Optimal LinkedIn Posting in 2025: A Data-Driven Approach

When it comes to social media marketing, timing is everything for optimal LinkedIn posting success and engagement. One platform that benefits significantly from optimal posting times is LinkedIn. With its primary focus on professional networking, users are most active during work hours, making it crucial to identify the best times for posting content. By analysing over a million LinkedIn posts, we have uncovered the peak times that drive the highest engagement and visibility.

Understanding LinkedIn’s Engagement Patterns

Unlike many social platforms, where user activity can be unpredictable, LinkedIn exhibits a more consistent engagement cycle. Most LinkedIn users are professionals who log on during business hours, and this creates a clear pattern in terms of the best times to post.

The Impact of Timing on Engagement

On LinkedIn, engagement metrics like likes, comments, and shares are crucial for determining optimal LinkedIn posting reach. Posts that receive higher engagement tend to be prioritised in the feed by LinkedIn’s algorithm, thus increasing their visibility. Therefore, posting at the right time is essential for ensuring that your content reaches as many people as possible.

While the optimal posting time can vary depending on the specific audience and industry, certain time slots have consistently demonstrated higher engagement rates. Here, we delve into the findings that pinpoint the best times to post on LinkedIn in 2025.

The Best Time to Post on LinkedIn

Based on a comprehensive analysis of LinkedIn activity, the most effective time slots for posting content on LinkedIn typically fall between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays. Engagement tends to peak during mid-morning to early afternoon, particularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Key Engagement Windows

• Tuesdays: 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.
• Thursdays: 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. These two days show the highest level of engagement, with posts shared at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. generally performing better than other time slots.

Why These Times Work

The timing of these high-engagement windows aligns with office hours, ideal for optimal LinkedIn posting during work tasks. Mid-morning and lunchtime breaks often provide the perfect opportunity for users to scroll through their feeds. Interestingly, unlike other social platforms, LinkedIn engagement drops off significantly in the evening and over the weekend, as people shift their focus away from work.

Best Days to Post on LinkedIn

LinkedIn posts see the highest engagement on weekdays, particularly on Thursdays, with Wednesdays and Tuesdays not far behind. Here’s a breakdown of the best times to post on each day of the week:

Monday

• Best times: 10 a.m., 8 a.m., 11 a.m.
• Engagement trends: Monday mornings see a surge in engagement as professionals start their week and settle into work.

Tuesday

• Best times: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 p.m.
• Engagement trends: Mid-morning and just before lunchtime provide optimal engagement as users review their feeds during breaks.

Wednesday

• Best times: 3 p.m., 2 p.m., 10 a.m.
• Engagement trends: Towards the afternoon, professionals take short breaks, which boosts engagement during optimal LinkedIn posting windows.

Thursday

• Best times: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 8 a.m.
• Engagement trends: Thursday stands out as the most optimal day, with mid-morning seeing the highest engagement.

Friday

• Best times: 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m.
• Engagement trends: Friday’s engagement peaks mid-morning and around lunch, as people prepare to wind down for the weekend.

Saturday

• Best times: 12 p.m., 10 a.m., 8 a.m.
• Engagement trends: Saturday generally sees lower engagement, but noon remains a strong option.

Sunday

• Best times: 12 p.m., 8 a.m., 10 a.m.
• Engagement trends: Sundays have the lowest engagement of the week, with midday posts slightly outperforming other times.

The Importance of Content Format on LinkedIn

While timing plays a significant role, optimal LinkedIn posting also depends on the format of your content. LinkedIn users are drawn to a variety of content types, but some formats consistently outperform others.

Carousels Lead the Way

Among the different content formats on LinkedIn, carousel posts (also known as document posts) stand out as the most engaging. These posts allow users to swipe through multiple images or slides, offering a more interactive experience. In fact, carousels receive a staggering 278% more engagement than video posts and 303% more engagement than image posts.

Video and Image Posts

Following carousels, video content also performs well on LinkedIn. Despite video not topping the engagement chart, it still generates around 7% more interaction than image posts and 84% more than text-only posts. Videos are increasingly popular on LinkedIn, with viewership rising steadily each year.

Image posts, though not as engaging as carousels or videos, still perform relatively well and are worth considering as part of your LinkedIn strategy.

Text-Only Posts

Text-only posts, while still useful, see the least engagement compared to optimal LinkedIn posting formats like carousels. It is advisable to include images, videos, or carousels to make your posts more engaging.

Leveraging LinkedIn Analytics for Better Timing

To determine your personal best time to post on LinkedIn, it’s important to track the performance of your content using LinkedIn Analytics. By monitoring which posts perform best at different times of day, you can fine-tune your posting schedule to better align with your audience’s activity.

Three Key Factors to Consider When Scheduling LinkedIn Posts

1. Workday Breaks
   
   • Engagement on LinkedIn spikes during natural workday breaks, such as mid-morning (around 10 a.m.) and lunchtime (12 p.m.). These moments are prime times for sharing content.
     
2. Audience Time Zones
   
   • Time zone differences can affect engagement. If your target audience is based in a different region, be sure to adjust your posting times accordingly to match their peak activity periods.
     
3. Posting Frequency
   
   • Experiment with posting frequency to find the optimal number of posts per day. For some, posting once per day may work best, while others might benefit from more frequent content updates.

Testing and Refining Your Posting Schedule

To understand optimal LinkedIn posting times for your audience, test different schedules and monitor performance over time. Using analytics tools like Buffer Analytics, you can track which times, types of posts, and frequencies generate the most engagement. This allows you to adjust your strategy and refine your posting times based on real data.

Conclusion: Consistency and Strategy

In 2025, the key to success on LinkedIn is consistency and strategic timing. By posting during the optimal hours – particularly on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. – and utilising engaging formats like carousels and videos, you can increase your reach and boost your engagement. However, the best advice is to experiment, track your results, and continuously refine your approach. By focusing on both the timing and quality of your posts, you can achieve greater visibility and foster meaningful connections within the LinkedIn community.