Instagram just like social media marketing in general, is an ever-changing ecosystem. And getting the best Instagram engagement depends upon the industry you create content for and the audience you target.
On top of that, achieving a genuinely effective Instagram content strategy can take some trial and error to get it right.
When creating content, you sink a lot of effort and resources to craft the best images, put together an engaging copy, and find the right hashtags.
So, it can be a downer when you put all this work into a post, and all you get is a bunch of five miserable likes and a sack of spam comments running in your face under the comment.
How can you actually Improve your Instagram content strategy?
In my time as a social media manager, I have conducted many hours of research and gone through my own trial and error, as a result, I have assembled some best tips and insight into the best times to post on Instagram.
This guide will give you background information and specific post times to get higher engagement rates and connect with your audience on Instagram.
Before we go into the topic properly, first remember that many times zones comprise the world.
So, Knowing which segment of a global audience you are trying to reach is very important information to have at your fingertip, as the times that follow are dependent on their specific time zone.
So, is there actually a Best Time to Post on Instagram?
Each brand has a slightly different beneficial hit place for posting on Instagram. That’s because every brand on social media serves a unique audience with unique behavior patterns.
But don’t call it a day of hope! There are certain best practices that social media marketers can follow to yield massive results across the board.
The Instagram algorithm prioritizes recency, so posting when your audience is online is key. This means that all things being equal, a fresher post will show up higher on the newsfeed than an older one.
Recency is sincerely one of the quickest, easiest wins when it comes to optimizing a post for success. (Though we have a bunch of more tips on getting free Instagram likes if you are interested).
But beyond that, it’s also vital to be clear on your goals for your Instagram marketing strategy.
Do you have specific targets around building awareness, driving traffic, or pulling higher engagement?
What does success mean to you, and what happens before you consider your posts to have achieved that success in the past? Your past wins are a key guideline for when you should be posting overall on Instagram.
Overall Best Time to Post on Instagram for likes, comments, and shares
To find these results, we analyzed data from more than 30,000 Instagram posts from businesses of all sizes.
We found that Instagram users are the most likely to engage with content during work hours mid-day and mid-week.
And that makes sense, it is a perfect time to take a break from work or school and do some strolling, call it scrolling if you like.
Weekends are typically the worst days to post and don’t tend to attract much engagement. We suspect that is because people are out and about in the real world rather than scrolling Instagram feeds.
Are you planning on posting more than once a week? Here’s a schedule of the best times to post on Instagram for each day of the week.
(Oh, and don’t forget, the best times shown below are recorded in US Pacific Time)
#1. The best time to post on Instagram on Monday: is 12 pm.
#2. The best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday: is 9 am.
#3. The best time to post on Instagram on Wednesday: is 11 am.
#4. The best time to post on Instagram on Thursday: is 11 am.
#5. The best time to post on Instagram on Friday: is 2 pm.
#6. The best time to post on Instagram on Saturday: is 9 am.
#7. The best time to post on Instagram on Sunday: is 7 pm.
#12:00 PM is The Best time to post on Instagram on Monday
This is because it appears most Instagrammers may like to begin their week off strong at work. By lunchtime, they are looking to their Instagram feeds for a break.
#9:00 AM. is the Best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday
This is so because Tuesday`s Engagement is stronger earlier in the morning, between 8-10 AM, but climaxes around 9:00 AM.
#11:00 AM is the Best time to post on Instagram on Wednesday
This is because Wednesday is the day that accounts appear to attract the highest engagement overall.
#12:00 PM is the Best time to post on Instagram on Thursday
12:00 PM Thursday is a good time to post on Instagram but in general, the 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM stretch is also good for high engagement on any weekday.
#Friday at 2:00 PM is the Best time to post on Instagram
Friday engagement is stable all through the morning and lunch hour, from 7 AM to 2:00 PM.
#Saturday at 9:00 AM is the Best time to post on Instagram on Saturday
Grab those waiting eyeballs before people get into their offline weekend plans at 9:00 AM.
#Sunday at 7:00 PM is the Best time to post on Instagram on Sunday
Engagement on Sundays is highly consistent all through the afternoon and evening. It remains stable from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
What is the Best time to post Reels on Instagram?
If you are looking to grow your Instagram followers and engagement, posting Reels at any time of day is a weak strategy.
Our data shows that Reels can attract up to 300% more engagement than routine Instagram videos.
The best time to post Reels on Instagram is 9 AM and 12 PM, Monday to Thursday.
Tips for finding the Best Time to Post on Instagram
#1. Review your top-performing posts
First, consider what kind of performance you are aiming for. Is it brand awareness or engagement?
Your approach to scheduling your posts might differ depending on your goals.
Check your records, in the past, which of your Instagram posts have attracted high impressions?
At what time did you post them? And are these posts different from the ones attracting likes? What do the numbers tell you about your most appealing content?
Your Instagram insights and analytics are the best sources of truth at this stage. Not all analytics tools are born equal in functionality, though.
Some social media management tools can help you avoid heavy data crunching.
#2. Check when your target audience is most active online
Next, look at your analytics to find out when your followers are scrolling through their feeds.
As marketers, we need first the knowledge to know our audiences. If you are targeting college sports fans on Instagram, their social media usage might be greatly different from tech executives waking up at 4 AM.
#3. Spy on your Competitors to know when they are posting
Depending on your niche, your competitors may be doing some of the same plottings and experiments that you are.
Social listening can help you keep an eye on what’s working for your competitors.
Pro clue: Many marketers post on the hour mark. Stay away from the competition by posting a few minutes before or after the:00.
#4. Post in your target audience’s time zone
If you have a global target market or are based outside of the usual time zones, your best time to post may well turn out to be 3 AM.
Instead of setting some cruel alarms, may I suggest automating your Instagram posts? An Instagram scheduler can enable you to make sure your posts are going out at the right time daily.
#5. Monitor and Modify, when necessary
Yes, optimizing your Instagram posts for success takes a lot of work, it’s a whole lot more than just picking the right filter.
But taking time to review the numbers is genuinely one of the easiest ways to improve your reach. (Simpler than leveling up your videography or writing skills, anyway. I will recommend doing that too, though)
The world changes and your audience habits change with it. Set a reminder in your calendar to review your results and make modifications on a regular basis.
Conclusion
What is the best time to post on Instagram? Well, as you have learned from the article, there is no definitive answer to this question.
The best time to post on Instagram will differ depending on a number of factors, including your target audience, the content you are posting, and chiefly, the goals of your Instagram advertising strategy.
That said, this guide has suggested a few powerful tips you can follow to help ensure that your posts are seen by as many eyeballs as possible.
