Adobe Express analyzed more than 40,000 Facebook posts from one hundred top creators, according to Social Blade. The researchers compared posting times with user reactions and identified the intervals that generate the most likes, shares, and comments.
Key findings of the study
The paradox is that the most popular posting slot — Thursday at 12:00 — is not the most effective one.
- The most common posting time is 12:00, with around 7% of all posts published at this hour.
- The most common posting day is Thursday.
- The highest engagement levels occur on Saturdays, especially for posts published around 04:00 and 20:00.
- Saturdays also generate the highest number of views. The strongest results come from posts published around 04:00 and 12:00.
Posting frequency
Thursday is the most popular day for posting (nearly one in six posts appears on this day), while weekends see the lowest activity: 11.9% of posts fall on Sunday and 11.7% on Saturday. Posting peaks at 12:00, likely due to lunch-break timing. The quietest period is between 01:00 and 03:00, when fewer than 3% of posts are published.
Engagement peaks on Saturdays and reaches its lowest levels on Thursdays. Two clear time-of-day spikes stand out: early morning at 04:00 and late evening at 20:00. Overall, engagement is strongest on weekends and during low-competition hours in the morning or evening prime time.
Hours with the highest average views
The highest average number of Facebook views occurs on Saturdays and Sundays. The main peaks appear at 04:00 and 12:00.
Best posting times by niche
The most common average posting time is Thursday at 12:00, regardless of niche. However, despite Thursday’s popularity, Saturdays lead in engagement. Posts published on Saturdays around 04:00 and 20:00 generated the highest average engagement. It is worth noting that for many topics, the most effective time windows differ significantly from the general trend.
Performance of posts during peak hours
The study shows that posting during peak hours does not cause content to get lost. On the contrary, videos uploaded during the three busiest hours received significantly higher engagement and view counts compared to posts published during off-peak periods. This confirms that timing remains an important factor in Facebook content performance.
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