Key takeaways
- Buffer (4.8M posts, Sep 2026) and Sprout Social both favour midweek afternoons on LinkedIn, not the early-morning window older advice gives; Wednesday afternoon is the overlap.
- Published studies show the general pattern, but your own audience’s activity is the more reliable signal — test and compare.
Best time to post on LinkedIn: what the two studies show
- Buffer (9 Sep 2026; 4.8 million posts): top slots Wednesday 4pm, Friday 3pm and Friday 4pm; 3–8pm on weekdays the best block; Wednesday the best day, then Thursday and Friday
- Buffer notes the peak windows have shifted later into the day compared with 2025
- Sprout Social (31 Mar 2026): best days Monday to Friday; best times Tuesday to Thursday 11am–5pm; weekends worst
Where they agree and differ
Both agree that midweek afternoons are strong and the weekend is weak. Buffer sees the peak later (3–8pm) than Sprout Social (11am–5pm), so Wednesday afternoon is the sensible place to start and an early-evening slot is worth a test.
How to apply this
Start with Wednesday mid-to-late afternoon, then test a late-morning slot and an early-evening slot on your own audience before committing.
Sources
Figures are from the studies named above, read on 23 September 2026. The fuller guide lists each source and covers how often to post.
best time to postplatform
FAQ
- What is the best time to post on LinkedIn?
- There is no single time. Buffer’s 2026 study (4.8M posts) points to Wednesday 4pm and a 3–8pm weekday block; Sprout Social’s 2026 study points to Tuesday to Thursday 11am–5pm.
- Has the best time to post on LinkedIn changed recently?
- Buffer’s September 2026 study reports the peak windows shifting later into the day compared with 2025.
- Does posting outside the peak window hurt LinkedIn reach?
- Not necessarily. The studies describe average engagement by hour, not a penalty for other hours, so test slots against your own audience.