The Best Times to Post on Instagram for Maximum Reach

Instagram is a platform with more than a billion users. With this number, Instagram has become an essential daily platform for users. It is important to understand what should be posted on Instagram to make your account shine with such a huge audience.

Not only this, but you must also understand the time required to post content on Instagram to get maximum reach on your posts. This will increase the overall visibility and engagement of your account.

Why Timing Matters on Instagram

Instagram prioritizes the preferences of its users. It shows the most interesting content on the Explore page. Therefore, posting content at the right time with high quality is essential.

The chances of getting views on your post and reels are higher by doing this. This article will explain the best time for posting content on Instagram. Furthermore, we will analyze the posting sequence according to your target audience.

Best Times to Post on Instagram

Studies about social media demonstrate that certain times are more likely to attract viewers on Instagram. Generally, the best time of the day to post on Instagram is:

• Best Day: Wednesday or Thursday are considered to be the best days.
• Best Overall Times: During weekdays, 10 AM-3 PM.
• Worst Day: The engagement is less on Sundays.

Here’s a day-by-day breakdown:

• Monday: 11 AM-2 PM
• Tuesday: 9 AM-4 PM
• Wednesday: The highest times for engagement are between 11 AM-1 PM.
• Thursday: 10 AM-1 PM
• Friday: 10 AM-12 PM
• Saturday: The engagement is not high but still if you want to post, 10-11 AM.
• Sunday: The time between 7-9 PM is quite good although the engagement is low Sundays.

You can start posting at these times. However, consider your target audience. Their behavior and location help you choose the best time for posting content.

Factors That Affect the Best Times to Post

The trends make you well aware of the best time to post content. On the other hand, there are some important factors to keep in mind:

1. Your Audience’s Time Zone: See where most of your audience is coming from. For global reach, one strategy could be posting multiple times. Moreover, you may schedule the posts according to different regions to attract larger followers.
2. Audience Demographics: The age, lifestyle, and types of jobs of your audience are the key factors. These things help you determine their online interests:

• Teens and young adults are more likely to be active during weekends or the daytime.
• Working professionals are likely to become active in their break times between 11 AM-1 PM. They may also use Instagram around 6-9 PM (after their work).

1. Type of Content: The type of content can also influence the time for posting. More educational content is consumed during the working hours of the weekdays. Alternatively, entertainment videos and posts are preferred during weekends and evenings.
2. Industry and Niche: Your niche and type of industry are important to assess the best time for posting content. For instance:

• B2B accounts get high user interaction during working hours from Monday to Friday.
• Fashion and beauty brands have chances of getting views during the evenings and weekends. This is because people have more free time.

Industry-Specific Best Times to Post

From studies, we’ve concluded the optimal times for posting content according to different industries:

• B2B (Business to Business): During the middle of the week, usually from Tuesday-Thursday. The time is from 11 AM – 1 PM.
• B2C (Business to Consumer): From Wednesday upto Friday. The time is between 10 AM- 3 PM.
• Media: Highest user engagement from 9 AM up to 11 AM during the days of the week.
• Healthcare: Lunchtime is best for this industry. From 11 AM-1 PM during the days of the week.
• Tech: The peak interactions by the users are shown during the early hours 7-9 AM and during the afternoon 5-6 PM.
• Nonprofit: 10 AM- 5 PM from Tuesday to Thursday.

These times are good to follow during the start of your business. However, you must assess the best option depending on your following and interactions.

How to Find the Best Time to Post for Your Account

To find out the most suitable time for posting content, you’ll need to assess the activity of your audience. The details of your follower’s interests can be found by:

Step 1: Use Instagram Insights

Instagram has built-in tools that provide information regarding the activity of your followers. This tool is specifically designed for businesses.

1. Go to Insights: Go to your Instagram profile. From the upper right corner, tap on the three-line icon. Then select the option of “Insights”.
2. View Audience Insights: Here, select “Your Audience”. Below the different options you will be able to view the analytics about the activity of your user/ when your users are mostly active. Furthermore, this data is available in hours and days to make it clear to you.

This information is helpful while scheduling the time of your posts. Especially, if the general guidelines vary from the interests of your audience.

Step 2: Test Different Times

Experiment with different times for posting. This will help in finding the ideal time for posting content. Post a similar type of content across different times of the week. Closely observe the best time to get maximum benefits.

1. Choose Consistent Time Blocks: You can pick 3-5 random time blocks. Make a habit of posting only at these times for almost 2 weeks.
2. Compare Engagement Metrics: After this time, check the likes, shares, and comments on the post. Do this every time of post to identify the most reliable one.

Step 3: Track Engagement Over Time

If you want to get deep information about these times you can get help from different tools. These tools include Hootsuite, Later, and Sprout Social. They help provide engagement on your post by highlighting the best times.

Timing Tips for Different Types of Instagram Content

The reel, posts, and stories all have different times for posting. Therefore, it is important to find the accurate time for each type of content.

1. Instagram Stories

Instagram stories are visible to the followers for a day. It makes it crucial to understand the best time for posting it. Ideally, they work best during the morning and evening hours before and after work. The best time to post can be between 7- 9 AM in the morning and 7-9 PM during the night.

2. Instagram Reels

Reels are comparatively more engaging to the users because they remain on the profile even after 24 hours. The reels offer short-form content which should ideally be posted during the weekend and afternoon. The best time can be between 5-7 PM.

3. Standard Instagram Posts

For standard Instagram posts, morning and lunchtime are most preferable. You can post between 9- 11 AM and 11-2 PM to reach the greater public and drive results.

How to Schedule Posts for Optimal Times?

Different tools are available to schedule the times for posting content. You can make your life easier by determining the best time through these tools. Some of them are as follows:

• Hootsuite For scheduling with flexible options and getting insights into the best post timings.
• Buffer: It is a user-friendly platform that recommends the best time for posting according to different patterns.
• Later: It schedules the best time according to previous data of interactions on your account. It is specially designed for Instagram.

These apps help post the content at the times that you’ve selected. They ensure the posting even if you cannot do it for any reason.

Final Thoughts

It is crucial to understand the best time to post content on Instagram. It significantly impacts the reach of your account. The most critical times for posting content can be determined through the audience, type of content, and your niche.

You can always see Instagram insights or get help from different tools to refine the best time for posting content. All this can aid in boosting your online presence.

You can build a strong connection with your audience if your posting time relates to their time of viewing it. So experiment with your Instagram account and make adjustments wherever necessary to get maximum results.

ProflUp maximizes your reach with real engagement for your posts. Get in touch today to learn the best times and grow your following safely!