As a business, is it important to know the best time to post on Instagram when publishing your posts?
Of course, it is. The timing should always be right.
This doesn’t only apply to personal matters in life but in growing businesses as well, particularly in social media marketing.
We all know how noisy social media can get with all the personal users and brands posting every minute.
If you’re too early or too late, you might miss the chance of being seen by your followers aka potential customers.
This is especially true in Instagram, a heavy-image platform wherein you need to have that scroll-stopping post in order to capture the attention of users.
But even if you have a great post, if it gets published during the time when most of your followers or users, in general, are not active…
… it won’t get the impression and consistent engagement that you want. It will simply be buried in those hundreds of posts in their feed.
And so, that is what we will be tackling today in this post. We will be discussing the best time to post on Instagram in 2023.
Keep reading to learn more!
Global Best Time to Post on Instagram for Likes, Comments, and Shares in 2023
Wherever your business is located, here’s a summary of the global best time to post on Instagram to get more likes, comments, and shares.
| Day of the Week | Best Time to Post on Instagram |
| Monday | 11AM to 1PM |
| Tuesday | 8AM to 10AM |
| Wednesday | 11AM to 1PM |
| Thursday | 11AM to 2PM |
| Friday | 7AM to 2PM |
| Saturday | 9AM to 1PM |
| Sunday | 1PM to 8PM |
All times in this table are expressed in Central Time.
So those are the best, popular times to publish your posts to see social success.
If you’re aiming for more Instagram engagement in your posts, be sure to bulk schedule them instead of publishing them on the go.
This will also give you more time to plan for the following week and double-check your posts for any errors.
Why Can’t You Just Post at Any Time of the Day On Instagram?
Sure you can post whenever you want… if it is your personal account or you don’t care about how many people will see your posts.
You can even publish two to three posts at once.
BUT, if you want to achieve your marketing goals, if it is engagement that you want, or if you’re posting on your business account, don’t do it.
Don’t publish your post anytime the mood strikes you.
You need to effectively plan your social media content calendar to maximize the results you’re generating.
It’s a no-brainer that you need to show up on Instagram when your audience is online. And unfortunately, that is not all the time.
Posting during the times your audience is not actively engaged will only lead to social media burnout because you keep on posting with little to no results.
So we’d say before you publish those social media posts, be sure to determine first the best time to post on Instagram for your business.
One of our top Instagram tips is to work smarter, not harder – that should be the goal.
The Best Day to Post on Instagram
There are 7 days a week – which of these days generates the highest engagement from Instagram users?
According to research, Monday is hailed as the overall best day to post on your Instagram account.
Additionally, based on Later’s study of over 35 million Instagram posts worldwide, the highest average engagement is generated by posts published at 6 AM.
This is most likely due to the fact that people who rise early in the morning tend to check their social media accounts and post before going on with their day.
And this results in a more interactive feed with brands’ posts getting seen by more users.
The overall best day to post on Instagram is Monday — with the highest average engagement occurring for posts published at 6 AM.
This further proves the theory that an “early to rise, early to post” engagement strategy yields the most interactive results.
By being one of the first to post each week, you’re giving your content the best chance of being seen by your audience.
Is it Better to Post on Instagram at Night or in the Morning?
If you’re serious about getting results from your Instagram marketing, you are probably wondering what time of the day you should publish those posts.
Is it during the morning hours? Or maybe on a Friday night?
And even though we mentioned that Monday mornings get the best results, it doesn’t mean that it applies to other days of the week.
There are multiple best times for every day of the week.
Here’s a summary of the average best times to post on Instagram by day.
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Best time to post on your Instagram account on Monday
Aside from the 5 AM early post, another best time to post on Instagram on Monday is at 12 PM.
As most people start their week strong at work, checking their Instagram feed at lunch hour has become a usual part of their break time.
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Best time to post on your Instagram account on Tuesdays
For Tuesdays, the best time to post on Instagram is at 9 AM.
Studies show that engagement is strong earlier than that between 8 – 10 AM, but the optimal times peak around 9 AM.
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Best time to post on your Instagram account on Wednesdays
The best time to post on Instagram on Wednesday is around 11 AM. Next to Mondays, Wednesday also gets high engagement from Instagram users.
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Best time to post on your Instagram account on Thursdays
The best time to post on Instagram on Thursday is at 12 PM. Generally, published posts between 11 AM – 2 PM generate the most engagement on weekdays.
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Best time to post on your Instagram account on Fridays
On Fridays, the best time to post on Instagram is at 2 PM.
The engagement on posts during Fridays is actually consistent throughout the morning and lunch time which is between 7 AM to 2 PM.
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Best time to post on your Instagram account on Saturdays
The best time to post on Instagram on Saturday is at 9 AM.
The reason is that people usually check their Instagram and other social media accounts right before they start their plans for the weekend.
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Best time to post on your Instagram account on Sundays
Lastly, for Sunday, the best time to post on Instagram is during Sunday evenings at 7 PM.
Engagement on this day is actually consistent all throughout the afternoon and evening which is between 12 – 8 PM.
The Best Time to Post on Instagram By Industry in 2023
When you schedule Instagram posts or come up with the post timings, one of the factors you need to consider is the industry you’re in.
Are you in the health industry? Do you own a B2B company or a consumer goods company? Or do you represent a non-profit organization?
Although there’s a global best time to post on Instagram, adding your industry to the equation will surely help you generate more likes, shares, and comments.
Here’s a list of the top industries together with some vital information on the best and worst times to publish your post on Instagram.
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Instagram for B2B Companies
| Prime Time To Post | Monday at 4 – 5 PM |
| Best Day To Post | Monday |
| Worst Day To Post | Saturday |
| Worst Time To Post | 11 PM to 4 AM |
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Instagram for Food and Beverage
| Prime Time To Post | Monday at 9 AM to 2 PM, Tuesday at 10 AM to 2 PM |
| Best Day To Post | Monday |
| Worst Day To Post | Saturday |
| Worst Time To Post | 11 PM to 2 AM |
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Instagram for Travel & Tourism or Hospitality Brands
| Prime Time To Post | Thursday 7 – 8 AM, Monday at 11 AM to 4 PM |
| Best Day To Post | Thursday |
| Worst Day To Post | Saturday |
| Worst Time To Post | 11 PM to 5 AM |
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Instagram for Medical and Healthcare Brands
| Prime Time To Post | Monday at 9 – 10 AM, 2 – 3 PM, 5 – 6 PM, Tuesday at 8 AM to 9 PM, Sunday at 8 AM to 9 PM |
| Best Day To Post | Monday |
| Worst Day To Post | Saturday |
| Worst Time To Post | 2 AM to 7 AM |
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Instagram for Education Brands
| Prime Time To Post | Thursday at 2 – 3 PM, Friday at 4 – 5 AM |
| Best Day To Post | Friday |
| Worst Day To Post | Sunday |
| Worst Time To Post | 11 PM to 3 AM |
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Instagram for IT Companies
| Prime Time To Post | Monday at 11 – 12 AM, 8 – 9 PM, Tuesday at 11 – 12 AM, Thursday at 12 – 1 PM, Friday at 11 AM to 12 PM |
| Best Day To Post | Monday |
| Worst Day To Post | Saturday |
| Worst Time To Post | 1 AM to 7 AM |
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Instagram for Non-profit Organization
| Prime Time To Post | Wednesday at 10 AM to 5 PM, 5 – 6 PM, Thursday 11 AM to 5 PM |
| Best Day To Post | Wednesday |
| Worst Day To Post | Sunday |
| Worst Time To Post | 2 AM to 5 AM |
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Instagram for Media and Entertainment Brands
| Prime Time To Post | Tuesday at 1 – 5 PM, Wednesday at 11 AM to 12 PM, Thursday 8 – 9 AM |
| Best Day To Post | Tuesday |
| Worst Day To Post | Sunday |
| Worst Time To Post | 10 PM to 2 AM |
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Instagram for Influencers
| Prime Time To Post | Friday at 7 – 8 PM, Sunday at 5 – 6 PM |
| Best Day To Post | Friday |
| Worst Day To Post | Saturday |
| Worst Time To Post | 5 AM to 9 AM |
All times in this table are expressed in Eastern Standard Time.
The Best Time to Post Instagram Reels in 2023
Short videos are taking over social networks by storm.
From cute filters, to dance challenges and viral short clips, people can’t seem to get enough of this video-based content that some even spend hours scrolling through them.
If you’re familiar with TikTok (surely you do), then Reels is Instagram’s version of that. And users love it, as much as Instagram’s algorithm does.
Instagram Reels have been raking more content engagement and maximum reach compared to the usual image type of post.
So you, as a brand, should take advantage of it!
The following time slots are the best time to post Reels by day to get the most engagement from users.
| Day of the Week | Best Time to Post Instagram Reels |
| Monday | 5 AM, 9 AM, 9 PM |
| Tuesday | 1 AM, 3 AM, *8 AM |
| Wednesday | 6 AM, 7 AM, 10 PM |
| Thursday | 8 AM, *11 AM, 6 PM |
| Friday | *4 AM, 12 PM, 2 PM |
| Saturday | 10 AM, 6 PM, 7 PM |
| Sunday | 6 AM, 7 AM, 3 PM |
All times in this table are expressed in Eastern Standard Time.
The hours marked in an asterisk indicate peak engagement times.
The Best Time To Post Instagram Stories in 2023
Unlike an Instagram Reel that when published stays on your feed, Instagram Stories only last for 24 hours.
This is the top reason why you need to be mindful of the time when you post them, especially if you really want to generate engagement from it.
The best time to post your Instagram Stories is those hours before your audience goes to work…
…as well as lunch time and late afternoon when they are free to scroll and check their Instagram accounts.
You could also maximize your Stories’ exposure by posting during the work week…
…instead of on weekends when users are less likely to check out other people’s or brand’s Stories.
Read this blog next to learn more about using Instagram Stories for small businesses.
The Best Time To Go Live On Instagram in 2023
The best way to humanize your brand, aside from posting behind-the-scenes content is by going live.
Live streaming allows you to interact with your audience in real-time thus resulting in higher engagement and getting more followers.
So what’s the best time to go live on Instagram?
According to studies, the best time to go live is from Mondays to Fridays at 12 PM, or from 7 – 9 PM.
This is because again most people check their social media accounts during their lunch break. As well as after work hours when they relax after a long day of work.
And speaking of followers, if you want to grow your follower base, be sure to read our blog on getting free Instagram followers next.
How to Determine What is The Best Time of the Day to Post on Instagram
The hours and days we’ve mentioned above definitely work for businesses, in general.
But just like how there’s no one-size-fits all approach to promoting your business…
…you still need to do some research to find your own unique best time in posting. These are not fixed times.
And this doesn’t only apply to your Instagram posts, but also to Facebook posts, Twitter posts, etc. These are not fixed times.
So how do you determine the best time of the day to post on your Instagram account? Here’s how.
1. Instagram Mobile App and Creator Studio
If you’re using the Instagram mobile app or Instagram Creator Studio to manage your brand’s page, then you’re one step closer to determining the top times to post.
On your Instagram mobile or Creator Studio app, you can find helpful insights like your:
- audience’s demographics (age and gender),
- where they are located, and
- your followers’ active time on Instagram.
Knowing these Instagram insights will allow you to adjust your posting schedule, especially the timezone you’re using.
Just be sure you have an Instagram business account or an Instagram Creator’s profile to access the Instagram native analytics.
2. Third-party Social Media Analytics
Instagram native analytics is a good start when creating your own publishing schedule. However, since it’s a free tool, the insights you’ll get are somehow limited.
So if you want to dig deeper into your Instagram metrics, the best way to go is by using third-party social media management platforms.
Here are some of the top social media analytics tools you can use:
- Sprout Social
- HubSpot
- TapInfluence
- BuzzSumo
- Snaplytics
- Later
- Keyhole
- Google Analytics
- ShortStack
- HootSuite
Note that most of these are paid tools, we recommend you to sign-up for their free trial first (if it’s available) to see if it really suits your needs before officially subscribing to their services.
And when you sign-up for these social media tools, the first thing you need to do is review your top post performance.
These are some of the questions that can help you get those crucial insights:
- Which posts have earned high impressions?
- What post type are they?
- When did you publish these posts?
- Are these posts different compared to the ones earning likes?
- If yes, what are their differences? Is it the format, time published, number of Instagram hashtags you used, or length of Instagram captions?
These numbers will help you determine, not only the best time to publish, but as well as the factors that influence a post to generate the most engagement from your audience.
3. Check Out What Your Competitors Are Doing
Apart from reviewing your unique audience insights, you could also get helpful data from others’ content.
Your competitor research doesn’t stop with your marketing strategy. You can also do this for creating your social media posting schedule.
Your competitors are most likely doing or have already done their research on the best time to post on Instagram.
You can use this to your advantage by keeping an eye on what’s working for them.
Since you most likely share the same audience behaviors…
…check their Instagram accounts to see which posts generate the highest engagement rates from their followers and the time they publish them.
Take note of this and since most brands post on the hour mark (e.g. 5:00 AM, 11:00 PM), you can avoid the competition by posting a few minutes early or later than the :00 mark.
Wrapping Up
So now you know the best time to post on Instagram!
As more and more brands compete on this social media platform and add the declining organic reach to the equation, now’s the perfect time to step up your Instagram marketing.
It’s not enough to create engaging and interesting content, timing and consistent posting schedule matter too.
Posting anytime the mood strikes you won’t give you the engagement you need to convert your Instagram audience into buying customers.
And you’ll also waste what you could’ve gotten from those quality posts you create.
What you need is a strategic Instagram content marketing strategy to get the best results possible from every post you publish.
If you need help with that, check out our Instagram marketing services today!
The post The Best Time to Post on Instagram in 2023 for Small Businesses appeared first on Digital Marketing Blog.
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