Schedule posts across regions: time zones and DST tips

If you publish for more than one market, “what time should we post?” stops being a simple question. A post scheduled for 9:00 a.m. in New York can land during lunch in London and after hours in Dubai. Add daylight saving time (DST) shifts and handoffs between teams, and suddenly your calendar becomes a moving target.

This guide breaks the problem down into a practical system: region-first calendars, publishing windows per market, a clean handoff workflow, and reporting that doesn’t mix time zones.

Start with region-first planning, not a single global calendar

The most common mistake is planning in one “home” time zone and translating later. That approach creates constant rework, especially when local holidays, workweeks, and peak engagement windows differ by market.

A region-first approach flips the workflow:

• Define markets first (for example: U.S./Canada, UK/Ireland, DACH, MENA, APAC).
• Assign a primary time zone per market (one per market, not per teammate).
• Plan content themes by market (what’s locally relevant, what needs localization, what can be reused).
• Maintain separate calendar views per market, even if the content overlaps.

You can still have a “global overview,” but planning should happen in the market’s own context.

Build publishing windows per market

Instead of scheduling each post from scratch, create publishing windows—approved local time ranges when posts can go live. This reduces debate and prevents accidental off-hours publishing.

A publishing window framework:

• Primary window (highest expected performance): e.g., Tue–Thu, 8:30–10:30 a.m. local time
• Secondary window (good coverage): e.g., Mon–Fri, 12:00–2:00 p.m. local time
• Off-limits window (avoid unless urgent): e.g., late night, commute gaps, weekends (market-dependent)

How to choose windows without overthinking:

• Use platform insights where available (each network differs).
• Start with one “best guess” window per market, then adjust monthly.
• Keep windows simple. If you need a spreadsheet to schedule, you’re adding friction.

Avoid DST mistakes with a few non-negotiable rules

DST errors usually come from treating time zones like fixed offsets (UTC+2) instead of living rules (Europe/Berlin). Fix the foundation, and most problems disappear.

Rule 1: Schedule in market local time, not your team’s time

If the audience is in Los Angeles, schedule in Los Angeles time, even if your team is in Europe.

Rule 2: Use real time zones, not offsets

• Good: America/Los_Angeles, Europe/London
• Risky: UTC-8, GMT+0 (offsets don’t “know” DST rules)

Rule 3: Treat DST change weeks as special operations

During the weeks when DST changes (spring forward/fall back), apply safeguards:

• Temporarily pause “set it and forget it” patterns.
• Double-check posts scheduled within 48 hours of the DST switch.
• Prefer scheduling at least 2–3 hours away from the DST change moment.

Rule 4: Keep a single source of truth per market

One market = one time zone definition. Don’t let teams pick “whatever looks right” in different tools. Standardize it.

Rule 5: Use a preflight checklist before publishing

A lightweight preflight checklist catches most issues:

• Market time zone is correct
• Post time falls within the market’s publishing window
• DST change week is flagged and reviewed (if applicable)
• Handoff approvals are completed
• Links and tags are verified (including UTM structure, if you use it)

Create a handoff workflow that works across regions

Global publishing fails more often because of workflow gaps than time math. A simple handoff system prevents last-minute scrambling and reduces duplicated work.

A clean handoff workflow looks like this:

1. Global content owner creates the core asset
   Caption base, creative, link, compliance notes, and any “do not change” elements.

2. Market owner localizes
   Adjusts language, cultural references, local offers, and market-specific CTAs.

3. Scheduler finalizes timing
   Picks a slot within the market’s publishing window and confirms it avoids DST hazards.

4. Approver signs off
   One person per market with clear authority. No committee scheduling.

5. Post goes live and gets logged
   The log should store the market, local publish time, and campaign label so reporting doesn’t get messy.

If you run multiple brands or clients, this workflow becomes even more important. Without clear roles and checkpoints, time zone mistakes become “someone else’s problem” and slip through.

Report by time zone so your data doesn’t lie

When you report “weekly performance,” what does a week mean? If your dashboard groups posts by your company’s time zone, a “Monday” in one market can be “Sunday night” in another. This can distort comparisons and make campaigns look inconsistent.

A better reporting approach:

• Group results by market time zone (market-local day and week).
• Compare like with like (U.S. week vs. U.S. week, UK week vs. UK week).
• Separate global campaigns from local campaigns with a campaign label.
• Track operational metrics:
  • On-time publishing rate per market
  • DST change-week error rate
  • Approval cycle time (draft → scheduled)

These metrics help you improve the system, not just the content.

Practical template to implement in one week

• Pick 3–6 markets and define one time zone for each.
• Define one primary and one secondary publishing window per market.
• Choose the handoff owner for each step (global owner, market owner, scheduler, approver).
• Add a DST change-week flag to your planning process.
• Standardize labels: market, campaign, content pillar, post type.
• Run one weekly review: window performance and workflow bottlenecks.

Where Postoria helps in this exact workflow

Postoria fits naturally into region-first scheduling because it supports multiple time zones. You can create multiple workspaces, assign a time zone to each, and schedule posts in local time. That accounts for DST by design and keeps a consistent publishing rhythm without constant manual time conversions. Times shown across posts, the calendar, analytics, and other views follow the time zone selected for that workspace.

How to set up workspaces with different time zones in Postoria

1. Create a separate workspace for each location or region.
2. Open the workspace settings.
3. Select the correct Time zone for that workspace.
4. Schedule posts as usual—publishing follows that workspace’s time zone.

For more guidance and troubleshooting, use the Postoria Help Center.

Conclusion

Global scheduling gets easier when you stop thinking in “one calendar” and start thinking in markets: region-first planning, clear publishing windows, a handoff workflow with ownership, and reporting that respects local time. Once those pieces are in place, DST becomes a manageable checklist item instead of a recurring fire drill.