Best Times to Post on Instagram

Knowing when to post on Instagram often separates viral content from posts that are quickly forgotten. And because Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes newer posts over older ones, timing your content has never been more important. With that said, determining when to post on Instagram depends on a variety of elements: the industry, the goal of your post, the type of content and the location of your audiences. In short, there is no “one size fits all” best time to post. That said, there are some guidelines you can follow to set up a posting schedule that gets results. Here is a quick guide to numerous factors that determine the best time for your Instagram post to generate the most engagement from your audience.

Best and Worst Days to Post on Instagram

Some days and times are better for posting on social media than others. If you take no other factors into account, 10 a.m.to 3 p.m. on weekdays is the peak time to reach the most followers. Weekdays are usually better than weekends and posting on Tuesday and Wednesday will likely get you the best Instagram engagement rates. For almost every industry, Sunday is usually considered the worst day to post. Here is a breakdown of the best—and the worst—times to post on Instagram on every day of the week.

Monday:

• Best time to post: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (peaking at noon)
• Worst time to post: Monday 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Tuesday (best day overall):

• Best time to post: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. (peaking at 9 a.m.)
• Worst time to post: 1 p.m.

Wednesday:

• Best time to post: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (peaking at 11 a.m.)
• Worst time to post: 10 a.m.

Thursday:

• Best time to post: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (peaking at 11 a.m.)
• Worst time to post: 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Friday:

• Best times to post: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (peaking at 2 p.m.)
• Worst time to post: 9 a.m.

Saturday:

• Best time to post: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. (consistent engagement)
• Worst time to post: 8 p.m.

Sunday (worst day overall):

• Best time to post: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (consistent engagement)
• Worst time to post: 4 p.m.

Why The Location of Your Audience Can Decide When to Post

The one key to getting the best engagement is to post when your target audience is most likely to read it. And the days and times listed above are not the best if most of your followers are in another country, fast asleep. Here are the best times to posting your Instagram content globally, depending on where in the world your audience is. (Note: The times below are in the Central Time zone, not local to the region).

• United States/Canada (Western): 12 a.m. to 6 a.m.
• United States/Canada (Central): 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.
• United States/Canada (Eastern): 4 a.m. to 9 a.m.
• South America: 4 a.m.
• United Kingdom: 4 a.m. to 6 a.m.
• Europe (Western): 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Europe (Eastern): 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.
• Middle East: 3 a.m.
• Africa: 6 a.m.
• South Asia: 3 a.m.
• Southeast Asia/East Asia: 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.
• India: 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
• Australia: 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Best Instagram Posting Times By Industry

Because various industries will get different results on different times and days, where you work can determine when to post on Instagram Generally speaking, the best time for any industry to post is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, but there are certain days and times where each industry is most likely to get views, likes and comments on its content. The list below is based on a compilation of statistics on unique times and days for each industry to maximize engagement with its audience

Tech

Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Retail

Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Health care

Mondays, Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., Tuesdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Education

Mondays at 8 a.m., Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., Saturday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Non-profit

Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Media/Entertainment

Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Best Times to Post Various Types of Instagram Content

Reels

The overall best time to post Instagram Reels is in the mornings. Mondays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. is the best posting time, but 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. also works well on both weekdays and weekends. Wednesday is often considered the worst day to post Reels can also do well in the afternoon on Fridays at 2 p.m. or Sunday at 3 p.m.. In the evening, Mondays at 9 p.m., Wednesdays at 10 p.m. and Saturdays at 7 p.m. are also peak times to post Instagram Reels. Try to post five to seven Reels a week, and make sure that you repost a Reel three to five days after you first put it up.

Video

Videos generate higher engagement during lunch hours (11:30 a.m.to 2 p.m.) and in the evening (7 p.m. and 9 p.m.), than any other times. This is because videos are either watched during longer lunch hours or in the evenings. The best days to post Instagram videos are Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Stories

Instagram Stories generate better engagement on weekdays rather than on weekends. The best times to post an Instagram story tends to be before work (5 a.m. to 7 a.m.), during lunch hours (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) or in the early afternoon (1 p.m. to 3 p.m.).

Live

Instagram Live is a great tool to help connect with your audience—so it’s important to go live only when they’re not preoccupied with other things. That means work hours are a bad time to post (though you might get a decent engagement rate after 4 p.m.). So is posting during dinner time (6 p.m. to 8 p.m.). The peak time to go live on Instagram is in the evening, after 8 p.m. up until 11 p.m.. You might also get good results posting during the lunch hour, with 12 p.m. being the optimal time.

Other Tips on When to Post on Instagram

Use Instagram Insights

Once you have more than 100 Instagram followers, you can use Instagram Insights to see the demographics of who interacts with your post. It will also let you know when your audience is most online and what your engagement rates are, both of which can tell you when to post on Instagram. While there might be statistics on the best time to post, Insights will work better to determine the best posting time for your brand and business. So make sure you monitor your Instagram analytics to set up a schedule and overall strategy for posting.

Different content works at different times

Science has shown that most people have high working memory in the morning and low working memory in the evening. What does that mean? Basically, this is when your cognitive skills and executive functions are at their highest. In other words, you think better in the morning and feel more in the afternoon. So post your more intellectual and thoughtful content in the morning, when Instagram users are at their sharpest. Your inspirational content, the posts that are designed to get a more emotional response, get maximum engagement in late afternoon and evening.

Post consistently

Trying to find the best times to post on social media s far less important than posting consistently. If you find a right time that works for you—when your post gets the best engagement—make sure to post at that time consistently. Posting on Instagram every day is important, though perhaps not as important on the weekends. And you’re more likely to grow your audience if you post multiple times a day. You don’t have to post at the same time everyday, but it works better if your followers start to expect your content on a regular basis. And nothing will stall your Instagram account faster than extended periods of silence. One thing that can help is scheduling social media content in advance and creating a calendar of when you want to post various types of content. 

Remember, finding the perfect time for each Instagram isn’t always possible. But knowing when your audience is most likely to be online and react to your content is one way to maximize engagement.

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