With this year already flying by and COVID-19 being, well, a thing… We thought it would be best to help shed some light and share the Best Times To Post On Instagram in 2021. Whether you’re creating social media content for yourself as an influencer or creator, or whether you’re a Social Media Manager for multiple different brands, it’s essential to stay up-to-date with the social media algorithms, more specifically Instagram. They are consistently and constantly changing and evolving.
Let’s find out more about what you can do, when is the best time, and how to read your analytics on the native Instagram app!
The Everchanging Algorithm
Instagram is the second most used app next to Facebook. Knowing when to post on Instagram or another social media platform is a crucial way to stay ahead and stay on top of the competition; it also may help take your content and give it the proper forum to achieve ultimate potential within reach and engagement. Within the times of now, during COVID-19, we’ve seen an exponential increase in engagement within social media platforms because more people are spending more time using their devices and social media. Knowing when to post on Instagram is essential because you can build momentum within accounts by honing in on specific times your users are engaged during certain hours.
The Benefits of Knowing the Best Time to Post on Instagram
1. Increased Engagement
Knowing when your followers and key demographic are online is a vital piece of information you should strive to find out. You can leverage this valuable knowledge to enjoy increased engagement. This way, you’ll be able to ensure that the content that your brand worked so hard to produce reaches the screens of your loyal followers on Instagram while it’s still fresh and ultra relatable.
Growing your following and increasing engagement involves showing face as much as you can to your demographic — and if you’re going to show face, you want to make sure as many people as possible are actually looking at you. Knowing the perfect time to release content, like three reels per week, at least one post per day, and 10-20 stories each day will surely boost interaction to epic levels.
The IG Live feature can be incredibly useful when it comes to finding out the best time to post on Instagram, as it instantly tells you how many people are tuned in real time. Switch up your schedule for Instagram Live sessions to see what time attracts a bigger audience.
2. Measure Growth
When you track your post performance, it will become a lot easier to devise a plan for the growth of your brand in social media spaces. It enables you to create new strategies and make changes to your current approach.
3. Retain Customer Interest
If you post at times when your target audience is most active, you can keep your customers interested. Posting at the most random times usually results in content ending up digging its way to the bottom of news feeds. Releasing content at times when audiences are most likely to scroll by is key to retaining customer interest.
4. Build Credibility With Your Audience
When you post on Instagram at the right time, you get to speed up the process of building a rapport with your followers. This is because they are most likely to interact with great content that’s freshly added to their feed. If you relate with them strategically, it’ll only be a matter of time before you’re deemed a credible entity.
5. Broaden Your Reach
When you know the best time to post on Instagram, it will surely help broaden your reach. The best time to post is when your target demographic is online and active on the platform — just scrolling and waiting for some content that sparks their interest. A larger audience is paying attention, and this means higher chances of a broader reach.
What You Can Do Right Now
Building a following on Instagram requires a master plan. But what can you do right now to help you get one step closer to that goal?
Staying up to date with the current trends and any algorithm updates shouldn’t be ignored. Creativity needs to be paired up with fantastic technical skills for you to truly make an impact in online spaces.
Getting to know your audience and engaging with them will surely help you figure out how to move forward with your brand’s strategies. After all, if you don’t know what interests them, how can you earn those double taps?
While making sure your brand remains its unique self, there’s always something to learn from other influencers, creators, content-focused accounts, or agencies in the space that are currently thriving. There’s a reason they’re making waves, and picking up some tips from them to add to the mix of your own brand’s personality might just be the necessary ingredient you seek.
Hashtag tools are powerful. This little symbol connects and unites people of similar interests unlike any other in the busy world of social media. You can leverage them to boost engagement and stay in people’s searches and feeds. Whether it’s through in-feed posts, Instagram Reels, or the app’s other features, make sure to use the hashtag symbol; it really works.
Finally, if you are a business, it won’t hurt to check your competitors once in a while. If they have some content or strategies you believe you can fine-tune and carry out in your own unique way, then go ahead; don’t be afraid to actually do it better!
Best Times To Post on Instagram
We’ve done some research for you on the current best times to post on Instagram! Take a glance below and try to start adding specific posting times into your posting routine; it’s essential to A/B Test multiple times when you’re figuring out what works best for you. You may be creating unique, high-quality content, but if you post it at a non-optimal time, nobody will see it. As you can see from the times below, there is no single best time to post. We have included these three platforms’ findings with what they think works best.
Since COVID-19, the usage of cellular networks, technology, and social media have trended upwards. Later.com has found that many peak times during the week have expanded since their previous review of Instagram’s best times to post. For example, Wednesday at 11 AM and Friday from 10 AM–11 AM were previously identified as the best times to post on Instagram. They have seen during an overly busy period during weekdays and during working hours that Monday, Tuesday, and Friday at 11 AM and Tuesday at 2 PM are the best times to post on Instagram. You don’t have to take our or their word for it, but try it out for yourselves and let us know how it works!
Sprout Social
- Wednesday: 11 AM
- Friday: 10–11 AM
- Tuesday through Friday: 10 AM–3 PM
- Best Day: Wednesday
- Worst Day: Sunday
Hubspot
- Sunday: 8 AM–2 PM (Though engagement is generally low on this day)
- Monday: 11 AM–2 PM
- Tuesday: 10 AM–3 PM, 7 PM
- Wednesday: 7 AM-4 PM (Engagement peaks at 11 AM - 2 PM)
- Thursday: 10 AM-2 PM, 6-7 PM
- Friday: 9AM-2 PM
- Saturday: 9-11 AM
- Overall Best Time To Post: 11 AM-4 PM
- Best Day: Wednesday
- Worst Day: Sunday
Later.com
- Monday: 6AM, 10AM, and 10PM
- Tuesday: 2 AM, 4 AM, and 9 AM
- Wednesday: 7 PM, 8 PM, and 11 PM
- Thursday: 9 PM, 12 PM, and 7 PM
- Friday: 5 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM
- Saturday: 11 AM, 7 PM, and 8 PM
- Sunday: 7 PM, 8 PM, and 4 PM
KICKSTA
- Monday: 6AM, 10AM, 10PM
- Tuesday: 2AM, 4AM, 9AM
- Wednesday: 7 AM, 8 AM, 11 PM
- Thursday: 9 AM, 12 PM, 7 PM
- Friday: 5AM, 1PM, 3PM
- Saturday: 11AM, 7PM, 8PM
- Sunday: 7AM, 8AM, 4PM
Best Time to Post on Instagram By Industry
Whether you’re an in-house social media manager for a large tech corporation or working on a variety of Instagram or social media accounts at a marketing agency, it’s crucial to know the best time to post on Instagram for your specific industry is. Each industry has its ideal times for optimal reach and engagement. So while understanding the basics is a good start, you can take your Instagram posting strategy to the next level. Let’s take a look at the best time to post on Instagram in the following industries: retail, media and entertainment, non-profit, tech, healthcare, education, and hospitality and tourism.
Retail
With the introduction of Instagram’s new in-app shopping features, it’s more important than ever for those in the retail industry to understand when the best time to post on Instagram is. You want to make sure that your content ends up in front of your audience to be more inclined to shop through the Instagram platform. Here’s what we’ve found has worked:
- Best Time: Wednesday at 3 PM and Friday from 11 AM-12 PM
- Worst Time: Sundays
Media and Entertainment
Social media and Instagram have explicitly become necessary instruments for media and entertainment to thrive. Today, TV shows and movies are enjoying immense popularity and connecting with fans like the world has never seen before. It’s all thanks to the power of social media. If you’re in media and entertainment, then this schedule might work for you:
- Best Times To Post: Friday 9 AM
- Worst Time To Post: Saturday and Sunday
Non-Profit
Non-profit accounts are generally dedicated to sharing content that connects to their audiences on a more emotional level. It’s about telling true stories to encourage people to make a difference. Make sure your stories are seen and heard by keeping this in mind:
- Best Times To Post: Tuesday at 3 PM and 9 PM, Wednesday at 3 PM and 4 PM, Thursday at 2 PM & 3 PM, and Friday at 10 AM & 2 PM.
- Worst Time To Post: Saturday
Tech
Tech companies continue to nail it on Instagram. It’s no surprise that accounts in this specific industry are consistently raking in followers. After all, technology is the reason we get to enjoy social media, right? Since the competition is tight, you want to make sure you’re posting at the right time to stand out.
- Best Times To Post: Wednesday at 7:00 AM and 9:00 to 11:00 AM EST, Friday from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM
- Most Consistent Engagement: Tuesday evening through Wednesday afternoon, Friday from midnight to 11:00 PM EST
- Best Day: Wednesday
- Worst Time To Post: Sunday
Healthcare
Social media has become a valuable source for healthcare information. Whether it’s accounts that keep us updated on the latest advances in medicine or give advice on mental health, they’re entities that shine online for their amazing contributions. Sharing healthcare content generally works best following this schedule:
- Best Times To Post: Wednesday at 10 AM
- Worst Time To Post: Tuesday
Education
Educational institutions always bring the books to social media by ensuring a stable presence online. If you want to succeed at convincing people to hit the books, research shows that this might work for you:
- Best Times To Post: Monday at 8 PM
- Worst Time To Post: Sunday
Hospitality and Tourism
The statistics for the tourism and hospitality industries have gone through the roof in the past few years — and it’s mainly because of all the aesthetic and breathtaking posts you can find on Instagram. Because they’re such trending topics, you want to make sure your posts stand out. Here’s how you could schedule the release of your content:
- Best Times To Post : Wednesday at 3 PM
- Worst Time To Post: Sunday
Other Ways To Figure Out Your Best Time To Post On Instagram
While you can utilize the times to post above or look to many apps like WhenToPost that can help you determine your *perfect* posting time, you also can use the knowledgeable analytics from the Instagram native app. Your Instagram account must be set up on a Business Account or the Creator Account to view this data and analytics. The Insights that Instagram gives on the native platform under Your Profile > Menu > Insights > Your Audience > Most Active Times – frankly, this gives you everything you could ever ask for! This is especially important to note if you’re an influencer or creator starting up, brands will look to you to provide these types of analytics to be considered for collaborations.
Here you can see where your followers are located, their gender, their age, and most importantly, the hours they are active during the day; you can also check to see which day has the highest engagement for you.
1. Look At Instagram’s Native Analytics Tool
Instagram’s native analytics tool can give you various insights, such as a follower breakdown. Know how many followers you’ve gained (or lost) with just a few clicks using this helpful feature. There’s no need to wonder just how fast you’re building a following anymore, because Instagram can break it down for you anytime.
Knowing the whereabouts of your loyal following will help you develop more targeted content and campaigns. Whether they live in the same continent as you or are double-tapping from halfway across the globe, this is something you can find out too by using this analytics feature. You’ll be able to see the top five cities and countries in which your followers are located.
Having an idea of the age range of your followers allows you to design campaigns more strategically with specific generations in mind. Now, it’s easier to find out which age range your content appeals to the most. This information enables you to release content that is more relatable than ever. Instagram breaks down the information on this category in the following ranges: 13-17, 18-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, and 65+.
Instagram’s native analytics tool can relay information on the distribution of your followers based on their identified gender, ie. men and women. Other gender identities are currently not identified in these statistics, but it still serves as useful information. Who knows, this might actually be updated soon to be more inclusive!
If you’ve been struggling to find out the best time to post on Instagram, then this will be one of the most powerful tools you should always have on hand! Another amazing statistic that Instagram Analytics provides is an overview of the average time of day your followers are online on the app. Now, you know when you should be tapping the “post” button thanks to the data on follower hours.
When you finally find out the best time to post, you’re going to want to know the best days to post content. Instagram Analytics also gives you a peek at follower days. This is a section that shows the days of the week that your followers are most active. Planning how to release content has just become a lot easier!
2. Experiment With Posting Times
You can certainly use the information we provided in this blog as a reference point to find out how to find the best time to post on Instagram; you can also go the trial and error route. It’s essential to check in and track your progress, especially if you’re still trying to grow your audience actively! Create a spreadsheet and or a note on your phone; with this, you can track your engagement, reach, impressions, along with the date and time of posting!
Why Follow A Posting Schedule?
Staying true to your engaged audience and their habits may help you form a schedule for posting. Following a posting schedule is important because it can allow you and your audience to create patterns surrounding your account. This works in conjunction with your appropriate times to post on Instagram. They know what time you’re posting, what content you might be posting, and when to authentically engage with it, ultimately landing you the best time to post on Instagram.
- Allows you to schedule post ahead of time and free up time for yourself
- Focus more on customers or clients by having the content set live automatically
- Consistency is vital with Instagram
- Allows your audience to know that you’re consistently active
- Allows you to be present on Instagram at the best times every day
How Do You Find The Best Time To Post On Instagram?
If you’d like to learn more about what we do here at The Influence Agency, feel free to contact us today! From search engine optimization to Influencer marketing, we provide digital marketing services to help you take your business to the next level.
What are your favourite tips and tricks for finding when to post on Instagram or the best time to post? Let us know in the comments below - we’d love to hear from you and hear what works for you! Think we’re missing something? Did you find this article helpful? Please let us know; we’d love to hear from you!