Without a doubt, Instagram sits as one of the social media giants today. And that's not surprising. As an online photo and video sharing platform, it became a big deal way before the COVID-19 pandemic which saw users spend much more time on social media platforms. Now, it boasts of having over a billion active users per month.
As a firm, this creates the perfect environment to promote your business. Through photos and reels, you can reach out to a large audience. But it's all about timing! If you get your timing wrong, you stand a chance of losing a lot of engagement which is in no way beneficial to you.
So, if you're looking to promote your business on this social media platform, you'll need to get your timing right. But how? How do you know when people spend the most time on Instagram? Not to worry, this article got you covered. Here, you'll see the best time to post on IG by each weekday. But first, let's see, in detail, why you need to get your timing right.
Importance of timing when posting on Instagram
Well, this can easily be traced to the Instagram algorithm. The Instagram algorithm refers to a set of factors that helps Instagram decide what content to display at the top of a user's feed.
Well, as a brand, a quick delve into how the algorithm works is sure to help your Instagram marketing strategy. But here's the gist. When you post content, it appears on the feed of your followers. Depending on the user's activity, it may appear earlier on in their feed. Instagram takes into consideration how often your followers interact with your previous post.
But you don't need to worry. The feeds are usually binge-watched. So, as long you're on their feed, you can reach them. What you need to worry about is the amount of engagement you'll receive from them.
Engagement? Yes! Much like how Google rewards your site for having high traffic and backlinks, Instagram rewards your post for having high engagement. Engagement, in this context, refers to clicks, likes, comments, saves, and time spent on the post. If your post receives lots of these from your followers, there's a high probability that your post will appear in the Explore section.
While posts from feeds are from your followers, the posts on explore section are from those you're not following. As said earlier, Instagram takes into consideration a user's activity to rank posts in their feed. In the same way, Instagram decides what would most likely appeal to you and places this on your explore section.
Hence, if your post appears in the Explore section, you stand a chance of reaching out to much more people. As stated earlier, if you get your timing wrong, you stand a chance of losing a lot of engagement. And a loss of engagement reduces your chances of reaching out to a large audience.
So, back to the question: what is the ideal time to publish an Instagram post? Below is a detailed analysis of when users spend the most on this social media platform.
What times should you post on IG?
The best time(s) to post content on Instagram is usually around 6 AM at the start of the day. And the best days for posting are Sundays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays.
How did we arrive at that? Well, of course, the appropriate time for posting varies with each day of the week. And that is no wonder. After all, the daily activity of users also varies by day. For many, Monday to Friday serves as their workdays with few hours on their hands to spare. For these users, the weekends may be the best days to reach out to them.
That said, other users spend the most on Instagram during the week and delve into other activities on weekends. Still, some users devote a lot of time to this platform regardless of the weekday. So, as a firm, determining the right time to reach out to the most audience may prove challenging. But not to worry. The guide below is here to give you a more detailed answer to the question above.
Sundays
Even though it is the first day of the week, Sunday is known by some to be the worst day for publishing content on IG. Why? Well, Sunday is the only free day for many. As such, a lot of people devote this time to other activities. Hence, they spend little time, on social media.
Well, that's just for some! For others, Sunday is the best day to spend on Instagram because of the free time on their hands. So with the right time frame, you can still reach out to a large audience on Sundays.
Sundays at 6 AM, 9 AM, and 4 PM might do the trick
But you may wonder "why 6 AM? Isn't that too early?" Well, users may be more active later in the day (by 9 AM). And this includes competitors. So, by posting a few hours before them, there is a high chance of getting more engagement and rankings on the user's news feed. This also applies to other weekdays.
Mondays
As the start of the work week for many, Monday may seem to be another bad day for posting, right? Well, if you're thinking so, you are far off. You can reach out to many people on Mondays early in the morning, and during lunchtime. Don't forget the evening as that's when many would like to unwind after a long day of work.
So, with all that in mind, the apt time on Mondays is 6 AM, 11 AM - 12 PM, and lastly, 10 PM
Tuesdays
Regarded as one of the most-fitting days for posting on Instagram, Tuesday has the largest time range when compared with other days.
The most-fitting time on Tuesdays ranges from 6 AM to 10 AM to 6 PM
Wednesdays
Wednesday may prove to be another difficult weekday to receive engagement on Instagram. Why? Well, it may be because it is the middle workday. Whatever the reason, you can't miss the regular morning commute time and the evening.
Post on Wednesdays at 8 or 9 AM and 10 - 11 PM
Thursdays
You can get high engagement on Thursdays. After all, it is just two days away from the weekend. So users may spend more time on Instagram when compared to Wednesdays.
On Thursdays, 6 AM, 11 AM to 12 PM. Also, during the evenings by 7 PM might be the perfect time to publish a post
Fridays
Working hours on Fridays are usually shorter than the other days. After all, it is only one day away from the highly anticipated Saturday. Because of more free time on their hands, people spend more time on Instagram.
Aim for 6 AM, 9 AM, 4 PM - around 8 PM
Saturdays
As the beginning of the long-awaited weekend, it is only natural that users have more time to spend on Instagram. With that in mind, you can generally post anytime on Saturdays. However, for increased engagement, here are the best times to publish on Saturdays:
At 6 AM, 10 to 11 AM. Late afternoon from 3 PM or 4 PM into the evening. You can also post from 7 PM to 12 AM
Conclusion
There are thousands of factors that come into play when deciding the perfect time to publish on Instagram. Such factors include the time of the year, culture, and geographical area. Because of that, there are several opinions on this topic, even on the web. As such, you may wonder which is correct and which is not.
Well, none are actually incorrect. Depending on the factors considered, the best times to publish content on Instagram may even fall on a Wednesday. With that in mind, you, as a brand, have to consider your target audience (Consider their location as well as time zones).
All that said, when considering the daily activities of many, the above time frames are sure to help you ascertain the best times to post content on the ever-growing Instagram.
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