Introducing: Goals & Recommended Posting Times

If you're a regular reader of our content, you know we spend a lot of time thinking about and researching the optimal posting times for every social platform.

We've analyzed millions of posts to pinpoint the days and times that lead to the highest engagement rates on each platform.

I'm excited to share that we've now incorporated our data and research directly into Buffer, so you can always post at the best time to post. 👏

Now in Buffer, you can set set a weekly posting goal for your social channels and Buffer will automatically add recommended posting times to your schedule.

With this combination, you can stay consistent and be "in the feed" when it matters most.

I’m an aspiring creator myself, and I’m currently juggling a full-time job, a young family, and everything in between.

Setting a goal (for me, that's posting three times a week on LinkedIn, Threads, and Bluesky) has helped me stay motivated and maintain a consistent presence. The recommended posting times mean I don’t have to overthink the when. That’s especially helpful since I’m based in Australia, but many of my followers are in different time zones.

To let the results speak for themselves, using these features have helped me achieve a 14-week posting streak! 🎉

Ready to set your own goals?

Start by setting a goal for each of your connected channels in Buffer.

You can quickly choose from:

• 1x per week
• 3x per week
• 5x per week

You can also select a custom posting goal in your channel settings.

How often should I post?

If you’re just starting out, 1x per week is a great place to begin. As you get into a rhythm, you can always increase the pace.

The most important element in your social media content strategy is consistency. We've found that the most consistent posters received a 5x more engagement — likes, comments, and shares — per post than users who posted inconsistently.

Goals are custom per-channel

You can also tailor your goals to each channel. Maybe you want to post to Instagram five times a week but only once a week on LinkedIn. That’s totally up to you.

Your posting slots will be added automatically

Once your goals are set, Buffer will automatically add posting slots to your schedule based on your selected frequency. These are optimized times based on our data, but you can easily adjust them in your channel settings or add more posting times if needed.

What's next?

We’re always working on ways to make posting to social media more smooth — especially if you're just getting started or trying to build momentum.

Have an idea that could help? Drop it on our Suggestions board. We’d love to hear from you.

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