Guide To "Best Time To Post On Instagram" In 2023 (Updated)

What Is The Best Time ⌛ and Day 📅 To Post On Instagram? It Is Definitely NOT ❌ Sunday (A Complete Guide)

by Daniel Abbott — 1 year ago in Mobile Apps 9 min. read
2798

Planning to post an update on Instagram? Don’t do it now… because there is a thing like “best time to post on Instagram” – no bluffing!

Earth takes 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.2 seconds to complete its axis, hence representing a day, and more than 200 million accounts on Instagram globally users visit every day.

Isn’t this fascinating…!

With so much content, so many inspirations, and so many other things… Instagram being the best social media platform for businesses and people like us.

If you do often post updates on Instagram, it doesn’t matter owning a brand or celebrity, you must be tempted to know the best time to post on Instagram for more engagement (likes, comments, and conversion).

To put this simply…

what is the best time to post on instagram

So when is the good time to post on Instagram?

In this blog, you will explore:

  • Five different sources describe the best time to post on Instagram.
  • The best day of a week, best time in a day, and post type.
  • Tips to identify your best time to post on Instagram.

Is There Really a “Best Time ⏱️” to Post On Instagram?

The short answer is YES

time and a day

Some Instagram posts have higher engagement and some have fewer engagement because there is correlation b/w TIME and A DAY.

Also, there are more reasons which I think might be the cause. Those are –

  • Lifestyle and desire of your followers
  • Day of the week (and even month with certain events)
  • The intention of your post
  • The type of post (Reels, IGTV, Live, etc)
  • And the instagram algorithm (which is in thousand)

Hence, this proof that Instagram does have the best time (it could be more than usual) for slogging your post.

But this doesn’t mean… It will work kindred for every account.

This is the reason why you should read this blog.

Let’s explore the five different sources that shared their views on finding the best time for your Instagram post.

Also read: Top 10 Marketplace For Selling Digital Products

The Best Time & Day To Post On Instagram, According To…

Instagram is used by billions of users worldwide and in the midst, many of them want to know the best time to upload reels, IGTV, and posts.

To help you, I’ve shared conclusions drawn by the opinion leaders such as SproutSocial, InfluenceMarketing, Hootsuite, Later, and SEJ (Search Engine journal).

Sprout Social

sproutsocial

From the Sprout Social insight data, it reveals the best day and time including worst days to post on Instagram.

Best time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Best day: Tuesday and Wednesday
Worst day: Sunday

Sproutsocial’s day-by-day breakdown look like this:

Best time to post on Instagram by Sprout Social
Monday 11 am (moderate engagement)
Tuesday 10 am to 2 pm (high engagement)
Wednesday 10 am to 2 pm (high engagement)
Thursday 10 am to noon (high engagement)
Friday 10 am to noon (high engagement)
Saturday 9 am (moderate engagement)
Sunday 10 am (lower engagement)

Author’s Interpretation:

The best time and day is tuesday and wednesday at 10 am to 2 pm which gives you high engagement (likes, followers, and comment) on your post compared to other days.


Influence Marketing Hub

Influence Marketing Hub

The Influence Marketing Hub community has also expressed their thoughts on identifying the “best time” and “best day” for Instagram.

Best time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Best day: Wednesday and Thursday
Worst day: Sunday

IMH’s day-by-day breakdown look like this:

Best time to post on Instagram by IMH
Monday 6 am, 10 am, and 10 pm (moderate engagement)
Tuesday 2 am, 4 am, and 9 am (moderate engagement)
Wednesday 7 am, 8 am, 9am, and 11 am (high engagement)
Thursday 7 am, 8 am, 11 am, 2 pm, and 3 pm (high engagement)
Friday 5 am, 10 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm (moderate engagement)
Saturday 11 am, 7 pm, and 8 pm (moderate engagement)
Sunday 7 am, 8 am, and 4 pm (lower engagement)

Author’s Interpretation:

Wednesday and Thursday are peak days to post on Instagram. While Tuesday and Friday are alternate days to consider. Sunday, with no change in notice, is considered the worst day.


Hootsuite

Hootsuite

Hootsuite analyzed data from 30K Instagram posts (of business only) and the conclusion is really impressive. They have shared their own Instagram best post time: 8am-12pm and 4pm-5pm which works greatly well for other Instagram users.

Best time: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Best day: Wednesday and Thursday
Worst day: Sunday

Hootsuite’s day-by-day breakdown look like this:

Best time to post on Instagram by Hootsuite
Monday 12 pm (moderate engagement)
Tuesday 9 am (moderate engagement)
Wednesday 11 am (high engagement)
Thursday 11 am (high engagement)
Friday 2 pm (moderate engagement)
Saturday 9 am (moderate engagement)
Sunday 7 am (lower engagement)

Author’s Interpretation:

The overall best time to post on Instagram is 8 am to 12 pm. However, it is beneficial to consider the peak engagement time i.e. 11 am on Wednesday for your Instagram post to see more positive results.


Search Engine Journal

Search Engine Journal

A leading online news and how-to platform, SEJ has also illuminated their thoughts on the best time and day for Instagram posts and reels. Here’s it look like:

Best time: 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Best day: Wednesday
Worst day: NA

SEJ’s day-by-day breakdown look like this:

Best time to post on Instagram by SEJ
Monday 6 am, 11 am, and 1 pm (moderate engagement)
Tuesday 8 to 11 am, and 2 pm (moderate engagement)
Wednesday 9 to 11 am (high engagement)
Thursday 11 am to 2 pm, and 7 pm (high engagement)
Friday 10 am to 12 pm, and 2 pm to 4 pm (moderate engagement)
Saturday 8 to 11 am (moderate engagement)
Sunday 6 to 8 pm (lower engagement)

Author’s Interpretation:

It is good to post on Instagram between 7-8 am as the majority of users check their phone in the morning and 11-1 pm when people are likely to be breaking for lunch.


Later

Later

The latter’s report will shock you.

Based on 35 million Instagram post research, later presented the best time to post on Instagram, excluding reels and igtv.

Best time: 3 a.m. to 6 a.m.
Best day: Sunday
Worst day: Wednesday and Thursday

Later’s day-by-day breakdown look like this:

Best time to post on Instagram by Later
Monday 5 am (moderate engagement)
Tuesday 6 am (moderate engagement)
Wednesday 6 am (lower engagement)
Thursday 5 am (lower engagement)
Friday 6 pm (moderate engagement)
Saturday 6 am (moderate engagement)
Sunday 6 am (high engagement)

Author’s Interpretation:

Do try to post early in the morning i.e. 5 am on sunday to get high yield result and 6 am on monday, tuesday, and saturday to get average result on Instagram. Weds and Thurs are the worst days to post on Instagram.

Best Time and Day To Post on Instagram

Why Isn’t There Any Common Time To Post On Instagram?

The simplest answer is “it cannot be”

The world is too big to adventure and imagine (Universe as well).

That’s why there are multiple time zones that countries have.

Top of that, France has the most time zones, say 13 (including its claim in Antarctica).

And, the USA has six time zones; namely – Hawaii-Aleutian time (HDT), Alaska time (AKDT), Pacific time (PDT), Mountain time (MDT), Central time (CDT) and Eastern time (EDT).


Best Time To Post on Instagram by Time Zone

To get specifically effective time stats, it is important to check the best times to post in local times of your region.

Following are the best times to post on Instagram based on different time zones.

  • South Asia and Middle East: 3 AM
  • East Asia and Southeast Asia: 11 PM-4 AM
  • US and Canada (Eastern – EST): 4 AM-9 AM
  • US and Canada (Central): 6 AM-8 AM
  • US and Canada (Western – PST): 12 AM-6 AM
  • UK: 4 AM-6 AM
  • Australasia: 11 PM – 2 AM
  • Africa: 6 AM
  • South America: 4 AM
  • Europe (Western): 6 PM-8 PM
  • US and Canada (Eastern – EST): 4 AM-9 AM

These are the best times you could try, however, but not so effective.

Because to get the most engagement, it’s best to find your personalized best times to post.

Also read: Top 10 IoT Mobile App Development Trends to Expect in 2021

How To Identify Personalized Best Time To Post on Instagram?

In this section, you will learn the tips for finding your (whether business account or standard account) best time to post on Instagram – the same day.

1) Review your “the-best-performing” posts

You can start by looking into the previous posts.

Look at the time, impression, and other engagement metrics to identify the best performing post.

When you find your top-performing post, look at the time you had posted it. Also mark the engagement level of the content.

But this can’t be done for all types of posts. So, ultimately you need a second technique.

2) Check when your audience is active

Instagram, a social media platform in general, is a most-loved social footprint by unalike people, community, and fans.

With 2 billion monthly active users on Instagram, it is worthwhile for businesses to post or upload reels when their followers are active (not an audience).

This strategy gives you >100% positive engagement.

But the constraint is… this technique isn’t effective as well, though which is why you need to definitely give a try to the third one.

3) Consider when your competitors are posting

Eyeing your competitors’ habits always benefits your business.

Because… might be your competitors doing something great that you aren’t doing or not imagine to happen so.

The catch here is simply to look at your competitor’s Instagram metrics such as posting time, followers, and content marketing.

If they have a good amount of engagement, sure you can anticipate their methodology as ‘your’.

Also look at the fourth tip.

4) Post in your audience’s time zone

This is effective when planning for advertisements on Instagram.

After defining your audience and choosing a budget to reach engagement metrics. Do consider posting in their time zone.

Study carefully about content, company goals, and post time – to get the most valuable result.

For better understanding, read the “best time to post on Instagram by time zone” section once again.

5) Use Instagram Insights

Instagram is different and so are their analytics metric(s) and data(s).

Like LinkedIn is best known for professional marketing, job-alerts, and analytics for business-minded people, Instagram is also for creative content planners, professional ventures, and unique startups looking for – growth and recognition in b/w everything.

Create an Instagram account in order to view Insights and do fun with data.

Social media marketers can plan strategies effectively when they’re armed with data, potentially helping businesses reach growth.


Bonus: Best Instagram Resources To Use

These potential resources will help beginners as well horseman to expect admirable results from their Instagram account.

  • Instagram Analytics
  • Instagram Marketing Course
  • Instagram Planning & Scheduling Tool
  • Hashtagify or any other hashtags identify tool
  • Instagram post scheduler tool like Hootsuite

However, there are endless tools and resources for Instagram. I have mentioned this here just for fun…!

Also read: Home Theatre Power Manager: Should You Buy It? (Complete Review) + 5 Best Home Theatre Power Conditioners To Buy

Conclusion: Best Time To Post on Instagram

Remember, TIME and DAY is a critical factor when it comes to posting content on Instagram.

It is advised to all readers that if you do take this guide on a serious scale, the best time to post on Instagram conclusion could simply be like this:

  • Do post early in the morning (before your audience wakes up) i.e 6 am, 7 am, and 8 am.
  • You can schedule your post for noon (when your audience is likely to take a break like lunch) i.e. 12 pm, 1 pm, and 2 pm.
  • At last, you can also post on Instagram in the evening (after the shift off or bedtime moment) i.e. 7 pm, 8 pm, and 10 pm.

But, that doesn’t mean you could always get the best result even if you followed this guide properly.

Because the type of content and the targeted industry also play an important role in driving better engagement.

Fashion, Food, Gaming, Entertainment, and Fitness are the most popular categories on Instagram – to this date.

Besides, we can always hope for the good… so, do give it a try.

Overall best time to post on Instagram

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best times to post on Instagram in 2023?

Considering the working days, the best times to post on Instagram are 8 am, 10 am, 11 am, 1 pm, and 2 pm.

What are the worst times to post on Instagram in 2023?

Talking about the non-effective time on Instagram or alternatively, the time to avoid posting are 3 pm, 4 pm, 5 pm, and early morning time like 3 am, 4 am, and 5 am.

When is the best day to post on Instagram?

Wednesday and Thursday is the best day to post on Instagram for all business sizes.

What is the worst day to post on Instagram?

Sunday is the worst day to post on Instagram because on this day audiences are free and mostly travel, go shopping or are busy doing fun things.

Is it better to post at night or morning Instagram?

Yes, both morning and night is a good time to post on Instagram according to market data and facts. The point to consider here is to choose a good time for morning and night i.e. before 8 am and 10 pm is a good time to post on Instagram.


Daniel Abbott

Daniel Abbott is editor in chief & research analyst at The Next Tech. He is deeply interested in the moral ramifications of new technologies and believes in leveraging the data scientist, research and content enhancement to help build a better world for everyone.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Copyright © 2018 – The Next Tech. All Rights Reserved.