When Is The Best Time To Post On Instagram To Increase Engagement? In 24 Hours

So, When Is the Best Time to Post on Instagram? Millions of people are asking the same question, and it’s understandable because posting something on Instagram isn’t as simple as it sounds.

Instagram has become one of the biggest social media platforms in the world, it has infinite potential as the platform to launch your brand or even yourself to new heights.

That’s why millions of people are researching and strategizing on when is the best time to post on Instagram. The short answer? It’s probably between 9 AM to 11 AM local time. For detailed answers, let’s talk about it below.

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When is the Best Time to Post on Instagram To Get More Engagement?

When is the Best Time to Post on Instagram To Get More Engagement

Task Ant says that there is no one best time to post on Instagram? In order to build a big Instagram presence, you need to create the best content on the internet. the kind of content that your audience is looking for. Besides the type of content, the timing is also important, if you don’t post your content at the right time, most of your audience might never see it.

This is where some research needs to be done or even some trial and error tests. You can test the water by posting your content at specific times. Give it some time, and see the results; which posts are most viewed and which are not viewed at all.

Doing this kind of test need time and resources that you might not have. Luckily, Sprout Social, a social media management platform with over 24.000 customers, has done this research. Last year, they analyzed their customer data to see what time and day their content got the most engagement.

The results are: on average, the best time to post on Instagram is between 2 PM to 3 PM local time; the engagement level then changed drastically depending on what day of the week it is; the best day to post content on Instagram is Thursday, at 5 AM, 11 AM, and 4 PM.

The results may not be shocking at all, 2 PM to 3 PM is considered to be the best time of day to post on your Instagram, and even better on Thursday. The reason for this is probably in the daily mood and routine of most people. Sprout Social explained it in more details:

5 AM from Tuesday to Friday yield the highest engagement due to people waking up early and check their phone in the morning. People need to check their phones to boost their mood and get ready for work.
11 AM to 3 PM during weekdays generates the second-highest engagement. People check their phones during lunch hours or when they need a break during the day. People tend to check their phones when they’re exhausted.
11 AM on Saturday should also be great since people are usually hanging out with their friends or enjoying their time at home.

Some nice specific explanations by them. You can use this as your Instagram guide. Here is some simple results on each day:

Sunday: 10 AM – 2 PM CDT
Monday: 11 AM – 5 PM CDT
Tuesday: 5 AM, 9 AM – 6 PM CDT
Wednesday: 5 AM, 11 AM, 3 PM CDT
Thursday: 5 AM, 11 AM, 3 – 4 PM CDT
Friday: 5 AM, 9 AM – 4 PM CDT
Saturday: 11 AM CDT

This should be good enough as a starting point to start your own research to grow your engagement level with your audience.

So, what have we learned? Instagram engagement peaks mid-day and mid-week, similar to other major social media platforms. There are a few opportunities to be taken during the evening and morning during the middle of the week. The safest times to post are still during the middle of the week. Depending on your audience, some people have the mentality of “checking Instagram in the morning and again before I go to sleep”.

It’s a bit surprising that weekends aren’t the best time to post content on Instagram. Similar to late night, the engagement level dropping significantly during the latest hours of the night and earliest hours of the morning.

Now, Let’s take a look at the best time to post on Instagram based on the type of content you want to produce.

Best Time To Post on Instagram For Consumer Goods

Connecting to people is very useful to get your products heard. Instagram is definitely among the best social media platforms to be used as a network for shopping. Instagram is a great shortcut to get your products out there. A virtual and global shop on the tip of your fingers.

Here are some pointers to get your timing right:

Wednesday at 3 PM is the best time for consumer brands to post on Instagram.
Monday-Friday, 11 Am to 5 PM are the safest time to post content. It’s the most consistent and convenient time to post.
Saturday at 10 AM, when people are relaxing and not working. They might use that chance to shop for some items.
Surprisingly, Sunday is not a good time to post something on Instagram. Your products might not sell well.
11 PM to 3 AM, low engagement level. People are either sleeping or simply not shopping.

Best Media Posts on Instagram

Media Posts Instagram

Besides selling physical products, Instagram is good to make yourself popular. Or maybe you have a YouTube channel to promote, with the rising popularity of streaming websites, it’s not uncommon for people to post their pictures in order to be more famous. More fame means more opportunity for sponsorship and a bigger audience for their shows or whatever it is.

Instagram as a video host, is unique. Vastly different from YouTube or Vimeo. People or companies usually use Instagram to provide highlights of their visual content. In media content, Instagram’s audience comes in earlier in the day. So, here is the best time to post on Instagram:

For companies, consider posting on Friday at 9 AM.
Wednesday to Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM is the most consistent time to post media content.
Thursday night until Friday morning, is an exciting time to post media content. High engagement rate and lasts all the way. Depending on your niche, this could yield the highest engagement level for your media content.
Saturday to Sunday is the lowest engagement level for media companies on Instagram.

Good Time Post on Instagram For Colleges and School

Education

When Is the Best Time to Post on Instagram For colleges and Schools? Instagram can also be used to build a visual identity and highlight the on-campus experience. This kind of content is fairly new, so more research needs to be done. Usually, the engagement level is a bit higher in the afternoon when most students get their free time. Nevertheless, here is the result:

Friday at 10 AM is the best time for educational content on Instagram.
Wednesday to Saturday from 10 AM to 8 PM, is the most stable and consistent.
Wednesday at 11 AM, Friday from 11 AM to 12 PM, and Saturday at 6 PM and 8 PM can be a great time to post education content.
Sunday and every day from 11 PM to 5 AM are not a good time to post. Most students are either engaged in another kind of content or busy with school.

Instagram is a really incredible platform to reach out to people. You can get a new audience or expand your existing audience. The results are varied and the scope of the results is pretty much endless. It will take time to know precisely when is the best time to post on Instagram, you need to spend time and money for a better result.