Whether
you are a personal user, an influencer, or a business owner, being successful
on Instagram requires following some rules. One of these rules is the answer to
the question “What is the best time to post on Instagram?”
Keynote:
·
Monday: 11 a.m.–2 p.m. (lunchtime engagement).
·
Tuesday: 7–9 a.m. (early morning check-ins).
·
Wednesday: 7–9 a.m. (similar to Tuesday).
·
Thursday: 11 a.m.–2 p.m. (midday engagement).
·
Friday: 4–6 p.m. (end-of-week activity).
·
Saturday: 9 a.m.–4 p.m. (weekend leisure time).
· Sunday: 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. (rest and entertainment time).
Every month, more than 2 billion people use Instagram actively. In order to be seen and to come forward on this busy and crowded platform, it is important to understand the Instagram algorithm, which favors some posts over others in terms of some key metrics. Besides posting original and engaging content, posting feeds and stories at the right time is an important feature of the algorithm.
To increase the reach and visibility of your posts, reels, and stories, you should follow a posting time strategy that affects the favorability of posts among Instagram algorithms and know the best time to post on Instagram. Engagement is an important aspect of the algorithm, so posting at times when your audience is active and interacting would be a strategic choice.
Instagram users have certain behaviors. There may be some common Instagram usage habits but your followers’ and potential audience’s everyday routine of using the platform may differ. So, it is best to know your specific audience’s behaviors of being online and engaging in posts.
For example, it is wise to post at your audience’s lunch time, since it is a time when young adult employees check their phones and their social media usage increases.
You may want to adjust your posting time by regularly checking your posts in terms of visibility and followers in terms of their engagement. Monitoring your competitors is also essential to see their posting time preferences.
According to research, on workday mornings between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., people check their phones before starting their day. So, their chances of seeing posts and engaging with them are higher. However, there are exceptions to the most engagement times each day.
On the first day of the week, the time interval between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. is the peak time of Instagram users for young adult workers. Most users check their feeds during lunch hours.
On Tuesdays, it is recommended to post in the morning between 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. because people check their social media as one of the first things they do before starting work.
In order to be visible and engaged by users, it is best to post in the morning as in the previous day. The chance of drawing attention is higher between 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Through
the end of the week, social media users tend to spend time with social media
and interact with posts as on Monday and the best time to post on Instagram on
Thursdays is noon; between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Peak Instagram time on Fridays is in the afternoon, between 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Also, posting in the morning until 10 a.m. would be effective.
Saturday is a busy day in terms of social media usage and interaction. In their leisure time, people tend to check their social media, and they have time to interact with posts. The best time to post on Instagram is after 9 a.m. in the morning until 4 p.m.
On Sundays, people look for entertainment while they are resting and check their social media frequently. Posting at 9 a.m. and in the evening around 7 p.m. would be the best times for posting.
Besides these general high engagement times, it is important to remember your own audience and to know their specific Instagram usage times. For instance, if your target audience is composed of students, posting for them would be between 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. when they go out of school.
Besides the best time to post on Instagram, there are also worst times to post. Generally, posting during busy work hours is the worst time for posting due to low engagement rates. Besides, some research says that posts on Sunday afternoons do not have much chance to get attention and engagement.
Again, it is essential to know the usage habits of your target group, and experimenting accordingly is essential.
Depending on your business sector, the best time of posting on Instagram can vary.
If you are actively working in the travel sector, your strategy of posting on Instagram should be on weekday mornings and noons, and weekend afternoons. On weekdays, people tend to think about traveling more than other times. Besides, they tend to plan their vacation activities on weekends, so the interaction rate for your posts increases during these times.
On weekdays, noon is the best time to post on Instagram about the food and beverage industry. Also on weekend afternoons, people plan for dinner or cook for their loved ones, so the afternoons between 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. would be the best times.
If
you want to get your target audience’s attention on beauty and fashion, it the
best to post on Instagram on weekday and weekend afternoons between 2 to 4 p.m.
According to studies, people interested in these sectors tend to engage with
posts also during this time interval.
People use Instagram on some days and times of the day more than others. Knowing these differences helps your posts to be more visible according to the Instagram algorithm.
There
is no joint approach for the best engagement times of Instagram. It also
depends on who you are targeting. However, there are certain high engagement
times like noon for workers, or afternoon for students. You should work on the
best times according to your industry and target audience.
Knowing your target audience is the key. Monitoring their habits according to their age, gender and socioeconomic status will help you to decide the best time to post on Instagram. While posting on Instagram according to your followers and target audience according to their Instagram engagement habits, considering the frequency of posting and the quality of content is also essential.