As the premier professional-focused social platform, LinkedIn is where to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. And with over 63 million company profiles on LinkedIn, it’s important to know when the best time to post is for you to engage with your followers – whether they’re clients, customers, employees or prospects, or all of the above.

With more than 900 million members across 200 countries, businesses have a large audience and employee advocates to extend their reach. With the right LinkedIn marketing strategy, combined with these optimal posting times, you could see improved engagement.

Learn how to identify your best times to post globally on LinkedIn a free trial of Sprout Social and test our ViralPost® feature.

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Disclaimer: Data from Sprout Social include users from various plan types, industries and locations. All time frames are recorded globally, meaning you should be able to publish with the times provided in any timezone and see positive engagement results. Number of engagements represents total engagements a brand received on the specific channel during that hour time frame. Industry-specific data includes mid- to high-level engagement times. We recommend testing with your own accounts to find the most optimal send times.

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn

Based on Sprout Social data, a heatmap showing the best times to post on LinkedIn globally in 2023
  • Best times to post on LinkedIn Company Pages:
    • Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon
  • Best days to post on LinkedIn Company Pages: Tuesdays through Thursdays
  • Worst days to post on LinkedIn Company Pages: Weekends

Unsurprising for this professional-focused social platform, LinkedIn engagement times are consistent with general business hours. High engagement hours are more concentrated midday and don’t extend too far out past the workday hours. You’re less likely to get eyes on your LinkedIn content on the weekend when engagement drops significantly.

Because LinkedIn content is centered around professional thought leadership and career growth, it makes sense that a majority of audiences engage with this content throughout their working day. By midday, there’s buzz on the platform, and the best times to post on LinkedIn are Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and noon.

Yes, LinkedIn is a business and employment-focused platform, but it’s more than a job board and networking platform. LinkedIn provides a platform for professional storytelling and advocacy, from both employees and employers alike. Contributors of all levels can share their subject-matter expertise, create conversations that challenge “business as usual,” and uplift professional voices around the world.

Businesses on LinkedIn are finding new ways to generate leads, find co-marketing partners, highlight company culture and attract talent. Because of these additional business opportunities LinkedIn provides, it makes sense that posting and engagement match with the business hours.

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn by Industry

There’s no definitive answer to what the best times to post on LinkedIn are, and we can only offer insight with the data we have. Industry is just one factor that plays into the success of your social posts. Consider as well as your target audience, business goals and the content itself.

Use this industry-level data to help inform your publishing calendar, and test your own optimal send times with social experiments.

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Consumer Goods

Based on Sprout Social data, a heatmap showing the best times to post on LinkedIn for consumer goods in 2023
  • Best times to post on LinkedIn for Consumer Goods:
    • Mondays at 11 a.m.
  • Best days to post on LinkedIn for Consumer Goods: Mondays and Tuesdays
  • Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Consumer Goods: Saturdays and Sundays

The consumer goods industry covers a large portfolio of products, ranging from packaged food and beverages to clothing and accessories and everything in between. While the US was facing inflation at nearly 8.5%, US consumers spent 18% more in March 2022 than they did two years prior. After two years into the pandemic, consumers were ready to spend similar to their pre-pandemic habits and more in 2022.

For consumer goods businesses on LinkedIn, only very few days see any engagement. Based on our data, the best times to post on LinkedIn for consumer goods are Mondays at 11 a.m., and Mondays and Tuesdays as the best days to post. Be cautious if you’re a consumer goods business, but also be sure to test your own best times to post.

Consumer goods social media resources

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Hospitals & Healthcare

Based on Sprout Social data, a heatmap showing the best times to post on LinkedIn for healthcare in 2023
  • Best times to post on LinkedIn for Hospitals & Healthcare:
    • Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at 6 p.m.
    • Wednesdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
  • Best days to post on LinkedIn for Hospitals & Healthcare: Tuesdays through Fridays
  • Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Hospitals & Healthcare: Sundays

Hospitals, clinics and healthcare providers have been put to work on social media the last few years, due to the pandemic. However, social media for healthcare is more than navigating healthcare crises. It’s about educating the public, helping patients feel more comfortable with healthcare visits and doctors’ appointments, promoting their programs for aspiring physicians and establishing themselves as pillars in the community.

Healthcare and hospitals on LinkedIn see consistent engagement nearly every single day starting at 7 a.m. seven days a week. However, the best times to post on LinkedIn for hospitals and healthcare are Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at 6 p.m., as well as Wednesdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Consistent engagement can be seen Tuesdays through Fridays from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Hospital and healthcare social media resources

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Hospitality

Based on Sprout Social data, a heatmap showing the best times to post on LinkedIn for hospitality in 2023
  • Best times to post on LinkedIn for Hospitality:
    • Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon and at 1 p.m.
    • Fridays at 4 p.m.
  • Best days to post on LinkedIn for Hospitality: Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays
  • Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Hospitality: Sundays

As consumers crave some semblance of pre-pandemic life, ‘ businesses can also sense it. Hospitality businesses see higher engagement consistently throughout the day and into early evening hours during weekdays on LinkedIn.

The best times to post on LinkedIn for the hospitality industry are Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. and Fridays at 4 p.m. However, businesses see consistent engagement throughout the day from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Hospitality social media resources

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Media

Based on Sprout Social data, a heatmap showing the best times to post on LinkedIn for media in 2023
  • Best times to post on LinkedIn for Media:
    • Wednesdays at 11 a.m.
    • Thursdays at 9 a.m.
  • Best days to post on LinkedIn for Media: Weekdays, especially Wednesdays
  • Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Media: Sundays

The media and entertainment industry sees consistent engagement on LinkedIn. Media businesses should expect engagement from early weekday mornings through the afternoons. Major global events, political upheavals and business news have a relevant impact on media impressions on all networks, including LinkedIn. As a business and employment-focused social media platform, it makes sense that professionals come to engage in emerging news.

News travels quickly, and the best times to post on LinkedIn for the media and entertainment industry are Wednesdays at 11 a.m. and Thursdays at 9 a.m. However, posting between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. sees just as high engagement. Avoid posting on LinkedIn over the weekends, since there is limited engagement in this industry.

Media social media resources

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Nonprofit

Based on Sprout Social data, a heatmap showing the best times to post on LinkedIn for nonprofit in 2023
  • Best times to post on LinkedIn for Nonprofit:
    • Wednesdays at noon
  • Best days to post on LinkedIn for Nonprofit: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
  • Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Nonprofit: Saturday and Sundays

Our data for the best times to post on LinkedIn for nonprofits shows consistent engagement throughout the week during general business hours. The best times to post on LinkedIn for nonprofit organizations are Wednesdays at noon, but between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Fridays showing promising engagement as well.

However, even with the consistent audience engagement seen in the heatmap above, it’s important for nonprofits (and all businesses) to test their own best times to post. Whether it’s through social testing or using Sprout’s Optimal Send Times feature, find what times work best for your organization on LinkedIn.

Nonprofit social media resources

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Restaurants

Based on Sprout Social data, a heatmap showing the best times to post on LinkedIn for restaurants in 2023
  • Best times to post on LinkedIn for Restaurants:
    • Tuesdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
  • Best days to post on LinkedIn for Restaurants: Tuesdays through Fridays
  • Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Restaurants: Saturdays and Sundays

In 2022, everyone was ready to get back to their pre-pandemic routines, and restaurants were ready with open doors. While online orders and delivery services may have become new offerings for some restaurant and bar locations, the desire to draw patrons has not. Target audience and platform goals factor into ways businesses connect with their customers. Many restaurant businesses used LinkedIn to promote job fairs, individual employment positions, as well as news articles highlighting their accolades.

Restaurants and bars on LinkedIn see decent engagement midday during the week between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. However, the peak engagement and best times to post on LinkedIn for restaurants and bars are Tuesdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Restaurant social media resources

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Schools & Education

Based on Sprout Social data, a heatmap showing the best times to post on LinkedIn for schools and education in 2023
  • Best times to post on LinkedIn for Schools & Education:
    • Tuesdays at 10 a.m.
    • Fridays at 6 a.m.
  • Best days to post on LinkedIn for Schools & Education: Tuesdays through Thursdays
  • Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Schools & Education: Saturday and Sundays

Universities, higher education institutions and schools didn’t see much engagement on LinkedIn compared to other social networks, despite there being 131,000 schools listed. Keep in mind that some schools manage multiple social profiles (per college, athletics, etc.) to meet these needs and effectively target distinct audiences at the right time.

Opportunities for engagement are sporadic during weekdays, and virtually nonexistent over the weekends. The best times to post on LinkedIn for education and schools are Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and Fridays at 6 a.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays see more engagement throughout the days, whereas Mondays and Fridays are relatively light.

From highlighting student life to sharing school updates, a social media strategy for education needs to fulfill multiple functions. Are you looking to engage with students past, present and future? Are you looking to keep a pulse on sentiment and brand health?

Schools and education social media resources

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn for Travel & Tourism

Based on Sprout Social data, a heatmap showing the best times to post on LinkedIn for travel and tourism in 2023
  • Best times to post on LinkedIn for Travel & Tourism:
    • Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m.
    • Thursdays at 10 a.m.
  • Best days to post on LinkedIn for Travel & Tourism: Tuesdays through Thursdays
  • Worst days to post on LinkedIn for Travel & Tourism: Weekends

Travel and tourism industries appear to have maximized their engagement on LinkedIn. As many travel restrictions continued to be lifted and the semblance of “normal” crept back into many peoples’ lives, travel and tourism businesses saw an opportunity to capitalize on the suppressed desires to travel.

The best times to post on LinkedIn for travel and tourism businesses are Tuesdays from 9 a.m. until noon then again at 1 p.m., as well as on Fridays at 10 a.m. However, these businesses see solid engagement almost every weekday from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Travel and tourism social media resources

How to find your own best times to post on social media

Social marketers can plan content more effectively when they’re armed with data. And as platforms evolve, how brands and consumers use social will evolve with them, or vice versa. Staying aware of new content formats and trends might help you reach your audience in unexpected ways, or even find new segments and personas you weren’t focusing on before.

While you may be ready to jump in and post at these provided peak engagement times as part of your strategy, consider pairing this data with your own social media data analysis. You may discover that your specific target audience is active near the peak times we’ve outlined or hours earlier. If you use a LinkedIn analytics tool, it should contain a host of relevant data.

A social media management tool like Sprout Social can help you drill into your own analytics and develop tailored findings for your brand accounts across all networks, holistically and individually. Gain competitive insights by comparing your performance to your competitors, to find new opportunities for engagement.

With features like post tagging and cross-network reporting, you can separate different factors like post author or types of content, and drill down into how your posting time influenced your social success.

Screenshot of Sprout's Analytics for Cross-Channel Post Performance Report, showing performance of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter posts.

Sprout’s patented ViralPost® technology uses the same data we’ve used to look at all our customer accounts to determine the best time to post tailored for your individual account. ViralPost® algorithmically determines the results for our Optimal Send Times feature, a publishing option available in all plans. Our proprietary machine learning feature isn’t new, but we’re constantly learning and improving our product to help brands surface insights faster. Our goal is to help people who use our product work more effectively.

Screenshot of Sprout's Publishing Calendar in list view, with the compose flyout box and the mouse curser over the ViralPost Optimal Send Times feature.

With Optimal Send Times, the specific times offered are based on when your own audience engages the most using your publishing history. ViralPost® also continually updates and refines to save you time from doing the repeated analysis yourself and allowing you more time to craft great content.

Want to see it in action? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of Sprout Social or request a personalized demo and try it for yourself.

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If you’re looking for more of our findings from this year’s study of our customer data, see what we learned about the best times to post across eight industries on these networks:

How Sprout gathered the data

We understand that these reports can raise questions about just where the data is coming from. That’s why we want to be clear about the data we pulled and how we got here.

Sprout Social’s Data Science team gathers this information by analyzing nearly 2 billion engagements across 400,000 social profiles across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok.

Find your best time to post with Sprout

Now’s the time to test your content calendar. Are you posting when your followers are most active? Start your free trial of Sprout Social and discover the best times to post on social media today.