What Is the Best Time to Post on Instagram in 2024?

When is the best time to post on Instagram is an age-old question without a definitive answer. Things like time zones, demographics and industry all come into play when it comes to finding your perfect posting time. At Dash Hudson, we gathered data from hundreds of brands to try and help you find the correct answer. 

When Is the Best Time To Post on Instagram for Brands in 2024

While there is no exact best time to post on Instagram, there is a range. Typically, brands experience higher engagement in the mornings and evenings. Therefore, the best time to post on Instagram is between 9 PM and 4 AM. While this time frame may seem odd, it makes total sense. During these times, Instagram users typically have more downtime since they are often busy at work or with other tasks during the day.

Monday, Saturday and Sunday are the best days of the week to post, while posts on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday tend to see slightly lower overall engagement. 

What Is the Best Time To Post on Instagram Each Day?

Knowing the best general time to post on Instagram is helpful, but it's even more valuable to know exactly what time you should be posting based on what day of the week it is: 

• Sunday: 7 PM to 11 PM
• Monday: 12 AM to 2 AM
• Tuesday: 12 AM to 1 AM
• Wednesday: 11 PM 
• Thursday: 5 AM to 9 AM or 9 PM to 11 PM 
• Friday: 12 AM or 9 PM to 11 PM
• Saturday: 12 AM to 1 AM or 10 PM to 11 PM 

Best Time To Post on Sunday

The best time to post on Sundays is between 7 PM to 11 PM. This timing is unique compared to other days of the week, where posting later in the evening or early in the morning is best.

Best Time To Post on Monday

Between 12 AM to 2 AM on Mondays is when you may see your best engagement. 

Best Time To Post on Tuesday

Similarly to Monday, 12 AM to 1 AM is the best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday. 

Best Time To Post on Wednesday

Interestingly enough, the best time of day to post on Wednesdays is at 11 PM sharp. 

Best Time To Post on Thursday

Thursdays are where we begin to see some options. For the early birds, 5 AM to 9 AM is a great time to post. In the evening, 9 PM to 11 PM sees great levels of engagement. 

Best Time To Post on Friday

On Fridays, it’s best to catch the late crowd with 12 AM and 9 PM to 11 PM being the best times to post on Instagram. 

Best Time To Post on Saturday

Consider holding your scheduling your Saturday posts for very early in the morning or late at night. The best times to post are 12 AM to 1 AM and 10 PM to 11 PM.

What Is the Best Time To Post Instagram Reels?

The best time to post Instagram reels is typically in the morning, between 9AM and 10AM.

Best Time To Post on Instagram by Timezone

While global best times to post are a good rule of thumb, it’s even more valuable to know precisely when that translates to in your time zone or the time zone of your target audience:

• GMT-4: Sundays at 11 PM, or Saturdays at 3 AM or 11 PM
• GMT-7: Sundays at 10 PM
• GMT+1: Sundays at 1 AM, Mondays between 12 AM to 1 AM, Tuesdays at 1 AM and 6 AM, and Thursdays at 5 AM.

GMT-4

If you post for a GMT-4 timezone — or more specifically, New York or Toronto, the best times for you to post are Sundays at 11 PM or Saturdays at 3 AM or 11 PM. 

GMT-7

Sundays at 10 PM are the optimal time to post for those in LA, Vancouver or within GMT-7.

GMT+1

London, Dublin and those within GMT+1 will see better engagement on Instagram if they post on Sundays at 1 AM, Mondays between 12 AM to 1 AM, Tuesdays at 1 AM and 6 AM and Thursdays at 5 AM.

How Did We Collect This Data? 

We worked with Dash Hudson's Research and Development team to gather and analyze the data for the best times to post. We included nearly 700 brands and grouped and analyzed data in specific time zones to understand each unique engagement. The data set contains brands' performance from the first half of 2022.

Experts on the Best Time To Post on Instagram

Many sources on the internet discuss the best time to post on Instagram. Naturally, they do not all line up to one perfect posting time. But fortunately, there is some interesting crossover between experts. Let’s take a look at a few studies and their findings. 

Later

According to Later's analysis of 35M global posts, the optimal times to post each day on Instagram are: Monday and Thursday at 5 AM, and Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 6 AM.

Sprout Social

Sprout Social has identified Tuesday and Thursday at 9 AM or 10 AM as prime posting times for Instagram.

Hubspot

Based on global data Hubspot found the most successful time to post on Instagram is Tuesday between 11 AM and 2 PM CDT. 

ExpertVoice

At ExpertVoice, they calculated the best times to post on Instagram every day, the results are as follows: Sunday between 10 AM and 2 PM, Monday between 11 AM and 5 PM, Tuesday at 5 AM and between 11 AM and 3 PM, Thursday at 5 AM, 11 AM and between 3 PM and 4 PM, Friday at 5 AM, and between 9 AM and 4 PM, and lastly Saturday at 11 AM.

If there is one thing to denote from this data (including Dash Hudson’s), it’s that the early bird gets the worm. But why is that? While there is no way to know exactly why these early mornings are impactful, one major factor contributes to these numbers: work. Many Instagram users find themselves scrolling their feeds after waking early or during their commute. This is why the morning is prime engagement time for many users.

Things To Consider When Finding the Best Time To Post on Instagram

Although provide in-depth data from ourselves and experts alike, there are still multiple factors you need to add to the equation in our to find your perfect time to post on Instagram. Here are just a few of them: 

What Is the Best Time to Post Based on Your Location? Wherever Your Target Audience Is

Location is everything when posting on Instagram or any social media channel. It may be what you consider prime posting time in your time zone, but it could be the middle of the night or the beginning of the day for the majority of your audience.

Learning where your audience is based will help inform you of the best time to post on Instagram for your followers. 

Consider Your Follower’s Age and Lifestyle

Beyond location, it’s also essential to consider the age and lifestyle of your followers. If your followers tend to fall below a certain age range, posting at night could be more beneficial, as they are more likely to be awake and active on social channels like Instagram. If your followers are of an older demographic, the morning hours may be the optimal time to get engagement and likes from this audience. 

Understand the Goal of Your Post

We know it’s hard to hear, but there will never be a perfect time to post. Yes, we have found the best times based on real-time data, but that doesn’t mean your posts will get copious amounts of likes and high engagement each time. Once you know this, it’s easier to take your post performance day by day and not take the results so personally. You're doing everything possible if you maintain a tight posting schedule, engage with your followers, and share meaningful, informative content that resonates with your audience. 

If you’re still not seeing the desired results, it could be time to take your strategy to the next level with native advertising.

Know There Is No Perfect Time 

We know it’s hard to hear, but there is never going to be the absolute perfect time to post. Yes, we have found the best times based on real-time data, but that doesn’t mean your posts are going to get copious amounts of likes and high engagement every single time. Once you know this, it’s easier to take your post performance day by day, and not take the results so personally. As long as you maintain a tight posting schedule, engage with your followers and share meaningful, informative content that resonates with your audience, you’re doing everything you can. 

If you’re still not seeing the results you want, it could be time to take your strategy to the next level with advertising.

Create Quality, Compelling Content

Optimizing your Instagram posts for time and location is one thing, but why shouldn't your audience just scroll past if you don't offer content that's entertaining, engaging, or eye-catching? If users aren't engaging with your content, it might be time to go back to take a look at your Instagram or Instagram story insights to determine which posts resonate with your audience, so you can make more of them — and spend less time on the posts that don't improve engagement (or conversions).

How To Capitalize on Your Best Time To Post on Instagram

Now that you have an idea of the best time to post on Instagram and have considered your audience and post needs, it's time to capitalize on this data. Begin by building your strategy around what you know. Tweak your language to resonate with your audience and the time of day you will interact with them. Don’t forget to work short-form video into this strategy through your Instagram feed, Stories and Reels. Lastly, put this content strategy into action using a scheduling tool. A scheduling tool allows you to see your social media strategy as a whole and make adjustments easily. 

Scheduling for Your Best Time To Post on Instagram

Dash Hudson’s multi-channel Scheduler allows social media managers to schedule posts in advance with two options. The first is through post notification, meaning you will receive a notification that your prepared asset that it is time to post manually. The second is with auto-publish. With this option, your work is complete after hitting confirm. You will receive a notification that your post published at the scheduled time. Whichever option you settle on, it has never been easier to stay on top of your content strategy and post at the best times of day or night. 

FAQS

What is a good time to post on Instagram?

While it is dependent on the day you want to post, a good rule of thumb for more likes and engagement is posting in the early morning. This may sound odd, but many people are on social media first thing after waking up or during their daily commute. 

At what time are Instagram users the most active?

Typically, Instagram users are the most active before and after work. So, in the morning from 6 AM to 9 AM, and in the evening from 7 PM to 9 PM.

Does posting time matter on Instagram?

Yes. While it’s possible for your post to get views at all times, there are specific windows that are most successful than others if you’re looking for high rates of engagement and likes. 

How do I check my peak time on Instagram?

Instagram has made finding this information extremely easy. All you have to do is navigate to the Audience section of your account Insights. Once you scroll down, you will see days and times that your followers tend to be the most active on Instagram.

What is the worst time to post on Instagram?

The worst time to post on Instagram is between 12 PM and 5 PM. Avoid posting at this time because users are typically busy during the day, which means they won’t be on Instagram and able to interact and engage with your post. By the time users do log on, your post will be lost in all the others that have come throughout the day.