Are you constantly posting content on Instgarm still not getting your targeted engagement? If yes, then stay calm,m you’re not alone; many people are struggling the same. This is because time plays a huge role in post visibility. In this guide, we’ll discuss in details why timing matters and explore the best times to post on Ig by day and content type. Keep reading!
Why does posting time matter on Instagram?
Posting time indeed plays an essential role in making your content valuable on Instagram. This is because, just like other social media platforms, Instagram’s algorithm rewards posts that receive quick engagement.
For instance, when you publish a post, Instagram initially shows it to a small group of your followers. However, if you receive likes, comments, saves or shares shortly after you post, the algorithm interprets it as a positive. This way shows it to more people, potentially landing it on the Explore page or in more followers’ feeds.
For new accounts and teen users, timing even matters a lot. This is because newer accounts initially have fewer followers, thereby engagement is hard to achieve. However, teens’ followers mostly have specific online patterns (after school, evenings, or weekends).
What’s the best time to post on Instagram by day of the week?
Are you posting on Instagram regularly, still not getting engagement? If so it is more likely that you’re posting at the wrong time when most of the audience remains active. However, you don’t worry here we’re sharing with you a complete week schedule that you must follow on!
Best time to post on ig on Monday:
Compared to the whole week, Mondays capture even more attention because it’s the busiest day for both students or employees. Owing to this, early morning (around 5 to 7 am) and lunch hours (11 am to 2 pm) generally perform best.
Best time to post on ig on Tuesday:
Tuesdays on the other hand is less stressful than Mondays. This way, users feel more relaxed, leading to a better engagement ratio. This way best time to post on Tuesday would be between 10 am and 4 pm, with particularly strong performance between 1 and 2 pm.
Best time to post on ig on Wednesday:
Wednesdays also consistently show the highest engagement across multiple studies. According to the data 7 to 9 am, 11 am and 2 to 4 pm are prime posting hours.
Best time to post on ig on Thursday:
On Thursdays, there is an even higher online engagement pattern compared to that seen on Wednesdays. Research shows that between 9 am and 1 pm performs best, with another spike around 2 pm.
On thursdays users have mostly completed their weekly worksheet and are now planning for the weekend. Thereby making them more receptive to automotive, food, and financial content
Best time to post on ig on Friday:
In contrast, Fridays show more variation in optimal posting times. In general, early morning (5 am), late morning (11 am), and evening hours (8 to 9 pm) are considered best. This variation occurs because some users are focused on finishing work. While others are already mentally checked out and thinking about weekend plans.
Best time to post on ig on Saturday:
On weekends engament ratios drop compared to weekdays. It’s notable that if you’re promoting brands focused on hobbies and leisure activities then you may find success on Saturdays. However, if you feel relaxed in posting on weekdays, then mornings (9 am to noon) and early afternoons (noon to 3 pm) would remain suitable. This is because at this time, most people are at home and like to scroll through social media.
Best time to post on ig on Sunday:
Similarly, on Sundays, there is the lowest engagement ratio. This reflects that people, both students or employees, prefer spending time with family or simply taking a break from screens.
Parental control angle: Understanding usage patterns
If you are a parent reading this blog, do remember Instagram has certain best posting times like when teens are active. This way, when teens see most of the newer posts one after the other, they would constantly scroll through, affecting sleep, homework, and well-being. That’s why to ensure your kids’ digital well-being its crucial to monitor their IG usage patterns.
To ensure 100% reliabilityits best to leverage FlashGet kids parental control app, it’s come in the parents’ top priority list for its real-time monitoring features. For instance, it provides a detailed report on how much time your kids have spent on Instagram. Moreover, it also lets you set time limitations on the usage of Instagram to help kids stay focused on their studies.
Safeguard your child’s online journey with advanced content filtering.
Best time to post on IG by content type
Timings to post content on Instagram also varies by the type of content, let’s dive in to understand!
Reels: When short videos perform best
Instagram Reels often perform differently from standard feed posts. The best time to post Reels is between 12 am & 6 am. However, Mondays are particularly strong because many users check Instagram first for refreshment helping your short Reels get noticed and picked up by the algorithm.
Feed posts: Ideal posting windows
Feed posts indeed perform better during evening hours (6-8 pm) becasue at this time people are free to browse.
Stories: Time-sensitive visibility tips
If talk about Stories, they receive fast engagement espeically when you post these beofre noon. Its worth noting that stories usually disappear after 24 hours and appear at the top of the app. This way they work well for timely content or limited-time promotions.
Parental control angle: Managing short-form content use
This short form of content like reels or stories, indeed provides a quick source of entertainment. Thereby prompting kids’ brains just once more, making them screen-addicted. Keep in mind that spending excessive time online not only affects kids physical health but indeed greatly impairs their mental well-being.
However, blocking this app wouldn’t be solutions because it also provides advantages in the form of polishing their personality. To ensure a balanced digital behaviour, its best to deploy the FlashGet Kids parental control app. Owing to this, you can set time limitations on the usage of Instagram for specific hours. This way you would ensure that your kids remain focused on real-life activities besides online participation.
How to find “Your” best time to post on IG?
There isn’t any one-size-fits-all posting time becasue it largely depends on the audience/followers which are unique for all. To help you in this regard, here is the general guidelines enabling you to find your specific optimal posting times:
Use Instagram Insights
If yoy’re running a Business or Creator Instagram account, here you’ll find the native analytics showing when your followers are most active. Let’s see how you can access this!
- Step1. Simply go to your Instagram profile and tap the menu icon, usually three horizontal lines.
- Step2. Next, select “Insights” options from the menu > Navigate to “Total followers.”
- Step3. After this scroll down to see “Most Active Times.” Here you’ll see the days your followers are most active and also the hours they are online during the day.
Track follower activity times
Once you see active days and hours via the above-mentioned steps, next keep note of peak hours (for example, 6–9 PM). Plus, you should compare weekdays vs weekends and also identify patterns like “more active after school” or “late-night scrolling.”
Test and analyze engagement data
Although the insights give some guidance, testing confirms the results. To do this, post similar content at different times across the week. Furthermore compare which time slots perform best evrey 2-3 weeks. This is because the ultimate goal is to find when engagement is consistently higher not just one viral post.
How often should you adjust your posting schedule?
Your best posting time can change as your audience grows, school/work routines change, or Instagram updates its algorithm. Here are some tips that you must follow on!
- Review Insights once a month
- Make small adjustments instead of frequent changes
- Re-test when you change content type (Reels vs feed posts)
Common mistakes when posting on Instagram
Many people are debating whether to follow the best time charts to post on Instagram, but they still don’t get consistent engagement. If you are also struggling with the same, stay calm; it mostly happens when you ignore some yet important details. Let’s see what common mistakes people usually make that affect their overall Instagram performance
Posting at the “best time” but ignoring audience location: You might follow the best time charts without knowing your followers’ location. This impacts greatly because there is a difference in global time zones. This way, when you post content, your followers might be sleeping or soon.
Posting too frequently or inconsistently: Similarly, it’s always said to consistently post content, not overwhelm your audience with frequent posts. A steady routine, whether it’s daily or every other day would increase the trust or visibility.
Ignoring content quality and relevance: On top of that just timing alone isn’t sufficient for engagement quality matters most. This is because Instagram prioritizes content that people stop to watch, read, or interact with. That’s why focus on value, clarity, and relevance first then use timing as a supporting factor.
What should you do if your child is addicted to Instagram?
If you feel that your kids spend a lot of time scrolling Instagram, don’t ignore; instead, stay active and take steps to ensure balanced digital behaviour. You know Meta’s own transparency report has also confirmed that millions of teens worldwide frequently use Instagram.
Risks of Instagram addiction for kids
Sleep disruption: When kids do scrolling late at night, studies reveal that blue light emitted from the screen indeed disrupts the melatonin production. This hormone is indeed responsible for controlling the sleep-awake cycle, thereby;eading to poorer sleep quality in teens.
Mental health impact: Furthermore, a study published in the National Library of Medicine has also revealed that 48% of adolescents spent 3 hours or more per day on social media. It further added that heavy use was associated with higher levels of psychological distress, including symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Exposure to unsafe content: It is more likely that while scrolling on Instagram, teens may get exposed to age-inappropriate content. This early exposure to mature content would exploit the younger minds, leading them to misunderstandings about relationships, etc.
Reduced focus on studies: In addition to the above, excessive social media usage distracts teens from their studies. Thereby leading to low academic performance, spoiling their future and career growth.
How can parents manage their kids’ Instagram usage time?
The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AAAP) offers a reasonable screen time recommendation for children older than 6 years for limited screen time not to exceed 2 hours per day. Here are some tips that you must follow to manage your kids Instagram usage time!
i) Establish a No-Screen Rule Before Sleep: If your child uses Instagram in bed, they could tire their eyes out resulting in disrupted sleep. For this purpose, you have to set strict rules of no screens at least one hour before bed. You can also turn off the lights in the room completely to give their eyes time to adjust as they go to sleep.
ii) Promote Outdoor Engagement: In addition, encourage your kids to participate in outdoor activities. For instance, you can plan for family bike rides or sports activities to reduce screen media consumption.
iii) Be a Role Model: Your child copies what you do, so you have to be cautious! If you manage your own screen time the child will follow you.
v) Use of parental control tools: To help your child manage their time effectively, you may use built-in limits on their phone or tablet to control how much time they are allowed to spend on these devices.
For 100% reliability, try using an external parental control application like FlashGet Kids. It acts as a digital bodyguard for kids, protecting them from potential online dangers.
- Screen mirroring: See live your kids’ Instagram activities. Like what kind of stories they are posting on IG and to whom they are interacting.
- Notifications tracker: This also lets you sync the notifications from your kids’ devices to your own. This way, you would view and read all of your kids’ Instagram notifications like message requests, etc., without letting them know.
FAQs
Absolutely, yes parents can manage the IG usage time using the built-in feature parental control feature. Otherwise, they can make use of FlashGet Kids to schedule usage windows, limit late-night scrolling and monitor activity to ensure teens use Instagram responsibly.
Posting time actually depends on your target audience. However, morning posts may catch early risers or commuters while evening posts may grab the users free from school or work.
Actually No posting time on IG varies by the audience, time zone, and content type. However, you can use the Instagram insights feature to identify when your specific followers are most active. Thereby helping you schedule posts for maximum reach and engagement.
