Instagram’s algorithm has changed tremendously over the past couple of years, making it increasingly more complicated for posts to gain visibility on the platform. It currently prioritises and recommends users posts that were created by their family and friends instead of brands’ marketing posts that include links.
As a result, brands need to master Instagram’s landscape, and that includes posting at the best time. One might ask, “What is the best time?” In this post, we will explore all you need to know about it.
Does the time you post on Instagram really matter?
To put it simply, yes! However, more than just the right time, there are also other elements to it, too!
Posting at your personalised best time (more on that later) increases your brand’s likelihood of users seeing and interacting with your posts. This is because your targeted community is online, going through their Instagram feeds – as a result, they are more likely to share, like, save, or comment on your post.
Adding on to the fact that engagement is one of the contributing element that Instagram’s algorithm values. The higher your post’s engagement rate is, the more likely it will appear on other users’ feeds.
With that being said, you still need to create engaging, consistent content. If your posts do not resonate with others, your posting time will not make a significant difference.
So, when is the best time to post in 2024?
If you are a marketer, you are probably hoping that this post will provide a definitive answer to your query. However, social media marketing is not that straightforward, as there are lots of variables.
However, with that being said, presumably that you will post several times a week, various research across various brands and industries suggest that the following day and time are the best time to publish your brand’s Instagram posts.
Optimal day to post on Instagram: Thursday
Optimal time to post on Instagram:
- Between 8 am to 12 pm or 4 pm to 5 pm on weekdays
- 7 am, 8 am, and 4 pm have been noted to garner a high engagement rate on Thursday
However, it still depends on your industry. Hence, considering the wide variations in timings, it is best to look at it as a given range of time rather than a specific time to post on Instagram.
With that being said, as mentioned earlier, it is still better to discover your personalised best time. While posting when Instagram users are most active is still beneficial, it is vital to focus on creating an engaging post first and optimising it by posting at the best time.
One way to discover your personalised best time is to use the Instagram Business Insight tool. It is one of the most accurate methods to find out your own best time based on your account’s performance information.
All you need to do is go into your insights and select your audience, and you will see which days and times your brand’s followers are most active. You can leverage that information and post at the “peak online” time to better target your users.
Combining compelling content with your best time
One of the most crucial factor that must go hand-in-hand with your “peak online” time is how compelling your content is. Compelling content can generate significant engagement rates, performing incredibly. Hence, it is more than just posting at the right time.
Share it at the wrong time, and nobody will see your post. If users do not see it, they cannot comment on it, share it, or like it, even if you create compelling content. Vice versa, if you post it at the right time but do not have compelling content, your users will scroll past your post, giving it a miss.
Key considerations when finding the best time to create an Instagram post
1. Frequency of posting
Regular posting is vital if you want your brand’s account to look fresh. It could be as frequent as one to three posts daily. However, instead of creating the same type of posts all day long, create a combination of various types of posts. Users are looking for authenticity rather than hard-sells. Focus on quality rather than quantity.
2. Follow your targeted audience
It is great to adhere to the general guidelines of the best posting time. However, if your targeted audience operates differently from the general audience, then the suggested optimal day and time to post on Instagram is going to be irrelevant.
That is why knowing your brand’s personalised best time should be the way to go in order to target your specific users.
3. Leverage time zones
This is particularly useful for brands with a wider geographical range of audiences. The wider your brand’s geographical spread is, the less vital a fix posting time is. Knowing where your main bulk of audience is from allows you to better target them.
For example, if your key audience is not located in Singapore, then targeting their time zone is fundamental for knowing your personalised best time.
4. Breaks during work
People always use their work breaks to scroll through Instagram. Similarly, interest in their work starts to dwindle towards the late afternoon and evening. Hence, posting during those times will increase your chances of getting their attention.
5. Day of the week
There will be a level of variation in engagement rate, even if it is the same time across different days. For example, people often check their phone first thing in the morning. Hence, you might find users that are active around 5am to 6am.
This means that you might want to consider targeting those times and scheduling your Instagram to be posted at those times during the weekdays. However, with that being said, you might experience a lower engagement rate on Mondays as it is the start of the week, and people are usually rushing and have less time to check their Instagram.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, there is no one best time to create an Instagram post. However, with a general idea of the best time to post and combining that information with actual data that you have derived from your Instagram Insights, you will have a better grasp of your users’ habits, allowing your brand to target them better.
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