If you’re using Instagram as part of your social media marketing strategy, it can be challenging to know when to post your content. Of course, you want to display the content when you know the people who want to see your content are actively there to see it, but what good does that answer do you?
As with Pinterest and other social media channels, you’ll quickly learn there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to your posting schedule and strategy. Several studies have looked at when you should post on various social networks to get the most eyes on your content and the most engagement with it. But just because a study revealed it to be the case doesn’t mean your audience will follow along.
We’re sharing this information to help you get a starting point to work from as you build your strategy and audience. In case you missed it, you can look at our post on the Best Times to Post Content on Pinterest, too.
What Days and Times are Best for Posting on Instagram?
Instagram users are generally engaged throughout the week, with Monday getting you a bit more attention than any other day of the week.
Post content Mondays and Thursdays, but avoid posting between 3 and 4 p.m. Videos tend to do well any day of the week when published between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. The best times to post on Instagram are 2 a.m., between 8 and 9 a.m., and 5 p.m. Experiment with those timings and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. to see what happens.
Like with Pinterest, it seems users are more engaged with Instagram outside of work hours, so posting between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. likely means your content won’t get as much exposure as possible if you posted it at a different time.
How Much Content Should You Post to Instagram Every Day?
Research from Union Metrics that looked at 55 brands on Instagram found that most brands post an average of 1.5 times per day – or twice every three days. Again, it would help if you experimented with your audience – because specific niches like fashion will be more receptive to additional content.
Does this mean that’s the optimal amount of content to get results? No, it’s just a guideline you can use based on what major brands are doing. The same study also showed no negative impact on engagement from brands who posted multiple times per day. This indicates that more prominent brands can get away with posting less often.
It’s not so much the frequency of posting that matters, the quality of your posts, and the consistency you post with. Whether you post hourly or weekly, your followers will get used to the consistency, so that’s what they will look for and be ready to engage with. Conversely, if you suddenly decrease your post frequency, you can expect to lose followers pretty quickly.
What Scheduling and Analytics Tools are Available to Help Inform Your Social Strategy?
If you’re already using a tool like Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule updates for Facebook and Twitter, they’ve also added the ability to schedule posts for Instagram. You can program up to 100 posts per account. If you have a business account, you can get more analytic data to see how well your content performs.
It’s worth noting that Instagram doesn’t allow services like Buffer or Hootsuite to post to your account on your behalf, so when the time comes, the app sends a push notification to your device, along with an image preview and a copy of your caption. From there, you open Instagram and paste the caption. Then, your post will go live.
A tool like Crowdifre can help you grow your following. Connect your social accounts, blog, and website to it, and tell it what you want to be famous for. It will help you grow using all your digital properties. It will monitor the accounts in real time and determine how you can improve, taking you through daily tasks to help you reach your personalized goals. It enables you to find content your audience will love and posts it for you at the correct times.
Instagram can be hard to get the hang of at first, especially if you’re not in the fashion niche where it seems to be the most popular. But, with some work and dedication, you can make it one of the most popular channels your audience uses to reach you.
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Dalton Grant, a seasoned veteran with over 15 years in the Internet Marketing industry, brings extensive experience and dynamic leadership to SEO Inc. He initially served in various roles within the company, displaying his multifaceted talent and versatile expertise. Today, he holds several critical roles at SEO Inc., including Senior SEO Analyst, Linking Director, Brand Specialist, and Google Link Penalty Guru.
Mr. Grant boasts comprehensive knowledge of our AI SEO and content platform, having been instrumental in its integration since its client roll-out in 2022. His constant drive for growth and innovation propels the company forward, and he consistently brings fresh, groundbreaking ideas to the table.