Does Instagram have the best time to post content? Instagram considers many factors in determining the best time to post. To find a reliable and definitive answer, read our article to the end.
Instagram is a reliable social media platform perfect for creating brand awareness. Most people have turned online. While others interact, most of the audience are here to make revenue and promote businesses to increase sales. But, growing an account is hard without a third-party tool.
However, it becomes easy to manage accounts after jumpstarting the journey. That aside, when promoting a product on Instagram, peak hour matters. Therefore, knowing when to post on Instagram is important. This alone makes you a rockstar and lets you work on improving your online presence and increasing engagement.
The two metrics are vital in getting traffic. When you feel confused about understanding or evaluating the Best time to post on Instagram, worry no more. You can use various ways to determine the best time to post on Instagram. Before going deeper, let us dive into this theoretical part first.
Overview of Best Time to Post Instagram
| Best Time to Post On Instagram | ||
| Industry | Healthcare Sector |
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| Media Sector |
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| Education Sector |
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| Nonprofit Industry |
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| Restaurants Sector |
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| Tech Sector |
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| Travel & Tourism Sector |
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| Hospitality Industry |
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| Each Day | Monday |
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| Tuesday. |
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| Wednesday |
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| Thursday |
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| Friday |
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| Saturday |
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| Sunday |
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| Day of the Week |
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According to Sprout Social Statistical Analysis
Best Time to Post on Instagram by Each Day
From 2020 up to today, Instagram has become a popular social media platform for creating brand awareness. It has since then developed and added new features like enhancing stories reels and enhancing discoveries on the explore page. This is the best place to reinforce your brand identity using high-quality photos and coming up with content like infographics.
However, to fully exploit this strategy, you must know the Best time to post. Instagram has come up with a guide to get the most out of your online presence. Therefore, according to Sprout Social Statistical analysis, the Best time to post on Instagram is Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Monday through Friday at 11 a.m.
Generally, this implies Tuesday is the best day to post on Instagram and obtain the highest engagement. However, the statistics show that Sunday is the worst day and record the lowest engagement rate, as shown below.
Best Time to Post on Instagram by Industry
According to the Instagram algorithm, the Best time to post on Instagram depends on the type of account; that is, the niche. Therefore, there are ideal times to post on Instagram based on different sectors.
Consequently, you must alter your posting time and reschedule to obtain optimal engagement. When you find out the peak hour of your target audience benefits your account engagement. This is a great start. As shown below, let us now break down the best time according to the industry or sector.
Healthcare Sector
Healthcare faces changes in responses to different audiences who constantly adjust to lifestyles. Thus, according to the statistics, the best day to post on Instagram for the health sector is Monday and Tuesday, while the worst day is on Saturday. But the best time to post is on Sunday 8 to9am, Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. the same day.
Media Sector
Instagram has shown consistent engagement results in the media sector. Relative to the US time, media has shown high engagement times around the clock. The best day to post on Instagram in the media industry is Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Sunday is always recorded as the worst day. And the best time to post in this sector is Tuesday from 1 pm to 5 p.m., Wednesday from 11 a.m. onwards, and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
The Education Sector
Also, education institutions though looked sporadic; education institutions also highlight visual identity by posting video content on Instagram. They use these contents to fulfill multiple functions. According to the analytical research, Tuesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. are the Best time to post on Instagram in this sector. The industry also recorded the lowest engagement on Sunday, the worst day to post on Instagram in the education sector.
The Nonprofit Industry
The statistics showed a solid engagement block on Wednesday, though hard to find. The nonprofit sector showed a typically strong engagement rate during the US workday hours. Therefore, you can narrow down the account of a nonprofit sector and post on Wednesday from 10 a.m. -6 p.m. for the highest engagement. But, you would obtain the lowest engagement on Sunday.
Restaurants Sector
Instagram was also active for the restaurant sector despite the changes in 2020. They have a solid engagement period that stretches from morning to evening. Therefore, the best time to post on Instagram in this industry is Monday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday has always been the worst day, with the lowest engagement rate.
Tech Sector
The Tech industry is using Instagram for research and promotion purposes. According to the research, the Best time to post on the Instagram account of the tech industry is on Thursday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday is also the best day with a high engagement rate, but Sunday has the lowest engagement.
Travel & Tourism Sector
Instagram responded to the analysis throughout the week on the tourism industry. The engagement seems to increase since the emergence of Covid-19 and restrictions; People started to post travel photos and promote tour brands through Instagram.
Therefore, The Best time to post on Instagram about the travel and the tourist industry is Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Wednesday was considered the best day to post, while Sunday was the worst.
Hospitality Industry
The hospitality sector also reflected a wide engagement rate distributed throughout the week but focused only on US working time. There was a high engagement in the evening.
Thus, the best time to post is Monday at 11 a.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to11am, and Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 4 p.m. Friday having the most effective engagement rate was taken as the best day, and the worst day is Sunday.
Sector/Industry Best time to post on Instagram Healthcare Sunday 8–9 a.m., Tuesday 8 a.m.–noon, and 5–8 p.m. Media Tuesday 1–5 p.m., Wednesday 11 a.m., Thursday 8–9 a.m. Education Friday 4–5 a.m., Thursday 2 p.m. Nonprofit Wednesday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Restaurant Monday 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Tech Monday 10–11 a.m., 2–5 p.m., 8 p.m., Tuesday 10 a.m.–1 p.m., Thursday at noon, Friday at 11 a.m. Travel and Tourism Thursday 7 a.m., Monday 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Hospitality Wednesday at noon, Thursday 3–4 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–noon
According to Later Statistical Analysis
The Best Time to Post on Instagram Each Week
Sprout Social Analytical Analysis does not mean that you only need to post on Tuesday; you can still engage with your audience on Instagram the whole week. The only thing you need to know is when to post. So, Later Statistical Analysis goes further and breaks down every day to develop the exact time you can post on Instagram and still gain high engagement.
The Later statistical analysis considered over 35m feed posts; it discovered the best time for posting each day. And according to this research, the Best time to post on Instagram was, on average, 6 a.m., and the study stresses that the best day to post is on Saturday and Sunday.
They showed the highest engagement on Instagram posts published at 6 a.m. on Sunday. But, the posts published on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as well as Thursday from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. recorded the lowest engagement rate.
The Best Time to Post on Instagram Each Day
According to the Later Analysis of 35m Instagram posts around the globe, they have also broken down the Best Time to post on Instagram for every day of a week. They have also shown us the worst time to post on Instagram. According to the Later analysis, the table below shows the best time to post on Instagram.
Day Best time to post Monday The best time to post is 1 a.m., 3–6 a.m., and 7 p.m. This is because Monday shows consistent engagement, but from 8 p.m., the usage drops gradually and becomes lowest starting from 11 p.m. -6 a.m. Tuesday. The best time to post ranges from 3 a.m. going through 5–6 a.m. than 10 p.m. since significant engagement prevails till 10 p.m., engagement gradually degrades. Wednesday This day is the same as Monday. The best time to post is 3 a.m. going through to 6 a.m. And long consistent engagement is observed on this day. This is the longest stride during the whole week. Thursday And on Thursday, the Best time to post on Instagram ranges from 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. -to 6 a.m. The highest engagement is observed starting from morning and drops during the day. Friday The best time to post on Friday is 2 a.m. – 6 a.m., with the engagement rate string to increase in the morning throughout the day. The lowest engagement is found between 10 pm -7 am. Saturday The best time to post on Saturday is 1 a.m., 3 a.m., 6 a.m., and 11 p.m. This is the best day to post on Instagram since the peak hour is spread throughout the day. Sunday Lastly, the Best time to post on this day is 2 a.m., 6–7 a.m., and 10 p.m. According to Later Analytical statistics, this is also the best time and day to post on Instagram. Peak hour is spread throughout.
Use Instagram Insights to Find Your Best Post Time
Besides the above theory, you can also use Instagram insight to evaluate the best time to post on Instagram. However, you must own a business account or creator's Instagram account to access insights.
You can easily set up this kind of account. They have insight apps readily available to install and access data. For that reason, you must also know how to set up the creator of a business Instagram account. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Launch your Instagram application and if the profile is private, change it to the public.
Step 2: Then navigate through Instagram and locate settings
Step 3: Scroll down the settings and click on ‘switch to a business account.'
Step 4: The screen will prompt you with instructions on connecting the Facebook page. This means, as a business Instagram user, you must possess a Facebook page. You don't have to create content for your Facebook page. Instead, it only needs to exist. If you do not have an existing Facebook page, you can create one at this point.
Step 5: After that, confirm all details, and immediately you are through, click ‘done.'
Use Instagram Analysis Tools to Find Your Best Post Time
1. Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a well-known social media management tool. It offers content creation, management services and provides Instagram analytic reports. These guys have an advanced Instagram analytics tool on their website.
The platform is effective in helping you spot the Best time to post on Instagram. This is because, from the analysis, you can see the day and time when your account has the highest and lowest engagement.
Besides that, Sprout Social also comes with a fully loaded editorial calendar helpful in scheduling content across various social media platforms. It offers Instagram management services and covers multiple social media platforms.
The tool is a perfect choice for analyzing the best time to post Instagram content for large institutions with the proper guidelines. It has a centralized inbuilt editing tool. It also gives you more profound individual hashtag performance, and you must pay attention to this. When you compile all the insights into one presentable report, you can download and evaluate to get the right Time or peak hours.
2. SocialPilot
The second best tool to use and access insights are SocialPilot. SocialPilot is a social media marketing tool. We can narrow it down to Instagram services. It offers an in-depth Instagram analytics report which is vital in this case. Additionally, it also provides post-scheduling and content calendar services.
So, when using the SocialPilot tool, you can quickly analyze your Instagram profile only on one dashboard. This tool tracks various metrics such as impressions, views, likes, engagement, and clicks.
Using the audience tab, you can understand your target audience on Instagram, analyze their activities better, and it will, in the long run, suggest the best time to post your Instagram content. This is during peak hours. The tool comes with a 14-day free trial, and after that, you must upgrade to the premium package.
3. SocialBee
SocialBee is another Instagram management tool that works across multiple social media platforms. One of the features making this tool famous is the evergreen content. But again, it is suitable for Instagram marketers and influencers. This tool can organize your Instagram content and schedule posting during peak hours.
The tool is perfect for tracking post and account performance. It has many innovative features and recycles any top-performing post by varying the content. You can also set a post to expire after a certain period when squeezing valuable items.
Instagram analytic tools are vital in determining the best time to post on Instagram. And most important, SocialBee comes with an excellent Instagram analytic tool and a reporting feature. It also has a short custom URL and URL tracking tool. Like other tools above, it also has a 14-day free trial.
Tips for Posting on Instagram
Besides knowing the best time to post on Instagram, you also need to consider other things to excel and get the highest engagement rate. These tips and factors are vital, and you should consider them.
- Create a Catchy Title
The captions on Instagram matter and represent the vital estate in Instagram engagement. Please do not overlook the captions but ensure you got relevant Instagram hashtags and use them correctly. Make the caption diverse compared to the recent one. Know who to tag in your post so that you can appro[riately call them to action.
- Know When to Pause Your Posting
Yes, you can schedule an Instagram post and know when to pause it in case of a management crisis or brand emergency. When you fail to take the necessary action, you might receive a low engagement rate because your followers' attention is elsewhere. For instance, do not publish a promotional post on holidays as it looks awkward.
- Engage with Your Customers
Do not let the comment section remain dull. Also, do not post on Instagram and go offline. Instead, try to engage with the audience by linking their comments to DM and comments. This means you should mind notifications and then ensure you respond to your customers appropriately. This guarantees satisfaction and maintains customer loyalty.
- Variety and Consistency of Your Posts
As covered in other posts, we insisted that consistency is key for maintaining a high engagement rate. Ensure that you always hit appropriate posting frequency; try to vary the contents in the schedule, e.g., photos and videos.
Also, look at the strategy you are using to promote the content and go beyond and cross-promote to maximize the engagement rate and get more clicks from other social media platforms. And above all, let a stakeholder or a highly professional editor review the post before publishing to avoid possible errors.
- Consider Your Audience’s Time Zone
Peak hour also depends on the time zone. If you have an audience from around the world, consider them too and find out the best time to post. You can automate the post using various tools online to achieve. You can rely on the Instagram scheduler as the tool knows the right time throughout considering all your audience.
- Consider Your Competitors
If you have competitors depending on your sectors or niche, listen to them and consider their experiments and calculated moves. Do full competitor analysis to help you understand their strategy in handling the audience. After analysis, then try to stay ahead. For instance, post your Instagram content ahead of your competitors as most of them prefer posting during the hour mark. This is important in evading competition for a limited space online.
The quality of your Instagram content is vital. Timing is a decisive aspect but playing with the Instagram algorithm also plays a major role. While the best time to post matters, some other factors play a vital role in achieving the highest Instagram engagement rate.
In the above article, we have covered various methods of identifying the Best time to post on Instagram based on the existing literature. You now have a clue, and you need to master the above guide on achieving the highest engagement rate considering different factors, including the best time to post on Instagram.
