The Best Times to Post on Social Media: Maximizing Engagement and Reach

In today’s fast-paced social media algorithm, there is a correlation between the best time to post on social media and the volume of engagement that the content would be perceived online. So timing is everything!

Regardless of your business size, understanding when your target market is active on social media in the MENA region is your secret sauce to maximizing reach. Each platform has its own designated peak hours, which are assessed in the following sections throughout this blog.

This comprehensive blog will break down platform-specific best times to post on social media to promote organic reach over paid reach, saving business advertising budgets, including localized insights for UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Why Timing Matters: The Science Behind Social Media Success

According to Hubspot research, in 2024, there was a 64% rise in engagement in posting during peak hours. This explains the need for businesses to build stronger brand visibility, increased organic reach, and better return on investments (ROI) on campaigns.

Did you know in the UAE, 99% of the people use social media? (Source: Dubai Digital Authority, 2023)

It’s important that your business adheres to these requirements due to unique regional habits to gain skyrocketing success. Here are some core benefits of posting at the ideal times,

Boosted Organic Reach

Don’t just rely on paid ads! Did you know posting at the right times will make your posts reach your target demographic without additional ad spend?

Social media platforms usually prefer recent and timely content coordinating with high-traffic hours. Post content during peak hours to reach maximum organic impressions.

Higher Engagement

To receive more likes, shares, and comments, post when your audience is mostly active on social media. People in UAE browse social media mostly during lunch breaks, late at night, or while on the go.

It’s crucial to align with these high-traffic timings to drive real interactions, reach and impressions.

Audience Insights

Timing your postings aligning with your local behaviours gives you insights into when and how your prospective clients engage with content giving you the updates on when to post your content precisely.

By monitoring these developments, you can fine-tune your social media strategy for increased results.

Understanding Platform-Specific Best Times To Post On Social Media

Every platform comes with its own designated time of posting. Let’s explore the best times to post on social media platforms in the UAE supported by real-life examples and statistics.

Instagram

Instagram’s content is comprehensive with posts, stories and reels. It is observed that many locals in UAE interact with Instagram content on their mobile phones during lunch hours, during the work week and post-work hours.

Therefore, in a working week, the best time to post on social media platforms, Instagram in the Middle East, falls on the time slots around 12 PM to 1 PM, 5 PM to 6 PM and 8 PM to 10 PM. Discussed below are the best times to post on Instagram in Dubai and Saudi Arabia.

Best time to post on Instagram in UAE /Saudi Arabia

(Source: Digital Arabia)

It is also noted that many users prefer to stay up at night using social media on days before a public holiday. So businesses also have a great opportunity to push seasonal wishes and seasonal flash sales on the night before the holidays.

Enterprises can use this behaviour to share Instagram stories to constantly update the audience on business activities (Coming soon events, sales, business events), ideally in the mid-day break when the users check on stories to get updates on their friends and families.

Other content formats, such as Instagram posts and Instagram reels, can be used as follow ups from Instagram stories in the evening. To maximize the reach, companies and brands can repost the posts and reels as stories the following day.

Key Takeaways

8 PM to 10 PM is the best time to post reels on Instagram in UAE, where users seek entertainment.

12 PM to 1 PM is when you should share stories to gain mid-day engagement.

The night before is the best time to post on social media during holidays, as people in UAE stay up late.

Real-life Example:

According to a Meltwater article, a Dubai-based fashion brand got a 40% increase in engagement by posting reels at 8.30 PM.

Facebook

Facebook is the most popular social media platform in the UAE and Saudi Arabian region. The best times to post social media content on Facebook are during the mid-day week mornings, specifically from Tuesday to Thursday, from 9 AM to 2 PM.

(Source: Omni Academy)

Best time to post on Facebook in UAE/Saudi Arabia

(Source: Vie Stories)

Facebook includes communities and the ability to reshare content as posts which are not available on Instagram. This opens an opportunity to promote more organic reach on Facebook in comparison to other platforms.

Interested followers may also share the business’s content with their own followers as well. Brands and companies can utilize Facebook’s watch feed to increase engagement rates. This feed contains videos and live streams.

Video content can be utilized as a continuation of Facebook posts or stories. For example, posts with product launches can be followed up by videos that demonstrate the use cases of the product.

Facebook live streams can be held in the afternoon hours as live product promotions, with the live chat option, and users can interact with the hosts for Q&As about the product.

The more interaction Facebook users have with the videos and live streams, the more likely the content is to be recommended organically. Vlogging is also very popular on Facebook, especially for a tourist destination like Dubai.

Businesses can affiliate with local and foreign vloggers to share highlights of the products or services on the Facebook Video Feed.

Key takeaways

To engage your audience when they’re most active, hold Q&A sessions or product demonstrations during high engagement hours.

Share trending product demos and tutorials in peak hours leveraging Facebook Watch to reach a wider audience.

Boost your organic reach by creating shareable posts such as user-generated content (UGC) or contests that motivate your followers to reshare.

Real-life Example:

#DubaiDestinations campaign gained 5000 user-generated content pieces with a 1.8 million engagement.

(Source: Gulf News)

Twitter/X

Twitter (rebranded as X) is driven by text-based content and media content to complement captions. It is observed that the best time to post on a social media platform like Twitter for a business would be during the work week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, when there would be a lot of activity.

Twitter engagement depends on the target audience and their varied reasons for opening the app. Morning users go on Twitter between the 7 AM to 9 AM window mostly to receive updates on businesses and other news, and during noon and lunch breaks to check their feeds routinely.

Best Time To Post Something On Social Media ( X/ Twitter)

In the evening and night, from 8 PM to 10 PM, users loosen up and get on Twitter to scroll leisurely and spark meaningful conversations on the platform. The evening hours have a high potential to gain more engagement.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is another key platform for businesses that are primarily focused on B2B business activities, as businesses on LinkedIn often like to demonstrate their capabilities on LinkedIn. On the flip side, Dubai based businesses can use LinkedIn to attract local and international candidates for their job vacancies as well.

The best time to post on LinkedIn in Dubai is from 10 AM to 12 PM. This is because professionals who use LinkedIn would like to get updates on their organization early on in their work day.

Posting LinkedIn jobs during the end of the work day around 5 PM to 6 PM, would result in higher visibility from job-seekers.

Best Time to Post on Linkedin In UAE

Pro Tip

The best times to post on social media for small businesses is 11 AM focusing on sharing success stories to attract partnerships.

(Source: Digital Arabia)

TikTok

TikTok is a booming platform that has captivated billions of hearts across the UAE/ Saudi Arabia through its unique short-form video content. People in the UAE/Saudi Arabia are more inclined to scroll through this platform during their leisure time.

While Saudi Arabians immerse in TikTok a bit earlier, UAE users typically indulge in TikTok scrolling after 7 PM. Utilize trending hashtags and music related to each region to gain better engagement and organic impressions when posting content at the ideal time.

Best Times to Post on TikTok UAE

(Source: Hootsuite)

Pro Tip

Collaborate with influencers residing in UAE and Saudi Arabia with trending sounds and hashtags to boost engagement.

Youtube

Youtube videos are an internet sensation in UAE and Saudi Arabia. These videos gain popularity mostly in the evenings from 8 PM to 12 AM. You should consider posting tutorials, vlogs, unboxing videos etc, during this peak hour.

Generally, the best times to post in Saudi Arabia are 8 PM to 12 AM, and the best time to post in the UAE is 6 PM.

(Source: Analyzify)

Let’s dig into some automated tools that can help you align with the best times to post on social media platforms

1. Sprout Social
   This tool helps to track engagement across cross-platforms.

2. Meta Business Suite
   You can effortlessly schedule Instagram and Facebook posts through this tool.

3. Google Analytics
   This tool generates the traffic from websites gained through social media posts.

Conclusion

Gaining success on social media requires mastering the art of timing in the fast-paced digital world. By scheduling your content during peak hours on each site, you can avoid algorithmic obscurity and increase audience engagement.

Use Instagram’s lunchtime and evening traffic for visually captivating content. Also, Facebook encourages thoughtful reshares and methods that emphasize videos, so take advantage of this when planning out your social media content.

Use the weekday morning newsfeed on Twitter to read insightful statements, then change your focus in the evening to start engaging in conversations. Keep in mind that LinkedIn runs on a professional schedule, with frequent job posts and early-morning updates.

Leverage TikTok and YouTube to enhance your organic impressions and, lastly, boost engagement. Interested to learn more about the best times to post on social media? Connect with our professionals at Blue Tangerine today!