# The best time to post on LinkedIn in 2026, for every day of the week

Canonical: https://postmesh.app/blog/best-time-to-post-on-linkedin

By PostMesh team. Published 2026-10-26; updated 2026-10-31.

Midweek afternoons are the safest start: Sprout Social's 2026 data finds Tuesday to Thursday strongest, with Wednesday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday 1 to 5 p.m. among its peaks, and Buffer's study of 4.8 million posts ranks Wednesday at 4 p.m. first, all in your audience's local time. Weekends are weak in every study, and LinkedIn's own analytics don't show when your followers are online, so test two weekday slots and compare the results.

LinkedIn is the network where the timing studies agree most, and it's also the one that gives you the least help finding your own best time: its analytics show who saw your posts, not when your followers are online. This guide compares the 2026 studies from Sprout Social, Buffer and Hootsuite for every day of the week, shows how to convert their times for an audience in another time zone, and gives you a simple way to build your own timing report from LinkedIn's post analytics.

## The short answer

Post on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday afternoon in your audience's local time. Wednesday at 3 or 4 p.m. sits inside both Sprout Social's Wednesday window and Buffer's top slots. Thursday at 2 p.m. is named by both Sprout Social and Hootsuite. Every study rates weekends weak, and Buffer rates Monday weakest of all. Hootsuite is the outlier, preferring early mornings on Tuesday and Wednesday, so if your audience starts work early, a 7 or 8 a.m. slot is worth a test.

**Which LinkedIn posting time should you test first?**
- You want the most-supported slot → Wednesday at 4 p.m. your audience's time: Buffer's top slot, at the end of Sprout Social's Wednesday window.
- Your audience starts work early → Tuesday 6 to 8 a.m. or Wednesday 9 a.m., from Hootsuite, tested against a Wednesday afternoon slot.
- Your audience is in the US and the UK → Wednesday 11 a.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. in London: inside Sprout Social's window for New York and Buffer's top slot for London.
- You can only post on weekends → Sunday at 6 a.m. (Buffer and Hootsuite agree), but expect less than on a weekday.

*Starting points from the Sprout Social, Buffer and Hootsuite studies.*

| Study | Data | Best days | Top times (local) | Weakest |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sprout Social, March 2026 | About 2 billion engagements, 307,000 profiles, Nov 2025 to Feb 2026 | Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday | Tue 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Wed 11 a.m.–4 p.m., Thu 1–5 p.m. | Saturday and Sunday |
| Buffer, September 2026 | 4.8 million+ posts | Wednesday, then Thursday and Friday | Wed 4 p.m., Fri 3 p.m., Fri 4 p.m.; 3–8 p.m. weekdays | Monday, then Tuesday |
| Hootsuite, 2025 data | Over 1 million posts, page updated October 2026 | Tuesday and Wednesday | Tue and Wed 8–9 a.m. | Weekends |
| Later, May 2025 | Its own team's experience, no study | Weekdays | Around 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Eastern | Weekends |

- 4.8M+: LinkedIn posts in Buffer's 2026 study
- 307,000: social profiles in Sprout Social's 2026 data
- 1M+: posts in Hootsuite's analysis
- 2x: engagement lift LinkedIn reports for companies posting at least weekly

*Sprout Social's data covers six networks. LinkedIn's 2x figure is from its 2024 marketing blog and refers to company Pages.*

## What do the 2026 LinkedIn studies say?

The three data-backed studies all report times in the audience's local time. Later's page is based on its own social team's experience rather than a data set, so it's described here but left out of the day-by-day tables.

### Sprout Social, March 2026

[Sprout Social's 2026 analysis](https://sproutsocial.com/insights/best-times-to-post-on-linkedin/), published March 31, 2026, covers nearly 2 billion engagements across 307,000 social profiles on six networks, collected between November 27, 2025 and February 27, 2026. All times are local. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday have the most consistent and longest periods of peak engagement. By day: Monday 1 to 2 p.m., Tuesday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m. and 1 to 5 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. and 1 to 2 p.m. It finds no optimal times on Saturday or Sunday, which it puts down to LinkedIn being a professional network.

### Buffer, September 2026

[Buffer's study](https://buffer.com/resources/best-time-to-post-on-linkedin/), published September 9, 2026, analyzed more than 4.8 million posts sent through Buffer, using reactions, comments and reposts as the engagement benchmark. Buffer's data scientist normalized posting times by local time zone. The peak window is 3 to 8 p.m. on weekdays. The top three slots are Wednesday at 4 p.m., Friday at 3 p.m. and Friday at 4 p.m. Wednesday is the best day, closely followed by Thursday and Friday. Monday is the worst day, with Tuesday not far behind.

### Hootsuite, 2025 data

[Hootsuite's guide](https://blog.hootsuite.com/best-time-to-post-on-linkedin/), published November 19, 2025 and updated October 14, 2026, is based on an analysis of over 1 million social posts with Critical Truth, with times localized across the 118 countries in its sample. It names Tuesday and Wednesday between 8 and 9 a.m. as the best overall time, though a few lines later the same page says early morning, 4 to 6 a.m., on those days. By day: Monday 11 a.m., Tuesday 6 to 8 a.m., Wednesday 9 a.m., Thursday 2 p.m., Friday 8 p.m., Saturday 4 to 5 a.m. and Sunday 6 a.m. It calls weekends typically the worst days.

### Later, May 2025

[Later's LinkedIn page](https://later.com/blog/best-time-to-post-on-linkedin/), published May 30, 2025, says the best times are around 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Eastern on weekdays during working hours, and suggests posting during the week rather than at weekends. It presents this as what has worked for Later's own social team, not as a study, so treat it as one account's experience.

**Sprout Social**
- Late morning to afternoon
- Tue to Thu strongest
- Starts 11 a.m. most days
- No optimal weekend times

**Buffer**
- 3 to 8 p.m. on weekdays
- Wednesday 4 p.m. top slot
- Wednesday, Thursday, Friday best
- Monday worst

**Hootsuite**
- Early mornings
- Tue and Wed 8 to 9 a.m.
- Thursday 2 p.m.
- Weekends worst

*All three agree weekends are weak. They disagree on the hour.*

## What is the best time to post on LinkedIn each day?

Here's what each study says for every day, in your audience's local time, and where they overlap. Buffer lists three times per day, best first.

### Best time to post on LinkedIn on Monday

Sprout Social says 1 to 2 p.m. Hootsuite says 11 a.m. Buffer's best Monday times are 10 p.m., 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., but Buffer also calls Monday the worst day of the week for LinkedIn.

No two studies agree on a Monday hour, and Buffer would skip the day. If Monday is one of your posting days, Sprout Social's 1 to 2 p.m. or Hootsuite's 11 a.m. is the place to start, and Later's 1 p.m. Eastern lines up with Sprout Social for East Coast audiences.

### Best time to post on LinkedIn on Tuesday

Sprout Social says 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Buffer's best Tuesday times are 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., though it rates Tuesday second-weakest. Hootsuite says 6 to 8 a.m. and calls Tuesday one of the best days.

Buffer's 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. both fall inside Sprout Social's window, so late afternoon has two studies behind it. Hootsuite's early morning is the alternative to test.

### Best time to post on LinkedIn on Wednesday

Buffer calls Wednesday the best day, with 4 p.m. its single best slot of the week, then 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sprout Social says 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hootsuite says 9 a.m. and calls Wednesday another high-engagement day.

This is the best-supported day for LinkedIn. Every study calls it strong, and 3 to 4 p.m. sits inside both Sprout Social's window and Buffer's top times. If you post once a week, post Wednesday afternoon.

### Best time to post on LinkedIn on Thursday

Sprout Social says 11 a.m. and 1 to 5 p.m. Hootsuite says 2 p.m., and notes Thursday is the one day where its data peaks in the early afternoon. Buffer's best Thursday times are 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., and it ranks Thursday second-best overall.

Thursday afternoon is the only window in the whole week that all three studies point to. Hootsuite's 2 p.m. is inside Sprout Social's window, and so is Buffer's 5 p.m.

### Best time to post on LinkedIn on Friday

Buffer likes Friday: its best Friday times, 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., include its second and third best slots of the week. Sprout Social says 11 a.m. and 1 to 2 p.m. Hootsuite says 8 p.m., which it calls surprising.

The studies don't overlap on Friday. Buffer's afternoon starts an hour after Sprout Social's window ends, and Hootsuite is in the evening. Friday 3 p.m. has the strongest single backing.

### Best time to post on LinkedIn on Saturday

Sprout Social finds no optimal times on Saturday. Hootsuite says weekends are typically the worst days, with 4 to 5 a.m. its best Saturday time. Buffer says Saturday posts tend to see less engagement than most weekdays; if you must post, its best Saturday times are 9 a.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Everyone agrees Saturday is weak, and no two studies agree on an hour. If you have something to share, it will usually find more people on a weekday.

### Best time to post on LinkedIn on Sunday

Sprout Social finds no optimal times on Sunday. Hootsuite says 6 a.m. and suggests early mornings are the best bet on both weekend days. Buffer says Sunday posts see lower engagement than weekdays, and its best Sunday times are 10 p.m., 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Sunday at 6 a.m. is named by both Buffer and Hootsuite, and Buffer's 9 and 10 p.m. Sunday times may reach people planning their week. It's still a weak day overall.

## Should you post on LinkedIn on weekends?

For most accounts, no. Sprout Social finds no optimal times on either weekend day and says weekends are the worst for every industry it lists. Hootsuite calls weekends typically the worst days. Buffer says weekend engagement drops off significantly compared with weekdays. That's the most consistent finding across all the LinkedIn studies.

There are reasonable exceptions. If your followers don't work Monday to Friday, or you're sharing something time-sensitive, a weekend post is fine. When you do, Sunday at 6 a.m. is named by both Buffer and Hootsuite, Buffer's best Saturday time is 9 a.m., and Hootsuite's industry data has a few weekend windows, such as Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for government and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for professional services. If you post at weekends regularly, include one weekend slot in your test so you know what it costs you.

## LinkedIn posting times by day and hour: the full table

The first table lists each study's times for each day. The second sorts them into windows. All times are your audience's local time.

| Day | Sprout Social 2026 | Buffer 2026 | Hootsuite (2025 data) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monday | 1–2 p.m. | 10 p.m., 5 p.m., 9 p.m. (worst day) | 11 a.m. |
| Tuesday | 11 a.m.–5 p.m. | 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 10 p.m. | 6–8 a.m. |
| Wednesday | 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | 4 p.m. (best slot), 3 p.m., 5 p.m. (best day) | 9 a.m. |
| Thursday | 11 a.m. and 1–5 p.m. | 5 p.m., 7 p.m., 9 p.m. | 2 p.m. |
| Friday | 11 a.m. and 1–2 p.m. | 3 p.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m. | 8 p.m. |
| Saturday | No optimal times | 9 a.m., 6 p.m., 10 p.m. | 4–5 a.m. |
| Sunday | No optimal times | 10 p.m., 9 p.m., 6 a.m. | 6 a.m. |

| Day | 12–6 a.m. | 6 a.m.–12 p.m. | 12–6 p.m. | 6 p.m.–12 a.m. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monday | None | Hootsuite | Sprout Social, Buffer | Buffer |
| Tuesday | None | Sprout Social, Hootsuite | Sprout Social, Buffer | Buffer |
| Wednesday | None | Sprout Social, Hootsuite | Sprout Social, Buffer | None |
| Thursday | None | Sprout Social | Sprout Social, Buffer, Hootsuite | Buffer |
| Friday | None | Sprout Social | Sprout Social, Buffer | Hootsuite |
| Saturday | Hootsuite | Buffer | None | Buffer |
| Sunday | None | Buffer, Hootsuite | None | Buffer |

> Weekday afternoons from 12 to 6 p.m. have at least two studies behind them every day, and Thursday afternoon has all three. Weekend afternoons have none.

## What time zone are LinkedIn's best times in?

### Whose time zone the studies use

Sprout Social lists all times in local time. Buffer says its times were normalized by local time zone, so 4 p.m. applies to whichever zone you're targeting. Hootsuite localized its times across 118 countries. So Wednesday at 4 p.m. means 4 p.m. where your audience works. Later's 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. are Eastern time.

### How to convert a study time

1. **Find where your followers are**: LinkedIn's audience analytics break your followers down by location, along with job title, industry, seniority, company size and company.
2. **Pick a slot in their time**: Choose a time from the tables above, such as Wednesday 4 p.m. for followers in London.
3. **Work out the gap on the posting date**: Use the gap for the day the post goes out. Countries change their clocks on different dates.
4. **Schedule and check**: Enter the converted time in your scheduler's time zone and read back the time it shows after saving.

### A worked example: followers in New York and London

Say half your followers are in New York and half in London. [time.gov](https://www.time.gov/) lists Eastern standard time as UTC minus 5, and [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/when-do-the-clocks-change) says the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time in winter, so London is usually 5 hours ahead of New York. Post on Wednesday at 11 a.m. Eastern and it's 4 p.m. in London.

| City | Local time | What it matches |
| --- | --- | --- |
| New York | Wednesday 11 a.m. | Start of Sprout Social's Wednesday window, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| London | Wednesday 4 p.m. | Buffer's top slot of the week, and the end of Sprout Social's Wednesday window |

One post, a study match in both cities. Watch the clock changes, though: in 2026 the UK went back an hour on October 25 and the US on November 1, per [NIST](https://www.nist.gov/pml/time-and-frequency-division/popular-links/daylight-saving-time-dst). For that week London was only 4 hours ahead, so 11 a.m. in New York was 3 p.m. in London: still inside Sprout Social's window and still one of Buffer's Wednesday times, but not its top slot. The same happens in spring, when the US changed its clocks on March 8, 2026 and the UK on March 29.

### Followers spread across the US

time.gov lists Pacific standard time as UTC minus 8, three hours behind Eastern. Wednesday 4 p.m. Eastern is 1 p.m. Pacific, and both fall inside Sprout Social's Wednesday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. window. If most of your network is on the West Coast, Wednesday 4 p.m. Pacific is Buffer's top slot there but 7 p.m. in New York, outside Sprout Social's window for the East.

## How do I find my own best time to post on LinkedIn?

Here's the catch: LinkedIn's analytics don't include a chart of when your followers are online. Its help pages on [creator analytics](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a704175), [post analytics](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a525196/view-post-analytics-for-your-content) and [combined post analytics](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a701208) describe impressions, engagement, members reached and audience demographics, but nothing broken down by hour or day. So you build the timing view yourself, from each post's results.

### Where LinkedIn's analytics are

LinkedIn: Me › View Profile › Analytics › Show all

*From LinkedIn Help. On mobile, tap your profile photo twice, then Show all in the Analytics section.*

1. **Open creator analytics**: On desktop, click the Me icon, click View Profile, scroll to the Analytics section and click Show all. In the app, tap your profile photo, tap it again to open your profile, then tap Show all in the Analytics section.
2. **Read content analytics**: Content analytics shows how your posts, images, videos, events, polls and articles perform over time. Use the Past 7 days dropdown to change the range.
3. **Read audience analytics**: Audience analytics shows follower growth and demographics by job title, location, industry, seniority, company size and company.
4. **Open a single post**: On desktop, click the Me icon, click Posts & Activity under Manage, choose the Post tab, then click the impressions count or View analytics on a post.

### Build your own timing report

Combined post analytics lets you pick a date range from the past 7 days up to the past 365 days, and LinkedIn says the full post table is on desktop only. That's enough to reconstruct which hours have worked for you.

1. **List your last 20 to 30 posts**: For each one, note the day and the hour it went out, in your audience's time zone.
2. **Add impressions and engagement**: From each post's analytics, copy impressions, reactions, comments and reposts.
3. **Group by window**: Sort posts into the four windows used in the tables above: early, morning, afternoon and evening.
4. **Compare medians**: Take the middle impressions and engagement figure for each window. The window with the highest median is your first candidate.

1. Open Posts & Activity
2. Note each post's day and hour
3. Copy impressions and engagement
4. Group posts by window of the day
5. Compare each window's median

*LinkedIn doesn't chart follower activity by hour, so this report fills the gap.*

> LinkedIn says post demographics aren't available for content shared only with your connections or in groups. Post publicly if you want the full breakdown.

### Read in-network and out-of-network impressions

LinkedIn's combined post analytics split impressions into in-network and out-of-network percentages and show members reached. That split is useful for timing. A post seen mostly by your own network depends on when those people are online, so its posting time matters a lot. A post that travels mostly out of network is reaching people on their own schedules, so its posting time tells you less. When you build your timing report, weigh posts that stayed mostly in network more heavily.

### Use your audience's job, not just its location

Audience analytics breaks followers down by job title, industry and seniority as well as location. If most of your followers work in one industry, check the industry table below for that sector's windows. Hootsuite's healthcare data, for example, says 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, and Sprout Social's says Wednesday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., both narrower than the general picture.

## How often should you post on LinkedIn?

| Source | What it says about frequency |
| --- | --- |
| Buffer, 2026 | Two to five posts a week is where most creators and brands start to see results; six to 10 can push further. Consistency matters more than volume. |
| LinkedIn, 2024 | Companies that post at least weekly see a 2x lift in engagement with their content (company Pages). |
| Sprout Social, 2026 | No set number, but nearly 70% of users interact with brand content on LinkedIn at least once a week. |
| Later, 2025 | Post consistently; consistency and quality beat perfect timing. |

The 2x figure comes from [LinkedIn's marketing blog](https://www.linkedin.com/business/marketing/blog/linkedin-pages/5-non-obvious-ways-to-improve-your-linkedin-company-page), published August 9, 2024, and is about company Pages. For a personal profile, Buffer's two to five a week is a sensible target. Three posts on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons fits the studies and leaves room to test.

### Which slots to use for 2, 3 or 5 posts a week

| Posts a week | Suggested slots (local time) | Why these |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2 | Wednesday 4 p.m., Thursday 2 p.m. | Wednesday 4 p.m. is Buffer's top slot inside Sprout Social's window; Thursday 2 p.m. is named by Sprout Social and Hootsuite |
| 3 | Add Tuesday 4 p.m. | Buffer's best Tuesday time, inside Sprout Social's window |
| 5 | Add Friday 3 p.m. and Tuesday 7 a.m. | Friday 3 p.m. is Buffer's second-best slot; Tuesday 7 a.m. tests Hootsuite's early mornings |

Before scheduling, check each post fits with the [LinkedIn character counter](/tools/linkedin-character-counter), and use the [LinkedIn text formatter](/tools/linkedin-text-formatter) if you want bold or italic text in a post. The [LinkedIn post size guide](/blog/linkedin-post-size) covers image and video dimensions.

## Does the best time to post on LinkedIn change by industry?

Sprout Social and Hootsuite both split their LinkedIn data by industry. All times are local.

| Industry | Sprout Social 2026 | Hootsuite (2025 data) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Education | Weekdays; Tuesday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. top | Wednesday 9 a.m., Friday 11 a.m.–1 p.m. |
| Financial services | Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m.–3 p.m. | Monday 5 p.m., Wednesday 1 p.m., Thursday 5–7 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.–1 p.m. |
| Government | Thursday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Monday 3 p.m., Tuesday 9–11 a.m., Wednesday 10 a.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–1 p.m. |
| Healthcare | Wednesday 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Thursday 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | Tuesday to Friday 9 a.m.–1 p.m. |
| Nonprofit | Tuesday to Thursday 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Tuesday 11 a.m.–2 p.m., Wednesday 12–3 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. |
| Retail | Thursday 8 a.m.–3 p.m. | Not broken out |
| Technology | Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Monday 11 a.m. |
| Travel and hospitality | Wednesday 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.–3 p.m. | Wednesday 12 p.m. (dining, hospitality and tourism) |
| Professional services | Not broken out | Thursday 8–10 a.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–1 p.m. |

Sprout Social says weekends are the worst for every industry it lists. Hootsuite also lists construction, mining and manufacturing (Monday 2 to 4 p.m., Tuesday 10 a.m., Thursday before 6 a.m., Friday 3 p.m.).

## Why is there no single best time to post on LinkedIn?

- The studies agree on days but not hours. All three call weekends weak, but Sprout Social favors late morning to afternoon, Buffer favors 3 to 8 p.m., and Hootsuite favors early mornings.
- They disagree about Monday. Buffer calls it the worst day; Sprout Social and Hootsuite both give it a best time. Buffer's own page is inconsistent here too: it says weekend engagement drops off significantly compared with weekdays, yet calls Monday the weakest day of the week.
- Each uses its own customers and its own measure. Buffer counts reactions, comments and reposts; Sprout Social counts engagements across 30,000 customers' profiles.
- Averages hide local peaks. When Hootsuite splits its data by time zone, its best LinkedIn times in Eastern time are Tuesday 5 a.m., Thursday 6 a.m. and 5 p.m., and Friday 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.; in Pacific time, Thursday and Friday 2 to 4 p.m.; in GMT, Thursday 7 to 9 a.m.; in Central European Time, Thursday 7 p.m.
- The studies contradict themselves. Hootsuite gives its overall best time as 8 to 9 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, then as 4 to 6 a.m. on the same days a few lines later.
- Later's times come from one team's experience, not a data set.

What the studies do give you is a short list worth testing: Tuesday to Thursday afternoons first, an early-morning slot second. Your own results decide between them.

## How to test your best LinkedIn posting time in two weeks

1. **Choose two slots**: Slot A: 4 p.m., Buffer's top hour, inside Sprout Social's Tuesday and Wednesday windows. Slot B: an early slot such as 8 a.m., from Hootsuite, or the best window from your own timing report.
2. **Post on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday**: Over two weeks, publish 6 posts, 3 in each slot, swapping which slot gets which day in week two.
3. **Keep the posts comparable**: Same format, similar length and topic. Change only the time.
4. **Record at a fixed delay**: 24 hours after each post, note impressions, reactions, comments and reposts from its post analytics.
5. **Compare medians**: Use the middle value per slot so one post that spreads widely doesn't decide it.
6. **Keep the winner, test again**: Make the winner your default and test it against a new challenger next fortnight.

- Day 1: Pick an afternoon slot and an early slot
- Week 1: Tuesday A, Wednesday B, Thursday A
- Week 2: Tuesday B, Wednesday A, Thursday B
- 24 hours after each: Log impressions and engagement
- Day 15: Compare medians and keep the winner

*Swapping days in week two keeps either slot from getting all the strong days.*

| Post | Day | Slot | Audience time | Impressions at 24 h | Reactions, comments, reposts |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Week 1, Tue | A | 4 p.m. |  |  |
| 2 | Week 1, Wed | B | 8 a.m. |  |  |
| 3 | Week 1, Thu | A | 4 p.m. |  |  |
| 4 | Week 2, Tue | B | 8 a.m. |  |  |
| 5 | Week 2, Wed | A | 4 p.m. |  |  |
| 6 | Week 2, Thu | B | 8 a.m. |  |  |

To compare posts with different reach, divide engagement by impressions; the free [engagement rate calculator](/tools/engagement-rate-calculator) does it, and the [engagement rate guide](/blog/social-media-engagement-rate) explains the options. The glossary's [reach vs impressions](/glossary/reach-vs-impressions) entry explains why LinkedIn's members reached and impressions differ.

**A fair LinkedIn timing test**
- [ ] Same number of posts in each slot
- [ ] Same format and similar length
- [ ] Posts shared publicly, not connections only
- [ ] Results logged at the same delay
- [ ] Medians compared, not totals
- [ ] Times set in your audience's time zone

*Six posts is a small sample, so repeat the test before a big change.*

## How do I post on LinkedIn at the time I picked?

The [guide to scheduling LinkedIn posts](/blog/how-to-schedule-linkedin-posts) covers the options. If the same post also goes to X, Threads, Facebook or other networks, [PostMesh](/platform/linkedin) publishes text, image and video posts to your personal LinkedIn profile through LinkedIn's official API at the time you pick, up to 30 days ahead. Company Pages aren't supported yet, and posts are public.

PostMesh doesn't show LinkedIn metrics yet, because it doesn't have LinkedIn's permission to read them, so record your test results from LinkedIn's own post analytics. If you cross-post, remember each network has its own peak hours: the best time to post on [Facebook](/blog/best-time-to-post-on-facebook), [Instagram](/blog/best-time-to-post-on-instagram) and [YouTube](/blog/best-time-to-post-on-youtube) are all different, and [how to cross-post to multiple platforms](/blog/how-to-cross-post-to-multiple-platforms) covers adapting one post for each.

## Common mistakes and what to do next

- Posting at weekends because you have time then. Every study rates weekends weak.
- Using Later's 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. as local time. They're Eastern.
- Expecting LinkedIn to show your followers' active hours. It doesn't; build the report from your posts.
- Sharing test posts with connections only, which removes the demographic breakdown.
- Judging a slot on one post that happened to spread.
- Forgetting the clock-change weeks if your audience spans countries.

Next step: schedule posts for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday over two weeks, alternating 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. in your audience's time zone, then compare medians. If you're curious what the green dot on people's profiles means for who's online right now, the [LinkedIn green dot guide](/blog/linkedin-green-dot-meaning) explains it.

## Questions

### What is the best time to post on LinkedIn?

Tuesday to Thursday afternoons in your audience's local time. Buffer's top slot is Wednesday at 4 p.m., and Thursday afternoon is the one window all three 2026 studies point to.

### What is the best day to post on LinkedIn?

Wednesday is Buffer's best day and a peak day for Sprout Social and Hootsuite. Tuesday and Thursday are close behind.

### What is the worst day to post on LinkedIn?

Saturday and Sunday in every study. Buffer also ranks Monday as its worst weekday.

### Should I post on LinkedIn on weekends?

Usually not. Sprout Social finds no optimal weekend times and Hootsuite calls weekends the worst days; if you must, Sunday at 6 a.m. is named by both Buffer and Hootsuite.

### Is morning or afternoon better on LinkedIn?

Sprout Social and Buffer favor afternoons, and Hootsuite favors early mornings on Tuesday and Wednesday. Test one afternoon and one morning slot.

### Are LinkedIn best times in my time zone or my audience's?

Your audience's for Sprout Social, Buffer and Hootsuite. Later's 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. are Eastern time.

### Does LinkedIn show when my followers are online?

Not in its analytics. Creator, post and combined post analytics show impressions, engagement and demographics, so build a timing report from your own posts.

### How often should I post on LinkedIn?

Buffer says two to five posts a week is where most people start to see results. LinkedIn reports companies posting at least weekly see a 2x engagement lift.

### Can PostMesh post to a LinkedIn Company Page?

Not yet. PostMesh posts to your personal LinkedIn profile, publicly, through LinkedIn's official API.

### How long should I test a LinkedIn posting time?

Two weeks with three posts in each of two slots gives a first answer. Repeat it before you change your whole schedule.

## Sources

- [Sprout Social: Best times to post on LinkedIn (March 2026)](https://sproutsocial.com/insights/best-times-to-post-on-linkedin/)

- [Buffer: Best time to post on LinkedIn (September 2026)](https://buffer.com/resources/best-time-to-post-on-linkedin/)

- [Hootsuite: The best time to post on LinkedIn [2025 data] (updated October 2026)](https://blog.hootsuite.com/best-time-to-post-on-linkedin/)

- [Later: Best time to post on LinkedIn (May 2025)](https://later.com/blog/best-time-to-post-on-linkedin/)

- [LinkedIn Help: View your creator analytics](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a704175)

- [LinkedIn Help: View post analytics for your content](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a525196/view-post-analytics-for-your-content)

- [LinkedIn Help: Combined post analytics](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a701208)

- [LinkedIn Marketing Blog: 13 ways to boost the impact of your LinkedIn Page (August 2024)](https://www.linkedin.com/business/marketing/blog/linkedin-pages/5-non-obvious-ways-to-improve-your-linkedin-company-page)

- [time.gov (NIST and US Naval Observatory): US time zones](https://www.time.gov/)

- [GOV.UK: When do the clocks change?](https://www.gov.uk/when-do-the-clocks-change)

- [NIST: Daylight saving time](https://www.nist.gov/pml/time-and-frequency-division/popular-links/daylight-saving-time-dst)