Is There a "Best" Time to Post on Instagram?

Instagram is a crowded marketplace. According to Domo’s latest Data Never Sleeps 8.0 report, 347,222 Stories are shared on Instagram every minute. Along with those, there are Reels, regular captions with images, Live, ads, and all other types of content on Instagram.

That’s a lot of content!

So, it's no surprise that with the amount of content published every minute of every day, it can be challenging to get your posts seen.

That’s why it's important for you to post at the best time on Instagram when the noise is low and you have your customers’ attention.

But how will you know what the "best time" is?

There are two ways to find out: (1) read our blog, and (2) monitor the timing yourself using social media management tools.

Our intent in putting together this post is to give you a good starting point; you'll then be well-equipped to take the rest from there.

Why the Time for Posting Your Content Is Crucial

To put it simply: Time matters because you'll get the highest level of engagement on your posts when most of your followers are active on Instagram.

Publishing time is a prominent signal used for ranking content on Instagram – meaning, there is a strong correlation between the timing of your posts and people's engagement with your content.

Here’s what Instagram Head Adam Mosseri said about publishing time being one of the signals to rank Feed and Stories:

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What’s even more interesting is that Instagram users see only 30 percent of the posts in Feed, and half of that is from close connections.

Moreover, other ranking signals like frequency of opening the Instagram app, number of accounts a user follows, and session times make it more crucial to time your posts right.

So ... When Should You Post on Instagram?

There is no one answer to this question since the best time to post on Instagram can vary according to your industry.

It can get further complicated if you have a global audience like we do. Hashtag Expert has followers and users from all over the world, which is tricky because timing varies according to geographical region.

Another factor that influences your timing is your audience demographics. If you’re targeting Gen Z fashion enthusiasts on Instagram, their timing may be quite different from yoga lovers or executive-level users waking up at 6:00 a.m.

From what we have gathered, morning hours work for most businesses.

If we look at Sprout Social’s global engagement data, it’s clear that Monday through Friday at 11:00 a.m. (and to some extent 12:00 noon) are the best slots for posting on Instagram.

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This report coincides with Hootsuite’s engagement report on Instagram. Hootsuite’s Social Marketing and Employee Advocacy Strategist Brayden Cohen explains:

“Typically, we like to post early in the morning and mid-afternoon. For Instagram, that means we try to post anytime between 8AM–12PM PST, or else 4–5PM PST on weekdays."

To determine what works best for your account, you'll need to gather user-behavior and engagement data; and when you have sufficient data to compare, you’ll have your answer.

How to Gather Data About Your Audience Engagement

It’s not difficult to collect information related to user engagement. You can do this by:

Using Instagram Insights

Switching to a business or creator account on Instagram lets you access Instagram Insights. There, you can view the analysis of your followers and their activities of the past 90 days. And the best part is, Insights is now also available for Reels and Live.

Open your Instagram account, and in the profile section you'll find the "Insights" tab. Then head over "Your audience" and tap on "Total followers."

Scroll to the end of the screen and you'll see a bar chart representing the active time corresponding to the hours and days. This lets you know when your followers are most likely to engage with the post.

Using Third-Party Tools

In addition to Instagram Insights, you can use third-party tools like Sprout Social, Buffer, Hootsuite, or any other social media management and analytics tools.

This is a simple and cost-effective way to time your posts right on Instagram. The chart is dynamic and represents the data of the past 90 days, so you can always tweak post timings based on this chart for the best engagement.

Crafting a perfect Instagram strategy shouldn’t be overwhelming, which is why we've simplified the process for you. Now you'll know how to choose the best time to post on Instagram so you can schedule your posts with ease.

By monitoring traffic trends and engagement patterns, you can determine when your posts have the maximum chances of generating engagement. If you want to stay one step ahead and get more engagement and likes, always pair your posts, Reels, and stories with hashtags. Thank us later.

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