Wondering the best time to post on Instagram?
You spend hours crafting content, so you want to make sure your audience gets to see it!
Does when you post to Instagram matter?
It does, and we’ll tell you how to nail it.
Why Posting Time Matters
Every audience is indeed different.
For some, the exact time of the post doesn’t have a massive impact. For others, if the key window is missed, the post is doomed to fail.
That’s why it is important to understand why posting time matters, and how it impacts your own account.
Timeliness
One big consideration about finding the best time to post is an algorithm thing.
They call it ‘timeliness,’ and since 2018 it adds more weight to when something was posted.
It was part of measures to give users more control over their feed. It let them see new posts at the top of the feed with the tap of a button.
Engagement
The other reason why posting time matters is that it helps with engagement.
We all know the more likes and comments a post gets, the more people Instagram will show it to. By ensuring you post when your audience is around, you increase chances of engagement.
You’ll get your stuff seen by more people. Work with that algorithm!
When is the Best Time to Post on Instagram?
The broad and general answer is:
The best time to post to Instagram is on Tuesday between 11am and 2pm.
The best daily posting time is Monday through Friday at 11am.
Keep reading to discover the best times for each day and industry, and learn how to find your own account’s best times that are working right now!
In terms of time zone, studies have shown that working in Central Daylight Time (CDT) is top for getting the most engagement. So these times are in CDT.
Improvements to the platform include the addition of Reels on Instagram, enhancements to Instagram Stories, and encouraging discovery on the Explore tab. And of course, Instagram Live!
The fact that more people are working at home also seems to have had some impact on the time that people spend on Instagram. But interestingly, rather than widening the data, it has actually narrowed it.
There are now clear patterns about when it is a good time to post and when to avoid in 2024.
Last year, the trends showed that the best times became better. But the quieter times became even quieter.
Compare the charts below – old 2020 followed by the latest. It’s more focused!
OLD Instagram Engagement time chart from Sprout Social.
Is 3pm a good time to post on Instagram?
3pm is a good time to post on Instagram. However, the optimal time is generally between 11am and 2pm.
See details for each day below.
Is 6pm a good time to post on Instagram?
6pm is an acceptable time to post on Instagram, but not optimal. Earlier in the day works better every day of the week.
The best days to post at 6pm are any weekday. Fewer people are on IG at 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
See details for each day below.
What Are the Best Times for Each Day?
There are also some good recommendations about the best time to post each day. These work on your own time zone, or where your audience is located.
If you have a global, English-speaking audience, it’s likely the majority of them reside in the heavily-populated Eastern time zone, so you can use that.
The best time to post on Instagram on Sunday
While Sunday is the slowest day of the week on Instagram, it’s by no means abandoned. The fact that fewer brands are posting may give yours a chance to stand out!
The best time to post on Instagram Sunday is between 9am and 3pm.
The best time to post on Instagram on Monday
The work week starts of well. The best time to post on Instagram Monday is between 11am and 2pm, though the entire workday of 9am-5pm works well.
The best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday
Now for that most active day of the week. The best time to post on Instagram Tuesday is between 11am and 2pm.
Post more than once a day? You’ve got a lot of options today, because 8am-8pm sees acceptable engagement on Tuesdays.
The best time to post on Instagram on Wednesday
Happy Hump Day! The best time to post on Instagram Wednesday is between 11am and 2pm. You’ve got a wide window today – just keep it within 5am to 10pm.
The best time to post on Instagram on Thursday
There’s one primo spot to post today. The best time to post on Instagram Thursday is 11am, with decent engagement between 7am-9pm.
The best time to post on Instagram on Friday
Friyay must mean checking your phone before heading out to lunch, because the best time to post on Instagram Friday is between best 11am – 12pm. Again we see respectable engagement between 7am-9pm.
The best time to post on Instagram on Saturday
It’s the second slowest day of the week. Nonetheless, the best time to post on Instagram Saturday is 10am – 12pm, with 8am – 6pm being okay as well.
What is the Best Day to Post on Instagram?
The best day to post to Instagram is Tuesday. The worst day is Sunday.
The best days to post on Instagram are Tuesdays, followed by Wednesdays, Fridays, Mondays, and Thursdays.
The best days will vary by niche, which is explained below.
When to Post on Instagram by Niche
There are even some general ideas about when to post for different types of industry.
These can also apply to bloggers in these niches.
Technology companies and blogs
- Best time: 10am Wednesday (CDT)
- Best day: Thursday
- Best engagement: 10am-5pm (CDT) Wednesday to Friday
- Worst day: Sunday
B2C companies and blogs
- Best time: 10am & 1pm Friday (CDT)
- Best day: Wednesday
- Best engagement: 10am-3pm (CDT) daily
- Worst day: Sunday
Education companies and blogs
- Best time: 8am Monday (CDT)
- Best day: Monday
- Best engagement: 11am-4pm (CDT) weekdays
- Worst day: Sunday
Healthcare companies and blogs
- Best time: 1pm Tuesday (CDT)
- Best day: Tuesday
- Best engagement: 9am-4pm (CDT) Tuesday to Friday
- Worst day: Saturday and Sunday
Non-profits
- Best time: 3pm Tuesday and Wednesday, 2pm-3pm Thursday, 10am and 2pm Friday (CDT)
- Best day: Tuesday
- Best engagement: 12pm-5pm (CDT) weekdays
- Worst day: Saturday
How to Use your Instagram Profile to Find your Best Time to Post
These general guidelines are great. But once you’ve been posting on Instagram for a while, there’s a better way.
You can get information about your account from Insights. This is customized data based on your account and your audience.
Add this to the general data and you can fine-tune your posting schedule.
Activity tab
If you head into Insights on your Instagram app, the first tab is content.
But the second one is ‘Activity,’ and there’s some good data here.
First, there’s your general reach. This is broken down by the last seven days.
So, you can compare what you posted to the days with the most reach.
Did your posts reach people or fall flat? Take some notes from here.
Interactions
Further down the same page is the ‘interactions’ section. This is looking at profile visits.
Again, it highlights the last seven days. It highlights the days you had the most profile visits.
Do they line up with when you posted? Or particular types of posts?
Audience
The final tab is ‘audience’ and there’s information on followers here.
Scroll down to the bottom and you can see followers by hours or by days. Again, you can compare this with your posting schedule for a bit more context.
Here, you can see if you pick up followers at particular hours of any day. Or you can see if any day of the week brings in more followers than others.
Check it out on the two screenshots below.
Top locations
One final element from Insights is top locations.
This doesn’t help so much with day and time, but with the time zone.
By default, it will show you the town or city where most of your audience lives. Or switch to ‘Countries’ for a broader picture of where your followers fare concentrated.
Two screenshots below:
Both of these can help you pick a time zone to base your posting schedule on if you are unsure.
For example, if your audience is mostly in the US and one of your top cities is New York, then Eastern is a good bet.
When using any of these metrics, check them every month for changing patterns.
Using Tailwind to Optimize Posting Times
If you want to cheat with getting the best times to post on Instagram, I’ve got a solution.
It’s called Tailwind!
Most of us know Tailwind from Pinterest scheduling, but it does an equally awesome job at posting to Instagram.
And one of the best features for scheduling is available. It’s called the Smart Assistant.
Similar to the Smart Schedule for Pinterest, it helps optimize every post. It lets you:
- Optimize the time of every post by using a color-coded content plan based on your business.
- Auto posts your content so you don’t need to worry if your best time is the middle of the night your time.
- Has a handy hashtag finder and adds them to the first comment.
Combined with the analytics it offers, Tailwind makes Instagram so much easier.
No spending hours with time charts, time zones, and post numbers.
You can let it figure out when to post and get on with it!
• • • Click here to join Tailwind for Instagram Forever FREE Plan • • •
Disclosure: If you use my link, I may earn a referral fee at no cost to you.
Optimum Instagram Posting Times
You’ve spent hours coming up with engaging Instagram post ideas and crafting great content in the best image sizes.
You’ve picked some great hashtags for Instagram, and maybe even a few popular emojis.
Now hit the optimum Instagram posting times, so you can reach more people!
Increase engagements, followers, and fulfill your IG goals.
There’s a bit of research involved – unless you opt to let Tailwind do it for you. But learning the best time to post on Instagram is definitely worth the effort.
Come back often to review, and the latest updates! For a quick link, Pin the infographic from QuickSprout to your Pinterest board.
Once you’ve done a bit of research, comment below and tell me when is your best time to post on Instagram?
Next, learn the best time to post to all social networks.
lynne says
What timezone is being used for this?
Louise Myers says
Hi Lynne, if you search the page for the word “zone” you’ll see the references to that. The Sprout Social study was done in Central Time. But I do recommend reading the other references so you can determine your own audience’s favored time zone.
Mickie Kennedy says
Louise,
Thanks for the Iconosquare resource — I’ll definitely be taking advantage of that in the future.
The Instagram interaction times are especially surprising considering the advice of posting during work hours for other social platforms.
What do you suppose makes Instagram different in this respect?
Thanks,
Mickie Kennedy
Louise Myers says
Not sure about that, Mickie. Pinterest is also an off-work-hours platform. Of course, everything is subject to your own audience, which is why services like Iconosquare are so useful!