When to post on Instagram?
The best time to post on Instagram is (time in Eastern Standard Time, EST);
- Tuesday at 9 AM
- Thursday at 12 AM
- Friday at 5 AM
If youโre looking for an overall best time to post, it is between 6 am to 11 am (PST).
When it comes to Instagram engagement, posting at the RIGHT time often gives you an additional boost in terms of likes, followers, etc.
But hereโs the thing: thereโs NO thumb rule on best time to post on Instagram for more likes. It depends on several factors including;
- Your audience
- Their demographics
- Their engagement levels on the type of content you post
- What hashtags do you use for maximum reach and the list goes on
That being said, weโre going to reveal some of the best times and days to post on Instagram.
Letโs get started without much ado.
Table of Contents
When Is the Best Time to Post on Instagram for Likes
How Does the Instagram Algorithm Work?
Understanding the Instagram algorithm is extremely important. Because thatโs what affects your Instagram reach, likes, and engagement.
Instagram considers a set of data that includes;
- The captions and alt text applied to images or videos
- The hashtags
- Content quality score that includes the frequency of your Instagram posts, engagement with followers, tagging by others, etc
- Overall user engagement on the images, videos, or reels
Apart from the above, the Instagram algorithm also takes usersโ interests and relevancy into consideration.
If Instagram notices that a user enjoys a specific type of content, it will serve them more of that content.
In a nutshell, if you want to make your Instagram reels or posts go viral, try getting more likes, tags, comments, and shares.
Best Time To Post on Instagram: In A Nutshell
Here are some of the best times to post on Instagram, according to multiple sources.
According to Social Pilot (Pacific Standard Time (PST)):
- Monday: 9 am to 10 am
- Tuesday: 9 am to 10 am
- Wednesday: 5 am, 11 am, and 3 pm
- Thursday: 12 pm and 5 pm
- Friday: 9 am to 10 am and 5 pm to 6 pm
- Saturday: 8 am to 12 pm
- Sunday: 10 am to 2 pm
Accordcing to Influencer Marketing Hub (Central Time US):
- Monday: 5 AM, 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM
- Tuesday: 7 AM, 8 AM, 9 AM, 10 AM
- Wednesday: 5 AM, 6 AM, 9 AM, 10 AM, 11 AM
- Thursday: 6 AM, 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM
- Friday: 7 AM, 2 PM, 3 PM, 4 PM
- Saturday: 6 AM, 8 AM, 9 AM, 10 AM
- Sunday: 1 AM, 6 PM, 7 PM, 8 PM
According to HootSuite (US Pacific Time):
- Monday: 12:00 PM
- Tuesday: 9:00 AM
- Wednesday: 11:00 AM
- Thursday: 11:00 AM
- Friday: 2:00 PM
- Saturday: 9:00 AM
- Sunday: 7:00 PM
As you can see above, there are multiple variations in the different studies. Our suggestion for you is to try the above times by considering your target audience. Experiment different timings to find the BEST timing to post on Instagram.
Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram in 2024
Did you know that people reshare Instagram Reels 1 billion times a day through DMs? Instagram Reels are often engaging and entertaining.
Want to know the best time to post reels on Instagram to go viral?
According to Influencer Marketing Hub, here are the best days and times of the week to post Instgram reels (Eastern Time Zone);
- Monday: 6 AM, 10 AM, 10 PM
- Tuesday: 2 AM, 4 AM, 9 AM
- Wednesday: 7 AM, 8 AM, 11 PM
- Thursday: 9 AM, 12 AM, 7 PM
- Friday: 5 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM
- Saturday: 11 AM, 7 PM, 8 PM
- Sunday: 7 AM, 8 AM, 4 PM
Have a look at the following chart to get a better idea.
Here are a few amazing tips and tricks to make your Instagram reels go viral in 2024.
- Reuse the reel thatโs already working. One of the simplest ways to increase your reach is reworking on your best-performed reels. If you have an Instagram Reel that already has a huge reach, create new versions around the same style or music. Make it even more engaging, add new transitions, layers, etc.
- Use green screen. The best part about Instagram reels is that it has a green screen feature. Go to Instagram reels, search Green Screen and Add Media. Green screen feature gives you staple effect for moving subjects on backgrounds.
- Create auto reels. Instagram recently introduced a new feature called โAuto Reelsโ to automatically create reels. You can also add any audio to your Instagram Reels if you want.
3 Proven Tips to Find Your Best Time to Post on Instagram
There are certainly many factors that contribute to your Instagramโs growth.
One of the major factors is what time you post. Want to know how to find the best time to post on Instagram? Here are 3 proven ways for you.
1. Experiment with different times
The best way to get more views is to try different times to post on Instagram.
That way you can easily find out what works best for your particular audience. Try posting at different times throughout the day and track your engagement rates.
Itโs ALWAYS better to identify the demographics of your followers. If you have followers in different time zones, plan your posts accordingly.
You can use social media scheduling tools like Buffer, HootSuite, etc to schedule your posts to go live at different times.
Hereโs what Bufferโs dashboard looks like;
As you can see above, Buffer will show you a list of all your social media activities including;
- The best time of your top posts
- Reach
- Impressions
- Likes
- Engagement rate and much more
2. Post when your followers are online
The key to getting more engagement on your Instagram posts or reels is to post when the majority of your followers are online.
Hereโs where knowing MORE about your audiencesโ demographics plays a KEY role.
You can use Instagram analytics to quickly find out the โMost Active Timesโ of your Instagram account.
Hereโs what it looks like;
As you can see, using Instagram analytics, you can easily find out;
- Follower growth
- Their top locations
- Age range
- Gender
- Most active times of your followers
Once you find out the most active times of your followers, post only during those times (be it videos, normal posts, or reels). Thatโs how you get maximum engagement from your followers on Instagram.
3. Create a content schedule for Instagram
The ONLY way to succeed on Instagram is to post consistently. Unless youโre a HUGE celebrity, youโll need to work REALLY hard to build and grow your followers.
Thatโs why consistency matters.
Create a content schedule for your Instagram account. Content schedule is where you create a timing to post certain type of content.
Hereโs an excellent example of how a test schedule on Instagram looks like (Source: Buffer);
You can start with 3 posts everyday (on different times). For best results, consider posting different types of content depending on your niche and audience.
Track and analyze your Instagram analytics. See what works BEST for you in terms of user engagement. Do more of what works.
Amazing Instagram Statistics for 2024 That Will Blow Your Mind
Searching for some fascinating statistics about Instagram? Hereโs a curated list for you.
Who has the most followers on Instagram?
Cristiano Ronaldo has the most followers on Instagram, with over 565 million followers. Heโs a Portuguese professional footballer, with an estimated net worth of over $500 million.
How many users are on Instagram in 2024?
As of 2024, Instagram has over two billion monthly active users. 70% of Instagrammers are under 34 years. 87% of Instagram users live outside the U.S.
Instagramโs audience is 52.2% male and 47.8% female (Source: HootSuite)
Is Instagram one of the most popular social media platforms?
Yes, Instagram is the FOURTH most popular social media platform as currently boasts 2 billion monthly active users. Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp are ahead of Instagram in terms of daily global active users.
What is the top user activity on Instagram?
According to DataReportal, nearly 70% of users use Instagram to post or share photos and videos.
Since Instagram is a photo-sharing platform, millions of people either publish or share NEW photos every single day.
Which country has the most number of Instagram users?
According to HootSuite, India has the most Instagram users in the world with 249 million users logging in from India. India is followed by the U.S. at 147 million and Brazil with 117 million users.
How much does the average user spend on Instagram?
Most users across the world spend an average of 11.7 hours per month on Instagram. eMarketer reveals that the Americans spend around 30 minutes per day on Instagram.
FAQs | When is the best time to post on Instagram
Here are some frequently asked questions about best Instagram timings.
Tuesday is the best day to post on Instagram. 2 AM, 4 AM, 9 AM are the best times to post on Tuesday on the Instagram platform, according to Influencer Marketing Hub.
The best times to post on IG Reels on Monday: 6 AM, 10 AM, and 10 PM
The best time to post on Instagram Reels depends on when your target audience is most active. HootSuite suggests the best time to post Reels is 9 AM and 12 PM, Monday to Thursday.
Yes, posting time matters a lot on Instagram reels to get more views, likes, and engagement. Make sure to know from which countries your most followers are coming so you can post at those times when theyโre most active.
Here are a few proven ways to make your Instagram reels go viral in 2024.
– Share your Reels on the Instagram stories and Grid
– Tag the brands or celebrities in the video to get extra views
– Do reels on the trending topics (and use trending music)
According to Sprout Social, Tuesday, around 11 AM โ 2 PM, is the best time to post on Instagram.
The worst time to post on Instagram is after 2 pm on weekends. The reasons could be people spending time with their family or friends. Or least interacting with their phones after 2 PM on weekends.
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Final thoughts on the best time to post reels on Instagram
Regarding the best times to post on Instagram, thereโs no one-size-fits-all.
Why? Because the best Instagram timings depend on your followers, their demographics, the kind of videos you post, etc.
Use the above timings as a guideline to find the best time to post on Instagram for your business. Experiment A LOT with different timings.
Have any questions? Let us know in the comments.