In order to succeed in Instagram marketing, influencers must play the game well. And this includes choosing the best time to post on Instagram. Now, you may be wondering: What is the best time to post on Instagram? And what about the best day of the week to get the most likes?
In this article, we'll look at how you can post the best time for your business on Instagram.
But before that, let's find out why it's important to know the best time to post.
Why does posting at the best time on the Instagram matter?
Back in 2018, Instagram ‘timeliness’ was an important factor when posting as it affected when the post would show up on users' feeds.
Now the ranking of posts posted on Instagram depends on the top three core elements which are:
- Interest: Posts with content similar to those previously interested are displayed on the feed.
- Recency: The most recent posts are prioritized to rank higher in the feed compared to posts a few days or a week ago.
- Relationship: Posts and accounts you've interacted with often in the past rank better in your feedback.
Looking at these three core elements of Instagram algorithms, it can be interpreted that if you choose the right time to post when your audience is most active on Instagram, followers can find posts to engage with on their feeds easier.
However, this doesn’t indicate that only posting at the right time will guarantee more engagement. Aside from this, posting during peak periods and posting frequently also help based on the latest algorithm. In fact, posting more frequently improves the chances of your post showing up on users’ feeds.
So when is the best time to post on Instagram?
Overall best time to post on Instagram!
Avenue recently analyzed over 700,000 Instagram posts and determine the best 3 times to post based on the top 3 slots for the best engagement rate which are:
- Monday 11:00 PM
- Tuesday 4:00 PM
- Thursday 10:00 AM
Even though these time slots are based on a lot of research and data, this time and date may vary depending on your business and target audience. To find out the best time for your own business profile on Instagram, here are a few tips you can follow!
1. Review your Instagram insights
Check out your Instagram insight feature to find out your best posting time!
If you click the ‘Insights’ button on Instagram, you can access the data about the demographics of your followers.
But do keep in mind that Instagram Insights only reports and measures the data only from when you switch to a business account to afterward. If you need old metrics before you converted to a business profile, you will need other third-party tools.
2. Experiment till you get it right
As Benjamin Franklin said, "I didn't fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong."
Likewise, it's time to do a test. Checking the best time period to post is just a step and an approach. The next step is to implement and track the results.
A good way to do this is by creating a spreadsheet containing the date and time you want to publish (likes, comments, or both) based on the criteria you want to evaluate.
For example, if your followers are found to be most active between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, schedule posts for each of these times. And then, track the number of likes/comments received for each post.
It may take some time and you may need a variety of experiments, but after that time, you will be able to clearly see when your followers want to get engaged. This will help determine these times according to the traffic growth plan and ultimately boost revenue.
3. Evaluate the type of content you post
Depending on the type of content you publish, you can determine the optimal time for different types of content, from infographic to video, high-quality photos, to music-based stories.
For example, if you publish an infographic containing statistical information, you can save it for your followers' off-hours. However, if you create content around humorous videos or heartwarming stories, you can schedule them to publish during peak hours and business hours (lunch breaks). After all, people tend to use their cell phones to get out of work stress!
The key here is not only to understand what time it is on Instagram but also to understand their psychology. Put yourself in the customer's shoes. What content would you like to see at a specific time if you were an end-user?
Conclusion
Are you still having difficulties finding the best time to post on Instagram? Download the Avenue app now! You can access trends and insights that are generated through analyzing hundreds of thousands of posts and creators.
