Absolute Best Times and Days to post on Instagram in 2020
Published Nov 23, 2020
Do you know what’s really disheartening? Spending days working on creative content only for it to barely cause a stir once you post it. At that point, most people would beat themselves up, doubting their content creation abilities. But let me be the first to tell you, your content might already be good enough, maybe even great, but you’re just choosing the wrong times to post them! So, when is the best time and day to post on Instagram?
Well, that depends on when your audience is online. A company selling products for teenagers will most likely need a different strategy from one selling to people in their mid-40s. With that in mind, we reviewed several studies on Instagram activity to determine the best and worst times and days to post.
First off, why Instagram?
Before taking your marketing efforts to Instagram, you might be wondering, “why?” With the advancement of technology, getting online has never been easier and cheaper. Most, if not all, of your audience, is on some form of social media, so why shouldn’t your brand follow suit?
According to one survey, 78% of respondents say that they see brands on Instagram as popular, 77% as creative, 76% as entertaining, and 72% as community building. Other statistics show that 83% of Instagram users discover new products and services on the platform, 81% say the platform helps them research products and services, and 80% say it helped them decide on whether to purchase the product or not.
Best Time and Days to post on Instagram in 2020
It’s important to take note that 2020’s been quite the anomaly with this COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas people used to be in school or at work for most of the day, the trend is moving more towards online classes and working from home. Consequently, the best times you can engage with your audience have also shifted. Additionally, engagement will vary according to your industry, so we’ve divided them accordingly.
Global Engagement
According to a study from The Sprout Social, the best times to post content for global engagement on Instagram pre-COVID were:
- Wednesday at 11 AM
- Fridays at 10-11 AM
But you could attract fairly consistent engagement all from Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 4 PM. Engagement takes a dip between the hours of 9 PM and 6 AM, though, because, as you guessed it, most people are asleep during these times. The worst day to post for global engagement is on Sunday.
Consumer Goods
For consumer goods, the best time to post would be:
- Wednesday at 3 PM
Conversely, the worst day to post would be, again, Sunday. You have a safe bet of getting decent to fantastic engagement if you post content between Tuesday to Friday from 11 AM to 3 PM.
General Media
As for general media, the best time to post something would be:
- Friday at 9 AM
Media companies have shown pretty volatile engagement throughout the week, with spikes split between morning and early afternoon. You can expect decent engagement all throughout the weekdays from Monday through Friday from 8-10 AM and 2-4 PM. As with the other industries, you won’t want to post in the dead of night when people are sleeping.
Education
It’s kind of strange that we’re talking about educational institutions marketing themselves on social media. But hey, that’s what’s happening, and it’s working to great effect. Instagram is an excellent place for schools and universities to engage with potential students by building their social presence and visual branding. The best time to post for this industry would be:
- Friday at 10 AM
For this sector, you can expect to have good engagement on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, anywhere from 9 AM to 9 PM. While audiences for education tend to be more active until the later part of the night, you’ll want to hold off from posting between the hours of 11 PM to 8 AM.
While there are many other industries to go over, we digress from the fact that these engagement times have shifted due to COVID-19. Here’s the low-down on the new times you should target when posting on Instagram.
All social media platforms have experienced a similar shift in audience engagement, and Instagram has become busier than ever. Updated research has found that posting on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays at 11 AM and Tuesday at 2 PM are the best time and days to post to Instagram in 2020.
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About The Author
Judy Ponio is a professional writer and SEO specialist based in the Philippines. She works hard to cross check reputable sources to ensure her work uses accurate facts. She is the lead author for several prominent websites covering a variety of topics including law, health, nutrition, and more.
