Fast food on Twitter: when to post, so you don't miss out

Nobody hangs out on social media all the time – not even social media analytics folks. Usually, people hop on their phones to chill out, relax, or get the latest scoop. And that's why different types of content work better at different times.

Let's figure out when and what kind of content fast food joints should post to attract an audience on Twitter. We'll look at the three biggest fast food restaurants – McDonald's, Burger King, and KFC – as examples. We'll analyze the past 30 days.

Important stats

McDonald's is killing it when it comes to managing their Twitter account. They have the highest Relative Conversation rate, Relative Amplification rate, and Relative Applause rate, all with the fewest number of posts.

What does McDonald's post?

McDonald's strikes a balance between text and pictures, but their audience responds better to images. Videos don't get much love on Twitter among these competitors; the audience isn't too thrilled about them.

McDonald's most popular tweet was about customers being able to add BigMac sauce to any meal through the app.

Key differences in how these competitors manage their Twitter accounts

• Burger King talks to their audience like "you," often asks questions to get people chatting in the comments, and posts inside jokes that regular followers get. They make up for the lack of visuals with emojis. Plus, most of their tweets are in lowercase, which gives them a laid-back vibe. Interestingly, they didn't share any pictures for the whole month.

• KFC writes their posts in all caps and uses punctuation – that's quite an accomplishment 😅. They mostly share ironic chicken jokes. Their tone is carefree and somewhat indifferent.

• In the past month, McDonald's has been hyping up their BigMac sauce, which is now available for all dishes. Their most popular tweets are about it being an exclusive offer with no future availability. McDonald's also engages people by asking questions and creating intrigue.

Now that we've covered the content, let's see when each message is best received:

KFC: Monday at 7:00 p.m. Their tweets usually have an ironic tone, jokes, and a light-hearted vibe. It's likely that this kind of tone works well after a busy workday.

Burger King: They get the most audience engagement on Wednesday and Friday at 8:00 p.m. Among all the competitors, they have the most familiar and casual tone when talking to the audience, and they ask the most questions.

McDonald's: Thursday at 3:00 p.m. This competitor is all about promoting their menu. Perhaps that's why they attract people during lunchtime when they're feeling hungry.

Some takeaways

• As KFC shows us, on Mondays at evening we can focus on simple and humorous content since the audience is tired and wants to relax after a hard day.

• Burger King case shows us, that the middle and end of the week are when people want to relax and have fun. They actively participate in interactive activities to distract themselves. So, it's the perfect time to engage with the audience using a humorous tone.

• McDonald's has the highest Relative Conversation rate, Relative Amplification rate, and Relative Applause rate, so we can conclude that their strategy is working. They focus on people's physiological needs, targeting those looking for a lunch spot. Use this to boost engagement.