A very common question that many want to know to get the highest engagement as possible on their posts. Instagram is all about posting pictures. That’s it. Getting engagement can be hard. You need yours to stand out, at the right time.
In 2017, Instagram skyrocketed to over 700 million users. That’s a lot of users to impress!
So, 700 million people on Instagram. What time of the day are they the most active? The answer is always changing.
It depends.
There are many types of Instagram accounts. They are all unique, with different kinds of followers. This is what makes this question so complicated to answer. There is no absolute. However, there is data that helps us come up with a conclusion.
Here is a general idea of what to do to get the highest level of engagement on your Instagram account.
1. Post outside of work hours
Studies show that in 2017, the average amount of minutes per day on social media was 135. This number is still increasing! Though posting times are different for each account, because everyone has a diverse audience, with different time zones and demographics, most studies show that outside of work hours are the peak times to post on Instagram. This means, usually after 5:00 pm during weekdays, or any time during the weekends. Another good time to post is in the mid-day, around 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm seems to get a lot of engagement, most likely because people are on their work lunch break while surfing the web.
2. Use Instagram’s insights
For business accounts, Instagram has excellent insights, which allow you to see your engagement levels. The best way to get the most engagement for YOUR Instagram account is to use your own Instagram data. What may work for another account may not work for you. Data doesn’t lie. So, go ahead and check who your followers are: gender, age, and locations.
Don’t worry, if you don’t have your account set up as a business, you can do it in a few seconds:
Click on your “settings” button -> “Switch to Business Profile” -> “Continue“.
My favorite way to use this information is to first and foremost look at the impressions on your posts. This automatically tells you which post was seen by the most significant number of people. This shows what time of days and days of the week that your posts produced the most interaction with your followers. You can also check your audience’s demographics.
For Noah and many others, our highest engagement level is on Wednesday. Looking at the data one can assume it may be because the beginning of the week is busy, and the end of the week is also busy. There is a middle ground on Wednesday where maybe people have already settled into the week, and spend time surfing the web for a bit longer than usual. This being said, it totally depends on your account, and your audience! Make sure to check your engagement levels on your posts and see how you can implement this data into your posting calendar.
3. Post quality content
Since you can get to know your audience and their demographics, you can adjust your content to their interests and locations. Make sure that you are thinking of them when you are posting. This is fantastic information when choosing content. It will give a perspective of what they want to see. By posting valuable and quality content, it will get so much engagement (even if you’re not posting at your peak time) that it will end up reaching even more people than bad content at the right time would. Remember, quality over quantity.
Social media is all about captivating someone’s attention. Of course, it’s is a lot easier said than done. Understanding your audience and what they want to see, is a great way to start.
Check the times when you go on social media. See if there’s a pattern with your routine and your followers’ routine. You may be able to conclude your own Instagram study!
Are you just starting to promote your business on social media? Remember to check out why businesses need social media in 2018 and let us know if you have any questions! We would love to hear from you.
