The best time to post on Instagram today is a question that all brands, social media managers, and creators still ask because timing is so important. Posting during times of high engagement on Instagram can still have a significant impact despite recent algorithmic changes.
This post will teach you everything you need to know about posting on Instagram and how to find the best time for your audience, no matter if you’re a marketer, artist, influencer, or just someone who uses Instagram occasionally.
What Is the Best Time to Post on Instagram in 2025?
Posting at the right time is just as crucial to Instagram engagement and exposure as creating high-quality content. By publishing at the ideal times, you can connect with your audience at their most active moments, strengthening relationships and receiving more interaction.
So, when is the best time to post on Instagram?
- Why Timing Your Posts Matters More Than Ever
- Best Days and Hours to Post on Instagram
- How Instagram’s Algorithm Reacts to Post Timing
- Best Times to Post for Musicians and Content Creators
- How to Use Analytics to Discover Your Ideal Posting Time
- Tools to Automate and Optimize Your Instagram Posting Schedule
Why Timing Your Posts Matters More Than Ever
Regardless of algorithm changes, timing will always be important on Instagram. If you publish your post when your target audience isn’t online, they might not see it. For higher reach and engagement, it is essential to know when to post on Instagram. A recent study found that posts made during peak hours can get up to 50% more responses than those made during off-peak hours. Therefore, if your content shows up in your audience’s feed as soon as possible while they are still online and have the opportunity to interact with it, it has a higher chance of succeeding. By planning when to publish your content, you can increase the number of views, likes, and comments it receives. Your account will function better as a result. You can achieve even better outcomes with your content through Instagram promotion.
Best Days and Hours to Post on Instagram
Before we begin, let’s settle this: Unfortunately, there is no one best time to post on Instagram that will guarantee a high level of engagement for everyone. Many studies, however, reveal that certain times and days are more likely to attract a larger audience.
After reviewing over two million posts, Buffer has determined that 3 and 6 PM on weekdays is typically the sweet spot for Instagram postings. During these times, posts are more likely to receive the most reach.
Monday and Friday are the best days of the week to post on Instagram. The other days have average engagement.
Peak Engagement Times by Day of the Week
We’ve discussed when it’s best to post on Instagram in general. Let’s now examine it from an everyday standpoint.
The best time to post on Instagram on Monday
On Mondays, the ideal times to post on Instagram are 5 AM, 3 PM, and 11 PM. Mondays are known for their high levels of engagement throughout the day, with the highest levels occurring in the early afternoon. People are spending more time scrolling during breaks and taking their time getting used to the week.
The best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday
The best time to post on a Tuesday is early in the morning, around 7 AM, when people are commuting to work, and during engagement peaks between 3 and 6 PM.
The best time to post on Instagram on Wednesday
The best time to post on Wednesday is between 10 AM and 3 PM. People actively look for inspiration in the middle of the week, so engagement stays constant throughout the day.
The best time to post on Instagram on Thursday
The optimal times to post on Instagram on Thursdays are from 12 to 2 PM and at 4 PM. Thursdays are a day when people look forward to the weekend, which encourages more scrolling during lunch breaks or as the workweek comes to an end.
The Best time to post on Instagram on Friday
The best time to post on IG on Friday is at 4 PM and between 7 and 8 PM. Compared to other days of the week, Fridays have more highly engaging time slots because users are more likely to be online at the end of the workweek as they start relaxing for the weekend.
The Best time to post on Instagram on Saturday
The best time to post IG Saturday is from 2 to 3 PM and at 6 PM, but keep in mind that Saturdays have a much smaller reach than weekdays.
The Best time to post on Instagram on Sunday
The best time to post on Sunday is in the evening between 5 and 6 PM. People usually spend this time at home scrolling through Instagram and relaxing before the start of the following week.
For your convenience, we have created a straightforward table that shows the best times to post on Instagram for each day of the week.
| Day of the week | Best time to post |
| Monday | 5 AM, 3 PM, 11 PM |
| Tuesday | 7 AM, 3 – 6 PM |
| Wednesday | 10 – 3 PM |
| Thursday | 12 – 2 PM, 4 PM |
| Friday | 4 PM, 7 – 8 PM |
| Saturday | 2 – 3 PM, 6 PM |
| Sunday | 5 – 6 PM |
Weekday vs Weekend: What’s Better?
User behavior can shift throughout the week. On weekdays, people tend to be more active because they use their breaks at work or on their commute to explore new content. Reach begins to increase at 6 AM and continues rising until 11 AM, which coincides with the lunch break, typically reaching its peak at approximately 3 PM.
Things change significantly on weekends. According to many studies, reach goes down on Saturdays and even more on Sundays. Although there are a few minor peaks in the early evening at 6 PM, they pale in comparison to the optimal posting hours during the week.
But don’t worry. If you want your posts to be seen even when there is little interaction during weekends, you can buy Instagram views that will increase your reach and visibility.
How Instagram’s Algorithm Reacts to Post Timing
It’s not enough to know when your audience is online because the Instagram algorithm’s hidden workings are also an essential factor in the timing puzzle.
Does Posting Time Affect the Explore Page?
One of the most crucial aspects that Instagram considers when forming users’ Explore pages is the time of your post. Thus, finding the best times to post on IG requires staying up to date with the algorithm. The Explore page doesn’t show posts in the order they were uploaded. Instead, the algorithm chooses posts it thinks the user will find most interesting.
Right now, the Instagram algorithm is giving priority to the following:
- Engagement: Posts that receive a lot of likes, comments, shares, and saves immediately after publication are highly favored by Instagram. That is why you should publish during the times when your audience is most active. One more way to receive this engagement is to buy Instagram comments and make your post look more interesting to others.
- Relevance: Instagram evaluates the relevance of each piece of content by assessing how well it aligns with current events and trends. When you publish during busy times, your content is more likely to be current and show up in their feeds.
- Type of content: The algorithm considers the type of content that users engage with most frequently. So, find what content your followers favor the most and post it at the most active time.
You must stay up-to-date with Instagram updates and adjust your approach accordingly if you want your posts to continue receiving views. In the video below, you can discover fresh strategies for circumventing Instagram’s algorithm in 2025 that go beyond simply scheduling your posts.
Time Zones: Posting for a Global Audience
Posting at the right time becomes more difficult when your audience is spread out across the world. When your post from New York goes live at 8 AM, for example, your followers in London might still be in the middle of their workday. By knowing where your followers are, you can post at the right time and ensure that you’re seen when they’re most likely to engage.
Consider scheduling multiple posts at different times or finding a time that works for most of your global audience. If your goal is to find more fans from around the globe, then you should buy Instagram followers. As a result, you will interact with more people and reach a larger audience.
Best Times to Post for Musicians and Content Creators
You have limited time as a musician. Keeping up with social media while writing, recording, and performing can be difficult. Though it may not be possible to be active on Instagram every day, posting at the right time can yield excellent results. You will get more people to view and interact with your music if you post when audience engagement is at its highest. When your post has a large number of interested users, the algorithm will recognize the value of your content and increase the number of people who will hear your music.
Promoting Music Releases Through Strategic Timing
As for every industry, there are specific times on Instagram that would work best for musicians. So, if you are planning to release a new song, do it at these hours:
- 1 PM on Sundays
- 7 AM to 8 AM on Tuesdays
- 5 PM on Wednesdays
- 2 PM to 4 PM on Fridays
Although posting at particular times would have better results on Instagram, sometimes, it is not enough. Then, you can buy Instagram likes to increase interaction on valuable posts, such as music announcements or release promotions, to ensure more people see it.
Reels vs Stories: Does Timing Differ?
Every kind of Instagram content has a specific purpose. Thus, the ideal posting time would also differ. An important factor in determining how many interactions your Instagram Stories and Reels posts receive is when you post them.
When is the best time to post a Reel on Instagram? Weekdays between 2 and 5 PM and after 6 PM are the sweet spots for Instagram Reels. If you want to expand the reach of your Reels, we recommend publishing them in the evenings. Since your followers will have more time to look through your content before bed than they would in the morning rush to get to work, this is also regarded as the best time to post Reel on Instagram. To increase their visibility to new users more quickly, you can also buy Instagram Reel Views.
Instagram Stories is a totally different format from Reels. It’s a great way to keep your followers engaged throughout the day. However, Stories only last for 24 hours, so it’s crucial to know when to post them to maximize views before they disappear. The best times are early in the morning or between 11 AM and 2 PM, during lunch breaks.
How to Use Analytics to Discover Your Ideal Posting Time
Although general information is helpful, understanding when your target audience is active is the true secret to posting on Instagram at the most effective times. The audience of each brand, company, or influencer is unique, and their scrolling habits may not always align with those broad trends. To find this information about your followers, you need to use analytics. After that, you will be able to plan your posts appropriately.
Tracking Engagement with Instagram Insights
You can easily monitor when your followers are most active with Instagram Insights. This data is accessible to Business and Creator accounts, allowing you to track the behaviors of your audience.
To find this data:
- Go to your profile and tap Professional Dashboard.
- Go to Insights and then click on Total Followers.
- Scroll down the page until you find your fans’ most active times by day.
This shows you exactly when your audience is online so you can plan your posts for times when they are most likely to see and interact with them.
In the video below, you can find a step-by-step tutorial where the author demonstrates how to use Instagram insights to find the best time to post tailored to your specific followers.
Tools to Automate and Optimize Your Instagram Posting Schedule
The main goal of the Instagram algorithm remains consistency. Your followers want it, too. That is why you should post regularly to succeed on the platform. However, it can be challenging to upload Instagram posts at precise times manually. The solution is to use tools to schedule your content. By doing so, you stay present on the platform and maintain regular connections with your target audience.
To save you time, we’ve compiled a list of the best social media management tools for automating your posting routine. Despite scheduling, these tools can show you when your followers are most engaged, track the effectiveness of your content over time, and even recommend Instagram best time to post, depending on who your target audience is.
The following are the four most popular options:
- Later: Depending on your previous interaction, it provides a helpful recommendation for when to post to Instagram.
- Buffer: By analyzing your metrics, this app determines the optimal time to publish and enables you to plan posts in advance.
- Sprout Social: Perfect for those who require more in-depth data, including trend analysis, thorough engagement breakdowns, and infographics.
- Hootsuite: Ideal when you need a tool to manage more than just Instagram. It has an AutoSchedule feature that picks the best times to post your content based on audience activity.
