"What's the best time to post on LinkedIn?" is the most common question I receive about social media strategy. And it's the wrong question to ask. Here's why timing obsession is hurting your content strategy, and what you should focus on instead.
The Myth of Universal Timing
Every study tells you something different. One says Tuesday at 10 AM. Another claims Wednesday at 2 PM. A third swears by Thursday morning. They all cite "research" and "data" to back their claims.
Here's the problem: these studies aggregate data across millions of accounts with vastly different audiences. A B2B SaaS company targeting CTOs has a completely different optimal posting time than a D2C brand targeting young parents. Averaging them together produces a number that's optimal for nobody.
Your audience isn't average. Your timing shouldn't be either.
What Actually Drives Engagement
After analyzing thousands of posts across dozens of accounts, here's what we've found actually correlates with engagement:
- Content quality: A great post at a bad time outperforms a mediocre post at the "perfect" time. Every single time. The algorithm will surface quality content regardless of when it was posted.
- Consistency: Posting at the same time every day builds audience habits. People start expecting and looking for your content. This pattern recognition drives engagement more than any specific time slot.
- Your specific data: What do YOUR analytics say? When is YOUR audience most active? This data is available in your dashboard—use it.
- Format variety: Different content types perform differently at different times. Carousel posts might work in the morning while story posts work in the evening.
The Real Strategy
Instead of chasing the mythical "best time," follow this approach:
- Week 1: Post at 8 AM every day. Track engagement.
- Week 2: Post at 12 PM every day. Track engagement.
- Week 3: Post at 5 PM every day. Track engagement.
- Week 4: Post at 9 PM every day. Track engagement.
Now you have real data about YOUR audience's behavior. Double down on what works. But more importantly, you've built a habit of consistent posting—which matters far more than timing optimization.
The Time You Spend Optimizing Timing Is Better Spent on Content
Here's the uncomfortable math: if you spend 2 hours per week researching posting times and A/B testing schedules, you've spent 100+ hours per year on something that might move the needle 5%. Those same 100 hours invested in content quality, audience research, or relationship building would yield 10x the results.
Your best posting time is unique to you. Find it through experimentation, not through someone else's study. Then stop optimizing and start creating.