How To Schedule Instagram Posts – 3+ Quick and Easy Ways

Posting on Instagram at specific times offers numerous benefits that are crucial for content creators on the platform.

Unfortunately, you cannot always log in and post manually during those times. Fortunately, there are several ways to schedule them.

If you want to learn how to schedule Instagram posts using various apps and social media scheduling tools, continue reading to discover more!

How to Schedule Instagram Posts from Meta Business Suite?

Meta Business is currently one of the most popular tools for scheduling posts.

It is user-friendly and practical for scheduling Instagram posts in advance while simultaneously posting on your Facebook page, which is particularly useful if you share the same content on both platforms.

Here’s how to schedule posts in advance on Meta Business:

How to Schedule Instagram Posts from Creator Studio?

While Meta Business Suite enables you to post on both platforms at the same time, many professional users still prefer scheduling posts in advance using Facebook’s Creator Studio.

This is because the Creator Studio dashboard enables you to select a thumbnail for video content, which is a crucial feature for many content creators who value the overall aesthetic of their Instagram feed.

To schedule a post in Creator Studio, you need to:

6 Tools for Scheduling Instagram Posts

In addition to the built-in tools for scheduling posts, there are numerous other Instagram scheduling tools available.

These tools allow you to visualize the appearance of your entire feed, showing how your posts will look when published sequentially. They also provide detailed analytics on the performance of your posts.

Choosing the right tool for your needs can be challenging, so here is a brief overview of the 6 best tools and their features:

Social Champ

Social Champ is a leading platform for social media management.

It includes all the necessary tools and can connect to various social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google My Business, making it ideal for companies with physical offices or shops.

Many users appreciate its user-friendly interface and self-explanatory features.

Here is a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to schedule posts using Social Champ.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a platform that allows you to manage all your social media in one location.

You can create your content, schedule it, publish it, run ad campaigns, and conduct statistical tracking all at the same time.

Hootsuite is an excellent tool for professional use and is a strong choice when managing multiple Instagram accounts that require detailed analytics.

Find the instructions for scheduling Instagram posts on Hootsuite here!

Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a user-friendly tool, making it ideal for beginners. It is simple, clean, visually appealing, and all features are easily accessible.

You can manage multiple Instagram accounts from one platform and obtain a detailed analysis of your brand’s performance on social media while engaging with your audiences.

In addition to social media marketing, Sprout Social offers marketing, customer care, analytics, and data intelligence solutions.

You can view a video tutorial on scheduling posts on Sprout Social here.

Sendible

Sendible provides a complete preview of how your post will appear once published.

It also features Canva integration, making it easy to create graphics instantly, and it is generally effective for generating new content.

There is also an option to easily add RSS Feeds, which now supports auto-posting for Instagram Reels and image carousels.

Here you will find instructions on how to schedule in Sendible.

Later

With Later, you can save captions and images in the database, which is helpful when working for a brand that has a consistent communication style or mandatory hashtags.

It also provides suggested hashtags, and its scheduling calendar is entirely visual, making it easy to navigate. Additionally, it offers recommendations for the best times to post throughout the day.

For more information on how to use Later for scheduling your posts, click here.

Semrush

Although Semrush is not primarily a tool for scheduling posts, as it mainly focuses on keyword research and online ranking data, it does offer the option to schedule Instagram posts in advance.

Semrush is excellent for distinguishing yourself from your competition, as it provides insights into your competitors’ activities and suggests areas for your improvement.

Here you can learn how to schedule Instagram posts using Semrush.

5 Reasons to Schedule Instagram Posts

You’ve likely heard that scheduling your posts is important and beneficial. Here are some reasons why scheduling is one of the best actions you can take for your feed and profile.

It enhances your content strategy

When you take the time to plan ahead, you can accomplish significantly more than when you post individually.

Well-organized content allows you to see the bigger picture rather than concentrating on one post at a time.

While it is essential to pay attention to each post you publish, scheduling allows you to plan ahead and transform your feed into more than just a space for your posts.

This allows you to use Instagram as your advertising space, enabling you to create complete campaigns with sequenced posts on a topic you wish to present to your clients.

You can also develop a strategy for when to post different types of content to achieve the best results and share content so that it appears in the desired time zones.

You will have more time to engage with your followers

Establishing a connection with your followers is much easier when you don’t constantly interrupt your flow by posting in the middle of the day.

By scheduling your posts on time, you allow yourself ample opportunity to observe your audience’s engagement with those posts, including what they respond to positively and what they like or dislike.

You will also have more time to respond to their DMs and comments, as well as to come up with more creative remarks and upcoming activities.

It enhances content quality

When you’re not in a rush and have time to consider the message you want to convey before posting, your content is likely to be better.

Additionally, when you schedule your posts, you can view a preview, allowing you to revisit them several times before publishing. This process enhances the quality of your posts, as you have reviewed them multiple times prior to posting.

It enhances collaboration

Punctuality is a crucial factor for both influencers and brands, as they consistently seek partners who can deliver on their promises.

So, if you’re seeking a collaboration, be sure to share your schedule, as it will assure your potential partners that the agreed-upon content will be released as planned.

It keeps your followers engaged

When your followers consistently see your posts at the same time, they eventually become accustomed to it. Since people are creatures of habit, they develop a routine of looking for your posts during these times.

Establish a routine for your followers, ensuring they know they can rely on your updates at specific times and dates.

It’s also beneficial because no one has to wonder how long they will have to wait for another post or update, which is essential in many businesses.

6 Best Practices for Post-Scheduling

Now that you understand the importance of scheduling, let’s explore some best practices for post-scheduling to help you achieve optimal results.

Here is what you need to focus on:

Share Your Posts During Prime Time

Every business has its optimal hours. This depends on your target audience, their location, your specific goals, and other factors.

You need to conduct research to identify your target audience and determine when they are most active on social media.

All tools for scheduling Instagram posts come with their own analysis software, including Meta Business Suite and Facebook Creator Studio. Make good use of these tools to gather as much information as possible about your audiences.

Establish a realistic timeline

Ask yourself how broad the subject of your posts is. How frequently do new developments occur in your company or in the industry as a whole?

Utilize the answers to these questions to develop a timeline for your posts that is coherent and will engage your audience without being overly aggressive or inconsistent.

Additionally, remember to post consistently, but stay within the optimal range of no more than 3 posts per week and a maximum of one post per day if your business changes daily.

Even so, you should prioritize communicating through daily stories and posts for more permanent announcements.

Utilize hashtags and mentions

Some people make the mistake of forgetting to include hashtags when scheduling posts.

When creating text for your post, ensure that you include hashtags, maintain proper spacing between them, and perform a spell check.

Additionally, if you are scheduling posts a few weeks in advance, avoid using trending hashtags, as they can change within days and may render your post outdated.

Optimize Your Posts

There are numerous ways to make your content stand out, and staying relevant is simple if you invest some effort into creating your posts rather than allowing them to be generic.

Keep up with Instagram trends and incorporate them into your posts when appropriate, but avoid forcing them or overdoing it, as your followers can easily identify genuine content.

Remember that the Instagram platform prioritizes reels over other types of content, so take advantage of this by scheduling reels every few weeks.

Review your insights and schedule your posts to align with your followers’ activity.

Include relevant hashtags for your business and your location to ensure that more people nearby can view your posts.

If you haven’t done so yet, be sure to switch your account to an Instagram business profile. This change unlocks numerous features that are beneficial for businesses, including access to analytics, a call-to-action button, and the ability to run ads and paid promotions on Instagram.

You can switch to a business account by navigating to Settings > Switch to Business Profile.

Plan and Test a Campaign

It is essential to understand what you want to achieve from your Instagram campaign.

You need to establish your goals and a timeframe for achieving them.

Once you have established dates, it’s time to experiment with various approaches.

For instance, if the campaign lasts for 60 days, take the first 30 days and divide them into three distinct test phases, during which you will experiment with different strategies and compare the results.

Experiment with various formats, such as stories, reels, and carousel posts. Instagram stories offer numerous ways to engage your audience. Consider using polls, quizzes, swipe-up options, adding songs, and more.

After the 10-day period is complete, review the analytics and then initiate the next one. At the end of all three, compare the results from each, and there you have it: the campaign with the best results is your winner!

For optimal results, do this each time you plan a new campaign, as your audience may respond differently depending on the type of content you are advertising.

Analyze Past Posts

If you have conducted previous campaigns that did not perform well, it is essential to understand the reasons behind their lack of success.

You can determine this by analyzing your previous posts to identify which ones had the poorest results and which are worth repeating or emulating.

You should also analyze your successful campaigns to determine what contributed to their success, allowing you to incorporate those elements into your next strategy.

3 Common Mistakes When Scheduling Posts

While post-scheduling offers many benefits, there are common mistakes that people make which can be counterproductive in the long run. It is important to keep these few things in mind.

Here are some potential mistakes:

Failing to Engage with Your Audience

Sometimes, scheduling posts can create a distance between you and your audience, as you may not engage with comments as actively as you would if you had just posted that content.

This issue can be easily resolved by periodically reminding yourself to input that content and to assess your audience’s feedback.

This allows you to leverage the situation, as a few hours after posting, your post will have garnered sufficient engagement to provide a solid sample of the general public’s opinion.

Posting Unappealing Content

If your content is uninteresting, then it doesn’t truly matter when you post it.

Ensure that your content is engaging, easy to understand, and visually appealing. Your posts should represent your brand’s image and utilize complementary colors.

Of course, you don’t have to standardize your posts and can include something different from time to time, but try to maintain the same tone and consistency, as this is important to your followers.

Avoid clichés, old platitudes, and generalizations when addressing your audience. Make it personal; ensure they feel as if you are speaking directly to them.

If your business is not overly formal, consider incorporating occasional humorous content to reveal your human side to your followers.

Incorporate them into your process whenever possible.

Posting Too Far Ahead

It’s beneficial to post in advance and to schedule a month’s worth of content; however, posting too far ahead doesn’t seem practical.

The internet is a rapidly changing environment where everything can shift in just a matter of seconds.

For example, you might schedule a post for a specific date, but on that date, something groundbreaking could occur. This could give your followers the impression that you are ignoring a significant event or being indifferent, which can be detrimental to your business depending on the topic.

As I have mentioned before, trends can change overnight. You might schedule Instagram posts featuring currently trending content, but in a month, that trend could become outdated. Many may find it annoying and perceive you as trying too hard to stay relevant.

It is advisable to schedule only two to three weeks in advance, preferably on a weekly basis, while also consistently checking for current events.

Conclusion

As you can see, scheduling Instagram posts offers numerous advantages and serves as a powerful tool when utilized effectively.

It allows you to organize more effectively while gaining insight into what your audience desires.

Like all tools, it must be used correctly to yield the desired results, and I hope this article has helped you understand how to do so.

Enjoy your stress-free experience!

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