Image source: Forbes

Do you ever wonder if you can find the best time to post on Instagram? Yes, but it is preferable to test and collect your own data rather than following a template. If you're new to Instagram marketing, the regular time scale can be a good place to start before determining your own personal best time to post. There is a good chance that these set times will work wonders for your brand.

According to the most prevalent data collected from various brands, it is appropriate to post on weekdays during, before, and after work hours (6 am–9 am, 5 pm–6 pm), as people tend to view their Instagram feeds while commuting to work in the early morning or after work time while returning home. People are more likely to check their Instagram during the middle of the day, so posting during lunchtime could be a good idea.

How Do You Determine the Best Time to Post on Social Media?

Here are some important factors to consider when determining the best time to post on your social profiles to get the most social shares, page views, and comments. Let's get started.

Your Social Media Posting Objective

There isn't a specific ideal time to post an Instagram story if you're considering doing so without a plan. If you have a business and want your followers to see your story and visit your Instagram business page, there is a specific time to post.

Your publishing schedule should reflect your ultimate goals. Your posting objectives may include increasing the number of page views, increasing brand awareness, increasing the number of followers, selling your products or services, or increasing engagement in the comment sections.

Plan out your Instagram posts

Plan out your Instagram posts. You can post a variety of content at various times. You can also plan multiple reels and stories for the day to increase your reach.

Which of your previous posts received the most views? When did you share them? And how do these posts differ from those that receive likes? What do the statistics say about your most compelling content?

Each brand has a unique sweet spot for posting on Instagram. This is so because each social media brand targets a different audience with different behavior patterns.

Because the Instagram algorithm prioritizes frequency and recency, it is critical to post when your followers are online. This means that, assuming everything else is equal, a newer post will appear higher on the newsfeed than an older one.

Instagram users are most likely to interact with content during work hours, in the middle of the day, and on weekdays. That makes sense—it's a great time to disconnect from work or school and spend time on social media.

Weekends are the least preferred days for posting on Instagram. The vast majority of your audience is usually away, preoccupied with their personal affairs.

Weekends are typically the worst days to post and receive little engagement. We suspect this is due to people being out and about in the real world rather than scrolling through Instagram.

Best times to post on each day of the week (as measured in US Pacific Time)

The Days of the Week

Monday, 12:00 p.m.

Tuesday, 9:00 a.m.

Wednesday at 11:00 a.m.

Thursday at 11:00 a.m.

Friday, 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, 9:00 a.m.

Sunday, 7:00 p.m.

On Monday, the best time to post on Instagram is early in the morning or around noon. Users typically begin their week with a bang at work. By lunchtime, they might want to take a break by scrolling through their Instagram feeds.

On Tuesday, the best time to post on Instagram is between 8 and 10 a.m.

Engagement is also high in the morning. The best time to post on Instagram on Wednesday is 11:00 a.m. to get the most overall engagement.

On Thursday, 12:00 p.m. is the best time to post on Instagram. On any weekday, the 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. time span is ideal for high engagement.

On Friday, 2:00 PM is the best time to post on Instagram. From 7 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Friday, engagement is constant throughout the morning and lunchtime.

On Saturday, 9:00 a.m. is the best time to post on Instagram before people begin their offline weekend plans!

On Sunday, the best time to post on Instagram is 7:00 p.m., which is usually throughout the afternoon and evening.

If you're new to Instagram and don't have a lot of previous data or audience insights to work with, try posting during these peak times. As your account grows, you can adjust your posting schedule to match the activity patterns of your target audience.

Depending on your goals, your approach to scheduling Instagram posts may differ. First, consider the type of performance you want to achieve: brand awareness or engagement. Which of your posts received the most views? When did you share them? And how do these posts differ from those that receive likes? What do the statistics say about your most compelling content?

Your Instagram insights and analytics are your most reliable source of information here. However, not all analytics tools are created equal. Based on your past performance, you can determine the best times and days of the week to post to Instagram. Examine your social media posts from the previous 30 days and compute the average impressions or engagement rate per day and hour. Then, based on your performance objectives, you can choose the best time slots to post on your Instagram account.

Hourly analytics for online followers

Examine when your target audience is most active online. Examine your analytics to see when your followers are scrolling through their feed. You must be acquainted with your target audiences. If you're targeting entertainment or sports fans on Instagram, their social media usage may differ significantly from that of businesses or tech executives who wake up early in the morning. This analysis allows you to test different strategies by targeting specific time slots when your Instagram followers are online.

Consider when your competitors are posting.

Your competitors may be performing some of the same calculations and experiments that you are. Investigate the time slot that your competitors desire. Make a note to publish during times when your audience is online and your competitors are mostly not posting to increase your visibility. Consider the following key actions: Create, plan, publish, and engage. analyze and expand.

Schedule posts that will always pique your audience's interest. To meet your online goals while not boring your audience, make sure you post the best content at the right times. You can automate your posts so that content is distributed even when no one is available to post it.

Maintain and adjust

Taking the time to review the numbers is one of the simplest ways to increase your reach.

The world changes, and so do audience habits. Make a calendar reminder to review your results and make adjustments on a regular basis.

Show up on a consistent basis over time.

To reap the full benefits of all this knowledge about your target audience, you must be systematic in your posting. Certainly, if you post a few hours earlier than usual every now and then, you might not notice a startling increase. The timing of your Instagram posts, on the other hand, does matter, and consistent scheduling will move the needle over time.

When your audience becomes accustomed to seeing your brand appear on their feed, they enjoy and engage with your content. Maintaining your presence on Instagram promotes the development of credibility, trust, and deeper connections with your audience.

The Days of the week

The audience's use of social media is influenced by the days of the week. You might want to target B2B customers during workdays and work hours, while B2C customers should be targeted during weekends, breaks, and off-work hours.

Time Zone 

If you have a global audience, are based outside of the "usual" time zones, or are not covered within your time boundaries, your posting schedule should align with your audience's time zone and routine of using social media. Instead of setting cruel alarms, consider automating your Instagram posts. An Instagram scheduler can assist you in ensuring that your posts are published at the appropriate time every day.

Test and improve

Every industry's audience is unique. In order to achieve their goals, different industry audiences might want to be active on social media at different times. As a result, you must conduct A/B testing with your post times and evaluate the results over a specific duration to see which times work best for the highest engagements from your desired audience.

Conclusion

You can now extend your reach on the Instagram posts you have created. Use the above methodology and time scale to determine the best time to post on Instagram. You won't see numbers skyrocket on the first day, but with consistent effort, you will. It will help you engage with your audience more effectively and get you in front of more promising prospects faster. But keep in mind that knowing and implementing the best time to post can always get you in your audience's feeds. Keep in mind the key actions: create, schedule, publish, engage, analyze, and scale up your Instagram posts.