If you are using Instagram for your business, you may feel frustrated that some of your posts don’t have a great reach or engagement. While there are many reasons, this could be happening. A simple one to test would be your post timings. So, what’s the best time to post on Instagram?
There is no magical time; the answer may differ depending on your target audience. If you’re looking to promote a specific product or service, it might be better to schedule your posts during times when more people are online.
How can you work out what is the best time to post on Instagram?
The first place you can look is the Instagram insights panel. Please note this is only available to business accounts. You can switch your account to a business account from the app settings very easily. Simply visit your profile, click the three lines in the top right corner and select insights – your audience and scroll to the bottom. You can scroll through the days.
If you are using scheduling software to schedule your social media posts, you may have access to some more advanced analytics. Here at Counting Stars, we use Social Pilot, which gives us access to some instrumental data and analytics. Starting at just $26 per month, it’s incredibly reasonable and has a lot more valuable features alongside analytics. You can try out Social Pilot here.
Below is a screenshot of the data from one of the accounts we manage from the Social Pilot dashboard. This shows us the times and days where more of the account’s followers are online, allowing us to set up a schedule that posts during these busier times to maximise our reach and engagement.
Test Your Instagram Posts
Looking at the graph, I can see that the followers for this account are usually more active between 12 pm and 2 pm. Run some tests by posting during these times. The graph shows me that days differ slightly, so I would adjust the times accordingly and schedule the posts. You will then be able to assess the reach of these posts compared with your previous efforts.
Remember to give it time while testing and to compare like for like. So, use a similar mix of post content to the previous period.
Global studies have found that the best times are usually Tuesday 11 am–2 pm, Monday through Friday 11 am. The best day being Tuesday and the worst being Sunday. Of course, our data differed from this slightly, which shows that you should always assess your own analytics.
Factor in your Followers lives
You should know who your key audience is. If, for example, they are professionals that work Monday-Friday 9-5, then they will more likely be online during their commute and break times.
Weekends tend to be quiet as people spend time socialising with friends and families. Summer can be quieter for this exact reason. Who wants to waste time scrolling on social media when they can be out enjoying the sunshine?
Your analytics can also show you your key demographics in term of sex, age range etc. that may be useful in determining your audience. Below are some user-demographics from our Social Pilot dashboard for an instagram account.
There is no uniform solution or perfect time for everyone to post on Instagram. The most important thing you can do is take the time to know your audience and try to fit in with their schedules. Test your theories and monitor the results periodically to check for any changes.
If you would like some assistance with your social media, we offer a range of services, from a tailored plan to total social media management. Get in touch here.
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