- The best time to post on Instagram is between 9 AM and 6 PM on weekdays.
- You can expect the best reach and engagement between Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- If you want more personalized suggestions, you should switch to Instagram Professional accounts for detailed audience Insights.
Whether you are an independent creator or a brand trying to market your product, there is one question that has surely crossed your mind: ‘What is the best time to post on Instagram?’ Well, there is no fixed answer. It all depends on the content and your targeted audience. But there is some data that can help you increase engagement on your Instagram post. And we will use that to help you learn the best time to post on Instagram to maximize your reach on the platform.
Best Time to Post on Instagram for Maximum Engagement
As discussed above, the best time to post on Instagram varies from creator to creator and the content you make. That said, some market data show when the audience is more active. You can use it to your advantage to post your content at those particular times to improve the reach of your Instagram posts by almost 2-3x. Here’s a breakdown of the timing for individual days of the week.
| Day of the Week | Morning | Afternoon | Evening/Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 8 AM to 11 AM | 1 PM to 2 PM | 4 PM to 8 PM |
| Tuesday | 8 AM to 10 AM | 1 PM to 4 PM | 4 PM to 6 PM |
| Wednesday | 7 AM to 9 AM | 2 PM to 4 PM | 6 PM to 9 PM |
| Thursday | 7 AM to 11 AM | 1 PM to 3 PM | 4 PM to 8 PM |
| Friday | 7 AM to 8 AM | 11 AM to 1 PM | 7 PM to 9 PM |
| Saturday | 4 AM to 9 AM | 11 AM to 3 PM | 5 PM to 8 PM |
| Sunday | 4 AM to 6 AM | — | 6 PM to 9 PM |
Best Time to Post on Instagram by Days of the Week
Here is a more detailed breakdown of what would be the best time to post on Instagram based on each individual day of the week.
Best Time to Post on Instagram on Monday
Monday is when people kickstart their week, so the best time to post on Instagram is from 8 AM. That’s when people are getting ready for their office commute, 1 PM during lunchbreaks, and 4 PM when people are about to leave their office.
Best Time to Post on Instagram on Tuesday
Tuesday is the best day to post on Instagram throughout the week. But you have a smaller window in the morning, but a larger one in the afternoon. With another narrow chance to share your reel after 6 PM.
Best Time to Post on Instagram on Wednesday
If you have started posting on Tuesday, then you should see a steady growth on Wednesday. However, you will have to start early at 7 AM to post your content, and you have until 9 PM in the evening.
Best Time to Post on Instagram on Thursday
Thursday offers the second and last day with a high audience peak interest duration. Here, you will see the growth of your reel or post to drop off. It also demands you to start posting your content early, but offers a bigger time frame from 7 AM to 11 AM and 1 PM to 3 PM during lunchtime.
Best Time to Post on Instagram on Friday
Friday can also bring you decent views and audiences if you post your content on Instagram after 11 AM, at noon, right before the start of lunch break, and around 7 PM to 9 PM as the weekend is about to kick off.
Best Time to Post on Instagram on Saturday
As Saturday arrives, the engagement will start to dip since it is the highest on weekdays. However, if you are still looking for the best time to post on Instagram on Saturday, then you need to start way early at around 4 AM in the morning, 11 AM, or 5 PM.
Best Time to Post on Instagram on Sunday
Sunday is for the night owls, which is why there is no best time to post on Instagram at noon on that day. You either need to publish between 4 AM and 6 AM or after 6 PM.
Best Time to Post Instagram Reels (Must Know in 2026)
Instagram reels are the main attraction of the platform in 2026. So if you are going to be posting on Instagram, 95% chances are that it will be a reel. Here are the best timings to post Instagram reels:
- Morning: 8 AM to 12 PM (When people are getting ready for work and during their commute)
- Afternoon: 2 PM to 4 PM (During lunchbreaks for most people)
- Evening: 6 PM to 9 PM (Office wrap-up time, on the way home)
Note: It is also worth noting that reels bring the best engagement and reach during weekdays.
Best Time to Post Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories work differently. Only people who follow you will most likely see them. And they have a limited 24-hour window to be able to see it. So the best time to post an Instagram story is during the evening and night, when people have reached home from work, and can peacefully check the stories carousel. Here are the best timings:
- Morning: 11 AM to 1 PM (During lunch hour)
- Evening: 6 PM to 9 PM (After wind up, at home)
Note: B2B brands should try to post stories during the morning; meanwhile, B2C brands should do the same during the evening.
How to Find Your Best Time with Instagram Insights
Despite what we have explained above, the best time to post on Instagram depends on individual to individual. The above timings can improve your engagement, but for maximum results, you need to know how to find your own best time to post on Instagram. Here is a step-by-step process to help you learn that.
Step 1: Switch to an Instagram Professional Account
To learn about your audience and post engagements, you need to switch to a professional Instagram account. Don’t worry, you can switch back to a personal account anytime. It just offers great insights into your content and its engagement.
To do this, open the Instagram profile page > hamburger menu > Account > Switch to Professional Account and pick the category that fits you.
Step 2: Check Your Instagram Insights
Once you have switched to a professional account, go to Settings and activity from your profile page and tap on Insights. Here you will be able to see different metrics. Like: Views, Interactions, New followers, and a Monthly recap.
Step 3: See What Your Followers are Enjoying
Open Insights > Views and check the type of content your audience is enjoying the most. Whether it is Posts, Stories, or Reels. You can also see where your audience is coming from, which country, age range, and gender.
Select your most popular content on Instagram and learn when people most interact with it, and make a note of that.
Step 4: Test Posting During Those Time Slots
Once you have noted when your audience interacts with your content the most, the type of content they like, and the age group that loves it the most, you can start experimenting. Post reels, or stories, at those peak timings as suggested by your Instagram Insights, for at least 7-10 days.
Track the progress and see whether it has helped to improve your numbers. Try testing more reels as they often do better than posts on Instagram, sooner or later.
Step 5: Check Again and Keep Repeating
If posting during peak hours helped you get better reach and engagement, then Good job! As your Instagram presence rises, make sure to check the trends closely. There will likely be a shift in user engagement, and the trends will be moved to a new paradigm. Accordingly, make changes to content staging and adapt to a new schedule for maximum reach and influence.
Best Time to Post on Instagram by Industry
If you don’t have an Instagram business account, then you can follow the industry-specific trends to get the most out of your posts. Once you get approved for. In this section, we will go through various types of companies and find out the best time to post on Instagram. The data is brought together by some prominent research done by various marketing mavens.
Best Time to Post on Instagram for B2C Companies
If you are a B2C company and want to cater to your audience, consider posting on Instagram on Saturdays at 10 AM. Besides, you will get the most engagement with users on all days from 10 AM to 4 PM. But keep in mind, Monday seems to fare the worst in terms of consumer engagement, so don’t try too hard on Mondays.
Best Time to Post on Instagram for Tech Companies
For tech companies, the best time to post on Instagram is 10 AM on Wednesday. And you are likely to get maximum engagement with users on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM. However, Sunday remains a dull day for Internet companies, so post accordingly.
Best Time to Post on Instagram for Educational Companies
Generally, educational companies that are targeting students on Instagram should post on Monday at 7 in the morning. You will find the most engagement with students on weekdays from 10 AM to 3 PM. Besides, don’t post too much on Sunday as it is likely to drive less traffic.
Best Time to Post on Instagram for Healthcare Companies
If you want to project a healthcare company on Instagram, then posting on Tuesday at 1 PM would gain the most traction. You are likely to get engagement from users on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9 AM to 4 PM. You should avoid posting on Saturday and Sunday as both these days don’t do well in terms of interaction and overall impact.
Best Time to Post on Instagram for NGOs
Mostly, NGOs attract a good number of Instagram audience from Tuesday to Friday. For an NGO, the evening time, preferably after 2 PM, is the best time to post on Instagram. You would be able to attract more eyeballs in that particular period. However, you should not publish a major post on Saturday as it’s not likely to drive audience engagement.
Understand Your Audience to Find the Best Time to Post on Instagram
So that was our in-depth article on when is the best time to post on Instagram. As it’s clear by now that finding a personalized schedule through audience insight is the best way to go. If you have a business account, you should take advantage of Instagram Insights to understand your audience better. So that’s all from our side. If you liked the article and want to know similar tips to form social media strategies, then do let us know in the comment section below.
Timing is everything on Instagram as it boosts your posts to more users, getting them views, likes, comments, and, of course, shares. So it is best to schedule your Instagram posts. It is not a guaranteed mantra, but it can improve the chances of that one reel blowing up.
The 3-second rule means that you have the first 3 seconds of a reel to hook a user to watch your content. This is not necessarily true, but it works in most cases.
No, Instagram algorithm does not favor likes or comments anymore. It now favors more shares and reposts. So, besides the kind of content you are making, you need to time it right so more people watch it, and share it, in turn further snowballing its views, likes, and reach.
Time zones play an important role if your target audience is from a different time zone than yours. If that is the case, you must consider the time difference between the two countries. It will help you schedule Instagram posts according to your audience’s time.
Generally, you should post on Instagram at least once a day to keep an active engagement with your audience. However, don’t take it as a rule but a suggestion. You should always put quality above quantity to make an impression on your audience.
