How Often Should I Post on Social Media?

November 20, 2023 Chelsea Evans

Most brands post a minimum of 2-3 times per week. But is that ideal? Let’s dive in. ↓

Remember Nick’s birthday video for Jess on New Girl? The unforgettable opening line read, “In the beginning, there was nothing. And then there was light and dark and ocean and birds and stuff. And then there was… Jess!” Well, that’s social media. “And then there was... social media”.

World-altering, impactful, time-consuming, value-creating social media. And whether you love or hate it, it’s here to stay.

While we’re embracing social media and all that it is, we might as well do it correctly. So, let’s tackle the most infamous social media marketing question: How often should I post on social media?

Consistency is Key

If we could, we would shout this from the rooftops. CONSISTENCY IS KEY! Don’t go social media crazy for one week and then go radio silent the next. It’s a little confusing, slightly strange, and most importantly, a huge “no” for social media algorithms.

Social media platforms favor consistency: consistent posts, consistent engagement, and even subject matter that engages a consistent audience. Whatever you set your weekly goal to, stick with it, whether that’s one post a day or one post per week.

Quality over Quantity

Unless you have time and cash burning a hole in your pocket, unlimited creativity, and a social media marketing team with time to spare, posting multiple times per day is nearly impossible. With that said, we know it isn’t doable for everyone, so we would like to leave you with one major takeaway: quality over quantity.

“The best social media publishing frequency is: when it's worthwhile.”

- Jay Baer, Convince and Convert

For example, if you can only make time for 2 high-quality posts per week, commit to that. If you can pencil in daily Instagram stories, a trending Reel, and an Instagram Live, please, do that. But don’t forget to prioritize quality and consistency.

How Often Should I Post on Facebook?

You will see recommendations for only posting 1-5 times per month. You will also see recommendations for posting two Facebook posts per day as a minimum. What’s with the huge variance?

The difference lies in your total followers. Hubspot recently found that businesses with 10,000 followers or more will see an increased number of clicks when posting more than once per day.

On the other hand, businesses with less than 10,000 followers see the opposite effect. In fact, smaller Facebook pages can receive up to 50% fewer clicks by posting more than once per day.

With that said, if you’re a smaller brand, start slow. As your engaged following increases, your posting frequency can increase as well.

Scott Social’s Advice? At a minimum, 3 posts per week. At maximum, 1 post per day for brands with under 10,000 page likes.

How Often Should I Post on Instagram?

On Forbes, Neil Patel recommends “posting frequency is not all that important for your Instagram marketing.” Agreed! Rather than focusing on quantity, Instagram is all about providing value through high-quality content. Do your absolute best to maintain consistency. Even top brands only post 1-2 times per day!

And what about Reels? We recommend aiming for a balance of 50-50 for Reels vs. static posts.

And let’s not forget about Instagram stories! Every single time you post to instagram stories, your “bubble” appears in the queue again. Spreading out instagram Stories throughout the day (and actually telling the story of your day) will lead to more engagement and a higher amount of interactions from your followers.

Scott Social’s Advice? Post once per day with a balance of static posts and Reels. Post Instagram Stories daily.

How Often Should I Post on Pinterest?

Pinterest users love lots of content. In fact, it’s one of the only social media platforms where Pinners are searching with the intent of purchasing rather than to simply “discover”! However, many marketers will recommend a different quantity off daily Pins. So… let’s take some advice straight from Pinterest:

“It’s a good idea to save Pins regularly—consistent, daily activity is better than a once-a-week flurry. Be patient and stick with it. Unlike social networks where all of your audience reach typically happens in the first 24 hours, the reach of your content on Pinterest will continue to grow over time as Pinners discover and save your Pins. Publishing consistently over consecutive months is the best way to build a dedicated audience.”

Many top brands have experienced a ton of growth by Pinning more frequently – upwards of 30 times per day. However, the sweet spot tends to be around 10 pins per day.

Scott Social’s Advice? 10 pins per day. You can use Tailwind to set your Pins on a loop (aka, reposted to new boards throughout the month).

How Often Should I Post on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn recommends posting 20 pieces of content per month. Although this seems like a strange number at first, it makes perfect sense. Since most users visit this networking platform during the week, posting once per day averages out to about once per business day.

Not convinced yet? According to LinkedIn’s small business guide, the ideal number of times you should be posting is two to five times per week and up to 20 times per month.

LinkedIn has also stated that when you post 20 times per month, you’ll reach at least 60% of your audience. Yup, I think we’re going to stick with the experts here!

Scott Social’s Advice? Post at least twice per week, upwards of 5 times per week, Monday through Friday.

How Often Should I Post on Tiktok?

TikTok recommends posting 1-4 times per day for best results, while larger influencers are seen posting upwards of 10 times per day!

As a new business, if you have the capacity, you could aim to post 3-5 times a day to help your brand build an initial following. Once you’ve built a strong foundation, your posting frequency could easily decrease to a more sustainable number.

Why is this? The Tiktok algorithm creates an easier opportunity to go viral, compared to other social media platforms. With that said, the more content you publish, the more likely you are to go viral. Again, consistency is key!

When creating content, we recommend focusing on creating rich, value-centered, trend-optimizing content. Consider current viral trends, popular sounds, hashtags, and the vision of your brand.

Scott Social’s Advice? Post at least once per day. TikTok recommends posting 1-4 times per day for best results.

How Often Should I Post on Twitter?

Twitter is the only social media platform that is still in chronological order. Because of this, the average halflife of a tweet is 24 minutes! After this, your tweet is already buried in the feed where only a few followers will see it.

If you asked a marketer how often you should be posting on Twitter, you’ll hear anything from 1 tweet to 52 tweets in one day. However, it all depends on your goals! If you want to see a higher amount of engagement on individual tweets, tweeting 1 to 5 times per day is your sweet spot.

If you’re looking for higher impressions on a daily basis, you may benefit from tweeting 5+ times per day.

Scott Social’s Advice? 1-5 tweets per day, depending on your goals and bandwidth.

Okay… Now I Am Overwhelmed

A little overwhelmed after seeing those numbers? We get it. It’s a lot. If you have the budget or time to post at the recommended amount, all power to ya. But most likely, this is not doable for you in any capacity!

The best advice that we can give is to first, know that you do not have to be on all platforms at once. Where is your audience? Pick your top 2-3 social media platforms and start there. Oh, and only post as often as you can create valuable content. Quality over quantity! Your followers (and business!) will thank you.

Looking to cross “social media marketing” off your to-do list? Set up a 15-minute discovery call with our team to find out how outsourcing social media management could benefit you and your business.

Scott Social