Introduction

Recently, especially after the Coronavirus pandemic and its consequences, E-Commerce and social media marketing have rapidly grown. The entire world got stuck at home with social media and other online platforms taking center stage for all operations and marketing work for both small and big enterprises.

The number of messages and social marketing went high, and brands had to undergo rapid digital transformation to get an edge over their competitors. Now, based on different industries and platforms, brands have to find the best time to post on Instagram and other social media platforms. This is important to boost engagement and put your brand in front of a wider audience.

As more and more people view a brand’s posts and content, they are more likely to share it with their connections. This helps rake in new customers for a brand and boost efficiency and revenue. In 2021 and 2022, there were many changes in how customers and brands interact on Instagram and similar platforms.

The Need to Post Based on Instagram’s New Algorithm

Earlier, Instagram had a chronological feed, and the posts were shown to a user based on the time they were posted. Users guessed about the best time to post, and engagement majorly depended on the quality of content and the time of posting.

However, there is no chronological feed now, and to succeed in today’s ever-changing Instagram algorithm, the timing of posts matters as much as the relevancy and quality of your posts. For a nice following on the social media platform, you need to post the right content at the right time.

Focusing on recency is important when it comes to posting on Instagram, and you should also have a genuine marketing strategy for your content. Be clear about your goals and objectives. Do you want to drive more traffic, increase engagement, or build awareness about your products and brand?

All these factors matter a lot, and you need to consider them alongside the time of posting on Instagram.

Build an Effective Instagram Marketing Strategy

Apart from the timing of your posts, you also need to focus on the quality and relevancy of your content, what your competitors are posting, and Instagram’s changing algorithm.

If you have a nice compelling brand story and image, your followers will take a lot of interest in your content and share it forward as well. The easy-to-use Instagram interface is loved by the younger generations who spend a lot of time on the app.

Make creative posts about your services and products and try to post them when most of your followers are online. When you work according to the algorithm, Instagram will pick up the right posts and videos to show to your followers.

Using the right images and words goes a long way in cracking Instagram’s algorithm. Trendy relevant content at the right time will pull in more followers.

Instagram marketing and advertising can be successful if you target the right audience and followers. Partner with influencers with a huge social following to increase the reach and engagement of your posts. When influencers post your content, their followers will take a lot of interest in it. Once you get an interested following, your brand’s posts will see more engagement and activity.

Using Instagram for business is great once you have an idea about the timing most of your followers are online and what do they prefer to see on the app. See at what time your followers interact the most with your posts and try to build a friendly relationship with them.

People are more attracted and tend to buy from brands with which they can make a personal connection. Posting user-friendly videos and photos, innovative content, etc., will grow your followers even more.

Timing is Vital – Best Time to Post on Instagram

Every user and content creator on Instagram wonders when to post on Instagram so that the post can reach maximum users. The day and time can depend on many factors, but multiple researches and experiments show that certain times are better to post than others.

Let us check out the optimum time to post based on each day of the week.

Monday

The work week starts on Monday, and posting early morning around 6 AM, around noon at 12 PM, and at night around 10 PM are great. Social media activity is at the highest during these three time periods.

Many people who go to work via public transport scroll through Instagram, and they do the same at noon during lunchtime. Further, at night when the day is about to end, and people unwind is another great time to post on Monday.

Tuesday

Try posting from anytime between 6 AM to 6 PM on Tuesday. Many people regularly open Instagram while working and during their break time to have a quick look at their feed. Also, while traveling to and fro from work, while cooking, and before sleeping, people spend time on Instagram and can see your posts.

Wednesday

It is the most central day of the week, and posting on Instagram around 8 AM in the morning and late-night between 10:30 – 11 PM is recommended for Wednesday.

Although people are busier than usual on Wednesday, they will have a quick glance every now and then. Once people reach home, they spend a good amount of time on the app, so you can post at late night too.

Thursday

The weekend is just around the corner on Thursday, and most people are in a light mood. You can post at around 7 AM, 12 PM, and 7 PM on this day, as most people are tempted to scroll through social media and take a look at what’s going on around them. Do not post after 11 PM because people tend to sleep earlier on Thursday in anticipation of Friday.

Friday

A lot of people stay active on Instagram on Friday because it is the start of the weekend and people tend to check out events and make their plans. Posting around early morning and in the evening between 4-7 PM is great for Friday.

Some people tend to go out on Friday, but some of them prefer staying at home and relax. Those who are at home spend time on social media and will have a lot of time to interact with your posts.

Saturday

After a busy week at work, people generally wake up a bit late on Saturday, so you can consider posting between 11 AM – 12 PM. People love scrolling their Instagram feed to unwind with cute videos and check out what’s happening with their friends.

During the evening and night, apart from posting, you can try live videos as people are free and will love interacting with you live and knowing about your brand and services.

Sunday

On Sunday, you should post your content between 10 AM to 5 PM. People wake up late and spend some time on Instagram before starting their day. Also, people tend to go out with their friends and family at night, so you should post before that around 4-5 PM.

On Sunday, you can also post some funny, creative content to match the weekend mood of people. Also, it will cheer up people preparing for the upcoming work week.

This is a general overview and the time of posting may vary based on your industry, audience, and type of content. Using Instagram Insights is vital, and it is free of cost. You will get proper analysis and stats related to your posts and how they perform.

You can analyze the day and time during which your followers are most active and interact with your posts. Check out user trends, new followers, engagement types, sharing, and other things related to your posts. Be consistent with Insights, and you will have to find trends to help you post at the best times.

Best Times to Post on Instagram Based on Your Industry

The day and time you post on Instagram also depend a lot on the industry your brand is in. Here is some information and data for some common industries, based on experimentation and study.

Retail

For retail, social media is important as more and more people are searching for new products and shopping through Instagram. The timing of your posts matters a lot if you run a retail brand. You can post not just your products but also models and influencers showcasing your products to the audience.

The optimum time to post for the retail industry is during Wednesday afternoon from 3-5 PM and Friday between 11 AM to 12 PM. People do not pay attention to retail content during the early morning and late nights, so avoid posting that time.

Also, on Sundays, most people are out and don’t pay much attention to social media posts. So, skip Sundays and post more on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Entertainment and Media

For the entertainment and media industry, social media, especially Instagram, has become the best outlet for marketing and advertising. In this industry, it is important to stand out from the competition and create a lasting impression on the audience.

This is possible only if you can pull more and more followers and keep them entertained and compelled with your content.

People will engage the most with posts during Wednesday to Friday work hours. Everyone loves taking a little break and scrolling through entertaining posts while working. Again, skip posting on Sunday and focus more during the midweek, especially the morning time from Wednesday to Friday.

Education

After the rise of online classes and remote learning, most schools and colleges can promote their organization, their academic courses, schedule, events, etc., through Instagram.

Organizations can attract new students and keep existing ones informed by posting on social media at the right time. Faculty and students in the education industry generally use social media later in the evening or at night.

Maximum engagement on educational posts takes place on Wednesday to Friday between 11 AM – 6 PM and on Saturday between 6 – 8 PM. You should try posting between Wednesday to Saturday, preferably between 12 – 8 PM.

Food & Beverages

Who doesn’t love checking out photos and videos of delicious food and multi-national cuisine. Research shows that people tend to engage more with such posts during lunchtime or when eating food.

Healthcare

Most people in the healthcare sphere are less active on social media, but after the emergence of Coronavirus, people have started engaging more with healthcare content. Doctors and healthcare institutes can raise awareness about many things and keep their followers updated about everything.

When people take a break during mid-day is the best time to post for brands in the food and beverages industry. Try posting in the afternoon during lunchtime during weekdays and Saturdays.

Friday is another great day as people can check out new food spots and restaurants to visit on the weekend.

In this industry, the best time to post content is during the morning time, with Tuesday morning being the best option. Followers engage the most during weekdays from 9 AM – 3 PM.

Best Time to Post on Instagram – Data and Information by Top Content Automation Companies

There are many content automation companies that help brands with social media marketing and help them post the most relevant content at the best times. Here is some data and insights by the best companies:

SproutSocial

Based totally on consumer data, SproutSocial helps with the best posting times on Instagram. According to them, the best time to post is from Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 4 PM.

The data science team here regularly gathers consumer data to offer the best ways to engage and interact with followers through your posts.

In addition to the best time for posting, you can use SproutSocial for auto-posting or scheduling your posts as well. It finds the active time periods and rates them with stars based on effectiveness.

Later

Later allows users to build a queue of the best posting times on Instagram and even offers auto-posting. If most of your audience is in a different time zone, then Later is one of the best tools you can use.

It will find out the times when your followers are most active and suggest post times that will increase your engagement.

According to Later, the best time to post is between 9-11 AM. During the weekdays, you can post during the early morning around 6-8 AM, in afternoon during 12-4 PM, and at night.

On weekends, Later suggest posting during the morning time because most people are out enjoying at night and don’t look up social media that much.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite works like an assistant for your brand’s Instagram page and keeps an eye on your competitors too. Offering auto-posting and scheduling, it also finds the best hashtags to maximize the engagement and reach of your posts. Hootsuite’s team does a lot of research and gathers user data to suggest the best posting times.

Based on their study, the best time to post is between 11 AM to 3 PM EST or in the evening between 6 PM to 9 PM. With Hootsuite, users can build healthy engagement levels and gain an edge over competitors.

Buffer

Other than post scheduling and automatic posting, Buffer allows users to add around 25 members with different levels of access so that your Instagram is handled in the best way possible. Mid-size brands can use Buffer for elite-level teamwork and managing their content and post timings.

According to Buffer, the best time to post are in the morning, between 8 AM to 11 AM, and in the evening from 7 PM to 10 PM.

These are the best content automation companies worldwide which will not only help you post at the right time but help a lot with managing your Instagram page, getting new followers, and work in alignment with your team.

Tips for Posting at the Right Time on Instagram

You can consider some of the following tips if you want to post during effective time periods and boost your post engagement and interaction with followers.

• Post during active time zones based on your audience type
• Post the most relevant and important content from Monday to Friday
• Try to post after work hours or during break periods
• Use Instagram Insights to track and analyze your posts’ performance
• Post unique, creative content relevant to your industry
• Try to post more when your competitors are not posting
• Stick to a marketing plan and don’t try something new every day

Conclusion

Instagram is among the most used social media platforms, and many brands depend on it for marketing and advertising. With the advent of E-Commerce, most brands want a healthy social media presence and want to stay engaged with their followers.

As we read above, posting at the right times is of utmost importance when it comes to maximizing your posts’ reach and audience engagement and interaction. When you post at the right time, your followers will check out your content properly instead of just a quick glance.

As more and more people view your posts, they will share them further that increases your followers.

When followers love your content, they will connect with your brand on a personal level and buy your products and services. You can consider the best times and other strategies to post based on the above blog. Also, you can seek assistance from multiple content automation tools like SproutSocial or Later.

So, curate the best content based on your niche and post it at optimum times to reach new heights of success and productivity.