There are tricks and tools you can use to make the most out of Instagram as long as you take the time to learn how to do it right. One of those tools, and possibly the most important, is time. Timing can make or break a post on Instagram, so how do you use it right?
Here are some tips you can learn from to help you use time to your advantage on Instagram.
Some Strategic Times
Every detail, down to the day and hour posted, can play a significant role in the amount of engagement your Instagram post gets.
“Instagram experts say that Wednesday at 5 pm EST is best. In addition, pretty much any time Monday through Thursday is good, especially during mornings between 6 am and 12 pm because people seem to be constantly checking their phones during that time.” – The Marketing Scope
It’s very important to pay attention to timing when posting, not just when it’s convenient to you. Hootsuite did a study on the best times to post on Instagram and some of their interesting findings include:
- It varies a lot between industries. For example, the best time to post for the food industry is 12 pm EST while educational organizations did best between 4 pm and 5 pm EST.
- The Instagram algorithm favours “recency” meaning you need to make sure your posts are recent when your followers open the app—that’s why timing is key.
- Timing still cannot make up for bad content.
Hootsuite also figured out the best and worst times to post in each industry. If you want to learn more about the timing for the industry you’re a part of, you can find their article here.
Using Your Analytics
The times quoted above are pretty general, but if you want to get more specific to your audience, you can go into your Instagram’s analytics and find out what days and times your audience is most active.
It’s very important to cater to the times in your analytics, especially if the majority of your followers aren’t in the same time zone as you. Wednesday at 5pm your time could very well be 5am where your followers are from. You need to use your analytics to gauge these times for your audience.
“Remember, you can only access these analytics on Instagram if you are a business account. If you’re not already, it’s easy to switch over. Just know, your analytics will only show information from the day you switched over and beyond.” – Like A Voss
Timing and Consistency
Consistency goes hand in hand with proper timing on Instagram. You might make one post at the right time but if you don’t post consistently, timing isn’t going to do much for your engagement. If you don’t post often, your followers won’t feel connected to you, so why would they engage even if you did post when they were active?
“You need to post regularly if you want your Instagram account to appear fresh. This can be as much as one to three posts per day.” – Influencer Marketing Hub
You need to post frequently and consistently, but you shouldn’t let that affect the quality of your posts. If you pair good timing with consistent, quality content then you’re really using time to your advantage on Instagram.
Timing is as important as the look of the posts themselves. You could be making the most gorgeous content, but if you’re not posting it when your followers are going to see it then it’s never going to get the attention it deserves. Instagram gives you the tools to know when your followers are active, so use it!
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