The Best Time to Post on Instagram (Based on Day + Industry)

March 28, 2019

Instagram is currently the most popular social media application.

The app that launched in 2010 now has over 1 billion users. Yes, that says billion. It’s no surprise that more and more companies are migrating to Instagram in hopes of building their audience and advertising to the masses. Instagram has hugely impacted the social media landscape and has projections to continue growing far into the future.

Naturally, entrepreneurs, marketers, and business owners alike all begin to wonder the same thing. Is there a best time to post on Instagram? 

Here’s the thing, those guidelines are pretty vague and will work for most users who use Instagram for personal reasons. If you’re on the app as a business owner, the factor that will determine the best time for you to post is the industry your company is a part of.

Instagram Insights
Best times to post for each day of the week
Best times to post based on industry
Try scheduling your posts

Is there a best time to post on Instagram?

The short answer is no. The long answer is: it depends what you’re posting, who your audience is, what you’re advertising, and what day of the week it is.

The question of when to post became especially fuzzy when Instagram switched to an algorithm-based feed in 2016. Since then, Instagram has favored recency over chronological order. This means that you won’t see posts from people you follow chronologically, rather, you’ll see posts that are newer at the top of your feed.

Related: If you are looking to repost something on Instagram, the same rules apply. 

So what does that mean from a business standpoint? In order for your audience to have the chance to see your posts and ads, you’ll need to make sure you’re posting when they’re the most active. That way, you give your audience the best chance of seeing your content.

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Instagram Insights

One of the best ways to find out when your audience is most active is to look closely at your Instagram analytics. If you have an Instagram business profile, you can look at Insights to get a general sense of when your audience is online.

By clicking the  button at the top right corner of your Instagram profile, the sidebar will pop up on the right. Click on Insights.

instagram insights button

In the Activity tab, you can see the actions taken on your account during the previous week. The Interactions measures the actions people took when they engaged with your content. Under it, you can see Profile Visits. These metrics can be a good indicator of how effective your content is. You can track your process week over week to make sure you’re posting the best content possible.

In the Discovery tab, you’ll be able to observe how many people see your content and where they find it.

activity in instagram insights


Now, click on Audience. This is where you can monitor the Top Locations your followers live in, broken into cities and countries, as well as their Age Range and Gender.

instagram insights top locations

 

instagram insights age range and gender


Just like advertising on Facebook, Instagram provides you with important demographic information you can use to target your audience more efficiently. If you know that most of your audience lives in Chicago, advertising there heavily would be a smart move.

The section that will be most useful to find out when your audience is active is the Followers section. Organized by Hours and Days, you can tap through to see which day would be the best to post on and what hours the majority of your followers are browsing Instagram. You can use these times as a starting point as you continue experimenting with different days and hours. By doing this, you adjust your marketing strategy and will find your business’ best time.

instagram follower insights

Best times to post for each day of the week

According to data collected by Sprout Social, the best time to post weekly are as follows:

best time to post on instagram

Source: Sprout Social 

Best times to post based on industry

Every brand, company, or business will be different, so the answer to this question isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. Let’s go over a few industries and their “best times to post.”

*All times are timezone agnostic

Best times to post for Tech Companies

  • Best time to post is on Wednesday at 10 AM
  • Thursday is the best day for tech companies
  • The safest times to post are Wednesday to Friday from 10 AM - 5 PM
  • Least engaging day is Sunday

Best times to post for Healthcare Companies

  • Best time to post is on Tuesday at 1 PM
  • Tuesday is the best day for healthcare
  • The safest times to post are Tuesday to Friday from 9 AM - 4 PM
  • Least engaging days are Saturday and Sunday

Best times to post for Educational Organizations

  • Best time to post is on Monday at 8 PM
  • Monday is the best day for Education
  • The safest times to post are weekdays from 11 AM - 4 PM
  • Least engaging day is Sunday

Best times to post Nonprofit Organizations

  • Best time to post is on Friday at 2 PM
  • Other good days for engagement: Tuesday at 3 and 9 PM, Wednesday from 3 - 4 PM, Thursday from 2 - 3 PM, and Friday at 10 AM
  • The safest times to post are weekdays from noon - 5 PM
  • Least engaging day is Saturday

Best times to post for B2C Companies

  • Best time to post is on Saturday at 11 AM and 1 PM
  • Most consistent day for engagement is Wednesday
  • The safest times to post are every day from 10 AM - 3 PM
  • Least engaging day is Monday

Best times to post for Travel + Tourism Companies

  • Best time to post is on Friday from 9 AM - 1 PM
  • Best performing days are Friday, Tuesday, and Monday
  • The safest times to post is Friday at 11 AM or 1 PM
  • Least engaging days are Saturday and Sunday

Best times to post for Media + Entertainment Companies

  • Best times to post are Tuesday and Thursday from noon - 3 PM
  • Most engaging times are 2 PM, 3 PM, noon, and 1 PM
  • Least engaging time is during the morning

Best times to post for Food + Beverage Companies

  • Best time to post is on Friday at noon
  • Most engaging days are Friday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday
  • Least engaging time is anytime outside mealtime
TIP: Now that you know the best time to post based on your industry, learn how to sell on Instagram!

Try scheduling your posts

If you’ve determined when your audience is most active, you can try your hand at scheduling your Instagram posts for your personalized best times. Scheduling your posts will save you time and ensure you’re not waiting around to post an important piece of content. By sitting down and planning your posting schedule, you can boost traffic and engagement while not stressing if you posted on time.

Test out some scheduling software yourself to see if it enhances your productivity.

See the Easiest-to-Use Social Media Management Software →

To keep in mind

Instagram has an incredibly large marketplace. As you begin to build your Instagram audience, remember that perfecting your posting time will be a learning process. There is no one size fits all time for any social platform.

So, conclusion? There’s no best time to post on Instagram, but if you reference your Insights often while testing a variety of post times, you’ll be sure to find your personalized answer.

If you're eager to learn more, discover how to best use Instagram filters or check out our social media marketing hub to learn everything you need to know about posting, analytics, and current best practices.

Get 35 social media marketing resources, FREE.    Explore →

The Best Time to Post on Instagram (Based on Day + Industry) Ever wondered if there’s a best time to post on Instagram? This post will walk through best posting times based on day, time, and industry. https://learn.g2crowd.com/hubfs/insta%202.jpg
Alexa Drake Alexa is a former content associate at G2. Born and raised in Chicago, she went to Columbia College Chicago and entered the world of all things event marketing and social media. In her free time, she likes being outside with her dog, creating playlists, and dabbling in Illustrator. (she/her/hers) https://learn.g2.com/hubfs/_Logos/Alex%20DrakeUpdated.jpeg https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexadrake7/

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