Best Time to Post on Instagram (50,000+ Accounts Analysed)

In the world of Instagram, everyone is eager to reach a wider audience. But does the timing of your posts really matter, or is it all about likes, shares, and comments?

In reality, it’s a mix of everything. While factors like content quality, posting consistency, and audience interaction are key, timing your posts right is equally important. Posting when your audience is active is essential to get likes and comments.

In this blog, we have highlighted the best times to post on Instagram to enhance your visibility and engagement. By identifying and using optimal posting windows based on industry data and user behavior, you’ll have a better chance of shining out in the crowd.

Best Time to Post on Instagram

Our study of over 50,000 Instagram accounts explores the best average times to post on Instagram for each day of the week. These findings will help you in your ongoing search for the ideal posting times.

Best Time to Post on Instagram on Monday

Optimal Times: 7 am, 11 am to 2 pm.

As people settle into their work week, they’re more likely to browse through their Instagram feeds, providing a prime opportunity to grab their attention.

Best Time to Post on Instagram on Tuesday

Recommended Posting Hours: 7 am, 10 am and 1 am.

As the week progresses, people are still in a productive mindset and open to discovering new content. Engagement during this time will be highest during the day.

Best Time to Post on Instagram on Wednesday

Ideal Times to Post Instagram Content: 7 am, 9 am, and 4 pm.

Wednesdays offer a trifecta of perfect posting windows. Shine early birds with an 8 a.m. post, capture the mid-morning energy with a 2 p.m. post, and conquer the late afternoon slump with a 6 p.m. post. By aligning your content as per these slots, you’ll maximize visibility and engagement.

Best Time to Post on Instagram on Thursday

Top Engagement Periods: 7 am, 9 am and 2 pm.

On Thursdays, seize the golden opportunity to captivate your audience during their lunch break at 3 p.m. This mid-afternoon slot is perfect for engaging users during a common lull in their day.

Additionally, the 9 p.m. time slot, after the workday ends, is ideal for grabbing the attention of busy professionals winding down and scrolling through Instagram.

Best Time to Post on Instagram on Friday

Best Times to Post on Instagram: 7 am, 11 pm, and 3 pm.

As the weekend nears, people are eagerly looking for distractions. Capitalize on this by posting during these time slots.

Best Time to Post on Instagram on Saturday

Peak Engagement Windows: 7 am, 12 pm and 3 pm.

Saturday late mornings are made for Instagram scrolling, so make the most of it by posting between the time slots to maximize your engagement rate.

Best Time to Post on Instagram on Sunday

Good Times to Post Instagram Content: 7 am and 11 am.

At last, it’s the end of the week, and most of your audience enjoy their relaxed morning routines or are busy with their families. So get your posts in before brunch hour and your week on a high note by sharing your dazzling content around 7 pm in the evenings.

Now you know the good time slots to post on Instagram and enhance your visibility and engagement. However, in our experience, it’s hard to generalize the Instagram posting times for a wide range of businesses with different niches and target audiences.

Katelyn Rhoades, a social media expert, shares in her Instagram Masterclass, “We began journaling our posting dates and times to see which ones performed best. The optimal day can vary across industries.”

She continues, “Think about your audience: When will they most likely be on their phones? Are they working Monday through Friday? Are they at home? Tailor your posting times to your audience’s habits. Record your times and review them weekly to identify patterns and refine your strategy.“

Instead of guessing, you can use SocialPilot’s AI-powered Instagram Timing Tool to find the best times to post on Instagram tailored to your niche audience.

This free AI-powered tool fetches your unique Instagram data, does the math by itself, and shows you the best times to post on Instagram, tailored to your audience and profile.

In a Nutshell

Based on our study, we found that the best days to post on Instagram are always weekdays, whereas a deeper dive into the timings tells us that It is always safe to post:

• Before work hours (7 am to 9 am): Well, that’s not surprising. People tend to see their Instagram feed while commuting to work in the early morning.
• Middays (11 pm-2 pm): People are likely to check their Instagram during the middle of their days, just after the rushed mornings, so posting before lunch is also a fair shot.
• Another average deduction around the best days to post on Instagram suggests weekends are the least favorite days to post anything on Instagram. The majority of your audience is usually out, busy with their personal lives. But you can still post until 1 pm to 5 pm.

Wait! Here’s some bonus data from popular social media marketing companies suggesting when brands should post on Instagram for you to help you save time.

• Later suggest the time frame between 9 am to 11 pm (EST).
• Hubspot favors the time between 2 pm and 3 pm (CDT) and Thursday as the best day to post on Instagram.
• Sprout Social deduced Wednesday at 11 a.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. as the preferred time slots.
• Search engine Journal favors Monday, Tuesday, and Friday at 11 a.m. and Tuesday at 2 pm.

Best Time to Post Stories on Instagram

If you’re using stories to connect with your target audience, timing matters just as much as it does for regular posts. Just like the best time to post on Instagram, stories also have specific hours for better engagement.

Research conducted by SocialPilot on 50,000 Instagram accounts indicates that the best times to post Instagram Stories are during lunch breaks, between 11 am and 2 pm. These findings will assist you in your ongoing search for the ideal posting times.

Our research has wielded us interesting results for the best time to post reels on Instagram

While these are solid averages, keep in mind that, like with posts, the best time to post Instagram Stories will vary by industry and audience behavior.

Experimentation and analytics are key!

Before we move ahead, here are other recent related studies:

What Are the Best Times to Upload on Instagram by Industry?

As businesses and influencers strive to captivate their target audiences, understanding the best time to post on Instagram becomes a strategic game-changer. Each industry has unique characteristics, preferences, and audience behaviors, making it essential to tailor your posting schedule accordingly.

While weekends may not work for all industries, some — like fashion — actually see higher engagement during those times. That’s why our study segmented the best times to post Instagram content by industry, helping you align your posting strategy with what works best in your niche.

Note: All the times are expressed in EST

Best Time to Upload on Instagram for Travel and Tourism

The best time to post Instagram content for travel brands is during midday and early evening hours, when people are daydreaming about their next getaway.

Best times to post on Instagram for Travel and Tourism:

• Weekdays: 12 pm to 2 pm; 6 pm to 9 pm.
• Weekends:  11 am to 1 pm; 4 pm to 6 pm

Best days to Post on Instagram for Travel and Tourism: Tuesdays and Thursdays

Best Time to Post on Instagram for Fashion and Apparel

The best time to post on Instagram for fashion brands is during lunch and evening scroll hours, when users are browsing for outfit inspiration and trends.

Best times to post on Instagram for Fashion and Apparel:

• Weekdays: 1 pm to 2 pm and 8 pm to 9 pm
• Weekends: 11 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 6 pm

Best days to post on Instagram for Fashion and Apparel: Weekends, especially Saturdays

Best Time to Post on Instagram for Fitness and Wellness

The fitness community is active early mornings and evenings, before and after workouts. That’s the best time to post on Instagram for fitness accounts.

Best times to post on Instagram for Fitness and Wellness:

• Weekdays: 6 am to 8 am and 6 pm to 10 pm
• Weekends: 8 am to 10 am and 4 pm to 6 pm

Best days to post on Instagram for Fitness and Wellness: Tuesday and Wednesday

Best Time to Post on Instagram for Food and Beverage

Cravings kick in before meals — making lunch breaks and early evenings the best times to post on Instagram if you’re in the food and beverage space.

Best times to post on Instagram for Food and Beverage:

• Weekdays: 11 am to 1 pm
• Weekends:  7 am to 9 am; 5 pm to 7 pm

Best days to post on Instagram for Food and Beverage: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

Best Time to Post on Instagram for Digital Marketing/Social Media

For digital marketers, your audience is typically online during working hours, making that the ideal time to post Instagram content for industry professionals.

Best times to post on Instagram for Digital Marketing/Social Media:

• Weekdays: 7 am to 11 am; 1 pm to 3 pm
• Weekends: Limited activity, but occasional posts from 10 am to 12 pm

Best days to post on Instagram for Digital Marketing/Social Media: Monday to Thursday

Best Time to Post on Instagram for IT Brands

The best time to post Instagram content for tech companies is often early morning or late morning on weekdays — when professionals are checking in before work meetings.

Best times to post on Instagram for IT Brands:

• Weekdays: 4 am to 6 am; 10 am to 12 pm
• Weekends: 1 pm and 3 pm; 8 pm to 9 pm

Best days to post on Instagram for IT Brands: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday

Best Times to Post on Instagram by Location

While we’ve explored the best times to post on Instagram by day and industry, location is a major factor that often has the biggest influence. Your audience’s geographical location shapes everything from their routines to online behavior — and your posting strategy should adapt accordingly.

Below, you’ll find the best time to post on Instagram by country, backed by data from various Instagram accounts. Use this localized insight to fine-tune your publishing schedule.

Best Time to Post on Instagram in Australia

Best Time to Post on Instagram in Bangladesh

Best Time to Post on Instagram in Philippines

Best Time to Post on Instagram in Canada

Best Time to Post on Instagram in Pakistan

Best Time to Post on Instagram in Europe

Best Time to Post on Instagram in Nigeria

Best Time to Post on Instagram in South Africa

Best Time to Post on Instagram in USA

Best Time to Post on Instagram in India

Now, you can use any of the above best times to post on your Instagram, based on any of the criteria given above. These time slots have been identified based on the research sample we took.

So, you might have to make some tweaks to these times to find the sweet spot for your audience.

However, there is a way to take all the guesswork out of the process and find the absolute best time to post on Instagram jus for YOU!

How to Find the Best Time to Post on Instagram For Your Business?

The average best time to post on Instagram, based on our study, will definitely work wonders for your engagement rate.

But if you want to maximize engagement, it’s crucial to identify the best time to post Instagram content tailored to your unique audience.

Here’s how to do that:

1. Use Instagram Insights or Creator Studio

Instagram offers native tools that help you understand your followers’ behavior — including when they’re most active.

A. Instagram Mobile App

The first one is by using the Instagram mobile app. It is a convenient tool that lets you find significant insights, like the location of your followers, their gender, age, and when they’re most active on Instagram.

Use this to narrow down your audience’s peak Instagram posting times.

To access insights on Instagram, having an Instagram business account or an Instagram creator’s profile is a must. Another added benefit of having a creator’s profile is that you can access the “Instagram Creator Studio“.

B. Instagram Creator Studio

And this is what the second route is. Instagram Creators Studio, like Instagram insights, gives you access to multiple audience insights to find the best time to post on Instagram.

One shortcoming of Instagram native insights is that they only provide you with the followers’ online activity data for the past 7 days.

That’s where SocialPilot comes to your rescue.

2. SocialPilot’s Instagram Analytics

Optimal Instagram posting time depends on three things – audience, day of the week, and time zone.

Fortunately, SocialPilot’s Instagram analytics feature helps you figure the best time to post on Instagram based on your actual followers data.

Let’s see how.

The “Time Range” filter lets you choose the exact period for which you want to see the insights in the analytics section. You can view, download, and email the analytics report of your Instagram business accounts by selecting a custom date range.

There’s also a heat map that automatically calculates the average number of followers active at each hour and each day of the week in the chosen time range to give you the personalized best time to post on Instagram.

This heat map graphics will give you all the information about the best times and days for getting more engagement on Instagram for your business.

Moreover, you can see the location of your followers, their gender, their age, and other significant follower insights.

These days, reels have been taking Instagram by storm, which is why we knew it was imperative not only to allow users to post reels using SocialPilot but also to release Reels analytics.

Reels analytics helps you monitor your reach, interactions, likes, and video plays. You can use all of these insights to navigate your Instagram account growth and gauge what kind of content your audience prefers and when.

Here’s a curated list of some Instagram analytics tools if you’d like to compare and opt for the best one to measure your Instagram campaigns and the best times to post.

How to Effectively Use Multiple Right Times to Post on Instagram?

Eventually, you will come to know that there is no single best day or time to post on Instagram after using the tools mentioned above.

Anyway, you wouldn’t want a world with only one good time to upload on Instagram.

But, it can be tiresome for a social media manager or marketing agency to keep posting on multiple time slots while handling various social media accounts.

You can either let go of multiple time slots and opt for one best time from the whole day or manually post on various time slots. Choosing the former will lose your other better engagement times, and going for the latter will waste a colossal amount of your time.

This is where you need a social media content scheduler!

For instance, SocialPilot’s Instagram scheduler lets you create and schedule your Instagram post for days, weeks, and even months ahead of time.

So, this automatic posting tool will help you publish at different time slots without any hassle. All you have to do is select multiple time slots for every day of the month in its content planner, and your created posts will be published on Instagram.

Tip: Experiment with posting different types of content at varied times to zero in your sweet spot. Schedule multiple reels and stories for the day for an aggravated reach.

Why Does the Best Time to Post on Instagram Matter?

Sometimes, even top-notch content might not be getting the exposure it needs and people are left scratching their heads. Well, the secret line between failure and success might be hidden from you due to wrong timing.

The Instagram algorithm favors content that gives positive signals, which is nothing other than active interactions from the audience. Now, posting when your followers are most active not only increases visibility but also sparks quick engagement, i.e., positive signals. This causes your Instagram posts being pushed ahead to more and more feeds.

So, posting on Instagram at the best time when your followers are active gives these posts the initial push they need to get boosted reach, contributing to their performance.

Conclusion

Nothing is more annoying than not getting any reach on the Instagram posts you have so effortlessly created.

But now, you’re equipped with data-backed posting strategies to help you pinpoint the best times to post on Instagram for your audience. If you want to go deeper, check out the full Instagram Trends Report 2025 for the latest insights shaping platform success.

If you’re managing multiple accounts or simply want to save time while maximizing engagement, consider using Instagram automation software to plan and publish content efficiently.

The right time can get you in the feed, but only great content turns impressions into interactions. That’s where SocialPilot comes in.