The best time to post on Instagram has long been debated by influencers and social media experts. In the past, studies collectively concluded the prime times and days for active engagement, but recent changes in Instagram’s algorithm have made peak times more variable than ever before.
In this guide, we’ll go what are generally considered the best time to post on Instagram, as well as how to determine a personalized peak publishing time to help your content get the most engagement.
The best times to post on Instagram vary from account to account. The answer depends greatly on where you live and the demographics of your followers. As a rule of thumb, the time when your followers are the most active is the best time to post.
According to a study by Later, which analyzed over 12 million posts, the best time to publish new content on Instagram is between 9 am and 11 am Eastern.
However, the most engaging time periods on the platform depend heavily on your audience’s demographics and activity. You can learn this information by accessing your account’s analytics, also referred to as Instagram Insights.
Currently, the Insights feature is only available to users with professional accounts. Here’s how to find your Instagram Insights:
While peak times depend on your followers’ activity, the best day of the week to post on Instagram is generally Wednesday, with Friday being a close second.
For most accounts, the best time of day to post on Instagram varies depending on the day of the week. While there’s a lot of conflicting information out there, below is a list of what are generally accepted as the best times.
Best time to post on Instagram on Monday include 6 am, 10 am, or 10 pm EST.
The best times to post on Tuesday are 2 am, 4 am, or 9 am EST.
The optimal times to post on Instagram on Wednesday are 7 am, 8 am, and 11 pm EST.
Some of the best times to post on Thursday are 9 am, 12 pm, and 7 pm EST.
Best times to post on Instagram on Friday are 5 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm EST.
Best time to post on Instagram on Saturday is 11 am, 7 pm, and 8 pm EST.
The best times to post on Instagram on Sunday include 7 am, 8 am, and 4 pm EST.
As previously stated, the best time to post on Instagram depends on your followers. While following the established best posting practices laid out above can work, it’s more effective to discover your own best upload time. And there are a few ways you can do that.
Use the data in your Instagram Insights to determine the time zone where most of your followers live. Here’s how to find that information in the app:
From there, you can check the top cities and countries where your followers reside and use that information to determine your optimal posting times. For example, if most of your followers are in the Eastern Time Zone, post during prime Eastern hours. That way, you won’t post content while your followers are asleep or less likely to be active.
Once you have your time zones down, it’s also good to learn when your followers are the most active on the app. Instagram calculates this information based on the times when users are scrolling, liking, commenting, and messaging other accounts the most. Here’s how to find this data in the app:
From there, you can scroll through different days and hours to see when your followers are most active. Use this to determine the best days and times to post.
Whether you’re using one of the previously mentioned suggestions or experimenting with different days and times, it’s a good idea to track your posts’ success. First, create a spreadsheet and record the number of likes and comments each post receives, along with the day and time you posted it. Once you’ve collected the data of 20 to 30 posts, you should have a good idea of what times and days worked best for you.
While selecting a prime posting time can lead to increased exposure for your content, the most important metric is still value. Use the methods and suggestions mentioned in this guide, but always remember that the quality of your content is what matters most.