You might be using Instagram to entertain your friends and family or you could be using the platform to promote your brand or business.
Either way, if you’re regularly posting on Instagram, you should ask yourself a few questions. What is the best time to post on Instagram? Are you using a calendar to schedule your posts on the right day and at the right time? Are your videos and imagery up to scratch? And are you fully engaging with your audience?
With one billion monthly active users, Instagram boasts a treasure trove of potential prospects for those who take a strategic approach to their content, campaigns, and activities. When it comes to squeezing every last drop of marketing value, knowing what content is most likely to resonate with your audience and when they’re likely to engage is vital.
Here we look at the best time to post on Instagram as well as practical tips you can use to ensure your IG posts stand out from the crowd and capture your audience’s attention, whether you’re a personal or business user.
Number of Instagram Monthly Active Users (MAUs)
The last official release confirmed the number of people on Instagram is currently over 2 billion monthly active user accounts (a 1 billion increase in 4 months).
The 2 billion MAUs made Instagram the 4th largest social network worldwide, with 37.74% of the world’s 5.3 billion internet users accessing the app monthly.
Key Statistics:
- According to the latest official data, Instagram has 2 billion monthly active users (MAUs) globally.
- Right now, the country with the largest addressable Instagram ad audience size is India (229.55 million), followed by the United States (143.35 million) and Brazil (113.5 million).
- 37.74% of the world’s 5.3 billion active internet users regularly access Instagram.
- 35.71% of the world’s 5.6 billion active mobile phone users access Instagram.
- 40.4% of the world’s 4.95 billion active social media users access Instagram regularly.
- 24.81% of the world’s 8.06 billion population uses Instagram monthly. Instagram’s monthly user base exceeds the total population of Europe and North America combined.
Most Instagram Users by Country
In 2023, 90.34% of Instagram’s 1.64 billion users that can be potentially reached with adverts on the platform are outside the US.
The countries with the most active accounts accessing the photo-sharing app are India with 358.55 million users, followed by the United States with 158.45 million, Brazil (122.9 million), Indonesia (104.8 million), and Turkey (56.7 million).
Finding the Instagram Sweet Spot
While some articles preach a universal “best time to post,” the truth is a little more nuanced. Here’s why:
- Your Audience Matters: Teenagers glued to their phones after school will have different habits than working professionals checking Instagram during their lunch break. Understanding your target audience’s demographics and daily routines is key.
- Location, Location, Location: Posting at 8 AM in New York might reach your West Coast audience when they’re still snoozing. Consider your audience’s time zones when scheduling posts.
General Best Practices:
Here are some general guidelines to get you started, based on studies of overall user engagement:
- Weekdays Win: People tend to be more active on weekdays, particularly between 10 am and 3 pm. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays often see the highest engagement.
- Morning Magic: The early morning hours (around 7 am) can also be a good time to grab attention, as people scroll through Instagram while waking up or commuting.
- Weekend Warriors: While weekends may seem like a good time to post for leisure browsing, engagement generally dips. However, Saturday mornings (around 8 am to noon) can be an exception.
What About Time Zones?
If you have followers split across different countries or even the East/West Coast of America, this can make a difference in your engagement.
The simplest way of tackling this is to use Instagram’s insights tool, the free analytics available in the app to all professional account users.
- Go to your profile page, and click the menu icon in the top right
- Click on insights from the list
- Click on the audience tab
- Then, scroll down to the Cities and Location section
By checking this data out, you can work out what time zones the majority of your users are in, then plan your posts around that with the top engagement times I’ve added above!
What are the best practices for posting on Instagram?
To truly optimize your posting times, consider these additional factors:
- Know Your Niche: Industry trends can influence engagement times. For instance, the best time for a B2B post promoting a new service might differ from a post by a fitness influencer.
- Instagram Analytics are Your Friend: Dive into your Instagram analytics to see when your past posts garnered the most engagement. This provides valuable data specific to your audience.
- Experiment and Track: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different posting times and track the results. Over time, you’ll discover the sweet spot for your unique audience.
Tools and Tricks for Scheduling:
- Built-in Scheduler: Take advantage of Instagram’s built-in scheduling tool to plan your posts and ensure they go live during peak engagement times.
- Third-Party Schedulers: Many social media management platforms offer advanced scheduling features and analytics to help you fine-tune your posting strategy.
Conclusion
Remember, timing is just one piece of the puzzle. High-quality content, compelling captions, and strategic use of hashtags are all crucial for Instagram’s success. But by posting at the right times, you can significantly increase your chances of getting noticed and sparking engagement with your audience.
So, ditch the guesswork and start posting strategically. With a little planning and experimentation, you can unlock the power of timing and watch your Instagram presence soar.
Either way, please jump in and leave a comment below.
