It’s no surprise that Instagram reels are extremely popular. Around 2.35 billion people interact with reels monthly. However, if you want to make the most of them for your account, you have to understand the best time to post reels on Instagram.
Posting reel content during specific periods can improve your marketing efforts, connect with your target audience, and grow on Instagram. This blog will help answer the question, “When is the best time to post reels on Instagram?”
When you nail the timing, your reel is way more likely to get seen, shared, and engaged with. Why? Because it's all about catching your audience when they're most likely scrolling and in the mood for some fun and/or relevant content. Think about when people are chilling on their breaks, like lunchtime, or unwinding in the evening - these are prime times. By posting your reel at the optimal time, you're basically rolling out the red carpet for it to waltz right into the spotlight. It's a simple but super effective way to make sure your awesome content gets the eyes it deserves.
Instagram reels are incredibly valuable because they give influencers and businesses a fun, creative way to showcase themselves and their offers.
The content is also digestible, which means consumers can quickly process brand messages and the key takeaways from your videos. You have up to 90 seconds (the current maximum length of reels) to present your brand, offer, and unique selling proposition.
Here are four reasons why you should include reels in your marketing efforts:
The best time to post reels on Instagram is relative. You should always search for the most up-to-date best practices depending on your field, area, or audience demographic. What works for one influencer may not work for another. Different companies and organizations that carry out research can also have different recommendations for the best time to post on Instagram.
For example, the table below indicates the best time to post reels on Instagram according to Influencer Marketing Hub.
| 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 | 1 am, 7 pm, 8 pm |
| Sunday | 7 am, 8 am, 4 pm |
Other organizations have also found that the best time to post reels on Instagram varies each day of the week. Here’s a table that shows the best times to schedule reel posts according to EngageBay.
| Monday | 11 am |
| Tuesday | 9 am to 5 pm |
| Wednesday | 11 am |
| Thursday | 11 am to 12 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm, 2 pm |
| Saturday | 9 am or 10 am |
| Sunday | 9 am to 4 pm |
The best time to post reels is when audience engagement is at its highest. Here are five tips you should follow to get the most out of your content with perfectly timed reels.
Your campaign objectives should determine when your reels get posted. If your goal is to get loads of likes and comments, think about when your followers are most likely chilling on their phones – maybe during lunch breaks or in the evening. Or, if you're aiming to target a specific crowd, like fitness enthusiasts or fashion lovers, timing your reel when they're most active can make a huge difference. It's all about getting your content in front of the right eyes at the right time. So, a little planning (and experimentation!) can turn a good reel into a great reel, and a great reel into a viral hit.
It’s also important to consider audience demographics when determining the optimal time to post Instagram Reels. This aspect is crucial as it significantly influences the reach and engagement of the content. Different demographic segments exhibit distinct online behaviors and preferences, including the times they are most active on social media. For instance, targeting a younger, college-aged audience may necessitate posting in the late afternoon or evening when they are more likely to engage with social media, and their “bedtime”—usually a good time to reach people, as they are scrolling on their phone while winding down for the day—might be 2-3am.
On the other hand, a working professional demographic might be more active during early mornings, lunch breaks, or post-work hours…. and their bedtime might be something more normal, like 10-11pm. Maybe the best time to reach them is actually on the weekend, whent hey are less focused on work. Additionally, geographical considerations (e.g., time zones, amount of daylight, and even the weather!) play a vital role when dealing with a global audience.
Neglecting these demographic nuances can result in diminished visibility and engagement, undermining the effectiveness of your content. Therefore, a strategic, demographically informed approach to timing is not just beneficial but essential for maximizing the impact of Instagram Reels within any given marketing or communication strategy.
Some other questions to ask about your audience:
These questions will influence the best time to post a reel.
The timing of your posts will depend on your niche or the industry you work in. For example, if you’re a healthcare professional, your posting schedule will differ from those working in the educational industry.
According to HubSpot, healthcare professionals should post content from 6 pm to 9 pm on Saturdays. Meanwhile, those who work in the education industry will see higher engagement rates if they post content from 9 pm to 12 am on Mondays. If you're a beauty vlogger, you’ll have more success if you post reels during the workweek. Thursdays at 7 pm or Fridays at 5 pm would be ideal. Here are some other examples of how different industries can optimize their Instagram Reels posting schedule to align with their unique audience behaviors and preferences.
Each of these examples underscores the importance of tailoring your posting schedule to the specific lifestyle and habits of your target demographic, ensuring your content resonates and engages effectively.
To further narrow down when the best time is to post reels on Instagram, use Instagram Insights. Leveraging Instagram Insights to determine the optimal posting time for your Reels is a critical practice for enhancing engagement and reach. Here are some tips and real-world examples to illustrate how you can effectively use Instagram Insights:
By meticulously analyzing these metrics and patterns through Instagram Insights, you can tailor your posting schedule to align perfectly with your audience's preferences, thereby enhancing the overall impact and reach of your Instagram Reels.
Experimentation is also a great way to identify the best posting schedule. A/B testing, often referred to as split testing, is a powerful method to identify the best time to post your Instagram Reels. This approach involves experimenting with two different posting times to see which yields better engagement. Start by choosing two distinct time slots based on your initial assumptions or insights from your audience's online behavior. For example, you might test a morning time slot (say, 8 AM) against an evening one (like 7 PM).
Create two similar Reels in terms of content quality and style to ensure that the only major variable is the posting time. Over a set period, alternate between these time slots while consistently monitoring engagement metrics such as likes, comments, shares, and view counts. It's crucial to maintain consistency in other factors like the day of the week and the type of content for accurate results.
After a sufficient testing period, analyze the data to determine which time slot consistently performed better. This data-driven approach will give you a clearer understanding of when your audience is most receptive, allowing you to optimize your posting schedule for maximum engagement on Instagram Reels.
Then you’d figure out which post performed better on:
By identifying the performance differences between two posts, you can create a schedule that improves account visibility.
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