Are you ready to share your content with the whole world, but feel hesitant because you don't know when to hit the publish button? This article will help you make the right decision by getting to know LinkedIn as a platform and various influencing factors better.
No desire to read? Listen to our blogcast instead:LinkedIn is the world's largest business network with over 550 million users. With 157 million users, the USA has by far the largest number of members.
The power of LinkedIn becomes especially clear when you take a look at the following statistics. For over 75% of people who have recently changed jobs, LinkedIn has been a great decision-making tool. In addition, new employees recruited through LinkedIn are less than 40% likely to leave their company within the first six months, meaning the turnover rate is much lower.
The social media giant is expanding continuously. Its popularity stems from digitization and globalization, as LinkedIn supports the process of how executives and professionals communicate, network, and deal with each other today.
LinkedIn allows members to create their own digital business card to attract attention. Posting at the right time is one of the basics to use the platform to your own advantage. You should definitely master it!
That's why we're giving you an introduction with this article so that you can post effectively on LinkedIn in the future.
Let's take Eli Hochberg's "Birthday Cake" post as a best-practice example, as he received more than 140,000 views, 955 likes, and 444 comments (at the time the article was written).
Eli's successful "Birthday Cake" post on LinkedIn.
Content marketing experts know that for many reactions and the desired effectiveness, high quality and creative content alone is not enough. Almost as important, if not more important, is the timing – when a post is published. Would Eli's Post have been just as successful if it had been posted at 3:00 a.m.? Most likely not when his target group is asleep!
The question we should ask ourselves isn't: Is there a right time to post on LinkedIn? The question is much more likely: When is the right time to achieve the greatest possible success for your own content?
This article is for all those who have already defined their own target group, worked out their interests, produced content accordingly, and outlined an editorial plan, but are now wondering when the best time to post is.
Before we get started, we want to clarify one more thing. This may be disappointing for some, but it can make things easier for others. Attention: There is no one universal solution, but you as an individual or company must decide for yourself which time is ideal.
However, you can evaluate the following to help you reach the right conclusion.
Factors that influence timing.
Of course, you want to share your content when your target group is receptive to it and has time to react to it.
Therefore, the first step is to get to know the purpose of LinkedIn better so that all further conclusions become clear to you.
LinkedIn as a social media platform.
As the name suggests, social media channels are part of our social interaction. Different platforms play different roles in people's lives. This means that they are used for various purposes. This in turn means that some social networks are only used at certain times. So every medium has its prime time at different times of the day when users most frequently deal with them.
The advantages of LinkedIn: Told from the perspective of different members.
How do members interact with LinkedIn? This social media channel is special. Because LinkedIn focuses mainly on companies and employees who want to expand their business network, maintain existing contacts and participate in industry-specific discussions.
LinkedIn is a place where employees, the self-employed, job-seekers and graduates can get their hands on coveted jobs. Companies use LinkedIn to recruit high potentials and high talents worldwide. Basically, it's about building a brand online and gaining expert status in your niche. The goal is to be attractive for the job market. B2C and B2B are equally in the foreground.
When is LinkedIn's prime time?
As mentioned before, there is not one answer for the right time to post on LinkedIn. In our experience, the best approach is trial and error. This means that you simply test for yourself which day of the week and which time is most suitable. Sometimes, however, there is a lack of time or resources to perform such tests. In this case, however, there are enough social media management platforms, such as Hootsuite and Sprout Social, to help you with the analysis work. Based on your published posts (your own history), they will tell you which posts were most successful in which period.
Source: Sprout Social. In the middle of the week, the engagement on LinkedIn is highest.
In 2018, Sprout Social even analyzed the data of its own customers to find out which days and times made the most sense for LinkedIn Posts. The data was collected in the Central Time Zone (CST) and analyzed independently of industries and regions.
These are the most important results:
- Best time: Wednesdays between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
- Most consistent period: Tuesday - Friday morning.
- Unpopular: The weekend and every day from 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.
What do these findings tell us? We recall that members use LinkedIn for professional, work-related purposes. That is, the focus is clearly on the highly-prevalent 9-5 workweek.
Professionals and managers are busy people with little time. Mondays are often used to catch up on tasks left over from the last week and to take part in various meetings in which further procedures are discussed. Once the planning has been completed and the most important tasks for the week have been completed, LinkedIn members have the head to actively take care of their network.
Some also include LinkedIn in their morning routines. They read their news feed like a daily newspaper to be informed about the latest events. Others are directly dedicated to their personal messages and reactions to their posts to keep contacts fresh and conversations going. What you can't do in the morning can be done in a quiet moment, e.g. around lunchtime or in the early evening just before closing time.
After this and on weekends, working people understandably want to enjoy their free time and pursue their favorite pastimes for relaxation. They need a break from work, so you can't find them online at this time.
Here's the note again: Please be cautious about general information about popular times for LinkedIn Posts. These are only a first and rough guide. Although most study results and expert recommendations are similar, they are often based on different data. Some collect information about how often content has been shared. Others looked at the number of users who have read and interacted with the post. The starting point and focus is very different and can lead to wrong conclusions.
If you really want to be successful in the long run, you won't be able to avoid conducting your own in-house tests.
Tip:
Test both the optimal time for posting and various content. Which thumbnails, graphics, or videos achieve the best results? Which content is better-received: videos, images, or text? The way you present content and what you convey thematically can also influence the interaction. However, a healthy mix is never wrong. You can also vary selected content to ensure continuous variety. In general, however, interest in video content is growing, even on LinkedIn.
In which regions do you appeal to the target group?
The different time zones of the world from timeanddate.com.
The more popular your brand, the greater your reach. For you, this means that the target group is addressed across countries and time zones.
There are influencers and internationally-known brands that publish similar posts several times a day at different times so that their message reaches as many of their target persons as possible. Ideally, there is a point in time that covers several time zones at the same time. This saves you the effort of sending the same message a thousand times.
In the next step, you should clarify where your target group is on the globe. If, for example, you are aiming for the US and Canada, it is advantageous to orient yourself to the EST (Eastern Standard Time). This time zone has the highest population density in North America with New York and Toronto. Within Europe, CEST (Central European Summer Time) time makes sense. Most other European countries have a time difference of only one to two hours.
For company profiles, there are features such as the LinkedIn Insight Tag and Website Demographics that provide you with various data about your target group. For example, who, when, and how interacted with your posts. This information is worth its weight in gold. Based on this, you can customize your editorial plan and other social media marketing activities.
It is also advantageous to know about national holidays and vacations as well as cultural differences in working methods, customs, and other special events (e.g. Ramadan).
In a nutshell: Neil Patel sums up the most important points.
Tip:
Keep to the time zone of your largest target group, the one with the highest purchasing power and the greatest commitment. Post one to two hours before prime time so that your post appears at the top of the news feed as soon as your target persons log in.
Whether you have a private profile, are an employee maintaining your corporate account, or both, do the research. The more precise your approach, the more precise your results and the more target-oriented your actions will be.
Do you want specific instructions so that you can optimise your content on LinkedIn? Here is our selection of article recommendations:
- Your Breakthrough on LinkedIn: More Success Thanks to Videos – How it Works
- How to Convince Every Company – The Perfect Application Video
- The Optimal Video Formats for the Top 7 Social Media Platforms
- More applicants with Recruiting Videos That's how it works
Timing is everything!
If nobody sees your posts, no matter how good your content may be, they’ll never go viral.
So one of your first steps on LinkedIn should always be to find out when your target audience prefers to surf your site. Then apply your knowledge to perfect your timing. Soon, you'll better-succeed with every post.
And if you don't find success in the first days, weeks, or even months, don't give up! Stay on the ball! Building a brand takes time. Some influencers have invested years to be where they are now. But as soon as the first successes are achieved, it's only a matter of time before the growth curve of the followership exponentially rises. You can do it!
If you need help creating your LinkedIn video, we're here for you. Contact us without obligation for a first free consultation »
