Best Time to Post An Instagram Reel

Published on 07.05.2024 by Chizoba T

While regular Instagram posting helps grow your account, the time you post also matters. Considering that there are moments when your target audience is online and others when they aren't, the posting time affects the visibility of your posts. This article will guide you on the best time to post an Instagram reel for the highest engagement level.

Why Post at the Right Time on Instagram?

The Instagram algorithm prioritizes the most recent posts. With all other factors constant, the most recent reel will appear first on the IG algorithm compared to an old one. Therefore, one of the easiest ways of optimizing your post for success is by choosing the right posting time. It's also one of the best tips for getting more Instagram followers.

When you post at the right time, you increase the chances of your reels receiving more likes, shares, and comments. However, your posting frequency also matters. If you post too much, you will likely saturate your audience with reels, which may result in diminishing returns. On the other hand, if you post too little, you might miss out on important traffic. We recommend that you post a maximum of two reels per day.

When determining the best time to post a reel on Instagram, you need to think of when users are more likely to interact with a post. For instance, more users are usually on Instagram during the day than at night. Similarly, more people use Instagram during their free time than during working hours. Therefore, your IG reel is likely to be seen by more people during lunch hours and evenings than during morning hours.

Factors to Determine the Best Time to Post on Instagram

There are several factors to consider when considering the best time to post. These are:

Your Audience's Location

One advantage of using Instagram reels is their global reach. However, this also poses a challenge when determining the best time to post and even the type of content to produce. For instance, if you have an audience in Australia and the UK, the two different time zones will affect the peak hours in a particular region.

So, how do you navigate this issue to determine the best posting time? First, you should choose the location of your audience. If you have a business or creator account, you can see this information on Instagram Insights by clicking on Profile>Insights. You can then tap on Total followers, followed by Top Locations.

You will be taken to the cities by default but can you change it to countries. There, you will find the information on where most of your followers come from.

Your Audience's Waking Time

After understanding your audience's location, you want to determine when they are mostly awake. One way to do this is to look at their time zone. Alternatively, you can use analytics tools to find out this information.

You can access the scheduling capabilities if you have an Instagram business account. Sadly, this doesn't work with reels. To circumvent the challenge, a good idea would be to create a content calendar covering the time zones and geographical areas where your fans mostly come from.

Global Peak Hours Usage Time

We discussed the best time for you to post to increase your audience's visibility. But how about the global Instagram audience? Studies indicate specific periods when audiences worldwide are usually more active than others.

These are usually weekdays, especially Wednesdays and Thursdays, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. There is also a surge in traffic on Instagram between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Therefore, even before you consider the posting time for your audience, you already know the activity level on the platform is generally high.

Audience Demographics

Another factor affecting the time your audience is more active on Instagram is their age and gender. For instance, younger age groups are usually on Instagram in the evenings and late nights. On the other hand, older demographics are usually more active during the day. Studies also indicate that there is a difference in the way the different genders access Instagram.

Behavioral Insights

Another critical consideration is the kind of content your audience prefers. If they are looking for entertainment, they are more likely to be active during the evening hours and on weekends. On the other hand, people looking for educational materials are more likely to be more active during commutes and lunch breaks.

A good idea would be to look at the insights of your reels, such as comments, shares, and likes, to determine the kind of content your audience is more receptive to. This data can also help you when creating the perfect Instagram ad.

Competition

The competition level in a niche will affect the visibility of your posts. If you want to increase the visibility of your Instagram reel, look for gaps in your competitors' posting times and adjust your posting hours. Ensure that you post your reels at a time when most of your competitors aren't posting. This will increase the post’s visibility.

Your Goals

The best posting hours will also depend on what you want to achieve. Is it to get leads or to gain more followers? Is it to drive conversion? You need to understand your goals before deciding the best video posting time. For instance, if you wish to drive more conversions, post more when people are likely to take action, such as 7 p.m.

The Best Time to Post Instagram Reels

Before you choose the best time to post Instagram reels, it's important to realize that there is no perfect time. However, if you would like to engage a wider audience, there are certain periods you should consider. These are the most optimal times for posting Instagram reels:

Morning hours (6 a.m to 9 a.m.)

The morning hours can be pretty effective when considering good hours to post reels. This is especially true for inspirational content when people search for quick inspiration for their days. Therefore, to catch the early Instagram birds and commuters who scroll through their feed on the train or bus, you should focus on posting between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. This is also an excellent posting time for an audience consisting of students and professionals.

Lunchtime (12 noon to 2 p.m.)

This is arguably a prime posting time for Instagram. People take a break from work and look at Instagram. It could be relaxing, entertaining, or just a quick escape from their busy schedule.

Evenings (6 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.)

Another strategic time for posting on Instagram is in the evening, between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., when people are relaxed at home and scrolling through their feeds.

Best Time to Post for Each Day

Here are the best times for posting Instagram reels:

The best time to post on Instagram is Monday at 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. As people start the week, they are eager to interact with content early in the morning.
The best time to post on Tuesday is at 2 a.m., 4 a.m., and 9 a.m.
On Wednesday, you can post at 7 a.m., 8 a.m., or 12 a.m.
Thursday, it's 9 a.m., 12 noon, and 7 p.m.
On Friday, you can post at 5 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.
On Saturday, we recommend posting at 11 a.m., 7 p.m., and 8 p.m.
On Sunday, you should post at 7 a.m.,8 a.m., and 4 p.m.

The above times have a higher engagement level.

How to Optimize Instagram Reel Views

On top of understanding the watch time, there are several other ways of increasing your video watch time. These are:

Experiment With Different Posting Times and Schedules

As outlined above, you already know the best time to post. However, we also stated that there is no one-size-fits-all for all businesses. That means what may work for one person may not necessarily work for another. The best way to determine the best posting time is by experimenting.

Create content and post it at different times of the day. Track engagement rates, such as likes, shares, and comments, and determine when your posts garner the most likes.

Use Performance Metrics

Take time to analyze your reels' performance metrics. Look for the engagement metric. Are there certain times when your reels get more engagements and likes? You can then use these findings to adjust your posting schedule. Keep tweaking the schedule to match the change in your audience behavior and algorithm updates.

Keep Refining Your Strategy

Continue collecting more data and insights to refine the posting strategy. Integrate the results of your findings with other social media strategies, such as hashtags and content themes. Remember that a good plan should revolve around your audience's preferences and the constantly changing Instagram dynamics.

Tips to Increase Your Instagram Reel Views

On top of posting at the right time, you can use various tips to increase your Instagram reel views. These are:

Using Stickers, Sounds, and Hashtags

Instagram reels have a lot of interactive elements that can improve the engagement and visibility of your videos. These include interactive stickers, trending music, and popular hashtags. Hashtag increases the discoverability of your reels. A good rule of thumb is to have a maximum of ten hashtags.

To increase the chances of your Instagram posts going viral, only use music whose original soundtrack has had over one million views. That way, you can be assured that Instagram already knows and receives the track well.

Understand the Instagram Algorithm

The Instagram algorithm determines the video for users in each category. This also determines the reels shown on the user's feed, reels tabs, and explore tab. The algorithm uses AI and machine learning to determine the videos they rank higher. There are several factors affecting your video's visibility. These are:

Its engagement rate.
Relevance of the content.
How fresh and timely the content is.
Quality of the content.
How often do you interact with the content?

Understanding the IG algorithm allows you to adjust your current strategy to the algorithm, which can help boost your content views.

Create Short Reels

Reels shorter than ten seconds tend to perform better than longer ones. Studies indicate that the average user has an average attention span of eight seconds. Therefore, using short reels is one of the ways of grasping the power of Instagram stories. Also, ensure that you engage them from the beginning by using an exciting story, sharing an intriguing fact, or anything else stimulating their curiosity.

Run Giveaways

Increasing your follower count can increase your views for your Instagram reels. One of the ways of increasing your follower count is running giveaways. Studies indicate that Instagram accounts that run regular giveaways grow 70% more than those that don't.

Caption Using Questions

If your videos are highly engaging reels, Instagram will rank them highly in its algorithm. That's why, instead of just focusing on views, you must also focus on driving engagement. One way of doing that is by asking questions in your video captions. When viewers respond to the questions, Instagram will interpret that as a higher engagement rate and prioritize putting the video higher on their users' feeds.

Use Relevant Topics

The topic you use for your reel also matters and is crucial in creating reels that matter to your audience. When choosing a topic, consider the interests, demographics, and challenges your audience faces.

You can even build an audience persona to help you determine what makes your audience tick. Once you focus on your audience's needs and preferences, you can create content they want to share. Ensure you remain in the loop regarding your niche's current trends and viral challenges.

Create Visually Appealing Videos

The quality of your reels is one factor that will affect the number of views. Creating a reel with high-quality visuals will attract the viewer's attention when scrolling down their news feed. A well-created reel also leaves a professional and polished look, which increases the chances of viewing it. The IG algorithm also favors a well-crafted reel. Therefore, investing time in creating good-quality videos for Instagram stories and timeline videos can pay off.

Final Thoughts

In 2024, Instagram reels have gained a lot of prominence, mainly because social media sites promote them more than longer videos. Therefore, they can be an excellent choice for marketing your brand on Instagram. However, you must understand the best time to post reels for the best results. By reading and following our guide, you can get a lot of views on your Instagram reels. We recommend you also read our guide on leveraging the power of influencer marketing on Instagram.