twitter: the best times to tweet

When are the best times to tweet?

A common sense approach that works.

You know what’s really cool about Twitter?

‘sup

You can tweet anything that you like.

And tools like Buffer make it really easy.

But …

Twitter moves pretty fast.

There are “one billion” tweets every 3 days.

… your tweets can easily get missed.

Which means if you’re not careful …

So what you need to be asking yourself is …

“When are the best times to tweet?”

“That’s a great question, Brad.”

“Thanks, uh…”

“Patrick.”

“Right, right…”

“You’re not even on Twitter.”

See, here’s the thing. Study …

… after study …

… after study …

… after study …

… tries to be definitive about this.

But they often give contrary advice.

You can even use apps that will tell you.

(Only then? Okay…)

But none of this has really worked for me.

So I propose a different solution.

Twitter is a professional social network.

During the week, people follow similar patterns.

They go to work.

They do some work.

They have lunch.

They do (some) more work.

They go home.

They relax.

They go to bed.

And on the weekends, they relax some more.

These are all repeatable patterns.

Most followers in your timezone behave this way.

So, to get their attention …

… you need to catch them on their downtime.

These are the moments when they’re bored …

… and looking to be distracted.

So they go on Twitter …

… and will see your tweets.

To do this, break the day into 7 timezones.

Monday to Friday, this is when you should tweet.

1. Commute to work (6:30 AM - 8:30 AM)

3. Lunchtime (12:30 PM - 2 PM)

4. Late afternoon downtime (3:30 PM - 4:30 PM)

5. Commute home (5 PM - 7 PM)

6. Relax at home (7 PM - 10 PM)

7. Bedtime (10 PM - 11 PM)

2. Mid-morning downtime (10 AM - 11 AM)

These are the key “distract me” timezones.

This is when most of your tweets should be sent.

1. Commute to work (6:30 AM - 8:30 AM)

3. Lunchtime (12:30 PM - 2 PM)

5. Commute home (5 PM - 7 PM)

These times can also drive engagement.

But can be excluded if you don’t tweet very often.

4. Late afternoon downtime (3:30 PM - 4:30 PM)

6. Relax at home (7 PM - 10 PM)

7. Bedtime (10 PM - 11 PM)

2. Mid-morning downtime (10 AM - 11 AM)

However, for best results and maximum ROI …

… you need to hit all these timezones. Every day.

So, here’s a schedule for 10 tweets a day.

1. Commute to work (6:30 AM - 8:30 AM)

3. Lunchtime (12:30 PM - 2 PM)

4. Late afternoon downtime (3:30 PM - 4:30 PM)

5. Commute home (5 PM - 7 PM)

6. Relax at home (7 PM - 10 PM)

7. Bedtime (10 PM - 11 PM)

TIMEZONE

2. Mid-morning downtime (10 AM - 11 AM)

TWEETS

2

2

2

1

1

1

1

Here’s a schedule for 15 tweets a day.

1. Commute to work (6:30 AM - 8:30 AM)

3. Lunchtime (12:30 PM - 2 PM)

4. Late afternoon downtime (3:30 PM - 4:30 PM)

5. Commute home (5 PM - 7 PM)

6. Relax at home (7 PM - 10 PM)

7. Bedtime (10 PM - 11 PM)

TIMEZONE

2. Mid-morning downtime (10 AM - 11 AM)

TWEETS

3

2

3

1

2

2

2

And here’s a schedule for 5 tweets a day.

1. Commute to work (6:30 AM - 8:30 AM)

3. Lunchtime (12:30 PM - 2 PM)

4. Late afternoon downtime (3:30 PM - 4:30 PM)

5. Commute home (5 PM - 7 PM)

6. Relax at home (7 PM - 10 PM)

7. Bedtime (10 PM - 11 PM)

TIMEZONE

2. Mid-morning downtime (10 AM - 11 AM)

TWEETS

2

2

1

0

0

0

0

On the weekends, you can ease off a bit.

Simply because there’s less need for distraction.

1. Relaxing during/after breakfast (8 AM - 10 AM)

3. Starbucks (3 PM - 4 PM)

4. Making dinner (6 PM - 7 PM)

5. Watching TV / chilling (8PM - 10 PM)

6. Bedtime (10 PM - 12 PM)

2. Lunchtime (12:30 PM - 2 PM)

Here’s a good weekend schedule (8 tweets).

1. Relaxing during/after breakfast (8 AM - 10 AM)

3. Starbucks (3 PM - 4 PM)

4. Making dinner (6 PM - 7 PM)

5. Watching TV / chilling (8PM - 10 PM)

6. Bedtime (10 PM - 12 PM)

TIMEZONE

2. Lunchtime (12:30 PM - 2 PM)

TWEETS

2

1

1

2

1

1

Remember: these are all in your timezone.

Make this easy on yourself by using Buffer.

Just set up your schedule using the times suggested in the previous slides.

Don’t forget to space out your tweets.

Avoid posting on the hour and every half hour - stick to “natural” times (i.e., 7:37 AM)

Your tweet schedule is important.

Using these guidelines, experiment until you find the times that work for you, then stick with it.

Using these tips, I’ve seen the following improvements in Twitter engagement.

Clicks Retweets

Favorites Replies

My clients have experienced similar results. Try it as part of your Twitter strategy!

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