tried various times across two weeks
- Results: Found Tuesday and Thursday at 10 AM generated 43% higher engagement
- Refinement: Added a Wednesday 3 PM post that reached a different segment of our audience
- Outcome: Overall engagement increased by 37% with the same content quality
Conclusion: Beyond timing
While posting at optimal times significantly impacts your LinkedIn success, remember that timing is just one element of an effective strategy. High-quality, valuable content that resonates with your audience will perform well even outside peak hours.
For the best results:
- Start with the general best practices outlined in this article
- Test and refine based on your audience’s behavior
- Create a consistent posting schedule
- Focus on delivering genuine value in every post
- Engage authentically with your network
By combining strategic timing with compelling content, you’ll maximize your LinkedIn presence and achieve your professional goals. Learn about performance management.
Ready to take your LinkedIn strategy to the next level? Visit FidForward Talent for expert guidance on growing your professional brand and optimizing your social media presence.
