Are you posting regularly on Instagram but are not getting the amount of reach you’d expected? Well, what good a particular post can do if no one is there to see it online.
Finding the right time to post updates might help. Also, don’t forget to check your analytics and make adjustments accordingly. There are also various questions raised on how actually the Algorithm of Instagram works.
If you think that videos perform better than photos in the algorithm then you’re wrong as Instagram confirmed that the algorithm has zero bias when it comes to photo and video content.
However, videos get 2X more engagement than other post types. Instagram also made it clear that the best way to build sustainable engagement is by producing authentic and transparent content on the platform.
So let’s not waste any further time and directly jump into the main concern of this post which is finding the best time to post on Instagram in India.
Does Post Timing Matter?
Absolutely Yes.
Ever since Instagram updated its algorithm, the question of whether or not the algorithm still favors recency has produced a feeling of unease among users. Any new behavioral patterns or trends on Instagram contribute to the working of its algorithm.
The algorithm prioritizes content that receives the most important engagements for feed ranking including comments, likes, shares, views (for video posts), and of course captions which makes your posts more accessible.
So the more you’ll like a particular post, the higher are the chances that it will appear in your feed. To be precise, the posts that you see in your Instagram feed is a combination of all of your Instagram behaviors.
Related | Best Time To Post On Instagram On Wednesday
How to find when your audience is most active on Instagram?
Finding when your audience is most active on Instagram requires users to set their Instagram profiles as a business or creator account as doing so will render them the ability to access Instagram’s phenomenal analytics feature Insights.
With the help of this feature, you’ll get information on everything from which posts are doing well to what time your followers are online. Make sure that you have at least 100 followers as then only you would be able to turn your personal account into a business or a creator account.
Here’s how you can access Instagram Insights:
On the Insights homepage, go to the AUDIENCE scroll down to the Followers section to explore follower demographics and behavior including gender, age group, and location.
So switch your profile into a business or a creator account to get general information about your followers and know when your followers are active.
Instagram is undoubtedly the most popular app which has grown ever since it first debuted in 2010 and therefore it is indeed the best platform to grow your business.
Moreover, Instagram Algorithm uses frequency to sort your posts which means that you scroll the app more frequently, then your feed will look more chronological as Instagram shows you the post you last visited.
If you’re not a regular user of the Instagram app, then your feed will be mainly sorted on the basis of what Instagram thinks you might like and the non-chronological way.
Which days are best to post on Instagram for maximum engagement?
Before jumping onto the best time to post on Instagram in India, let us first know the best day to post that can help you get maximum engagement.
Well, according to a survey conducted by Elle & Co, the best day to post on Instagram and all other major social media asserts are Monday.
However, Monday might not necessarily be the ultimate right day as Instagram users are active all day and therefore what really matters is the time on which users post their photos.
Pro Tip: You can find the best day to post on your Instagram by going to Insights>Total Followers>Scroll Down to Most Active Times.
You can also increase your Instagram engagement by taking into consideration some factors. Here are some of the steps that you can follow to increase your Instagram engagement rate:
- Try to engage with accounts that are part of your niche. The more you interact with other users on the platform, the higher are the chances of you being seen by others. So if you’re running an Instagram account for a fashion brand, engage with content from fashion and beauty influencers, fashion inspiration accounts, and so on.
- Try to post photos of people as it will help boost your engagement. It will also help you connect with your audience.
- Try to reply to comments as it can gain you more followers. Instagram will recognize your post as a valuable piece of content when people respond to your posts more frequently.
Best Timing to post on Instagram in India
You can’t simply post your photos in the middle of the night, right? Most of the activities with your photo will happen in the initial few hours, so better choose an appropriate time to post your photo to gain maximum reach. To be more precise, the first 30 minutes after posting is the most important for engagement on Instagram.
Yes, you heard it right but this does not necessarily mean that your posts will be prioritized by the algorithm solely based on the first 30 minutes. The algorithm will still continue to serve your content to the users who regularly engage with your content. However, posting when your audience is most engaged is still better, right?
So what’s the best time to post on Instagram in India then?
Here’s when you should post on Instagram in India:
- Monday: 3:15 pm, 7:30 pm and 7:30 am IST
- Tuesday: 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 6:30 pm IST
- Wednesday: 4:30 pm, 5:30 pm, and 8:30 am IST
- Thursday: 6:30 pm, 9:30 pm, and 4:30 am IST
- Friday: 2:30 pm, 10:30 pm, and 12:30 am IST
- Saturday: 8:30 pm, 4:30 am, and 5:30 am IST
- Sunday: 4:30 pm, 5:30 pm, and 2:00 am IST
You can also check the best time to post from your account itself. Here’s how you can do that:
- Open Instagram business or creator account.
- Go to “Insights”.
- Go to the “Audience” tab.
- Scroll down, you’ll come across the “Followers” tab.
- Over there, you’ll see the average times when your followers are most active on Instagram (All the associated data will be displayed in days and hours).
- Click on the hours and you will see the time slot – when the followers are most active.
Moreover, the famous digital marketing evangelist, Neil Patel says that Instagram engagement from users is highest during off-work hours.
How to schedule your Instagram posts?
Is scheduling your Instagram posts really necessary? Well, it is better to schedule your Instagram posts for the whole week rather than spending each and every day hunting for the photos you want to post. For this, you can use a suitable free Instagram scheduler like Preview or Later that enables you to upload Instagram posts from your desktop itself. All you’ve to do is drag and drop all your photos to your Media Library and then start scheduling your Instagram posts within a few minutes. You can also use scheduling software to schedule your posts in advance without being physically present to post your photos and videos online.
Also, it’s important to curate the look of your Instagram profile as it may help you fetch more followers. To do so, you can use Later’s Visual Instagram Planner to plan your feed by dragging and dropping the photos you want to upload onto your planner. You can then simply rearrange them until you find the perfect look for your post.
Scheduling your Instagram posts for optimized times is a good way to reach your audience as that’s the time when they are most likely to comment and even like your content for that matter. You may not get to know or say it is quite tricky to know exactly when your audience is most active, and this on the other hand is more specific to a brand’s demographic, location, and area of specialism. However, you always have the option of using suitable scheduling software to plan your posts more accurately.
This way you’ll be able to create a more consistent brand experience on your Instagram feed.
Conclusion
This was all about the best time to post on Instagram in India. We’ve covered all the necessary factors that would definitely help you get more reach on your profile.
Another thing that would help your Instagram profile get recognized by the Instagram algorithm is when you engage with your followers on a regular basis. To put it in simple words, try to post most frequently as not only it will help you gain engagement but also more likes on your post.
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Also, you can upload your photos during special occasions as those are good times to get noticed. There are chances that people might check your post out whenever they get some free time.
