Best Times to Post on LinkedIn in 2026 (Data-Backed Guide)

Timing your LinkedIn posts correctly can be the difference between getting 50 impressions and 5,000. But the “best time to post” isn’t one-size-fits-all — it depends on your audience, industry, and time zone.

In this guide, we break down the latest data on when LinkedIn users are most active, and how to find the optimal posting windows for your specific audience.

Why Timing Matters on LinkedIn

LinkedIn’s algorithm prioritizes early engagement. The first 60–90 minutes after you publish a post are critical — the algorithm uses early likes, comments, and shares as signals to decide whether to push your content to a wider audience.

Post when your network is offline and your content might never escape the initial distribution. Post when they’re actively scrolling, and you give your content the best chance to gain momentum.

Best Times to Post on LinkedIn by Day

Based on aggregated engagement data across millions of posts, here are the highest-performing time slots:

Tuesday through Thursday: The Sweet Spot

Mid-week consistently outperforms all other days. Professionals are settled into their work week and are most active on the platform.

• Tuesday: 8:00–10:00 AM and 12:00–1:00 PM (your audience’s local time)
• Wednesday: 8:00–10:00 AM — the single best window of the week for many industries
• Thursday: 8:00–9:00 AM and 1:00–2:00 PM

Monday: Slow Start

Monday mornings see lower engagement as professionals catch up on emails and meetings. If you must post on Monday, aim for 11:00 AM or later.

Friday: Wind-Down

Engagement drops in the afternoon as people shift into weekend mode. If you post on Friday, do it before 10:00 AM.

Weekends: Lower Volume, Less Competition

Overall traffic is lower on weekends, but so is the competition. Some creators find that posting on Sunday evening (around 6:00–8:00 PM) gives their content a head start for Monday morning feeds.

How Time Zones Affect Your Strategy

If your audience is primarily in one region, align your posting times to their local time zone. For global audiences, 8:00–9:00 AM EST is often the best compromise, as it catches East Coast morning commutes and European afternoon browsing.

The key is knowing where your audience is. If most of your connections are in San Francisco, posting at 8:00 AM EST means they’re seeing it at 5:00 AM — not ideal.

Best Times by Industry

Different industries have different browsing patterns:

• B2B / SaaS: Tuesday–Thursday, 8:00–10:00 AM
• Marketing & Media: Wednesday and Thursday, 9:00–11:00 AM
• Finance: Tuesday and Wednesday, 7:00–8:00 AM (before markets open)
• Healthcare: Wednesday and Thursday, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
• Education: Thursday, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM

How to Find Your Best Posting Time

General data is a starting point, but the real answer is in your own analytics. Here’s how to find your personal best time:

1. Review your top-performing posts — what day and time did you publish them?
2. Check your audience demographics — where are your followers located?
3. Experiment and track — try different time slots for 4–6 weeks and compare results
4. Look at engagement velocity — which posts got the most engagement in the first hour?

This process takes time when done manually. That’s where tools like Pollen come in — it analyzes your post history and audience behavior to recommend the best posting windows specifically for your account.

Posting Frequency: How Often Should You Post?

Timing and frequency go hand in hand. Most LinkedIn thought leaders recommend posting 3–5 times per week. Consistency matters more than volume — it’s better to post three times a week at the right time than seven times a week at random.

Build a LinkedIn content strategy that maps your content calendar to the highest-engagement windows, and you’ll see compounding results over time.

Common Timing Mistakes to Avoid

• Posting at the same time every day without testing alternatives
• Ignoring time zones — your 9 AM might be your audience’s midnight
• Chasing viral timing instead of focusing on consistent, quality content
• Not tracking results — you can’t optimize what you don’t measure. Use LinkedIn post analytics to track what’s working.

Key Takeaways

• Tuesday through Thursday mornings (8:00–10:00 AM local) are the highest-engagement windows
• The first 60–90 minutes of engagement determine how far your post will reach
• Your industry and audience location matter more than generic benchmarks
• Track your own data and optimize over time — or let an AI tool do it for you