One of my friends in high school was obsessed with finding the best time to publish her Instagram images in order to maximize the number of likes she received. She was remarkably methodical about it, publishing at various times of the day and keeping track of the “likes per minute” for each of her posts.
She worked out which post time drew the most likes after weeks of testing, and from then on, she could easily obtain 200 likes on all of her Instagram posts.
To this day, my friend’s pretty scientific strategy for increasing her Instagram likes makes me laugh. But, now that I’m a marketer, her ambition to establish a big Instagram presence resonates with me as well.
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Instagram Engagement Report Update 2021
You’ll need to develop intriguing material that your audience wants to see if you want to grow your Instagram following. However, most of them will never view your content if you don’t post it at the correct moment.
So, how do you choose the best time to post for your target audience?
Testing the timing of your posts to discover which post time creates the greatest audience engagement is the greatest strategy to determine an appropriate posting time.
If you don’t have the time or resources to do your own testing, Sprout Social, a social media management platform with over 20,000 users, can help. They looked at their client data last year to determine what time of day their social media postings got the most attention. They also divided the data into categories such as social networks and industry.
According to their aggregate customer statistics for Instagram, the following days and times — in Central Daylight Time (CDT) — are best for creating the maximum engagement:
The Best Time to Post on Instagram-
Although 10 AM to 3 PM is considered the greatest time of day to post on Instagram, the day of the week on which you publish might affect the amount of engagement you receive.
What is the reason for this? Consider the subtle shifts in your everyday attitude and habit that you may not be aware of, and how they influence your behavior. The same is true for everybody who follows you on Instagram. To demonstrate what I mean, here are some additional insights concerning optimal post time gleaned from Sprout Social data:
- People check their phones directly when they wake up, therefore posting at 7:00 AM CDT from Wednesday to Friday creates some of the strongest engagement.
- People check their phones over lunch or when they run out of mental energy toward the end of the workday, thus posting between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM CDT on weekdays creates a lot of activity.
- If you wish to post on weekends, do so around 10:00 AM CDT on Saturdays, when folks are eating brunch or hanging out with their pals.
So, when it comes to Instagramming, don’t just go by the time range. Consider the day of the week as well as the industry you work in (more on the latter in a moment).
Best Time to Post on Instagram every day
- 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 11AM – 2PM)
- Thursday: 10 AM – 2 PM, 6 – 7 PM
- Friday: 9 AM – 2 PM
- Saturday: 9 – 11 AM
Best Times to Post on Instagram for Technology Companies
- Best Time: Wednesday at 6:00 AM and 9:00 to 10:00 AM CDT, Friday from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM
- Most Consistent Participation: Tuesday evening through Wednesday afternoon, Friday from midnight to 10:00 PM CDT
- Best Day: Wednesday
- Worst Day: Sunday
Best Times to Post on Instagram for Non-Profit Organizations
- Best Times: Tuesday at 1:00 to 3:00 PM, Wednesday at 2:00 PM CDT
- Most Consistent Participation: Monday to Friday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM CDT
- Best Day: Wednesday
- Worst Day: Sunday
Best Times to Post on Instagram for Educational Organizations
- Best Time: Friday at 10:00 AM CDT
- Most Consistent Participation: Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM CDT
- Best Day: Friday
- Worst Day: Sunday
Best Times to Post on Instagram for B2C Companies
- Best Time: Wednesday at 3:00 PM CDT
- Most Consistent Participation: Tuesday through Friday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM CDT
- Best Day: Wednesday
- Worst Day: Sunday
Best Times to Post on Instagram for Healthcare Companies
- Best Time: Tuesday at 8:00 AM CDT
- Most Consistent Participation: Will depend on audience location and business niche
- Best Day: Tuesday
- Worst Day: Saturday and Sunday
Final Words
The target market for each brand is unique. You need to know who your followers are if you want to grow a large, engaged Instagram following. Knowing when your audience prefers to use the app is one of the finest methods to get to know them and catch their attention.
