In the age of social media, when information is constantly at our fingertips, people are more impatient than ever. We want the latest news, the newest trends, and the most up-to-date information. As a result, we often expect instant gratification – and that includes our social media posts.
But does post timeliness really matter? Yes! Most definitely. In fact, keeping users swimming in beautiful, fresh content is part of Instagram’s core business model.
The app’s algorithm is designed to show users the content that is most relevant to them, and one of the main factors in determining relevancy is how recent the post is. The fresher the better!
So if you’re looking to get more eyeballs on your posts and give your audience what they crave, aim for timeliness. It’s one of the most important factors in driving engagement on Instagram.
That’s easier said than done, though. So, in this article, we’re going to go over everything you need to know about how the timeliness of posts affects engagement and tips for timing your posts just right.
How Posting Times Influence Instagram’s Algorithm
In 2017, Instagram’s Thomas Dimson gave a talk (Embed video below, if you’d like, but it is highly technical) at Machine Learning @ Scale by Meta in which he explained how Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes content based on recency.
The talk below is quite technical, but the biggest takeaway is that content that is posted closer to when a user opens the app is more likely to appear higher up in their feed:
So, let’s say that a user – for example – opens the app first thing in the morning to check what the latest baddies are up to.
The content that they’re going to see is going to be different than the content they will see at night. Sounds pretty straightforward, but it’s an important distinction to make.
The algorithm is designed to show users the most recent content that is most relevant to them. As such, there is a secretive balancing act going on behind the scenes in Instagram’s algorithm that weights posts based on your previous interactions, timeliness, and a number of other factors.
This is all to say that, yes, timeliness matters! If you want your content to be seen by as many people as possible, you need to be posting when your audience is most active.
How Often Should You Post?
There’s no magic number here. If you search Google for this question, you’re going to get an untold number of different answers. That’s because each audience is different. Each niche is different. Each business is different.
As a general rule of thumb, we recommend posting 1-2 times per day. But, as we said before, it really depends on your audience and what kind of engagement you’re looking for.
Some brands post 5-10 times per day and see great results. Others post once a week and see great results. It all depends on your specific situation.
The best way to find out how often you should be posting is to experiment! Try different frequencies and see what works best for you and your audience.
When Are the Best Times to Post?
This is a question that we get asked all the time, and the answer is the same as above: it all depends.
There are a ton of articles out there that claim to have the perfect posting schedule down to the hour and minute, but the truth is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution here.
The best way to find out when the best times to post are for your specific audience is… you guessed it – to experiment! Try posting at different times of the day and see when you get the most engagement.
That being said, there are a few general tips (based on the aggregation of numerous sources) that we can give you:
- If you’re targeting a global audience, the best times to post are going to be early morning (around 6 am EST) and late evening (around 9 pm EST).
- If you’re targeting a US audience, the best times to post are going to be during lunchtime (around 12 pm EST) and in the early evening (around 5-6 pm EST).
- If you’re targeting the UK audience, the best times to post are going to be early morning (around 7 am GMT) and late evening (around 10 pm GMT).
- If you’re targeting an audience in Australia, the best times to post are going to be during lunchtime (around 1 pm AEDT) and in the early evening (around 6 pm AEDT).
Of course, these are just general guidelines. The best way to find out when the best times to post are for your specific audience is, again, to experiment!
Tips for Timing Your Posts Just Right
We would be remiss if we dropped a bombshell of technical information on you and didn’t give you some expert tips on timing Instagram posts. So, the following are some questions you will want to ask yourself as you analyze your engagement data:
When is my audience most active?
In the Audience section of Instagram Insights, you can see when your followers are most active. This is valuable information that you can use to time your posts accordingly.
When am I getting the most engagement?
Pay attention to when you’re getting the most likes, comments, and shares on your posts. These are all indications that your audience is engaged and interested in what you have to say.
When are people clicking on my links?
If you’re using CTA buttons or “link in bio” to send people to your website, pay attention to when people are actually clicking on those links. This will give you an indication of when people are most interested in learning more about your brand.
When am I driving the most sales?
If you’re using Instagram to sell products or services, pay attention to when you’re actually making sales. This will give you an indication of when people are most interested in buying from you.
One final thought to keep in mind is that your current Insights stats may not reflect the times when your followers are actually active. If you want to get more accurate data, it may take some deep digging on your part. But, we promise that once you begin to see the overall picture, it will be well worth the effort to have the most accurate data possible.
How Skweezer Can Help Improve Your Posting Strategy
Once you’ve nailed down some solid days and times you want to post, it’s time to put Skweezer to work. Immediately after posting, head over to Skweezer’s paid engagement packages and choose the right one for your needs. After submitting your payment, Skweezer will send your request out to our network of real Instagram users, who will happily go take a look at your newest post!
They can help you get the conversation started by requesting they post a custom comment or start the flow of love by giving it a like. When your followers see that people are already engaging with your brand new post, they’re going to head over to see what’s going on for themselves.
Within 24 hours, you should start seeing a significant uptick in your engagement stats, giving you the boost you need to get on Instagram’s explore page and in front of more potential followers. So what are you waiting for? Start using Skweezer today and see how we can help you take your Instagram strategy to the next level!
