Is there a best time to post? What your own data says
There is a chart circulating for years saying the best time is Tuesday at eleven. It was built from aggregated data of thousands of accounts that are not yours.
Your audience is not the average
If you sell to shift workers, the national average lunch hour means nothing. If you sell to parents of small children, nine in the evening might be the worst possible moment.
Your profile's insights show when your followers are active. That data is yours, and it is free.
How to find yours in two weeks
A simple test, and the only rule is changing one thing at a time.
- Pick two clearly different times, say ten in the morning and seven in the evening.
- Alternate for two weeks, with the same kind of content.
- Compare first-hour reach, not the total.
- If the difference is small, timing is not your problem.
The first hour is what timing affects
Publishing when the audience is awake gives more early interaction, and that helps distribution. After that, the post keeps being shown for days, and timing stops mattering.
That is why the effect is real and small. It is worth getting right, and never worth postponing a post over.
Consistency beats timing
Publishing always at ten, even if ten is not the peak, beats chasing the perfect hour and publishing whenever you can. The audience learns your rhythm, and so does the algorithm.
If the choice is between publishing outside the ideal hour or not publishing, publish. That comparison is not even close.
With the month scheduled, the time is decided once and then keeps itself.