Best times to post on social media in the UK (2025)

Is your brand struggling to get the traction you expected from your social media strategy? Do you wonder when is the best time to post on social media in the UK?

We have the answer.

Understanding the optimal moments to engage your audience is key, and for the first time, we have UK-specific data to guide you. Whether you’re aiming to boost engagement, drive conversions‌ or grow your following, using the right posting times can significantly improve your social media performance.

We teamed up with Sprout’s Data Science team to analyse engagement data from thousands of UK businesses using Sprout Social. We looked closely at nearly 300 million engagements across 50,000 social profiles in the UK to pinpoint when content resonates most (and least) with audiences. We then broke it down by network, giving you the UK’s best times to post.

With 82% of the UK population using social media across a growing number of networks, businesses can reach virtually any target demographic through social media marketing. You won’t be surprised to hear, British consumers are discerning. Research from the UK Sprout Social Index™  showed the quality of your product or service matters most. After that, the quality of your brand’s content and how you engage with followers are what makes businesses stand out to consumers on social media.

The key is knowing where to find them. If you’re unsure where your target market is online; UK social media statistics can provide valuable insights.

And the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Today social media is a crucial business function that influences everything from customer experience and sales to product development and marketing.

Let’s dive into the insights and elevate your social media strategy.

For network-specific optimal engagement times, check out our 2025 guides:

• • Best times to post on Facebook in the UK
  • Best times to post on Instagram in the UK
  • Best times to post on LinkedIn in the UK
  • Best times to post on TikTok in the UK
  • Best times to post on X (formerly Twitter) in the UK
  • Best times to post on YouTube in the UK
  • How to find your best time to post on social media with Sprout Social

Use the insights from this article to refine your content schedule. But, to pinpoint the optimal posting times for your brand across each platform, we recommend trialling Sprout Social. Sign up for a free trial and explore our ViralPost® feature with your own social profiles.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

 

Now, let’s take a look at the general data first before we jump into the specifics. We analysed nearly 270 million engagements across 50,000 business social profiles from Britain and Northern Ireland, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and YouTube.  So what is the overall best time to post on social media this year?

Best times to post on social media in the UK

 

While we’ve pinpointed the prime times for UK social media posting each day of the week, it’s crucial to recognise that certain days experience higher levels of engagement than others. Weekdays have shorter, more intense engagement. Weekends have longer, more spread-out use.

This is when the best and worst day elements come into play. Overall, Saturdays have longer periods of low engagement on average. Social media engagement on Sundays is lower in the morning, but increases in the evening. Users may be sharing weekend updates or seeking entertainment before the start of a new week.

Ultimately, when prioritising your social media efforts, understanding your specific business goals, campaign objectives‌ and target audience is paramount.

Each social media network offers unique advantages and use cases. By leveraging data-driven insights, you can make informed decisions about your content strategy and channel selection, ensuring your message resonates effectively.

Our UK Sprout Social Index™ reveals that social media plays a crucial role in how UK consumers stay informed about current trends and cultural moments. This highlights the importance of staying attuned to evolving online behaviours. But be cautious when jumping on trends. While many of consumers see a place for it, there’s a strong minority (32%) who think it’s cringey.

For UK businesses, building authentic connections hinges on a deep understanding of your customers and their social media habits. By aligning your content and platform strategy with these insights, you can foster meaningful engagement and drive positive business outcomes. We’re here to help you navigate this landscape and optimise your social media presence for success in the UK and global markets.

Best times to post on Facebook in the UK

 

Facebook’s continued presence in the UK’s digital sphere is undeniable. Despite perceptions that its demographic is aging, the data indicates a substantial portion of the UK population actively engages with Facebook.

More than 50% of the UK population are Facebook users. With strong demographics within the 25–34 age range, Facebook is a valuable channel for UK businesses seeking to connect with their target audiences. UK users favour engaging with Facebook in the evenings during the week. High engagement times include rush hour and into the mid-evening, tapering off after 9 p.m. At the weekend, engagement is lower in general, but there‘s more consistency across the day.

To maximise the impact of your Facebook content, it’s essential to understand when your audience is most receptive. By using data, we can pinpoint the optimal times to post, ensuring your messages achieve maximum visibility and engagement within the UK market.

How are other UK brands using Facebook? Depending on their industry, brands in the UK use Facebook to achieve a wide range of goals. Retailers like M&S use the platform to build communities and share customer stories and behind-the-scenes content.

Services like The National Trust use Facebook to connect with their audience around the country by sharing historical posts and event information. Charities like the RSPCA are using Facebook to share animal welfare information and promote adoptions.

Best times to post on Instagram in the UK

 

Instagram is a highly visual social platform that’s a staple in our social media landscape. The highest engagement is weekday evenings with some periods earlier in the day. Instagram sees lowest engagement on Saturdays, with high engagement on Sunday evenings. This higher engagement may be when users share their activities from the weekend or seek distraction from the Sunday scaries.

So it makes sense that 63% of Instagram’s large and active UK user base seek entertainment, follow trends and explore their interests when they use the network. Instagram has over 30 million users in the UK alone, with most of those being 18–34 year–olds.

Instagram is a hotbed for brands looking to connect with a younger audience and communicate through engaging visuals. This is where the quality of your content will stand out. What is key here is finding and using your brand voice within your Instagram marketing to create the sort of content that feels authentic to your audience.

Are you Aldi UK, leaning into social media humour? Or a fashion brand like Next, leaning into the growing market for social commerce in the UK. Or something else entirely?

All of this points to Instagram being a great place for UK businesses to build brand awareness, drive engagement‌ and connect with their target audience through visual content.

Best times to post on LinkedIn in the UK

 

LinkedIn in the UK is one of the largest markets for LinkedIn globally and is a powerful environment for networking, lead generation and content marketing. For many British B2B companies, LinkedIn marketing is essential for building industry connections, generating leads and establishing themselves as thought leaders in their field.

 

To no one’s surprise, this business networking platform sees the most engagement during the working week and business hours in the UK. Although LinkedIn’s use has evolved beyond a digital resume and finding your next role, it’s certainly most popular in the afternoon and early evening Mondays to Fridays. We also see some engagement on Saturday morning. Although we have included a long range of engagement on Sunday, the rate is low in comparison to the rest of the week.

UK businesses are increasingly utilising the platform for content marketing, sharing industry insights and company culture as well as recruitment purposes. Tech giants like BT and Vodafone use LinkedIn to showcase their innovative projects, promote company culture‌ and recruit skilled professionals.

 

LinkedIn is still a key tool for networking. UK professionals are actively using it to connect with others and influencers, making it even more important in the UK business world. B2B brands are increasingly leveraging the network for its employee advocacy capabilities to get their content seen by a wider audience.

Best times to post on TikTok in the UK

 

TikTok has rapidly become a dominant force in the UK’s social media landscape, particularly among younger demographics. Weekdays are the most popular, but compared to other networks, engagement times extend further into the night up to midnight on Wednesdays. This is the only network that has high engagement that late.

With a substantial user base of 24.8 million, TikTok’s popularity is fueled by its engaging short-form video format. TikTok’s UK demographic is skewed towards the 18–34 age range who are most active on the network.

This Gen Z and Millennial user base relies on the network for entertainment, trend discovery‌ and creative expression.

This makes TikTok a crucial platform for businesses seeking to connect with audiences in this demographic through authentic and visually compelling content. Retailers like JD Sports have embraced TikTok’s trend-driven nature, using challenges and influencer collaborations to showcase their products and connect with younger audiences.

Best times to post on X (formerly Twitter) in the UK

 

Despite a declining UK ad reach, X (formerly Twitter) remains a key player in the UK’s digital conversation. It continues to serve as a dynamic platform for real-time news, public discourse and targeted communication. While its user base is diverse, with a notable presence among Millennials and Gen X, it’s particularly valued for its immediacy.

X bucks the trend as the only network where Sunday is the day with the most engagement. After that, Mondays to Thursday from afternoon to late evening are the most popular times. There’s lower engagement on Fridays and the lowest overall engagement on Saturday.

UK businesses and organisations leverage X for public relations, customer service and sharing timely updates, reflecting its role as a vital tool for staying informed and engaging in current events. A great example of this is the BBC, who use X to disseminate breaking news, provide real-time updates on current events and engage in public conversations. They also use it to promote their various programs and services.

Despite evolving social media trends, X continues to provide a valuable avenue for reaching specific audiences and participating in real-time conversations within the UK market.

Best times to post on YouTube in the UK

 

When it comes to YouTube posting times in the UK, it’s fairly consistent: 7 to 8 p.m. is generally when you’ll see the highest engagement, as that’s when most viewers are settling in. Thursdays tend to be the most active days for engagement, while Saturdays typically experience lower viewership. So, while you’ll likely get good results posting in that evening window every day, Thursdays are your prime opportunity. Saturdays might be best reserved for less critical content.

 

 

UK businesses and creators use YouTube for a variety of purposes, from sharing educational tutorials to building entertainment channels. The Body Coach, Joe Wicks has built a massive following by providing free workout videos and promoting healthy lifestyles.

The Royal Institution uses YouTube to deliver engaging science lectures and demonstrations. These examples reflect YouTube’s role as a vital tool for content creators and brands seeking to connect with audiences and share valuable information.

Despite evolving social media trends, YouTube continues to provide a valuable avenue for reaching specific audiences and participating in long-form content creation within the UK market.

How to find your best time to post on social media

We’ve taken great care to provide you with the most accurate data on the best times to post on social media within the United Kingdom. While this data will undoubtedly be directionally helpful, it’s based on averages across a range of UK businesses and industries. But what if I told you there’s a way to pinpoint the perfect posting times for your brand, using your own social media data?

There is, and you can try it for free.

Sprout’s patented ViralPost® technology uses data from your brand’s social media profiles to determine the best times to post. This algorithm powers our Optimal Send Times feature, available in Professional and Advanced plans. Our machine learning capability is always improving to help brands uncover insights faster and work more effectively.

With features like post tagging and cross-network reporting, you can analyse elements like post author or content type and see how your posting times impact your social success.

Step 1: Start your free Sprout Social trial. Just sign up with your business email and connect your social media profiles. This will personalise the Optimal Send Times feature to your audience’s engagement patterns.

Step 2: Compose your message and select networks. Open the Compose window in Sprout, craft your post‌ and choose the networks where you want to publish.

Step 3: Schedule with Optimal Send Times. Next to “When to post,” select “Specific Days and Times” to see the Optimal Send Times. Choose a suggested time, indicated by stars, for higher engagement.

Step 4: Finalise and publish. Add a compelling message, visuals and relevant hashtags. Schedule your post to publish at the chosen Optimal Send Time.

ViralPost® continuously refines these suggestions, saving you time and letting you focus on creating great content.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

Making the most of best times to post on social media in the UK

Maximising your social media impact in the UK requires a strategic approach to posting times. While data insights like this provide valuable guidance on peak social media engagement periods, understanding your specific audience’s behaviour is paramount.

Remember, optimal posting times are just one piece of the puzzle. Consistent post frequency and high-quality, relevant content are equally crucial for building a strong online presence. To ensure your strategy is truly effective, rely on your bands own data to refine your posting schedule and content strategy. This combination of timely posting, consistent frequency, and quality data will allow you to achieve optimal results in the competitive UK social media landscape.

How Sprout gathered the data

We know you may be curious about the source of our data. Sprout Social’s Data Science team made this report by looking at 270 million engagements across 50,000 social profiles in the UK. This analysis covers Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok‌ and YouTube. Our Data Science team then processed and synthesised this data to create the insights shared in this article.

Currently, we do not have specific UK engagement data for Threads.

Best times to post on social media globally

Are you targeting a global audience? We can help there too, with our global best times to post data:

Best times to post on social media in 2025
Best times to post on Facebook in 2025
Best times to post on Instagram in 2025
Best times to post on LinkedIn in 2025
Best times to post on TikTok in 2025
Best times to post on X (FKA Twitter) in 2025

Take the guesswork out of posting times with Sprout

Ultimately, mastering the timing of your social media posts in the UK market is pivotal for cutting through the digital noise. Our analysis, provides a data-backed blueprint for reaching your audience at their peak engagement. While social media algorithms are ever-evolving, these insights offer a solid starting point for maximising your content’s impact. By integrating these findings into your strategy, you can optimise your posting schedule and foster stronger connections with your UK audience, driving tangible results in a competitive online space.