Updated 2026-09-04
Best times to post on social media for a small business in 2026
Two businesses publish the same post. One at 7:00, one at 14:00. The first gets two to three times the reach, not because of the content but because of the hour. Here are the windows that work in 2026, and how to find yours.
Per network
- Instagram: 7:00–8:30, 12:00–13:00, 20:00–22:00 local time. Strongest days: Tuesday to Thursday.
- Facebook: 8:00–10:00 and 19:00–21:00. Older audience, evening scrolling.
- TikTok: 21:00–midnight, including Friday and Saturday. Young, late audience.
- YouTube Shorts: 12:00–14:00 and 19:00–22:00; Shorts keep getting reach for days, so timing matters less.
- LinkedIn (B2B): 7:30–9:00, Tuesday to Thursday only.
Local rhythm beats global advice
Commute hours, lunch and the evening peak shift by city and industry. Restaurants see hunger peaks at 11:30 and 18:30; clinics and offices early morning; fashion and beauty in the evening. A post that lands when your audience is asleep is buried before they wake up, and the algorithm has already judged it as uninteresting.
How to find your own peak
On an Instagram Business account: Insights → Audience → Most active times. The simplest test: the same type of post at three different hours for two weeks, then compare reach. Two weeks is enough to see a pattern.
The short way
Soshi 22 schedules by network, industry and audience, learns from results, and adapts each post's time per platform. A business that signs up today publishes tomorrow at the right hour without thinking about it.
FAQ
How often should a small business post?
4–7 posts a week on Instagram and Facebook plus 3–5 short videos. Consistency matters more than volume.
Should I post everywhere at the same time?
No. Each network has its own peak. The same piece can go to Instagram at 8:00, Facebook at 19:30 and TikTok at 21:30.
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