When is the best time to post on Instagram? It’s a question that’s created much debate on social media.
So, as a brand creating the future of social, we analyzed over 9M Instagram posts to find out when you should be posting for maximum engagement.
Spoiler alert: the results may surprise you.
P.S. With Later's Instagram management tools, you can post content at your personal best time to post. Get started and create an account today.
Table of Contents
- Does Posting Time on Instagram Really Matter?
- When is the Best Time to Post on Instagram in 2024?
- The Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram in 2024
- The Best Day to Post on Instagram
- The Best Times to Post on Instagram by Day
- How to Find Your Unique Best Time to Post on Instagram
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Post at the Best Time, Every Time
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Does Posting Time on Instagram Really Matter?
The short answer: Yes — but there are other factors at play too.
Posting at your personalizedbest time to post on Instagram (more on that, later) increases the likelihood of followers seeing and engaging with your posts.
Why? Because your community is online, scrolling their feeds — and thus, more likely to comment, save, like, or share.
Plus, engagement is a major indicator for Instagram's algorithm. The more engagement your post receives, the more likely it will be served to other users.
That said, being consistent and creating engaging content is important too — if your posts don't resonate, your posting time won't make much of a difference.
When is the Best Time to Post on Instagram in 2024?
In 2024, the overall best time to post on Instagram is 4AM (calculated in local time across time zones).
To find this data, Later analyzed over 9M global Instagram feed posts (images, videos, carousels, and Reels) from January 1, 2023 to October 1, 2023.
“We calculated engagement metrics from Later accounts of various industries and sizes, and deduced the best time to post by grouping data by the hour and day posted.
Then, the average engagement rate was calculated for posts on that specific day and hour,” explains Wissam Ghoudi, Later’s Data Scientist.
From Monday to Sunday, we found that content posted earlier in the day gets higher average engagement rates (with a few outliers).
In other words: the early bird gets the worm.
Our takeaway?
Accounts can have a mix of followers from different locations
By posting earlier, accounts could benefit from less competition, while also tapping into traffic from users during their first scroll — even if that’s a few hours after the post was shared
Take these times with a grain of salt. They're worth experimenting with but finding your unique posting time matters most
TIP: For early posting try scheduling your Instagram contentin advance.Create a Later accountto get started.
The Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram in 2024
It’s no secret that posting Instagram Reels can help increase engagement in 2024.
And after analyzing over 1M global Reels, we found:
The overall best time to post Reels on Instagram is 4AM (calculated in local time across time zones)
The best day to post Instagram Reels is Thursday
Again, posting earlier likely translates to less competition, while tapping into users scrolling the Reels feed.
Start scheduling your Instagram Reels with Later — create an account today.
The Best Day to Post on Instagram
The overall best day to post on Instagram is Thursday — with the highest average engagement occurring for posts published at 4AM.
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.
The Best Times to Post on Instagram by Day
We’ve identified that posting earlier in the day yields the best overall engagement.
Now it's time to get even more specific.
Here are the best times to post on Instagram every day of the week:
The Best Time to Post on Instagram on Monday
The best time to post on Instagram on Monday is 4AM.
And while this may appear to be because it's the start of the work week and users are eager to interact with content bright and early, this trend is steady Monday through Sunday.
The Best Time to Post on Instagram on Tuesday
The best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday is 5AM.
While everyone’s up early on Monday mornings, it takes an extra hour before things ramp up on Tuesdays.
The Best Time to Post on Instagram on Wednesday
The best time to post on Instagram on Wednesday is 5AM.
Wednesday also tends to see a steady level of engagement between the hours of 2AM to 7AM.
The Best Time to Post on Instagram on Thursday
The best time to post on Instagram on Thursday is 4AM, with 6AM coming in close as the second-highest time for engagement.
The Best Time to Post on Instagram on Friday
The best time to post on Instagram on Friday is 4AM.
While 4AM takes the spot for the best time, we noticed that engagement is pretty consistent up until 7AM.
The Best Time to Post on Instagram on Saturday
The best time to post on Instagram on Saturday is 4AM.
Overall, Saturday sees the lowest average engagement throughout the week.
Given that Saturday is the start of the weekend, we hypothesize this shift means users are more likely to be enjoying their time offline.
The Best Time to Post on Instagram on Sunday
The best time to post on Instagram on Sunday is 5AM.
Call it a case of the Sunday scaries but compared to Saturday, Sunday actually sees a rise in engagement.
Between the hours of 1AM to 6AM engagement remains consistent, dropping off as the day goes on before jumping back into action at the 9PM mark.
How to Find Your Unique Best Time to Post on Instagram
While posting when your audience is most active is still valuable, focus on creating engaging content first, and then optimize by posting at the best time.
Using Later’s Best Time to Post tool is the most accurate way to discover your unique optimal posting times based on actual performance data.
The tool automatically calculates your top posting times based on your best-performing posts from the recent month:
Your best times will then be highlighted in your weekly content calendar, making it easy for you to schedule Instagram posts for when your audience is most likely to engage.
That way, you can capitalize on audience engagement without thinking twice.
Numbers? Math? No thank you. Later does the hard work, so you don’t have to!
Later’s Best Time to Post toolis available on all paid plans.Sign up todayto find your unique best days and times to post on Instagram.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Is the Worst Time to Post on Instagram?
According to our data, the worst time to post on Instagram is Monday at 1AM and Saturday at 10AM.
When Is the Worst Time to Post Reels on Instagram?
After analyzing over 1M Reels, the worst time to post Instagram Reels is Monday at 1AM.
Is It Better to Post on Instagram in the Morning or at Night?
As we mentioned earlier, posting in the morning is by far the best time to post on Instagram — garnering the most comments and likes.
As a reminder, here are the best times to post on Instagram every day of the week:
Monday: 4AM
Tuesday: 5AM
Wednesday 5AM
Thursday: 4AM
Friday: 4AM
Saturday: 4AM
Sunday: 4AM
When Should You Not Post on Instagram?
Based on our research, Saturday is the worst day of the week to post on Instagram, seeing the overall least amount of engagement throughout the week.
Start Posting on Instagram at the Best Time, Every Time
Instagram is an incredible channel for businesses and creators to achieve their marketing goals, but in 2024, it isn’t enough to just post content whenever you feel like it.
By leveraging your best time to post on Instagram and scheduling in advance, you can boost engagement, gain new followers, and even drive traffic!
*Study based on analysis of 9M+ images, videos, carousel posts, and Reels published via Later between Jan 1-October 1, 2023. Data by Wissam Ghoudi.
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