What Is The Best Time To Publish A Blog Post? (The Controversial Truth)

Content marketing strategy hinges largely on timing. Choosing the right publication day and time can make or break your blog post‘s success.

Hit publish at an optimal time, and your post thrives — lots of readers, high engagement, affiliate clicks and commissions, tons of social shares. Mistime it, and you get radio silence in return — crickets chirping, tumbleweeds rolling past.

But universal right and wrong times don‘t exist. One blogger‘s peak traffic hour is another‘s digital dead zone. Too many factors influence ideal timing:

• Your niche
• Target readership
• Content format
• Promotional platforms
• And more

Still, experts often declare definitive "best" times backed by data. And these times do work well…generally speaking. But they require customization.

I realize this may rankle some content marketers, but hear me out:

There‘s no one-size-fits-all "best time" to publish a blog post.

How controversial!

In fact, a singular "best time" may not even exist.

Let‘s explore why, along with how to determine your own perfect publication cadence based on audience, goals, and past performance data.

Your Post‘s Purpose Dictates Its Best Timing

Consider your next planned post. What‘s the purpose?

• Generate affiliate sales?
• Vent an opinion?
• Sponsored piece to highlight a brand?

Its objective should dictate the ideal release time. Here‘s why.

Driving Affiliate Sales

Imagine creating an in-depth post packed with relevant affiliate links. When‘s the smartest time to publish it?

Logical timing would be around pay week, when readers have cash to spend. According to Intuit‘s 2022 QuickBooks Payroll Survey among 1,067 employees:

• 53% of U.S. respondents get paid on Fridays
• 44% get paid biweekly

The most common payroll schedule is still biweekly pay on Fridays.

So publishing affiliate posts late week makes sense for higher potential clicks and conversions. Friday mornings I‘d share to social media to attract readers over weekend.

As a UK blogger with a mostly US audience, I‘d actually publish and promote multiple times – once for each timezone‘s Friday morning.

Optimizing Sponsored Content

With sponsored posts, engagement takes priority — beyond just driving traffic, you want clicks through to the brand‘s site, social shares, comments, the works.

Per Sprout Social, the below days/times garner the most Instagram engagement globally:

• Fridays 10 AM – 12 PM
• Wednesdays 11 AM

Greater engagement nets better sponsor ROI and future collaboration opportunities.

So if Instagram drives significant traffic, publish then for high visibility. Otherwise determine your top referral source and optimize timing for that based on past performance.

Opinion Pieces

Opinion editorials likely resonate best during leisure hours — evenings, weekends, when readers have time to actually consume longer-form commentary.

Unless it‘s timely, like responding to a recent event, opinion pieces allow flexibility without worrying about missing some magical engagement window.

In my experience, promoting opinions Thursdays through Sundays garners solid traction. But tailor this to when your audience actually engages.

Now that we‘ve covered aligning timing to format and intent, let‘s explore some broader best practices.

Learn from the Experts, But Customize for You

By all means leverage influencer advice. But adapt it to your unique situation.

Top Times for Social Shares

Per TrackMaven, posts published around 3 PM EST into the early evening get shared most on social media. Late afternoon/early evening is when folks wind down from work.

This may hold true abroad too as readers relax after work. But as a UK blogger, consider:

• 43% of my traffic is American.
• 31% of my traffic comes from the UK.

If I only post at peak UK times, I miss 43% of readers. But publishing at both best UK and US windows helps maximize exposure.

So I first publish at peak UK times, then promote again via social media at peak US evening hours.

Repromoting your own content across timezones and networks is entirely legitimate. This expansion into secondary audiences has significantly grown my traffic and social shares.

Best Weekdays for Sharing

An OKDork and BuzzSuma study found Tuesdays are best for high Twitter and Facebook shares. Mondays are best for Pinterest.

So if going viral on social media is key, test publishing and promoting new posts on Monday and Tuesdays.

Consistency Trumps the "Best Day"

The when matters far less than sticking to a consistent cadence.

Choosing an optimal single day is near impossible. But readers DO crave consistency they can rely on.

Many successful bloggers swear by strict schedules — no matter what, every Friday 9 AM for example. Consistency breeds anticipation and trust.

According to the 2022 Orbit Media study among bloggers:

• Most bloggers post weekly (24%) or multiple times monthly (23%)
• But 67% said posting daily delivers the best results

Find your optimal balance between daily and weekly publishing that‘s sustainable long-term. Then stick to it relentlessly!

When to Publish and SEO Have Little Correlation

What’s the first thing you do after publishing a post?

You likely rush off to promote it on social media so readers know it exists. Immediately driving traffic is critical.

Per ImpactBND, Google can take days or months to index new content you publish:

“It can take anywhere from a couple of days to several months for Google to index anything new you publish on your blog.”

Indexation speed depends on existing organic search traffic, site age, quality backlinks, and more.

But social shares inform readers right away, rather than waiting indefinitely for Google.

So when you hit “publish” matters less than when and how effectively you promote your post across networks.

Optimize sharing cadence rather than merely release timing.

Popular Times Risk Getting Lost in the Shuffle

The downside of publishing at high-traffic times is vanishing amid all the noise.

Stellar content can still go overlooked on busy networks. A similar TrackMaven report found Sundays garner more social sharing:

Tuesday-Thursday see lots of posts which dilutes share potential. But less Sunday competition means standing out easier.

Iadvise mixing high- and low-traffic times find the right groove.

In Conclusion

No universally optimal posting time exists across all blogs. The “best” timing depends on your:

• Niche and target readership
• Content formats
• Goals behind publishing (sales vs. brand awareness, etc.)
• Preferred social media traction channels

Experiment extensively while tracking engagement rates. Take notes on when your audience actually responds. Look for the cadence and promotional platforms that resonate most.

Consistency trumps any single “best day.” Stick to a structured releases and promotion schedule readers can rely on.

Remember publishing just initiates the process. Sharing content on social media is what actually drives visibility. So concentrate efforts there, ensuring regular visibility during your audience’s peak active windows.