Wondering when you should post on Instagram to get the most visibility and engagement?
The best time to post on Instagram isn’t an exact science, but as a general guideline, the best time to post is roughly morning to midday. If you conduct an extensive search, you’ll be simply surprised to see all sorts of variations.
But we bet the underlying statement will stay the same. Every study acknowledges that the best time to post will vary per account.
Why?
Because every business is different, and every audience is different. Depending on your brand, you may appeal more to early risers, while another brand appeals more to nighthawks.
Before we break down the exact steps to finding your best time to post, let’s see why this is even an integral part of Instagram strategy.
Why does it matter when you post on Instagram?
Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes new content. Therefore, you will see the best results and gain the most followers if you post content when your audience is currently online. Your post will have better traction in the first few hours of the posting itself.
That’s why post when your target audience is most likely to binge-scroll. If that’s the end goal, it’s the key to unlocking more engagement, thus, massive conversions. Additionally, posting at the right time can help improve your account’s overall performance and increase the chances of your posts being featured on the Explore page.
Now that you are clear with the why part, let’s sort the factors in priority that decide your best time to post on Instagram.
3 Factors that impact the best time to post on Instagram
There are countless factors that could impact your best time to post, but here are the most impactful ones:
1. Audience location
If your audience is in one time zone, finding the best time to post is probably easy with some experimentation. In case you have an international audience, or an audience spread across several time zones, you should stagger your posts by hitting the optimal posting time in each key time zone throughout the day.
2. B2B vs. B2C
If you post B2B Instagram content that’s meant to appeal to people when they are in “work mode”, you should post during core business hours. If you have a wider consumer audience, your post timings don’t need to be as restricted.
At the same time, if you cater to customers who are individuals, then your best time to post is when they are enjoying a much-deserved break. Grab their attention when they are most likely to shop for themselves or loved ones to ensure your brand gets imprinted in their minds for a while.
3. Industry
Different industries see different peak engagement times. For example, some studies have found that travel and tourism posts fared best on Friday mornings, whereas media and entertainment posts fared between Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
The best way to determine yours is to monitor a few competitor profiles and see what time range works best for them. This is a hit-and-trial method but worth a shot.
Read More: Ultimate Guide On How To Use Instagram Reels For Business Growth
When is the best time to post on Instagram each day of the week?
People’s routines change based on the day of the week, which means their social media routines will be impacted too.
As per Statusbrew studies, they have pretty much summed up their findings as follows:
- If you want to get the most engagement on your Instagram posts, try Tuesdays!
- Want to keep your engagement levels consistent? Posting between 10 AM and 3 PM from Monday to Friday is your best bet.
- We all know Sundays are for relaxing, but they’re also the worst day to post on Instagram. Keep that in mind!
- Late nights might seem like a good time to post, but they actually have the lowest engagement. Stick to posting during the day for better results.
While Influencer Marketing Hub cites the following:
- Tuesday and Wednesday are great days to post on Instagram for maximum reach and engagement.
- On Tuesdays, post between 4-10 AM to catch people during their morning routine.
- For Wednesdays, aim to share your posts between 7-11 AM to reach people during their workday.
- Finally, consider posting early in the afternoon on Fridays, around 2 PM.
See what Search Engine Journal concludes with:
- On Mondays, try posting at 6 AM, 11 AM, or 1 PM during their morning and lunch breaks.
- For Tuesdays, aim for 8-10 AM or 2 PM to reach people during their morning commute or mid-afternoon slump.
- Wednesdays are great for posting between 9-11 AM during the mid-morning work break.
- Thursdays are a good day for posting between 11 AM-2 PM or 7 PM, as people are active on Instagram during their lunch hour or after work.
- Fridays are best for posting between 10 AM-12 PM or 2-4 PM, as people often wind down for the weekend.
- On Saturdays, try posting between 8-11 AM.
- Finally, Sundays are great for posting between 6-8 PM, as people often relax at home and scroll through their feeds.
Remember, these are just suggestions, and it’s important to experiment with different posting times to see what works best for your audience.
What are the average best times to post on Instagram?
We did our own digging, and these were the best times to post on day to day basis:
How to determine the best time to post on Instagram?
To determine the best time to post for your Instagram account, experiment! Here are some ways to do that:
1. Use Instagram Insights
If you have a business account on Instagram, you can access Instagram Insights, which provides a wealth of data on your audience’s behavior. Check out the “Audience” tab to see when your followers are most active on the app.
Read More: 14 Instagram Analytics Tools [Free Included] To Track IG Metrics
2. Experiment with different times
Try posting at different times of the day and track your engagement data. You can use third-party tools like Keyhole to schedule posts and analyze your results. Keyhole lets you schedule unlimited posts so keep the ball rolling.
This is the best-ever hack if your audiences dwell in multiple time zones. Schedule as many posts as possible to find your preferred timings.
3. Consider your audience
Think about the demographics of your audience and when they are most likely to be online. For example, if your target audience is youth, they may be more active on Instagram during the late night or weekends.
You can use Keyhole’ optimal post time feature to see when your posts fetch you most engagement.
4. Analyze your competitors
Check out the Instagram accounts of your competitors or similar brands to see when they are posting and what kind of content is performing well.
Get granular insights by tracking multiple Instagram profiles of your competitors on Keyhole. You’ll get a baseline for your overall Instagram posting strategy from the number of posts to monitoring their engagement rate.
What is the best time to post Reels and Stories on Instagram?
Generally, the best time to post reels on Instagram is between 9 AM and 12 PM from Monday to Thursday. The day-wise breakup of the best time to post reels is as follows:
- Monday: 3 am, 7 pm
- Tuesday: 12 am, 1 am, 6 am
- Wednesday: 4 am, 6 am, 9 pm
- Thursday: 6 am, 4 pm.
- Friday: 2 am, 11 am, 1 pm
The best time to post Instagram stories is generally during off-work hours, such as early morning (6-7 AM), lunchtime (11 AM-1 PM), and after work (7-9 PM). However, it’s important to consider your specific audience and their behavior.
What about the posting frequency?
Again, this largely depends on the nature of your business. Here’s what is the common recommendation for a decent growth and visibility of your brand on Instagram:
- Post at least once per day to keep your audience engaged and maintain a consistent presence on the platform. However, quality is more important than quantity, so focus on creating high-quality content that resonates with your audience.
- There is no set rule for how many reels you should post weekly. It’s better to post one well-produced, relatable reel per week than several low-quality reels that don’t perform well.
- Instagram Stories are a great way to share behind-the-scenes content, promote limited-time offers, and informally engage with your audience. You can post multiple stories daily, but keep them interesting and relevant to your brand.
Final words
Finding the best time to post on Instagram can be a valuable strategy to increase your reach and engagement and, ultimately, grow your account. While there are suggested best times to post based on research, it’s important to remember that every brand is unique, and you should experiment with different posting times and analyze your engagement data to see what works best for your specific audience.
If you’re looking for a tool to help you track your Instagram analytics and optimize your posting schedule, Keyhole can be a great option. Keyhole offers a 14-day free trial that allows you to track your Instagram metrics, monitor your competitors, and get insights into your audience’s behavior. To start tracking your best posting times, book your demo with us today.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do the best times to post on Instagram vary by industry or niche?
Yes, the best times to post on Instagram can vary depending on your industry or niche. For example, if you're in the fashion industry, your audience may be more active on Instagram during the evening or on weekends when they have more free time to browse. If you're in the B2B space, your audience may be more active during work hours on weekdays. It's important to analyze your audience's behavior to determine the best times to post for your niche.
2. Is it better to post at the same time every day or to vary your posting schedule?
Maintaining a consistent posting schedule on Instagram is generally recommended to keep your audience engaged and maintain a presence on the platform. However, it's also important to vary your posting times to reach different audience segments. For example, if you typically post in the morning, try posting in the evening to reach more active users.
3. How long should I analyze my engagement data after changing my posting schedule?
It's recommended to analyze your engagement data at least 2 weeks after changing your posting schedule. This allows enough time to gather sufficient data and see the impact of your changes on your engagement rates. However, remember that Instagram's algorithm is always changing, so it's important to continue monitoring your analytics and adjusting your strategy as needed.
