Want to post content on Twitter? Make sure you are choosing the best time to tweet to your audience. Here’s how to find out when it is.
Every time you tweet, you have a short window to grab attention and make your tweet count.
To get the value you want from every tweet, make sure you’re posting content at the right time. When is it exactly?
Let’s look at the best time to tweet and why finding your brand’s optimal time is essential.
Why is it important to time your tweets correctly?
Twitter is fast-moving, which means it’s a great platform for fast-paced, timely conversations — as long as you time it right.
That is why.
The half life of a tweet is very short
On other social media platforms, the half-life of content (or the amount of time that passes before the content has generated 50% of its total engagement) is hours, days, or even months.
On Twitter, the half-life of your content is 20 minutes. If you accidentally tweet at a bad time, your post may get very little engagement for the next 20 minutes. This does not bode well for your profile’s engagement rate. (You can get some ideas for strong Twitter content in our free social media content calendar.)
Engagement has a huge impact on Twitter’s algorithm
By default, users’ timelines show the tweets Twitter thinks they want to see. In many cases, these top tweets include accounts that users engage with frequently.
This means that the more engagement you generate, the more likely your content will appear on users’ timelines.
Twitter sessions tend to be short
On other social media channels, users log in dozens of times a day (WhatsApp) or stay for almost half an hour (YouTube).
By contrast, the average Twitter session lasts just over three and a half minutes.
To capture your audience’s attention during that short window, you need to rank as high as possible in the algorithm.
Better timing brings higher ROI
When optimizing the timing of your tweets, it’s about a lot more than just vanity metrics.
Whether your tweet encourages followers to comment, click a link, or take another action, you want to make sure your content does its job. Ultimately, tweeting at the right time helps your brand generate more value and better return on investment (ROI).
When should you tweet?
First things first: There is no better magical time to tweet.
After looking at a lot of research and doing some tests of my own, I can confirm this no single time is suitable for every profile or audience. Finding the right time is very important YOUR brand audience.
Twitter Analytics it can show you how many likes, clicks and impressions your tweets have received. But these native analytics don’t offer much help in deciding when to post content.
Instead, a third-party tool like Agorapulse has the analytics you need to build your Twitter brand.
Review your best time to publish
First, check Global content Agorapulse reports tab of your Twitter account. Scroll down and you’ll see a color-coded chart showing the best day and time to post content on Twitter.
For example, my agency’s optimal time to post is around noon on Wednesdays. Thursdays around 11am EST and Wednesdays around 2pm are also good times to tweet. This data is very helpful for timing my content for my audience.
Check user activity
Agorapulse bases this graph on past engagement with your posts, which is great. But sometimes it’s not enough.
What if your posts aren’t getting much engagement and you need to know a better time to post?
In that case, check The audience tab of your Agorapulse reports. You’ll see another color-coded chart that shows when users mention or DM you most often.
Although my posting and user engagement patterns are similar, this chart presents many more time periods to consider.
If I wanted to add more content to my calendar, Thursday and Friday nights would be smart choices. Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon can also be good times.
Analyze the best performing posts
Your brand’s best time to tweet will likely evolve as your audience grows and your content generates more engagement. While these reports are best for determining optimal timing, you can also glean insights from reviewing your past tweets.
Navigate to Content performance tab of your Agorapulse reports. Then sort by likes, retweets or total engagement. When did you tweet the content that generated the most engagement? Consider tweeting more at once to improve engagement.
What is the ideal day of the week to tweet?
If you already have a lot of Twitter data to use, then Agorapulse’s reports tell you what you need to know. But what if you’re starting a new Twitter account or want to consider a larger database?
In this case, it is useful to check a more general overview of the best times to post on social media. These recommendations can provide a basic guide for your publishing schedule. But they shouldn’t replace the specific audience data you’ve collected.
As a rule of thumb, weekdays are the best time to tweet and Saturdays are the worst day to tweet.
Here are some more detailed breakdowns from recent tests:
- Weekdays are the best days to tweet, especially if you manage a B2B brand. For B2C brands, weekdays and Sundays are all solid choices.
- Weekdays are best for B2B brands, and weekends are best for B2C brands.
- Wednesdays and Fridays are particularly strong days, and Tuesdays and Thursdays are also good choices.
In general, weekends tend to be less optimal times to tweet, and Saturdays have the lowest engagement levels.
When is the best time of day to tweet?
Maybe you want to tweet at least once a day or at high-engagement times throughout the day.
So what’s the best time to tweet on Sunday – or any other day of the week?
Generally, late morning to early afternoon is best. If you want to be more specific, you have a few options to consider.
Here are the results from some recent social media studies:
- 9am to 4pm for B2B brands and noon to 1pm EST for B2C brands
- 8 to 10 am and 6 to 9 pm EST
- 10:00am EST
These studies do not exactly agree on an optimal time to tweet. However, they confirm that the worst times to post are between 10pm and 4am
Since this time frame essentially includes the night hours, it makes sense that engagement would be low. But if you have an audience of night owls or if your followers are from regions around the world, these off hours may not apply.
Instead, consider experimenting with different times to see what resonates with your audience.
When is the right time to delete a Tweet?
This happens to every social media marketer eventually. Maybe you accidentally posted a tweet instead of planning it. Maybe you tweeted an embarrassing typo or a broken link. Either way, you should remove it from the timeline stats.
The best time for delete this tweet is always immediately.
Don’t wait for a certain amount of time or until you think most of your audience has tuned out. Once you decide to delete a tweet, do it immediately to minimize its reach and impact.
At the end
With these Twitter best practices in hand, you can best time your tweets and generate more value every time you post. But don’t set and forget your publishing schedule. Test different times, track results with your social media tool, and optimize your Twitter schedule as you go.
Start saving time and energy on your social media management! Check out our free trial of Agorapulse to help you plan, track and measure all your social media efforts.
