Instagram is a great platform to use to bolster your professional success or pass your free time. But if you're looking to boost your reach and engagement, what is the best time to post on Instagram?
Whether you are using Instagram for work or play, there are certain times of the day or days of the week when you should post to increase your visibility to your followers...
The Best Times to Post on Instagram
The best time of day to post on Instagram depends on a few factors. Firstly, Instagram tends to promote newer posts on its algorithm, so it's best to post your content when most of your followers are already online.
But when your followers are active depends on things like their time zone, whether they work during the day, and their industry. Luckily, there are also some general trends you can follow for user engagement.
The data on the best time of day varies. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, weekday mornings (7am to 9am) are the best times to post your content. This is because people typically check their social media accounts in the morning before work.
An Instagram engagement report from HubSpot indicates that the best time of day to post on Instagram is at 12pm local time. This is because many people check Instagram on their lunch break to pass the time on weekdays.
This works on weekends too, since people tend to wake up later.
The Best Day to Post on Instagram
There are factors at play that will determine what day of the week is the best one to engage with your Instagram followers.
According to multiple sources, Wednesdays lead the pack for Instagram activity. This is probably because it's the middle of the week and the rest of the weekdays are not as busy as what as come to be known as "hump day".
Sunday appears to be the worst day of the week to post on Instagram, with Saturday trailing behind. If you decide to post content on weekends, keep this in mind and try to post later in the day. On weekend mornings, people tend to sleep in or do errands. They are more likely to check their socials in the late morning or early afternoon.
You can also schedule your social media posts with apps so that you don't have to do it manually. This also makes it easier to plan posts ahead and keep a more consistent schedule for your uploads.
Peak Times on Instagram
According to the social media marketing platform Later, there are specific times when most Instagram users are online. It analyzed 12 million Instagram users worldwide to determine the times when the average follower is most likely to be online and checking Instagram.
According to Later, these are the peak times on Instagram globally:
- Monday: 6am, 10am, and 10pm EST
- Tuesday: 2am, 4am, and 9 am EST
- Wednesday: 7am, 8am, and 11pm EST
- Thursday: 9am, 12pm, and 7pm EST
- Friday: 5am, 1pm, and 3pm EST
- Saturday: 11am, 7pm, and 8pm EST
- Sunday: 7am, 8am, and 4pm EST
While this information is useful, data analysis of your followers and critical thinking about when your niche followers are most active on Instagram will be the determining factors for when you should post to Instagram. Not only will this information help you keep your followers, but it will certainly help you gain a wider audience.
You can also grow your Instagram following with Combin or similar social media marketing tools.
The Best Time to Post Depends on Your Target Audience
The best time to post also depends on whether you have a content niche. For example, if you are a mommy-blogger, posting on weekdays and during the daytime would be ideal.
If you are running a business that caters to the corporate world, after 5pm on weekdays may be a good time for you to post content that appeals to your followers.
Consistency Is Key When Posting on Instagram
The "when" of engagement is important but consistency is still the most important factor! The more regularly you post on Instagram, the more likely people are to see your current posts and look forward to seeing your future content. It's all about posting consistently but not overdoing it.
Also make sure that you are posting content that your followers will be interested in. For example, if you're targeting a business-oriented audience, it's better to post your selfies and family pictures to your personal Instagram account.
Keep in mind that quality also matters. People will tire of seeing the same selfie over and over again. On Instagram, it is better to post quality, varying content at consistent times.
It's also best to always keep your audience in mind when you're trying to grow your following on any social media platform.
How to Get Insights on Your Instagram Followers
So what if your followers are not in your time zone? Are you not sure who your current audience is?
If you have a Instagram Business or Creator account, we would suggest taking a look at your Instagram Insights to narrow down the average time zone and demographics of your followers.
To access your Instagram Insights on your business account:
- Go to your profile in the Instagram app.
- Select the Insights button.
Under this section, you will be able to see the historical performance of your past posts.
Click on Total Followers to get insights regarding your followers. This data includes cities, countries, age ranges, and gender.
Under Most Active Times, you will be able to switch between days to see the most popular times for your followers.
You can use this data to determine the time zone that most of your followers are in and strive to post at the times they are online.
Quality Content and Consistent Engagement for Instagram
To get the most of your Instagram account, you should be responsive to your audience, post consistently, use thoughtful or amusing captions with your photographs, and strive to post when the followers in your niche are most active.
This will beat any supposed hacks for the one specific best day of the week to post, since attracting a following is not a one-size-fits-all approach.
