If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what the best time to post on Instagram is (or if there even is a best time to post) then don’t worry, you’re not alone! This is one of the most asked questions when it comes to posting and creating a strategy for Instagram and understandably so. Nobody wants to spend hours creating the perfect reel, carousel or post only for it to tank as it wasn’t posted at the optimal time. So, let’s dive into all the important factors to consider when deciding what the best time to post on Instagram is for your business or brand.
Is posting at the “right” time important on Instagram?
The answer to this isn’t black and white (it never is!) but in short, yes, there is an optimal time for you to be posting on Instagram. However, there are several factors to consider when deciding when to schedule or hit post on that piece of content to ensure you are maximising your chances of getting engagement. Ultimately, your goal with any post should be to gain the maximum amount of engagement to give the algorithm a nudge to show your content to more people. The more likes, comments, saves & shares your content gets, the more likely Instagram are to show it to more of your audience and beyond. Therefore, posting at the right time for your brand is super important! If you want some tips on how to engage your target audience, take a peek at this post next.
So, let’s look at the main factors you need to consider when deciding on the best time to post on Instagram for your brand.
Global peak times
Firstly, let’s look at the Global Best Times to post on Instagram. There have been various studies and research done into what are the global best times to post and the consensus is that the best overall time to post on Instagram is 4am* (calculated in local time across time zones). Worrying you’ll have to get up and post in the middle of the night to achieve engagement on your posts? Don’t fret! First, consider these points:
- Your account might have a mix of followers from different locations & time zones.
- This figure is an overall average so finding the best time to post for your unique audience is arguably more important.
- Posting earlier may benefit you as there is less competition, and you might even be the first post a person sees when they log in for their morning scroll.
- Reels have a longer lifespan than static posts so it can be argued time of posting them doesn’t matter as much as they can carry on being shown to people weeks and even months after posting (although initial engagement can help to make this happen!).
- Use a scheduling tool to auto post your content at earlier times (no need to set an alarm to post at 4am!).
Research has also concluded that the average best day to post on Instagram is a Thursday, and the worst day is a Saturday*. However, please take this information with a grain of salt and remember these figures are global averages considering millions of accounts all with very different audiences, objectives and content strategies.
Next, let’s look at how to analyze your personal best times to post on Instagram.
*Data from Later’s report which analyzed over 9M global Instagram feed posts (images, videos, carousels, and Reels) from January 1, 2023 to October 1, 2023.
When is your audience online?
While global averages are important to consider and be aware of, finding your unique best time to post is arguably more important. The good news is that Instagram’s Insights provide you with a lot of information at your fingertips about your audience including when they are most online.
Head to your account page and tap on “Professional Dashboard”. From here, tap on “Total followers” and you will then see information about who is following you including gender, age and location. Keep scrolling down for “Most active times” where you will be able to see a breakdown of not only what times your audience is most active but also on what days. Super handy right?
It's also worth thinking about your unique audience and their behaviours on social media. Are they logging-in as they wake up and having a scroll before they get up for work? Are they relaxing having a scroll once they’ve put the kids to bed in the evening? Considering the characteristics and behaviours of your audience online is important too to ensure your capturing their attention at the right time.
Tip: consider posting half an hour before your audience are most active as this may help your post to be top of the scroll when people log in!
When is the best time for YOU to post on Instagram?
It’s also important to think about yourself when thinking about when the best time is to post! Your mental health and sanity are top priority after all. We don’t advise setting an alarm and posting at 4am for example just because reports say this is the best time to post! Think about using a scheduling tool if you decide earlier windows will work for you or simply post when you have time. Creating great content should be your ultimate goal, not worrying about posting at the optimal time. Do what’s right for you!
Use tools to help you schedule to post at the best times in advance
A scheduling tool like rapidely is a no brainer for not only helping you post at peak times without having to worry about it, but also to help you create great content that will really resonate and increase engagement. Want to post at 4am? Your tool will do it for you! Want to find content ideas and help with writing captions that really engage people when posted at the optimal time? Your tool can help you with this! Scheduling and social media management tools are great whether you’re an entrepreneur, social media manager or freelancer juggling several clients. It just makes sense to organise your content, strategy and to be able to auto-post at the best times for your audience all in the one place.
Your next steps
Hopefully this guide has armed you with the advice and tools to be able to research when is the best time to post on Instagram for your brand. We advise you test out & track the results of posting at different times and days to really find your sweet spot!
However, our best piece of advice is that while considering the best times to post for your audience on Instagram is important, creating great content that speaks to your target market and resonates with them should be your main goal. Focusing on creating amazing content that gets across the key messages of your brand and attracts engagement will ensure your content is well received, pushes the algorithm to show it to more users and increase your visibility.
Lastly, make sure you consider posting times as part of an overall content strategy for your brand to get the best results. You can read more about building an effective social strategy here!
