Best Times To Post On Instagram

May 18, 2023
Contents

The most recent social media data demonstrates how powerfully engaging Instagram is. So, it goes without saying that you should produce and fill your feed with interesting content to increase your Instagram following. 

But here’s a bitter truth that you should know-although content will increase your following, it won't ultimately build engagement.

According to most experts, posting at the appropriate moment is one of the best ways to guarantee greater Instagram engagement. Therefore, the time you share a post on Instagram matters just as much as the quality of your post. 

So how do we decide when to share something on Instagram? The answer to this question is a little more complicated than one may think. You must take into account several factors to find this answer.

The following factors affect the ideal time to post on Instagram:

  • The day of a week
  • The month
  • Seasonal patterns
  • The preferences of your audience.
  • The objectives of your posts
  • The type of post (regular feed post, story, IGTV, videos, or reels)
  • The sector or market that your company serves.
  • The signals that the all-powerful Instagram algorithm uses

Considering all these factors can be overwhelming, especially if you are just starting. But we've got you covered if you're worried about choosing the best posting time to post on Instagram. 

We'll give you a thorough, in-depth breakdown of Instagram posting times per the industry experts in this article. We will also discuss best practices to find the best time to post on Instagram for your business. 

Let's get started.

Why is the right Instagram posting time important?

Instagram used to display content in users' feeds in a linear fashion where they organized all the posts on a person's feed in a simple chronological order.

No matter what time you uploaded it, and regardless of how little engagement it garnered, it could be viewed by all of your followers who checked Instagram at that moment.

The scene has changed. If you don't receive sufficient likes and comments on your Instagram posts, they won't appear on your followers' feed. This is due to the Instagram algorithm.

So, you should schedule your Instagram posts at set times each day of the week if you want consistency in the number of likes, comments, and shares on your posts. 

Another reason for finding the best time to post on Instagram is getting higher website traffic. 

It is in your company's best interest to post at the appropriate time if you are leveraging Instagram posts to drive traffic to your website.

Of course, posting engaging content that piques the interest of your followers and encourages them to visit your website is also vital for increasing traffic to your website. 

Learn more: How to Get More Followers on Instagram

According to SocialPilot, videos generate 21.5% more engagement than images. So make sure you are posting high-quality videos.

Take help from Offeo to quickly make amazing videos.

The Best Time To Post On Instagram, According To Seven Expert Sources

Due to their ongoing production of insights and findings based on thousands of Instagram posts, scheduling tools like Later, Sprout Social, and Hootsuite are comparable to industry experts in social media timing.

Let's see what they say about the best time to post on Instagram.

1. Later

Later, a top Instagram marketing platform began researching when to publish on Instagram in 2018. To discover the optimal time to post on Instagram, they combed through 35 million posts and published their findings in August 2021.

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The following is based on their analysis :

  • The best time of day to post is from 3 am-6 am 
  • The best day to post is Sunday.
  • The best time to post is on Sunday at 6 am
  • The worst days to post are Wednesday and Thursday.

The reasoning behind this data is relatively straightforward. On average, most posts are shared between 9 am and 1 pm, so if you post pretty early in the day, your account can benefit from less competition.

It also helps capture traffic from users on their first scroll of the day, even if that occurs several hours after you have shared your post.

2. Sprout Social

Contrary to Later, the social media management company Sprout Social evaluated over 20,000 user accounts and discovered that posting during peak hours is a much better idea than posting right before them.

Here’s a chart showing their findings on global engagement on Instagram.

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So, according to Sprout Social,

  • The best time to post is from 11am-12 pm
  • The best day to post is Tuesday.
  • The worst day to post is Sunday.

3. Hootsuite

Although Hootsuite does not currently have any data-based information, it claims that Wednesday at 11 am is generally the best time to post on Instagram.

It follows the same strategy as Sprout Social—the best time to post is when engagement is at its maximum. 

Additionally, it shares the time slots most effective for its own Instagram audience, which are 8 am-12 pm and 4 pm-5 pm, respectively. These hours correspond to the beginning of the day and lunchtime on the west coast. They also correspond to the east coast's beginning and end of the day.

4. BrandMentions

The data presented by BrandMentions is based on an analysis of 2 million posts.

BrandMentions advises sharing a post on Instagram on Sundays between 3 pm and 10 pm to increase engagement and likes. 

It significantly diverges from most information acquired from other websites and management tools. However, this information is noteworthy since it focuses on the busiest engagement hours on Instagram rather than just the most active times on Instagram. 

So, if your goal is to increase views, likes, and other forms of engagement, the optimal time to post is on Sunday from 3 pm-10 pm

5. Expert Voice

An ideal posting schedule for Instagram was also developed by Expert Voice, an advocacy network for digital marketing and brand specialists. According to them, the following times are ideal for Instagram posts:

  • The best time to post on Instagram is from 9 am-5 pm 
  • The best day to post on Instagram is Wednesday.
  • To be more precise, Wednesday at 5 am, 11 am, and 3 pm are some of the best times to post.
  • Monday is the worst day to post on Instagram.

Expert Voice claims that posting on weekdays between 9 am and 6 pm can increase user engagement. 

For most working people, Monday mornings can be rather stressful, so early morning posting times from Tuesday through Friday tend to create better engagement.

This is their justification for why Monday isn't the best day to post on Instagram.

4 Tips For Finding The Best Time To Post On Instagram For Your Business

It's difficult to say whether the typical best time to post on Instagram based on data from multiple companies would also apply to your business's social media account.

You must, therefore, determine the best time to post for your company. 

The days mentioned above and times are the best times to start if you're new to Instagram. As time passes, you can begin to experiment with different posting schedules and discover which ones work best for you and your particular business.

1. Examine Your Most Successful Posts

A person checking insights on the Instagram analytics dashboard.
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The best time to post content on Instagram can be determined by looking at your best-performing posts on Instagram and examining the time of day you uploaded them. 

To do something like this, you must first decide the performance level your brand should achieve. Do you wish to generate engagement or raise awareness?

If your goal is to raise brand awareness, your posts' effectiveness can be evaluated by the number of impressions they receive. However, concentrate on the posts that have received the highest likes, comments, and shares if you want to increase engagement.

Your best source of information, in this case, is your Instagram insights and analytics. However, not all statistical tools are created equal. You may avoid doing a lot of data crunching by using some other social media management tools.

You get the option to access insights if you have made a creator or company account on Instagram. This section contains a wealth of data on your followers. It will give you all the audience-related information you require. Their geography, age, gender, and the times of day they are most active on Instagram are all listed.

2. Identify The Peak Online Activity Times For Your Audience

The times when your community is scrolling across the platform on Instagram is another item you must look for in the Instagram statistics.

Knowing your audience is essential if you want to succeed on Instagram (or any other network). This is essential because, for instance, when it comes to social media, beauty enthusiasts may behave very differently from bodybuilders who hit the gym at five in the morning.

Use the Insta creator studio dashboard (available to you if you have a creator account) on the social media platform. With the help of this dashboard, you may gain insight into your audience, including specific details about the times when they are active on Instagram. Furthermore, performance insights and discovery statistics are also accessible.

3 Conduct A/B Testing

Don't restrict your Instagram posting schedule to only the most advantageous times. Try experimenting with different time schedules as well.

There is no "set it and forget it" on Instagram because the algorithm is constantly changing.

Pick at least five posting times to start over the week. Assume that your insights section indicates that your followers are active from 6 to 10 o'clock. Then, you should set your posts to go live at 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 pm.

Change these posting times for the following week. Post on Monday at 7 o'clock in week two if you had posted at 6 o'clock on Monday in week one. And remember to keep a spreadsheet with all of this data.

It can take a couple of weeks to complete this process. However, you may use this information to determine your ideal Instagram posting window and boost engagement.

4. Choose The Most Effective Content Type For Your Business (Posts, Stories, Reels, IGTV)

a person using Instagram
Instagram posts of different sorts have various advantages. You must keep track of which type works best for each post. 

For example, 70% of Instagram followers regularly watch stories. Because of this, brands should consider using Stories to communicate the most critical information to their audience. Here is a quick way to make fantastic stories quickly.

Furthermore, Reels are ideal for spotting emerging trends and make an excellent platform for sponsored content. Instagram's Business Team stated that they created Reels to increase your discoverability. 

And IGTV films are perfect for educational information given their lengthy 4-hour duration. 

Here's a tip: Use tools like Offeo to create all types of quick and outstanding social media posts that are sure to garner engagement.

Wrapping Up!

Being in tune with your audience is crucial because Instagram occasionally feels like a maze. Knowing when to post will lay the groundwork for a successful Instagram strategy. Utilize the information above, and you will quickly have a following that eagerly awaits and shares your postings!

You might also be interested in learning about social media-related topics, such as how to set up an online store, Instagram Updates You Might Have Missed in 2022, or the Best Instagram Tools for Marketers and Creators. 

We offer a comprehensive resource where you can find detailed information that helps strengthen your social media strategies. All of these are on our blog. Check it out.

Author bio

Piyush Shah is a 6 figure affiliate marketer and has helped grow multiple businesses from nothing to making insane business figures. He is currently working as Head of SEO at Dukaan.

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