The Best Time To Post On Instagram In 2022 | Statusbrew (2024)

While setting up an Instagram account, most people always desire a Kardashian-style following that allows them to build a brand, promote a product or service, and enter the world of social stardom where people see them as an expert, influencer, and role model.

Knowing the best time to post on Instagram helps you to be seen and known for the rockstar you want. It always works for you and never against you when trying to make a name for yourself online.

If you are confused about the best time to post on Instagram, don't worry. Most people aren't aware of this info when they first open an account because it's not a knowledge base that Instagram makes readily available to all its users.

It's nearly impossible to get things right on Instagram without timing them perfectly, which is why we have taken the hard work out of your way by compiling the absolute perfect time to post on Instagram by slicing and dicing them into several categories. There you go!

Table Of Content:

• Why Can't I Just Post At Any Time Of The Day On Instagram?
• Global Best Time To Post On Instagram
• Best Time To Post On Instagram: By Industry
• Best Time To Post Reels On Instagram
• Best Time To Post Videos On Instagram
• Best Time To Post Instagram Story
• Best Time To Go Live On Instagram
• Best Time To Post On Instagram In India
• Best Time To Post On Instagram In UK
• What's The Best Time To Post On Instagram For You?
• Optimize Your Best Time To Post On Instagram

You can directly jump to a section of your choice or keep scrolling.

Why Can't I Just Post At Any Time Of The Day On Instagram?

Great question! You are free to post on Instagram whenever the mood strikes you. However, if increased engagement is your primary goal, you must show up on the platform when your audience does.

Otherwise, you will spend countless hours posting on Instagram only to see no growth. Not only is this a huge bummer, but it can lead to social media burnout as well.

Your goal should be to work smarter, not harder. And that requires understanding the best time to post on Instagram according to your time zone & industry.

Global Best Time To Post On Instagram

In the past, there was an exact science for how Instagram shows posts in people's feeds. It simply arranged all posts from the followers' accounts in chronological order. No matter at what time you posted, it could be seen by all of your followers who opened Instagram at that time, irrespective of how little engagement it received.

Fast-forward to today, and the Instagram algorithm makes it hard-pressed to be seen if you don't publish at the best time to post on Instagram and get enough likes & comments. It's a double-edged sword if you think about it.

If you desire consistency in terms of likes, comments, and shares on your Instagram post, you will want to schedule them for the following times for each day of the week.

Best time to post on Instagram on Monday

11 AM to 1 PM is the best time to post on Instagram on Monday. A consistent engagement starts at morning 8 AM and remains till 8 PM. Instagrammers usage gradually drops after that and is observed lowest from 11 PM to 6 AM.

Best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday

10 AM to 5 PM is the best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday. A significant amount of engagement still prevails until 10 PM in the night, after which the engagement rate starts to degrade slowly.

Best time to post on Instagram on Wednesday

Same as Monday, 11 AM to 1 PM is the best time to post on Instagram on Wednesday. A long belt of consistent engagement stays on Wednesday starting right from morning 6 AM to 11 PM, which is also the longest stride in the entire week.

Best time to post on Instagram on Thursday

11 AM to 12 PM is the best time to post on Instagram on Thursday. A pretty high amount of engagement remains from 10 AM to 4 PM, after which it gradually starts decreasing, achieving its lowest peak at 12 AM to 4 AM.

Best time to post on Instagram on Friday

11 AM to 1 PM is the best time to post on Instagram on Friday. The engagement rate starts early on a Friday morning from 7 AM and dips early at 5 PM. Friday night observes the lowest engagement from 10 PM to 7 AM.

Best time to post on Instagram on Saturday

10 AM to 1 PM is the best time to post on Instagram on Saturday. Saturday is the second-worst day to post on Instagram after Sunday, as even during the peak time, the engagement rate is observed low compared to other weekdays. The lowest engagement rate on Saturday is seen from 4 PM to 8 AM.

Best time to post on Instagram on Sunday

9 AM to 4 PM is the best time to post on Instagram on Sunday. However, the quality of Instagram engagement observed on a Sunday is the lowest compared to other weekdays. That's why Sunday is also the worst day to post on Instagram if you want your post to gain the exposure it deserves. 6 PM to 8 AM is the worst time to post on Instagram on Sunday.

In general

• The best time to post on Instagram is on Wednesday at 11 AM.
• If you are looking for the highest levels of engagement, Tuesday is the best day to post on Instagram.
• From Monday through Friday, between 10 AM and 3 PM, you are likely to get the most consistent levels of engagement.
• Sunday is the worst day to post on Instagram (no surprises for guessing here!).
• From around 11 PM to 3 AM, late-night hours are seen to have the lowest engagement for almost every day of the week.

Here's a table summarizing the prime times to post on Instagram by days of the week:

All times are expressed in CST.

Best Time To Post On Instagram: By Industry

Thanks to Instagram's capability to promote growing brand awareness, brands today see it as a perfect vehicle for promotions. Understanding the best time to post on Instagram becomes essential, as very less social platform offer such a cool brand promotion without sounding aggressive to customers.

Best time to post on Instagram for IT brands

• Prime time to post on Instagram: Monday 11 AM to 12 AM, 8 PM to 9 PM, Tuesday 11 AM to 12 AM, Thursday 12 PM to 1 PM, Friday 11 AM to 12 PM
• Best day to post on Instagram: Monday
• Worst day to post on Instagram: Saturday
• Worst time to post on Instagram: 1 AM to 7 AM

Best time to post on Instagram for Healthcare brands

• Prime time to post on Instagram: Monday 9 AM to 10 AM, 2 PM to 3 PM, 5 PM to 6 PM, Tuesday 8 AM to 9 PM, Sunday 8 AM to 9 PM
• Best day to post on Instagram: Monday
• Worst day to post on Instagram: Saturday
• Worst time to post on Instagram: 2 AM to 7 AM

Best time to post on Instagram for Education brands

• Prime time to post on Instagram: Thursday 2 PM to 3 PM, Friday 4 AM to 5 AM
• Best day to post on Instagram: Friday
• Worst day to post on Instagram: Sunday
• Worst time to post on Instagram: 11 PM to 3 AM

Best time to post on Instagram for Nonprofit organizations

• Prime time to post on Instagram: Wednesday 10 AM to 5 PM, 5 PM to 6 PM, Thursday 11 AM to 5 PM
• Best day to post on Instagram: Wednesday
• Worst day to post on Instagram: Sunday
• Worst time to post on Instagram: 2 AM to 5 AM

Best time to post on Instagram for Travel brands

• Prime time to post on Instagram: Thursday 7 AMto 8 AM, Monday 11 AM to 4 PM
• Best day to post on Instagram: Thursday
• Worst day to post on Instagram: Saturday
• Worst time to post on Instagram: 11 PM to 5 AM

Best time to post on Instagram for Media and Entertainment brands

• Prime time to post on Instagram: Tuesday 1 PM to 5 PM, Wednesday 11 AM to 12 PM, Thursday 8 AM to 9 AM
• Best day to post on Instagram: Tuesday
• Worst day to post on Instagram: Sunday
• Worst time to post on Instagram: 10 PM to 2 AM

Best time to post on Instagram for Food and Beverage brands

• Prime time to post on Instagram: Monday 9 AM to 2 PM, Tuesday 10 AM to 2 PM
• Best day to post on Instagram: Monday
• Worst day to post on Instagram: Saturday
• Worst time to post on Instagram: 11 PM to 2 AM

Best time to post on Instagram for B2B brands

• Prime time to post on Instagram: Monday 4 PM to 5 PM
• Best day to post on Instagram: Monday
• Worst day to post on Instagram: Saturday
• Worst time to post on Instagram: 11 PM to 4 AM

Best time to post on Instagram for Influencers

• Prime time to post on Instagram: Friday 7 PM to 8 PM, Sunday 5 PM to 6 PM
• Best day to post on Instagram: Friday
• Worst day to post on Instagram: Saturday
• Worst time to post on Instagram: 5 AM to 9 AM

All times are expressed in EST.

Best Time To Post Reels On Instagram

Instagram reel content is already becoming a massive part of both brands' and influencers' content strategy in 2022. Posting four to seven reels a week is crucial for receiving Instagram's attention. This will ultimately increase your account's visibility and lead to more engagement. While four to seven reels might seem like an achievable number, the ultimate growth of your account can only be achieved after combination with its best time to post on Instagram.

Instagram reels are poised for enormous growth on the platform. Choosing the single best time to post Reels on Instagram can be tricky, but here's what studies have found after analyzing more than 100,000 reels on Instagram to find the best engagement rates.

Know more about 7(+1) Tips To Get Discovered On Instagram Reels

All times are expressed in EST.
Times marked in asterisk indicate high engagement.

Best Time To Post Videos On Instagram

When daylight seems the best time to post on Instagram for images and art, the night is when videos on Instagram perform the best. Even though videos as short as 3 seconds can be uploaded on Instagram, people still find it more time-consuming to watch videos than images.

9 PM and 8 AM are considered the best time to post videos on Instagram as people are at their homes and have more free time.

A significant engagement rate for video is caught when people are on breaks from work. Between 11 AM and 1 PM, when people are on their lunch breaks, and 7 PM to 9 PM, just after people have left work, are best times to upload fresh videos on Instagram.

Best Time To Post Instagram Story

There's nothing more frustrating than posting a great series of stories on Instagram, only sitting and waiting for views to roll in.

But panic not - it's probably not your stories entirely that's deterring the views. Instead, it might be the time at which you decide to post it. An interesting fact about Instagram stories is that they get two to three times the engagement of normal posts. So, if you are a brand owner, stories are your friend.

It goes without saying that knowing your audience and their social habits will get the highest possible engagement for stories as well. The hours before work, as well as lunch breaks and late afternoons, bring you the most views and is considered as the best time to post Instagram story.

While people post more stories during the weekend, they are less likely to go through other Instagrammer stories. After all, most of them are out during the weekend, resulting in the generation of plenty of stories on the platform and a few of them getting their viewership.

So if you want more views, the best time to post Instagram story is during the workweek, around lunchtime. Since one Instagram story is hardly 15 seconds long, it becomes a treat to the eyes during the break.

Know more about Instagram Story Analytics: Understanding Stories Metrics

Image Source: Statusbrew Instagram

Best Time To Go Live On Instagram

Going live on Instagram is the best way to build up a strong relationship with your followers.

Your followers receive a notification when you go live on Instagram. Imagine they are in the office or schools and colleges in the middle of their work then. They may join your live video but won't be able to interact with you much if you go live on such hours.

So, don't go live during office hours for interactions unless you plan to prepare an IGTV video that can be saved on your profile to view later.

According to deep research, Monday to Friday at 12 PM or from 7 PM to 9 PM is the best time to go live on Instagram. Like Facebook, it's an ideal time to go live on Instagram when most people are on their lunch break. After work hours are also best for users, as audience members and followers tend to relax and unwind by scrolling through their feed.

Know more about Four Tips To Increase Engagement On Instagram Live

Image Source: TechCrunch

Best Time To Post On Instagram In India

As of July 2021, India is the leading country with a vast audience of 180 million users accessing the photo-sharing and editing app.

Image Source: Statistics.com

The popularity of Instagram is at its peak in India. People in India are spending more time on Instagram now than on Facebook and Twitter. Active Instagram users in India have more than doubled in a year.

This means that knowing the best time to post on Instagram in India is essential to attract a vast audience base. Here's an estimate of when you should post on Instagram in India:

Best Time To Post On Instagram In UK

In July 2021, Instagram had around 28.81 million users in the United Kingdom (UK). Women drive 40% of all football conversations on Instagram in the UK. Such die-hard fans of footballs and other Instagrammers would love to see posts in their feed at the best time to post on Instagram in UK.

What's The Best Time To Post On Instagram For You?

An Instagram marketing strategy decision is influenced by several factors based on your audience insights.

One important aspect of an effective Instagram marketing strategy is knowing when is the best time to post on Instagram.

A general set of guidelines can help your content get discovered. But in order to stay on top and become a thought leader in your niche, you will need an Instagram marketing strategy that is tailored specifically for your target audience.

Here are two methods on how you can extract the best time to post on Instagram from your IG account.

Method #1: Check Out Your Instagram Insights

Instagram Insights are an excellent way to get into the nitty-gritty of who your posts are actually reaching! From the number of accounts reached to where in the world your content is being viewed, stats in the insights section are totally tailored to your account. Here's how to access your the best time to post on Instagram from the Insights section!

Step 1: First, you need to convert your Instagram account to a business profile. To do that, you need a public account (so head to your privacy settings first!)

Step 2: Once you are in your account settings, scroll down and press 'Switch to Business Account.'

Step 3: Tap the three bars on the top-right-hand corner. Head to 'Insights,' which will be fourth down the list!

Step 4: Tap 'Audience' and scroll to the bottom of the page to reach the 'Followers' section. Here, you will see a chart that shows the hours & days of the week.

Step 5: A figure will appear at the top of each hour bar revealing how many of your followers were online at that time. The hour bar which is the tallest is your best time to post on Instagram.

Image Source: Chookapeck

Step 6: Tap 'Days.' The chart will show the data for which days your audience is online. The day bar which is the tallest is your best day to post on Instagram.

Image Source: Chookapeck

Combining the data obtained from step 5 & step 6 will give you the best time to post on Instagram in a week.

Instagram profile insights will provide access to analytics on impressions, reach, website clicks, profile views, followers post engagement, stories, and more. Using these data, you will get valuable hints and information about the best time to post on Instagram for your audience.

Know more about How To See Post Insights On Instagram

Method #2: Use Best Time To Post On Instagram Calculator

Once you have started posting according to the global research-based times, it's time to analyze all your previous posts and see which ones performed the best (in terms of content, timing, and everything!)

This task can be accomplished by simply putting all data into a spreadsheet and then analyzing the numbers. But, neither is this method accurate nor does it seem appealing to your eyes while visualizing the data. So, it's better to leave this task in the hands of a social media management tool that analyzes all your previous posts once you link your profiles to them and derives a heat map to calculate best time to post on Instagram according to your requirements.

After you know your best time to post on Instagram, all you need to do is ensure that you post at those times. The biggest roadblock here would be shifting to different platforms to find your best time to post on Instagram and then scheduling it to post consistently. Consider using the same platform such as Statusbrew that calculates your best time to post on Instagram and schedules post only during peak hours.

Statusbrew is a multi-purpose platform that ensures your Instagram is updated regularly and that none of the time slots miss out.

Try Statusbrew

Optimize Your Best Time To Post On Instagram

To figure out your own best time to post on Instagram, make sure you take a look at these important tips that can either make or break the engagement you get out of your posts.

Take a look at your ideal buyer personas

Identifying your target audience should be the first step toward figuring out your best time to post on Instagram when they are the most active on the platform.

If you target people who work in a 9-to-5 job, they might be more likely to look at Instagram in the morning. Whereas if you target college kids, they stay out late and pull all-nighters while remaining slightly more active on Instagram.

Know more about How To Create A Detailed Buyer Persona

Post at least 2 image carousel

When going for carousel posts, posting at least a 2 image carousel is best. Even if the 2nd one is precisely the same as the first one, Instagram will show the second card to your followers later in the day, thus increasing the chances of getting viewerships.

Know more about 5 Reasons Why Instagram Carousels Are A Secret Weapon For Instagram Marketing!

Take care of the time zone differences

If you have got your target audience or followers from all over the world, then posting at fixed times of day is neither your best time to post on Instagram nor will it get you the same results as opposed to if you had followers who mostly live in the same time zone.

For example, if most of your Instagram followers are from North America living in the typical North American time zones of Pacific timing (PST), Central timing (CST), Eastern timing (EST), and Mountain timing (MST), you could start experimenting posting on Instagram around 7 AM EST and halt around 9 PM PST (or 12 AM EST) that is when most of your followers are awake given the difference in time zone to identify your best time to post on Instagram.

Image Source: Savvy Time

Determine the types of posts that work best for you (Posts, Stories, Reels, IGTV)

Different types of Instagram posts offer various benefits. For each post, you need to monitor which type performs the best. For instance, 70% of Instagram users view stories every day. This makes stories a great option for brands to share the most crucial information with their followers.

On the other hand, reels are an excellent medium for sponsored posts, also being the best feature for finding new trends. Reels were explicitly designed to boost your discoverability as per Instagram's Business Team. IGTV videos are ideal for educational content, thanks to their extended 4-hour duration.

Always prioritize engagement patterns you noticed

Pay close attention to any increases in interaction (likes, comments, shares) when you post at certain times of the day. After that, no matter what the research says or the experts tell you about best time to post on Instagram, what ultimately matters is the behavior of your own followers.

Keeping an eye on the type of post affects your engagement too. You might find that the best time to post on Instagram stories is on a Friday at 6 PM, but the best time for everyday feed posts is between 11 AM and 1 PM on a Wednesday. The more tracking you do, the more you will start to understand your audience and how they choose to interact with social media.

Don't forget to use Hashtags to extend the time on Instagram

It's no secret that Instagram thrives on the use of hashtags. Using hashtags in your post increases its chances of getting discovered by your non-followers. Ensure that, aside from your branded hashtag, you are switching up between the usage of different categories of hashtags. This diversifies the feeds you might appear in, which eventually increases your reach significantly over time.

Know more about 300+ Best Hashtags For Instagram In 2022

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Perfect Timing Is The Key To Optimized Content Engagement!

Always remember that things take time to show results, and when you are working towards your goal with a clear strategy, you will eventually land there :)

Looking for a social analytics tool to know your best time to post on Instagram and track the performance of your marketing campaign? Try Statusbrew. With several ready-to-use reporting templates and total flexibility to customize these reports, Statusbrew will help you determine whether your social initiatives have led to positive results and where adjustments are needed to strengthen your marketing campaigns.

Try Statusbrew

Statusbrew is an all-in-one social media management tool that supports Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube, and even Google My Business.

Data Sources

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2. Present.ly

3. Influencer Marketing Hub

4. Boosted Lightricks

5. BrandMentions

6. Later

7. Sprout Social

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