Everyone knows there are certain days and times to post photos to Instagram to get the most engagement. Wait. Scratch that. The truth is that only some people realize and prioritize their scheduled posts to ensure they are posting at optimal times for engagement. If you aren’t one of those people, this blog is for you. In this article, we will discuss why you should schedule posts and the best time to post.
Why schedule Instagram posts?
The life of a small business owner is an endless push to stay organized and don’t I know it! One thing that helps me is using Planoly to schedule posts, as mentioned in a previous blog. No matter the tool you use, it’s important to stay on top of social posting, since it’s a key to driving traffic to your website.
When you schedule posts, you take some of the guesswork out posting by doing it in a more strategic and organized way. Social posting becomes a part of your planning instead of an afterthought, and of course, you can schedule your posts for key times when they are guaranteed to get the most traffic. For instance, Monday morning at 10 am when people are finishing up their morning coffee and starting their workday in front of a computer.
Understanding your audience and what their schedules are likely to be like is a good way to learn about scheduling. However, research indicates there are a few key times you should be including in your Instagram scheduling and that brings us to what we will discuss below.
When is the best time to post Instagram photos?
Monday and Tuesday mornings are prime times to post to social media. Why? Because when people get to work and get settled they are likely to start browsing on their laptops. And early in the week, they have fewer things that need to be completed on a tight deadline. As the week goes on, more and more gets added to their schedules. Come Friday, it may be difficult to catch a break.
However, according to 2020 research by Later, it’s not always a cut and dry sort of deal. You need to consider your audience. Later did a comprehensive analysis of Instagram postings and discovered that in 2020 the average best times to post are as follows. All times are EDT:
Monday: 6 am, 10 am, and 10 pm
Tuesday: 2 am, 4 am, and 9 am
Wednesday: 7 am, 8 am and 11 pm
Thursday: 9 am, 12 pm, and 7 pm
Friday: 5 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm
Saturday: 11 am, 7 pm, and 8 pm
Sunday: 7 am, 8 am, and 4 pm
You don’t necessarily need to post on Instagram three times a day, seven days a week, however. Instead, analysis of your core audience should tell you which of these times are most viable for your business to see engagement. So what’ll it be? Are you working with the night owls or morning people? Either way, it’s better to be prepared with post scheduling during key times to drive engagement.
If you like this content and found it helpful, you’ll love how helpful I am in your branding photography consultation with Kristina Maness Photography. For top-rated brand photography that meets your brand standards and exceeds your branding needs, contact me today.