Happy belated birthday
What the heck is optimal message timing?
What the heck is optimal message timing?
"Happy belated birthday" is the worst. It's a poorly timed message that doesn’t feel good to give or receive.
Your marketing will have bad timing moments too.
You can have the best message, the most creative campaign, and the perfect call to action, but if the timing is wrong, none of it matters.
Years ago, I worked on a grand opening event. It had everything: a ribbon-cutting, local officials, and even a TV news crew ready to cover it. Then, just as we were about to start, a brushfire broke out nearby. The news truck packed up and left.
Our big TV moment? Gone.
It didn’t matter that we had planned a great event. Something bigger happened, and we were drowned out. Marketing works the same way.
No matter how well-crafted your message is, if people aren’t paying attention when you deliver it, you might as well not have said anything at all.
One of the easiest ways to sabotage your email marketing is to send messages at the wrong time.
Overnight sends—Your email gets buried by the morning rush.
Friday afternoon—People are mentally checked out for the weekend.
Monday morning—Inboxes are flooded with weekend emails and urgent work tasks.
Best time to send B2B (business-to-business) email
Best time to send retail and e-commerce email
Best time to send hospitality and travel email
Best time to send nonprofit and fundraising email
While these trends provide general guidelines as to the best time to send email, optimal send times vary based on your specific audience, industry, and engagement patterns. The best approach? Use research as a starting point and A/B test to find what works best.
In high school, I was in a marching band (stop laughing) that got invited to appear in the Rose Parade. This was a huge deal to us band kids. We practiced, we fundraised, we got to Pasadena on New Year’s morning, lined up perfectly for the TV cameras… and then, right at that moment, the broadcast cut away. To a parade float. On fire.
Our big TV moment? Gone.
This happens to brands all the time. Your marketing is up against a million voices demanding attention—some of them on fire.
The answer depends on who you ask. While experts like Buffer and Social Pilot offer helpful guidelines, their recommendations show that there's no one-size-fits-all answer.
That said, here are some grossly oversimplified days and times to get you started.
X (Twitter)
TikTok
Both Buffer and Social Pilot identify weekday mornings as prime posting times across most platforms. Mid-morning slots—roughly between 9 am and 11 am—are frequently cited as high-engagement windows for Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). For LinkedIn, the consensus is that weekdays during standard working hours offer the best opportunity for visibility.
But choosing the best time to post on social media isn't as simple as following one set of recommendations. Tools like Buffer and Social Pilot offer different approaches, highlighting how complex this decision can be.
While Buffer's method may be better for starting conversations, Social Pilot's approach can help ensure your content is seen. The reality is that both strategies have value, and success often comes from blending insights with your own audience data.
These differences highlight an important truth: while industry-specific insights are a helpful starting point, your particular audience's behavior ultimately determines what works best. Instead of relying solely on general recommendations, track reach and engagement data to see when your followers are most active and responsive.
Timing matters a lot, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Consistently creating engaging content and actively interacting with your audience is what will truly improve your social media performance.
You can’t control the news cycle, inbox clutter, or social media algorithms but you can control when and how you show up. By testing different creative and posting times, analyzing your results, and making adjustments, you’ll put your brand in the best position to succeed.
Jeff’s Rule #15