Is there such a thing as the best time to post Reels on Instagram?
The simple answer is yes, definitely! Posting when your followers are most active will help you maximize engagement, which boosts your reach and grows your audience faster.
The Instagram algorithm can be tricky, so you need all the help you can get to ensure your marketing strategy is well-thought-out and your campaigns reach maximum effectiveness.
This guide explores the best times to post Instagram Reels and how to calculate this.
Why Are Instagram Reels So Useful?
If your goal is to attract more followers and boost your social media engagement, then posting Reels is one of the best ways to do it.
Instagram Reels, which are short-form videos native to the platform, have a significantly higher engagement rate compared to other types of media on the app. They are one of the best forms of Instagram content to attract users and get your profile seen.
Because of the unique Instagram algorithm, Reels are also often made more visible, which means they have a wider reach. If you want to grow your brand on social media, then utilizing the power of Reels is one of the best tactics.
Why You Need to Know the Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram
Simply put, finding the best time to post Reels on Instagram will increase your engagement, ultimately maximizing your reach.
Instagram’s algorithm works by giving greater reach to content that performs well. If you post Reels when your audience is most active on Instagram, you can get maximum engagement without a doubt.
This will help the algorithm to pick up your content and make it more visible to other users.
Of course, posting Reels at the best time also means more of your audience will see your content before it gets buried underneath a thread of newer content.
The Best Time to Post Instagram Reels
Let us get to the crux of it – when is the best time to post Reels on Instagram anyway?
The ideal time to post depends on your audience and when they are most active. Since every Instagram account has a unique audience, the best time to post Reels may vary.
However, certain global times have been known that could apply to all accounts. According to a study that analyzed the engagement rates of over 100,000 short-form social media videos, the best times to post Instagram Reels (in EST UTC-5) are the following:
- Monday: 6 AM, 10 AM, 10 PM
- Tuesday: 2 AM, 4 AM, 9 AM
- Wednesday: 7 AM, 8 AM, 11 PM
- Thursday: 9 AM, 12 AM, 7 PM
- Friday: 5 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM
- Saturday: 11 AM, 7 PM, 8 PM
- Sunday: 7 AM, 8 AM, 4 PM
Applying the schedule listed above can be a helpful guideline for your social media strategy. Remember to adjust your posting time to match your audience to maximize the performance of your Instagram Reels.
3 Tips for Finding the Best Time to Post Instagram Reels
Here are a few strategies to help you reach your audience when they are most active.
1. Know Where Your Audience Is Located
Instagram has a vast global audience. By understanding where most of your audience is located, you can tailor your posting schedule to match their time zones.
To access this information, use a creator or business account on Instagram. This will give you access to Instagram Insights, which you can use to gather crucial details about your audience, including their locations.
On your profile, click Professional Dashboard. Under ‘Insights,’ tap on ‘Total Followers’. This will provide a breakdown of your audience, along with other information like their location, age range, and gender.
Under the location report, you can toggle between city and country to see where the majority of your followers are from. Use the times listed at the bottom to help guide your social media posting schedule.
2. Find Any Competitive Trends
Although this may not be a scientific approach, it can help navigate your Instagram Reels strategy.
If there are competitor pages that share the same audience as you, conduct some research into their profiles to find their best-performing content.
Pay attention to what days of the week they have posted this content and see if there are any patterns. It can hint at what they perceive as the best time to post, given that you share the same audience.
3. Experiment With Different Posting Times
The best time to post Reels on Instagram comes down to the unique habits of your audience. While there are some best global times to post, your audience is unique. They may engage differently at varying times.
If you want to pinpoint the best time to post, take the trial and error approach to experiment. This can be done by creating a spreadsheet that tracks the day of the week and time of your scheduled posting.
Fill in this information every time you post, adjusting the times slightly. Record the engagement levels for each content and compare your findings.
Now, you can repeat your most popular posting times until you find the specific times that are most effective for your audience.
Conclusion
Establishing the best time to post Instagram Reels can make a significant difference in the success of your social media strategy.
Remember that the quality of your content is still the most valuable factor. If your content is uninteresting and adds no value, then you will not get the engagement you are after.
Therefore, the best way to boost your Instagram Reels efforts is to experiment with new content formats, deeply research your audience, and keep track of your results when you post, alongside the level of engagement and interaction with your campaigns. Then refine your social media strategy over time.
I’m the CEO of Wavve. I love encouraging creators and entrepreneurs to share their stories and lead with purpose.