Best Time to Post on LinkedIn in 2026 (Data-Backed Guide)

Posts published at the right time get 2x more engagement than posts published randomly.

That's not opinion. LinkedIn's algorithm favors content that gets early engagement. Post when your audience is online, and the algorithm shows your content to more people. Post when they're asleep, and your content dies before it has a chance.

But "the best time to post" isn't universal. It depends on who you're trying to reach, where they live, and what they do for work.

This guide gives you the data-backed starting points, then shows you how to find the exact times that work for your specific audience.

The Short Answer

If you want a quick answer, here it is:

Best days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

Best times: 7-8 AM, 12 PM, 5-6 PM (in your audience's time zone)

Worst time: Weekends, late nights, early mornings before 6 AM

These windows work because they align with how professionals use LinkedIn. Morning commute. Lunch break. End of workday. That's when people scroll.

But there's more to it.

Why Timing Matters on LinkedIn

LinkedIn's algorithm works in phases.

Phase 1: Your post goes to a small test audience (usually your recent engagers and close connections).

Phase 2: If that group engages, LinkedIn shows it to more people.

Phase 3: High-performing posts get pushed to the broader feed.

The key insight: Phase 1 happens in the first 60-90 minutes. If your post doesn't get engagement during that window, it rarely recovers.

This is why timing matters so much. You need your core audience online and ready to engage during that critical first hour.

Post when your audience is active, not just online. There's a difference between scrolling passively and being ready to comment.

Best Times by Day of the Week

Not all days perform equally. Here's what the data shows:

Tuesday

Peak times: 7-8 AM, 10-11 AM, 12 PM

Tuesday is consistently the highest-engagement day on LinkedIn. People have settled into their work week and are actively checking professional content.

Wednesday

Peak times: 7-8 AM, 12 PM, 5-6 PM

Wednesday performs nearly as well as Tuesday. The midweek sweet spot.

Thursday

Peak times: 7-8 AM, 12 PM, 5 PM

Engagement starts to drop slightly but still strong. Good day for thought leadership content.

Monday

Peak times: 10 AM, 12 PM

Monday mornings are chaotic for most professionals. They're catching up on emails and meetings. Late morning and lunch perform better than early morning.

Friday

Peak times: 10-11 AM

Engagement drops significantly after lunch. People are wrapping up for the week, not looking for new content to engage with.

Saturday & Sunday

Skip these unless your audience is specifically active on weekends. Engagement rates drop 60-70% compared to weekdays.

Time Zone Strategy

Here's where most guides fail. They give you times but forget that your audience might be in different time zones.

If your audience is local (same country/region): Post in your local time during peak windows.

If your audience is global: You have two options:

Option 1: Pick your primary market

Focus on where most of your target audience lives. If 70% of your connections are in the US Eastern time zone, optimize for that.

Option 2: Overlap windows

Find times that work across multiple zones. For US + Europe audiences, 12 PM ET (5 PM London) hits both markets during active hours.

Option 3: Post twice

For truly global audiences, consider posting similar content at different times to catch different regions. Space posts at least 24 hours apart.

Quick Reference by Region

Industry-Specific Timing

Different industries have different LinkedIn habits.

B2B / Corporate

Best times: 7-8 AM, 10 AM, 12 PM

Decision-makers check LinkedIn early before meetings start, and during lunch. Avoid late afternoon when they're in back-to-back calls.

Tech / Startups

Best times: 8-9 AM, 12-1 PM, 5-6 PM

Tech professionals tend to have more flexible schedules. Evening posts perform better here than in traditional corporate.

Marketing / Creative

Best times: 9-10 AM, 12 PM, 4-5 PM

Marketers are often on social platforms throughout the day. Slightly later morning posts work well.

Sales

Best times: 7 AM, 12 PM, 6-7 PM

Sales professionals check LinkedIn before and after their main selling hours. Early morning and evening work best.

HR / Recruiting

Best times: 10 AM, 2 PM

Recruiters are on LinkedIn constantly. Mid-morning and mid-afternoon avoid their peak sourcing hours.

How to Find YOUR Best Time

General data is a starting point. But your audience is unique. Here's how to find your optimal times:

Step 1: Check Your Analytics

Go to your LinkedIn profile → Analytics → Posts.

Look at your top-performing posts from the last 90 days. Note what day and time you posted them.

Pattern you're looking for: Do your best posts cluster around certain times?

Step 2: Test Systematically

For the next 4 weeks, post at different times:

• Week 1: Morning (7-8 AM)
• Week 2: Midday (12-1 PM)
• Week 3: Evening (5-6 PM)
• Week 4: Late morning (10-11 AM)

Keep your content quality consistent. Compare engagement rates.

Step 3: Track Engagement Velocity

Pay attention to how fast engagement happens, not just total engagement.

A post that gets 50 likes in the first hour is outperforming a post that gets 50 likes over 24 hours. The first one was posted at a better time.

Step 4: Consider Your Content Type

Different content performs better at different times:

• Educational content: Morning (people are in learning mode)
• Thought leadership: Midday (people have mental energy to engage)
• Personal stories: Evening (people are more relaxed)
• Quick tips: Lunch break (easy to consume between tasks)

The goal isn't to find one "perfect" time. It's to build a posting schedule that matches your content types to optimal windows.

Consistency Beats Perfect Timing

Here's the truth most people miss: consistent posting at a good time beats sporadic posting at the perfect time.

LinkedIn's algorithm rewards creators who show up regularly. If you post every Tuesday and Thursday at 8 AM, the algorithm learns your pattern and starts showing your content to people who engage with you at those times.

A consistent schedule also trains your audience. Regular followers start expecting your content at certain times.

Start with this:

• Pick 2-3 posting times based on the data above
• Stick to them for at least 4 weeks
• Adjust based on your own analytics

Common Timing Mistakes

Mistake 1: Posting and forgetting

The first hour after posting is crucial. If you post and walk away, you miss the chance to respond to early comments. Those responses boost your post.

Mistake 2: Copying competitor timing

Just because a competitor posts at 9 AM doesn't mean that works for them. They might be posting at a suboptimal time. Test your own data.

Mistake 3: Ignoring time zones

If you're based in San Francisco but most of your audience is in New York, posting at 6 AM PT means hitting them at 9 AM ET. Know where your audience actually is.

Mistake 4: Weekend warrior posting

Some people save content for weekends because they have more time. But your audience doesn't. Weekday mornings dramatically outperform weekend posts.

Mistake 5: Posting multiple times per day

LinkedIn isn't Twitter. More than one post per day can actually hurt your reach. The algorithm doesn't like flooding the feed from one creator.

The 30-Minute Rule

Here's a tactic that can double your early engagement:

Plan to be active for 30 minutes after posting.

During this window:

• Respond to every comment immediately
• Like comments on your post
• Add a thoughtful comment on 2-3 other posts in your feed

This activity signals to LinkedIn that you're engaged. The algorithm responds by showing your post to more people.

Your first 30 minutes of engagement matter more than the next 23.5 hours combined.

Quick-Start Schedule

If you're just starting out, use this schedule:

Post 1: Tuesday, 8 AM (your audience's time zone) Post 2: Thursday, 12 PM (your audience's time zone)

That's it. Two posts per week at proven times.

Once you've done this for a month, check your analytics and adjust. Maybe Wednesday works better than Tuesday for your audience. Maybe evening beats morning.

The key is to start with data, then optimize with your own results.

Start This Week

Here's your action plan:

1. Check your audience - Where are most of your target connections located?
2. Pick your times - Choose 2 posting slots from the data above
3. Schedule your content - Plan your next week of posts
4. Be present - Stay active for 30 minutes after each post
5. Track and adjust - Review analytics after 4 weeks

Need help planning your LinkedIn content? Postking's free post formatter helps you structure posts that perform. Write once, format perfectly, post with confidence.

Timing matters. But it's just one piece of the puzzle. Great content posted at a good time will always beat mediocre content posted at the "perfect" time.

Start with the times in this guide. Test what works for your audience. Build a consistent schedule. The results will follow.

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