Journal

When to post in the UK, by trade, and what the clock change does

There is no single best time to post. There is a best time for your customers, and you can find it in a few weeks. Here is where to start, trade by trade, and the twice-a-year trap that moves every scheduled post.

Checked against the official pages on 4 November 2026.

Start from your customer's day

The best first guess comes from asking one question: when does my customer decide? Post a little before that moment. These are starting points to test, not measured results.

• Cafés and bakeries. People may decide before they leave home and again before lunch. Try what is on today early in the morning, and a lunch post late in the morning. Same-day posts may suit you; try tomorrow's bake the evening before.
• Plumbers, electricians and builders. Homeowners may plan jobs in the evening and at the weekend, perhaps with someone else in the house. Try finished-job posts in the early evening. Sunday evening may be when people plan the week, so try a post then too.
• Salons and barbers. Your best post is a gap you need to fill. Post a cancellation when it happens, in Stories, with the time and how to book.
• Accountants and bookkeepers. Your customers may read in working hours, perhaps on LinkedIn, and may pay most attention near deadlines. The online Self Assessment deadline for the 2025 to 2026 tax year is 31 January 2027,¹ so the weeks before it are your busiest for reminders.
• Estate and letting agents. Buyers and renters may browse in the evening and at weekends. Try posting new listings then, when people may have time to look properly.
• Gyms, coaches and studios. People may decide to train first thing or after work. Try posting the day's classes before those moments, not during them.
• Pubs and restaurants. People may plan an evening out in the afternoon, and the weekend from midweek. Try the specials board after lunch, and weekend bookings midweek.

What the clock change does

The UK moves between Greenwich Mean Time in winter and British Summer Time in summer. In 2027 the clocks go forward one hour at 1am on Sunday 28 March, and back one hour at 2am on Sunday 31 October.³

That matters in three ways.

• Your scheduled posts. Some tools store times in a fixed world time rather than UK time. If yours does, a post you set for the morning before the change can go out an hour early or late after it. Check your tool's time zone is set to London, then look at every post queued for the week after each change.
• Your customers' routines. Light and dark evenings may change what people do after work. Lighter evenings from late March may suit outdoor work, gardens and evening walks. Darker evenings from the end of October may suit indoor offers, heating, lighting and security. Re-check your times in the weeks after each change.
• Your own data. If you compare this month with last month across a clock change, the hours will not line up. Compare like with like, or note the change in your records.