When is the best time to post on LinkedIn?

After posting content on LinkedIn for four years, and after garnering some 14,000 followers there, I can tell you that the answer to this question largely doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t matter what the best day to post on LinkedIn is, or what the best time to share on LinkedIn is — what matters is that you post at a particular time, consistently, for your audience.

When they expect you to post at 8 AM, let’s say, then you’re golden.

With all that said, when is the best time to post on LinkedIn?

I wanted to give you 10 options for 2021 and beyond, so you can have something to go on. All of these are in Eastern Standard Time.

7:00 AM — Weekdays

For me, the absolute best time to post on LinkedIn is 7:00 AM EST on weekdays.

Weekends see a massive drop off of engagement on LinkedIn, so if you’re looking for the best day to post on LinkedIn, then pretty much any weekday will do. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Saturdays and Sundays less so (even though I will mention these days later on in this list).

Why 7:00 AM?

This is when most LinkedIn users are starting their day. Most active LinkedIn users live in the United States. Out of LinkedIn’s 310,000,000 monthly users, 170,000,000 of them live in the United States.

It only makes sense that since we are aiming to scoop up LinkedIn’s audience — and that most of LinkedIn’s active users are from the USA — that we need to cater to their timezone here.

So, for me, the best time of day to post on LinkedIn is 7:00 AM EST on any weekday.

5:00 PM On Weekdays

Here’s a curveball for you.

Another best time to post on LinkedIn is 5:00 PM on weekdays. You might be wondering if I’ve just taken drugs.

I haven’t. A lot of my favorite creators on LinkedIn actually post later in the day. Think about why this works with me for a second..

Most LinkedIn creators post early in the morning. Not many people post later in the day. Would you rather drive home from work in rush-hour traffic, or at 8 PM after everybody has vacated the roads?

You might say “But Tom, nobody uses LinkedIn later in the day!”

To that I’d say, are you sure?

Multiple sources online speak about 5–6 PM being a very active time on LinkedIn. It makes sense. It’s at the end of the workday. Many recruiters and job hunters are probably checking their LinkedIn profile to see whether they have any meaningful updates.

That’s what makes 5:00 PM, for me, a potential best time to post on LinkedIn.

9:00 PM On Weekdays

“Okay, Tom, you’re really on drugs with this one.”

I don’t think so. Let me give you a few reasons why I think this is a potential best time to share on LinkedIn.

1. Many people view LinkedIn not just as a professional tool, but as a proper social media platform like Facebook. People check LinkedIn at all times of the day (I know from personal experience), and 9:00 PM is no different.
2. 9:00 PM is early morning in various parts of Europe. You may feel you’re posting something late at night, but in reality you’re catching the attention of Europeans who are just waking up to their day.
3. 9:00 PM is late-morning in Asia. I lived in the Philippines for two years. I used to post at 9:00 AM my time a lot, which was actually late at night back home in the United States. I still got a lot of engagement.

Thinking about when to post on LinkedIn? Try 9:00 PM on for size once in a while.

5:00 PM On Sunday

It’s impossible to exorcise the workaholism out of professionals. You better bet there’s a vast swaft of LinkedIn users coming back late Sunday to grind some hours out before the weekday starts.

My favorite time to get setup for a workweek is, you guessed it, Sunday night.

So, when we’re talking about the best days and times to post on LinkedIn, I have to put Sunday in the countdown.

Don’t underestimate Sunday.

9:00 PM On Sunday

If you wait four more hours on Sunday, you’ll catch all the Europeans and those throughout Asia as they’re waking up.

I also love this as a best time to post on LinkedIn because you’ll essentially be first to your audience when they wake up on Monday, too.

Your post won’t just disappear in the feed after 12 hours. It will still be there for all the early birds on the East Coast when they wake up, since their connections probably won’t have been posting either.

9:00 PM on Sunday is a secret weapon that I hope you’ll utilize in your LinkedIn arsenal on occasion.

So, When Is The Best Time Of Day To Post On LinkedIn?

So, when is the best time to post on LinkedIn? For me, it’s 7:00 AM. 

When Is The Best Day To Post On LinkedIn?

Probably any weekday, however I’d urge you to focus on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Fridays aren’t super active days on LinkedIn, given how a fraction of professionals are probably taking 3 day weekends every so often.

When’s The Best Time To Post An Article On LinkedIn?

Okay, so when talking about the best time to post an article on LinkedIn, I think we need to be a bit more rigid.

For me, it’s always early in the morning, and it’s always on a weekday — preferably Monday — Thursday.

It’s my belief that LinkedIn users who enjoy reading articles are more open to doing it early in the morning as they’re settling in to work or having breakfast.

I don’t think people are too open to settling down to read a 5-minute article at 5:00 PM just when they’re getting ready to leave work.

I also don’t think they’re super open to doing that at 9:00 PM at night right after a long day of work and staring at computer screens.

So, the best time to post an article on LinkedIn, for me, is early in the morning.

When’s The Best Time To Post A Video On LinkedIn?

The best time to post a video on LinkedIn, for me, is 7 PM, 5 PM, or even late at night at 9 PM. I think all times of the day are good for videos because they’re really easy to consume. All you have to do is watch and listen. No squinting at small text on a phone screen. 

Just watch someone talk about something. It’s a relatively easy way to consume content for your audience.

That’s the best time to post a video on LinkedIn.

When’s The Best Time To Post A Photo On LinkedIn?

Picture posts on LinkedIn are fun.

I have to admit that in my opinion, picture posts actually do the best in the algorithm. 

So when we think about the best time to post a photo on LinkedIn, just know that anytime is probably good. Seriously. As more LinkedIn users nowadays look at LinkedIn as a “Facebook for professionals,” you can bet that sharing a photo of yourself at pretty much anytime is a good idea.

Photos are even less intensive to consume as a video. One glance and you know what you’re looking at.

Any of the times we mentioned above can be counted as a best time to post a photo on LinkedIn.

What Are Some Other Best Days And Times To Post On LinkedIn?

Let me know in the comments down below what you think is the best time to post on LinkedIn.

Did I miss any major times or days?

Let me know, happy posting, and follow me on LinkedIn if you want!