Whether you want to build a social media presence for your brand or grow as an independent content creator on Instagram, you are likely interested in finding out the best times to post on the platform.
Early on weekend mornings, especially Friday, it can be confusing to determine the best time to post on Instagram.
Understanding the know-how and proper use of tools to grow your target audience is essential. But when is the best time to post on Instagram to attract new followers? If you need assistance, here are a few valuable tips for you.
Table of Contents
What is the Best Time to Post on Instagram?
Two main factors to consider are the target audience and the timezone.
After identifying your target audience and determining the best time to post on Instagram, you should consider your audience’s time zones.
Try to post during peak times
If you’re interested in the best times to post on Instagram, here is a breakdown of the weekdays along with tips on how to determine the optimal posting times:
Knowing the optimal times to post can greatly improve engagement on your Instagram account.
Additionally, consider the human aspect of your target audience – When is your audience most likely to scroll through their Instagram feed, and when can you achieve the highest engagement?
Upon waking up early in the morning, people frequently check their feeds and scroll through posts from other Instagram users.
This is also likely to happen during a lunch break, as scrolling is a major part of most people’s daily routines.
Even in the evening after work, the optimal time to post on Instagram may not consistently follow a specific pattern.
Although the best time to post on Instagram can differ, certain hours generally prove to be more effective.
By targeting specific time slots, you can reach a wide audience and capture your followers’ attention in just seconds.
Reflecting on your own use of social media throughout the day may provide insights and a deeper understanding of various aspects.
Using this example, you can also gain broader audience insights for different audience categories.
To achieve higher engagement on Instagram, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the optimal times to post.
Instagram users in the same time zones are likely to see the same post around the same time.
Keep this in mind when deciding the best time to post on Instagram. This strategy will assist your social media posts in reaching maximum engagement.
Optimal Times for Posting Reels on Instagram
It’s 2022, and if you’re not utilizing the power of Instagram Reels to expand your account, you may be missing out considerably.
Don’t worry; I’m here to provide all the essential information regarding the optimal posting times for Instagram Reels.
By combining a trending sound with engaging content and a powerful message, and posting it within a specific time frame, the views on your Instagram reel could quickly increase and continue to grow daily.
Instagram’s algorithm has undergone fluctuations, making it difficult to understand and keep up with its changes.
Here are several important points to consider about the best times to post reels:
Consider Your Location
Time zones greatly influence the best times to post your reels.
The overall app activity of different audiences can be distinguished based on their geographic location.
Just like posting a regular image on Instagram, it’s crucial to remember one thing: the audience is key. Therefore, when focusing on the audience and viewers of your content, you should also take their location into account.
You might be considering presenting and selling your item or service to an international audience. Below is a list of the optimal times to post an Instagram reel, tailored to your audience’s time zone and location.
Optimal Times for Posting on Weekdays
Along with considering the time zone and location, you should also factor in the universal aspect of availability throughout the day.
User activity will vary between Monday morning and Saturday evening.
The age, occupation, hobbies, and lifestyle of your audience significantly influence this aspect. Allow me to illustrate the optimal times to post a reel throughout the seven days of the week:
Consider the Time Zone of Your Audience
I am considering the possibility that you are reading this article from a specific time zone and would like to share it on Instagram.
To find the best time to post on Instagram, you can perform some research on your own.
Explore accounts that attract a similar audience to the one you wish to build—small businesses, major brands, or influencers in your local area or region.
In the Eastern Time Zone, you can post at any time between 6 am and 11 pm. While this reflects average social media usage, keep in mind that your own audience may belong to a specific demographic.
Why? Generally, most working individuals and Instagram users are awake and ready for work in the morning, and later, they tend to go to bed by 11 PM. Your audience’s time zone and work hours are crucial factors in creating a posting schedule.
Many of these individuals check their social media as soon as they wake up and are likely to scroll through Instagram feeds while still in bed and getting ready to sleep. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the best times to post on Instagram.
Time Zones are Crucial – Is It a Local or Global Community?
You may be producing engaging content, but you might be overlooking the chance for your Instagram posts or Instagram stories to resonate with your specific audience at the optimal moment.
Posting times greatly impact attracting your audience and maximizing engagement.
Before determining the best time to post on Instagram, you should check your followers’ locations and closely examine their time zones.
The average user might be checking their feed in the early morning with a cup of hot coffee or tea; however, there is a time zone difference among some of your followers.
Creating a Small Local Community
I won’t deny that some creators on Instagram adjust their posting times to cater to a smaller audience. Instagram posts can be customized for a local area. Creators with a smaller following may manage everything independently.
In this case, the creator may not give much thought to identifying the best time to post on Instagram.
There are no strict rules for posting on Instagram; based on your needs and preferences, you will ultimately determine how much attention and strategy to invest in your Instagram posts.
Building a Global Network of Followers
As I mentioned earlier, some creators concentrate on crafting Instagram posts to engage with local individuals in their area and gain them as followers. The more time and energy you invest in developing a social media strategy, the greater your chances of attracting additional followers.
In this situation, identifying the best time to post on Instagram is a top priority.
Bigger brands and well-known names across various industries are embracing the trend—they acknowledge the influence of Instagram. Leveraging social media, in general, can help increase revenue and engage with potential buyers and users globally.
This means that they will need to consider potential customers in different time zones around the world. If you are based in the USA and have a product for a potential customer in Germany, you must take the time difference into account.
Make an effort to respond to and engage with your global customers as promptly as possible. While it may not be feasible to answer questions while you are fast asleep, strive to stay on top of your followers’ inquiries.
Building a global community requires time, but identifying the best times to post on Instagram can significantly improve your social presence.
Define Your Instagram Audience
Which age group are you targeting? A significant portion of your research should concentrate on your audience: statistically, the engagement of younger age groups on Instagram differs from that of older age groups.
Determining the best time to post on Instagram necessitates a thorough analysis of the product you are offering and the target audience you wish to engage.
It is not unusual for Instagram accounts to organically attract a distinct audience through an authentic approach and consistent engagement with their followers.
Age, occupation, hobbies, and interests are all essential factors in determining the best time to post on Instagram.
Just as you customize your Instagram posts to engage your audience, it’s essential to know the optimal times to post on Instagram so that your specific audience can find your feed and video posts.
Are you targeting busy business professionals, or are you directing your product toward users who spend more time outdoors?
It is essential to define your primary audience. Achieving high engagement from specific Instagram followers is indeed possible.
Utilize Social Media Management Tools
You may opt to navigate your research independently, analyzing the market, hashtags, and your audience, as well as their time zones, step by step.
Apart from determining the best time to post on Instagram – your analytics should also be a priority.
Instead of going the extra mile and doing everything manually, consider downloading and using an app specifically designed to handle this task for you.
A straightforward way to save time, in this case, is to explore your app store, as there is a diverse range of apps available for both Android and iOS users.
An app that helps you automate and analyze your target audience’s time zone on Instagram, customized to your needs and preferences, is undoubtedly Sprout Social.
Remember that using this app can help you navigate things more easily. Find the best times to post on Instagram and gain a better understanding of your account’s analytics.
This app offers a comprehensive overview of essential analytics to assist you in building an audience and determining the best times to post your content.
Create a Posting Schedule
If you are exploring social media marketing strategies, you may have observed that certain apps enable you to enter details related to your business or a specific product.
The app will calculate statistics and important odds related to your product, offering you essential information on how to develop and manage your own strategy for posts on Instagram.
This app is highly beneficial for experienced social media managers, while also being beginner-friendly, facilitating easy organization of posting times. It is widely used for Instagram business accounts, which can result in positive improvements in your Instagram insights.
Instagram’s engagement can be improved within a few weeks by posting content. The highest levels of engagement can be reached even more rapidly by implementing a marketing strategy and understanding the best times to post on Instagram.
As you can see, even if you are unsure about the research itself and how to create a plan independently, it is sensible to utilize these free apps, as they can be a valuable resource, especially for newcomers.
A social media strategy allows you to schedule posts on Instagram. It helps you create an overview, identify your peak times, and ultimately encourages you to post consistently.
You can easily schedule posts and maximize engagement by determining the optimal times to post on Instagram.
Utilize an App to Schedule Instagram Posts
You may feel easily overwhelmed by the abundance of information available to you at this stage. Posting times should be clearly defined, but do you really need an alarm clock to remember the best time to post on Instagram?
A social media marketing app becomes more convenient when you use a specific application that allows you to preview your feed while scheduling posts with just a few taps.
It allows you to schedule posts for your account. You can easily select the best time to post on Instagram. This can help you conserve both time and energy.
An app that can be extremely useful is Planner for Instagram: Preview.
Create Compelling Content
Now that I have assisted you in determining the timing, let’s not forget to emphasize this – quality content.
Even if I have set an hourly reminder for our Instagram stories, an hourly reminder for our Instagram posts, or a daily reminder for Instagram Reels within a well-defined posting time, what content should I share?
Strive to create engaging Instagram posts that establish a beautiful flow on your feed. Share reels featuring captivating content to attract the attention of Instagram followers who are in the same time zone as you.
Social media marketers can support independent creators and brands by delivering high-quality, well-crafted content that enhances engagement on Instagram.
The data science team can create an outstanding social media strategy. Furthermore, if you have a business account, you can explore various Instagram features.
Your feed posts perform better when you offer a product that can directly engage the viewer. Major brands frequently post on Instagram, sometimes utilizing straightforward content, because their design and/or logo are easily recognizable.
Boost your Instagram presence and increase engagement by creating unique Instagram campaigns grounded in original ideas.
As mentioned earlier, creating a targeted marketing strategy is an effective method for sharing content across all social media platforms.
The ideal posting combination includes a unique set of posts paired with the best times to post on Instagram.
Maintain Consistent Engagement
Exerting excessive effort to determine the optimal time to post on Instagram may produce limited results unless you also commit to creating engaging content that showcases your authentic self.
In addition to appearing on someone’s Instagram feed, aim to maximize engagement. If you have an Instagram business account, you can access your Instagram audience insights, which provide all the data needed to better understand your audience’s interactions.
Even after identifying the optimal time to post on Instagram, remember to keep communicating with your followers.
The Instagram Creator Studio Dashboard is a powerful tool that allows you to view the details of your Instagram followers’ interactions.
Once you have reached your first and second milestones, it makes sense to keep going! Create more and engage more!
To maximize engagement, ensure that you react to and reply to your Instagram followers’ comments on your social media posts. Even if you have been struggling with your account, allow your Instagram insights to work their magic. However, remember that posting regularly is crucial for the algorithm.
FAQ
Is it bad to post on Instagram at night?
Yes and no. This depends on your audience. Are you attracting followers who have regular 9 am – 4 pm working hours, and who are likely to be active on Instagram in the evening? In this case, the answer is going to be yes.
When should you avoid posting on Instagram?
Friday evenings are not the best choice if you expect a drastic improvement in your followers list. Let’s just say – most Friday nights are there for having fun post work with family and friends. Don’t expect a significant number of interactions with your posts at this time.
What days are the most active on Instagram?
The most active time on Instagram is on Saturdays and Sundays. Instagram’s user activity will be most present at this time. They will scroll through their feed posts during the days when they don’t have to worry about work, university, or school.
Conclusion
If you are aiming to establish an online presence and increase your follower count, it is crucial to understand the optimal times to post on Instagram.
Incorporating the best Instagram posting times into your social media marketing strategy will greatly enhance its effectiveness and speed up the overall process.
Remember that this is only one important aspect of your posting strategy.
