Best Time to Post on Instagram in 2024

Does Post Timing Really Matter?

Let's say you organized a party and sent out invitations, but you forgot to specify the date and time. It’s an easy mistake to make. This is roughly how your post comes across when it’s published at an inappropriate moment. Choosing the publication time is not just a technical detail; it's a key factor of your promotion strategy.

According to research, correctly chosen posting time can increase the reach of a publication by 20-30% compared to normal benchmarks.

Moreover, consistently posting at the same time every time creates a habit for your audience. They start to anticipate your new posts as eagerly as a new season of Game of Thrones.

Instagram in 2024: New Rules of the Game?

Of course, we won't reveal the secrets of Instagram algorithms (spoiler: even the developers don't know them all). However, analysis shows that 2024 has brought a number of changes to Instagram algorithms that need to be considered when planning publication times.

• Uniqueness: Yes, Instagram continues to prefer original content. This means that publication time should be closely related to the moment of content creation.
• AI: Algorithms have become even smarter and know your preferences better than you do. Now they decide how, when, and to whom they show content in the feed.
• Reels are taking over the world: In 2024, the popularity of Reels is on the rise, which directly affects the optimal time to post.
• Every minute counts: The first hour after publication now decides everything. Your post will either skyrocket to success or quietly get lost in the vast expanses of Instagram before anyone has a chance to like it.

This naturally leads us to conclude: the best time for posting is not just a certain time of day, but that very moment when your posts and your followers' engagement align seamlessly, like a key to a lock. Your path to success requires a flexible approach and constant adaptation to changing algorithms and Instagram user behavior.

General Principles for Choosing Posting Time

Analyze Your Audience's Activity

The first thing you should start with is Instagram Insights.

Instagram Insights is a powerful built-in analytics tool for Instagram Business and Creator accounts. If you still have a regular Instagram account, we recommend you to switch it to Instagram Business or Creator status. Using this tool, you now find out:

• Peak hour: Find out when your audience is awake.
• Days of the week: Find out on which days your audience is most active. Maybe Tuesday is the new Friday?
• Demographic data: Consider age, gender, and location of your audience when planning posts. If it turns out to be mostly teenagers, you might need to update your slang dictionary. Note that demographic data for your audience will not be available if fewer than 100 accounts are reached during the selected time period.

Competitor Analysis, or Learning from the Best

We suggest you become a private detective (we're sure you dreamed about this as a child) and start observing your competitors:

• Note the time of their publications. But don't just blindly copy - they might also be in search of an optimal strategy.
• Evaluate their Engagement Rate. If they're doing poorly, at least now you know exactly what not to do.
• Use our free service SocialRex.

Time for Experiments

Don't be afraid to experiment! It's better to conduct a large-scale test once than to guess about time and publication format for months.

• Test and compare engagement metrics for posts published at different times. We'll detail how to do this best a little later.
• Gradually form an optimal schedule based on the obtained data. Keep an observation diary like a real scientist (a white coat is not necessary, but welcome).

Consider Your Audience's Daily Routine

Morning: Are your energetic and inspiring posts exactly what subscribers prefer to start their day with?

Day: Or is this time for light but intriguing content that makes lunch breaks more pleasant and interesting?

Evening: Or perhaps your publications resonate best in the evening hours when there's time for deep reflection and long discussions?

When to Post to Hit the Mark

Let's imagine that Instagram is something like a party, and the days of the week are various DJs. Agree that the choice of "DJ" can seriously affect the number of people who will come to hang out with your content and how actively they will dance through your comments.

Weekdays: We have a full house here! Everyone is actively scrolling through their feeds, trying to avoid work or stay awake on the Metro.

Weekends: The audience is relaxed but ready for deep conversations. Fewer views but more heartfelt comments and long Story views.

So, choose your day wisely – sometimes it's better to be the star of a small party than to get lost in the crowd at a huge rave!

In the first act of 2024's social media drama, our backstage crew (aka legitimate researchers, not just filter enthusiasts) analyzed a staggering 100,000+ Instagram posts. This wasn't just a popularity competition. They dug into engagement, reach, and those all-important conversion metrics. The result? A week-long schedule of prime posting windows, tailored to maximize your Instagram impact.

How to Find Your Ideal Time

Ready to feel like the main experimenter of the year in the Instagram laboratory? Then put on your white coat and glasses (just kidding) and let's begin!

Preparation for Experiments

Before you start, make sure you have:

• A Business account on Instagram
• A free account on SocialRex
• An experiment plan
• Patience

For the perfect experiment, you'll need:

• A pinch of curiosity
• A bit of perseverance and patience
• Lots of content
• Several different times of the day for posting
• A lot of attentiveness

Let's Begin

• Hypothesis
  Propose a hypothesis. For example: Morning posts at 09:00 work better than evening posts at 18:00.
• Prepare identical content
  Create a series of similar posts. Important: the content should be as identical as possible, otherwise it will be like comparing pasta to spaceships.
• Launch
  Publish your posts at the chosen times. We recommend that you don’t test too many options at once, unless you want the experiment to fail.
• Wait
  It's worth waiting about 24-48 hours before starting to analyze the results. During this time, you can prepare content for testing new hypotheses.
• Analysis
  Carefully collect all likes, comments, saves, and reaches, and compile them into a single table.
• Draw conclusions
  When comparing the indicators of your experiments, don't rush to conclusions. To confirm your hypothesis, it's worth conducting the experiment several times before making definitive conclusions.

Additional Parameters

Days of the week: Try posting test content on different days. Who knows, maybe your audience loves Mondays!

Posting frequency: Find the ideal rhythm between "too little" and "oh no, it's him again.”

Formats: Experiment with different formats - there's no doubt that each format has its best time for publication.

Typical Experiment Mistakes

• Having too many test materials simultaneously
• Having an insufficient test duration
• Ignoring external factors and important events (for example, Elon Musk launching another rocket)

Interpreting Results

• Look for statistically significant differences
• Don't fixate on minor deviations
• When in doubt, repeat the test several more times

Remember, finding the perfect time for posts is important work that leads you to success. Be patient, experiment, and enjoy the process.

Seasons of Instagram

Winter: From "I want everything!" to "Oh, thanks, I don't need anything..."

User activity in the winter season on Instagram is characterized by pronounced dynamics. Activity skyrockets from morning (around 07:00) to evening (around 23:00). From mid-December to early January, users seem interested in everything from searching for gifts and party ideas to choosing a new outfit, unusual recipes, and travel destinations.

But mid-January to the end of February can be characterized as a "big slump." Users have overdosed on content and want some peace. All they can agree to is a good long read in the evening hours.

Spring: Awakening from winter hibernation

Activity begins to grow by about 15-20%. People remember they have social networks! This period is characterized by a desire for updates in all areas of life. Seasonal hits: fashion, health, lifestyle, and self-development. Peak activity is during lunch break and the evenings, although interest in long reads noticeably decreases.

Summer: Hey, where is everyone?

Another decline - it seems people have run off to the beach. Or to visit grandma.

The best times for posts are morning (06:00 to 08:00) and evening (09:00 to 23:00). Yes, right before bed and right after, when users most actively check their social networks.

Autumn: The return of the prodigal users

Activity grows again. This time is very similar to spring, but education and searching for information for new projects and ideas are now trending.

Peak activity grows again during the lunch break and the evening hours. Live streams are gaining strength again. Don't forget to mix entertaining content with useful information. And this time of year is great for hinting at Christmas gifts. Yes, even that early!

Holidays (when Instagram goes crazy)

You should definitely consider holidays in your Instagram strategy! It's like a roller coaster for your content - exciting, a bit scary, but impossible to miss.

During holidays, activity on Instagram skyrockets. Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine's Day, Halloween, Black Friday... Users are ready to like and comment on everything from early morning to late night, as if the fate of humanity depends upon it.

Key Takeaways

There's no universal time to post; your ideal time is as unique as your fingerprint. The process of finding it is just a little more complex.

The path to Instagram success is a marathon, not a sprint. There will be ups and downs, moments of triumph, and days when you'll think, "Why do I need all this?"

Just remember: every popular Instagram account started with a first clumsy post. Every influencer once didn't know how to properly use a hashtag.

The main thing is to not stop, learn from your mistakes, and don't forget to enjoy the process. After all, if you're not having fun creating content, how can you expect others to have fun and be interested in viewing it?

In a world where everyone strives to stand out, sometimes the most unique thing is just being yourself. Even if it means posting a photo of your favorite cat for the 100th time. Because (let's admit it) the world always needs more cat photos.

Good luck, and may the algorithm always be in your favor!