To understand the optimal times to post on Instagram, you must first comprehend its evolution. First visual-only social networking site increased in popularity. Food, travel, clothing, and events were all covered. Instagram Business Profiles have made it easy to tag companies, restaurants, and venues. Instagram became a powerful visual marketing tool for both companies and enterprises. That’s why understanding the optimal times to post on Instagram may be quite useful.
With Instagram shopping and Guides, companies of all sizes, from startups to multinationals, can now use Instagram to attract new customers. We need to get high-quality photographs and material in front of potential customers at the correct moment.
Start a free trial of Sprout Social and use our ViralPost® tool on your Instagram and other social platforms to discover more.
When is the optimum time to post on social media?
How we collected data
Instagram Posting Timings
Wednesdays 10 a.m. to noon; and Thursdays and Fridays 10 a.m. to noon
Instagram posting days: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Worst days to Instagram:
Instagram has doubled in size in two years, reaching 2 billion monthly users in early 2022. The popularity of Instagram continues to grow, especially as it adds new features and refines current ones. Instagram Video has been given new life, with 60-minute movies and Reels making it easier to produce and discover videos.
Like Facebook, Instagram’s top posting hours climbed year-on-year. Weekday midday interaction got heavier, with peak moments between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., but nights and weekends remained active.
If you want to improve your Instagram approach, use this statistics and read our article on how to maximise your Instagram presence.
Instagram Posting Timings by Industry
To create a social media content schedule that works for your company, you need to know the optimal times to publish on Instagram. Our Data Science team identified the ideal times to post on Instagram across ten sectors.
Instagram Posting Times for Consumer Goods
Sundays between 3 and 4 p.m.
Consumer Goods Instagram Posting Days: Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays
Consumer Goods Posting Days: Saturdays
The consumer goods business includes a wide range of items, from food and drinks to apparel and footwear, and everything in between. Despite a roughly 5% rise in demand for consumer packaged products, social media participation was minimal.
While most weekdays saw some engagement on Instagram, Sunday afternoons from 3 p.m. until late were the greatest times to post. Saturdays had the lowest involvement.
Instagram Posting Times for Education
Tuesdays at 10 a.m.
Top 3 days to post on Instagram for Education:
Educators should avoid posting on Sundays.
Compared to previous year, higher education and educational institutions witnessed an increase in Instagram interaction. Last year, Fridays were the most popular engagement days, but that has changed to Tuesdays at 10 a.m. CST.
A social media strategy for education needs to do more than just spotlight student life. In order to successfully target different audiences, several colleges manage various social profiles (per college, athletics, etc.).
Social media in higher education
How to develop your school’s social media brand
12 Educational Uses of Social Media
Finance Instagram Posting Timings
Wednesdays at 6 a.m.
Investing on Instagram: Wednesdays
Worst days to post on Instagram for Finance:
Instagram wasn’t the greatest place for financial institution social engagements. Because the finance industry is heavily regulated, or because firms discovered their audiences aren’t seeking for banking information on Instagram.
Social media funding
- 6 Social Media Tips for Banks
- Use of social media to boost bitcoin adoption
- Managing social media compliance in regulated sectors
- Instagram Posting Times for Healthcare
- Instagram for Healthcare: Thursdays at 7 a.m.
- Instagram for Healthcare: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
- Instagram for Healthcare: Avoid Mondays
Healthcare services and institutions have had a difficult time adapting to worldwide audiences in recent years. As the pandemic entered its second year and vaccines were distributed, Instagram engagement with healthcare institutions fell significantly.
Thursday mornings at 9 a.m. were the most active on Instagram for healthcare. Throughout the week, there was still interaction. With healthcare engagement on other social platforms increasing in 2021, we can assume audiences were looking for answers on Twitter.
Social media in healthcare
Social media and healthcare:
- Balancing patient needs
- Why healthcare organisations need to start using social media to improve patient care
- Keeping HIPAA compliant on social media
- When to Post on Instagram for Hotel
- Thursdays at 11 a.m., Fridays at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
- Best days to post on Instagram for hospitality:
- Worst days to post on Instagram: Wednesdays
Instagram engagement times for hotels and hospitality brands shifted. Friday engagement used to be higher throughout the day and evening, but now it’s slightly lower.
Thursdays at 11 a.m. and Fridays at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Instagram engagement is highest on Thursdays and Fridays.
Social media for hospitality
A five-star experience on social media for travel and hospitality
Hilton’s pandemic strategy shows social media’s business value
How Sprout Social’s all-in-one platform helps Loews Hotels & Co.
[Free Worksheet] When to create separate social media accounts for your business.
Instagram Media Posting Times
Tuesdays between 10 and 11 a.m.
Media posting days on Instagram: Mondays-Thursdays
Bad days for media on Instagram: Saturdays
The media or journalistic industry accounts were consistently engaged from early morning to late afternoon. This could be due to global users spending more time on Instagram Stories. Monday through Thursday, 4 a.m. to 4 p.m., we see moderate to high Instagram engagement for the media industry.
Social media resources
Social media and journalism: reaching the public
How to use social media to boost your PR strategy
9 visual journalists redefining data storytelling
When to Post on Instagram for a Charity
Wednesdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sundays 9 a.m.
Days to post on Instagram for Nonprofits:
Inaugural post on Instagram for a non-profit:
Instagram engagement for charities was similar to last year. Our data shows strong engagement throughout the week during US business hours and on weekends, but the best times for engagement are Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays at 9 a.m.
Even with this consistent audience engagement, nonprofits should test their own best posting times. Using AB social testing or Sprout’s Optimal Send Times feature, you can test which platforms your target audience uses the most.
Social media for non-profits
How Sprout Social helps non-profits take action
A nonprofit’s social media strategy guide
How nonprofits can use #GivingTuesday all year
Restaurant Instagram Posting Times
Wednesdays 10 a.m. to noon
Restaurant Instagram posting days: Wednesdays and Thursdays
Saturdays and Sundays are bad days to post on Instagram for restaurants.
On-line ordering, curbside or delivery service, outdoor seating and limited indoor dining remained in 2021. As local ordinances changed throughout the year, it was critical to inform employees and customers.
There was a spike in Instagram engagement for restaurants and bars starting at 10:00 am on Wednesdays and tapering off towards the weekend. Notably, every platform allows businesses to connect with their customers in unique ways. Offering promotions and updates tailored to each platform will keep potential customers interested.
Social media for restaurants
The ultimate guide to restaurant social media
Franchise social media marketing
How to manage a multi-location review strategy
- Tim Hortons’ social strategy puts people first
- Instagram Posting Times for Tech
- Wednesdays at 8 a.m. and Fridays at 10 a.m.
- Weekdays and weekends are best for tech posts on Instagram.
WORST DAYS FOR TECH ON INSTAGRAM
Tech companies – SaaS, software, and B2B – have seen increased social media engagement on Facebook and Twitter in the last year. Social media allows brands to create a community around their products and provide meaningful customer care.
Surprisingly, software and technology had a high engagement rate on Instagram. It’s ideal for showcasing infographics and reports from tech companies and B2B brands.
Tech and social media info
How to create a top-notch SaaS marketing plan
- 5 stats for software social media marketers
- 4 overlooked B2B market research methods
- Instagram Posting Times for Travel and Tourism
- Posting times for Travel & Tourism: Wednesdays at noon
- Instagram for Travel & Tourism: Wednesdays & Fridays
- In travel & tourism, Sundays are the worst.
Travel restrictions were lifted in 2021, but Instagram engagement fell for the travel and tourism industries. From “virtual” tourism to local exploration to discovering new destinations, our data shows that audiences were less responsive to travel and tourism brands’ engagement efforts.
On Instagram, engagement was highest at noon on Wednesdays in the US. From 9 a.m. to noon, Fridays are the second most popular day for travel and tourism businesses on Instagram.
Social media for travel and tourism
A Social Media Marketing Strategy for Travel
Hello from the outside: Experiencing nature close to home
Ultimate Museum Social Media Guide
When is the optimum time to post on social media?
With data on the best times to post on social media, social marketers can plan content more effectively. Still, as platforms and consumer behaviour evolve, new ways to innovate interactions emerge. New content formats and trends may help you reach new segments and personas.
More social media and content scheduling advice
Social media marketing strategies for 2022
Formulating a social media content strategy
20 social media updates for your brand
30 Day Social Media Plan
An audience analysis may reveal less busy times when your specific audience is active but competitors are not. A tool like Sprout Social can help you dig into your own data and develop findings for your accounts that complement the data gathered here.
With Sprout’s post tagging and cross-channel reporting tools, you can analyse how your posting time influenced your social success.
Sprout’s proprietary ViralPost® algorithm analyses data from all of our customers’ accounts to determine the best time to post for your account. Optimal Send Times is a publishing option on our Professional and Advanced plans.
Optimal Send Times determines when your audience is most engaged based on your previous publishing history. ViralPost® also updates and refines itself to save you time doing repetitive analyses.
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See what we learned about the best times to post on social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
How we collected data
We recognise that these reports may raise questions about the data’s origin. That’s why we want to be clear about our data and methodology.
First, we had the pleasure of working with Sprout Social’s data science team to collect this data from our customers. Sprout’s Senior Data Scientist, Joel Booth, explains.
Test your content calendar now. Put out content at the peak of activity. Start your free Sprout Social trial today and learn when to post on social media.