Did you know that the best times to post on Instagram can actually be when you’re sleeping?
According to the analysis of 5M+ Instagram posts, to our surprise, 5 AM is the number-one time to post for 2025.
Instagram’s 2 billion monthly active users create unique engagement patterns throughout the day.
We’ve examined 5 major studies on over 10 million posts to identify when your content has its best shot at success. Let’s get into when you should be creating your next post!
What Are the Best Times to Post on Instagram in 2025?
Observing the patterns of Instagram posting reveals a strange finding: posting in the early hours of the morning may actually be your best opportunity for maximum engagement in 2025.
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Overall Best Time Based on 5M+ Posts
Based on an extensive study of over five million Instagram posts in various time zones from January to October 2025, 5 AM has often emerged as the absolute best time to post overall.
This contradicts the conventional wisdom about users’ activity. What’s even more intriguing is that this early-morning advantage holds throughout the week, with the data showing every day from 3 AM to 6 AM, posted content engagements are higher than average engagement.
The following are the best times to post on Instagram by the day of the week in 2025:
| Day | Best Times to Post |
| Sunday | 12 AM, 5 AM, and 11 PM |
| Monday | 5 AM and 11 PM |
| Tuesday | 5 AM |
| Wednesday | 3 AM to 5 AM |
| Thursday | 4 AM to 5 AM |
| Friday | 3 AM to 6 AM |
| Saturday | 5 AM |
Interestingly, these results go against some of the other research out there suggesting that posting midday (10 AM to 3 PM) was optimal. This shows the continued evolution of engagement patterns on Instagram.
Why Early Morning Hours Perform Well
There are a few reasons why early morning posts perform as well as they do
- By posting earlier, accounts benefit from less competition. Since fewer creators schedule content during pre-dawn hours, your posts face less immediate competition in the feed.
- Early posts can tap into traffic from users during their first morning scroll. Even if followers don’t see your content immediately after posting, your early morning content is positioned advantageously for their first daily Instagram session.
Social media expert Katelyn Rhoades explains, “Think about your audience: When will they most likely be on their phones?“. Many users check Instagram while commuting to work in the early morning, making this a prime opportunity to capture attention before the workday begins.
How Instagram’s Algorithm Rewards Recency
Instagram’s algorithm, which prioritises new content over older posts, is a main factor in these results.
Although Instagram does not return to a strictly chronological feed, recency remains an important ranking factor; favored posts are subject to discriminatory treatment in the feed algorithm.
Given the emphasis on freshness, posting throughout the period at that time, primarily, your followers are active, maximizing your chances of immediate participation.
Instagram’s algorithm favors newer content, so posting regularly helps ensure that you do not get confused. Furthermore, based on relevant research, posting at least once a day is recommended to foster programmatic support.
Best Times to Post by Day of the Week
Digging deeper into Instagram’s engagement patterns reveals that specific days require different posting strategies. After analyzing millions of posts, research consistently shows that early morning hours dominate every day of the week – but with important daily variations.
Let’s explore the optimal posting windows for each day:
| Day of Week | Best Posting Times | Secondary Options |
| Sunday | 12 AM, 5 AM, 11 PM | 10 AM-12 PM, 3 PM |
| Monday | 5 AM, 11 PM | 3 PM-9 PM |
| Tuesday | 5 AM | 10 AM-2 PM |
| Wednesday | 3 AM-5 AM | 10 AM-4 PM |
| Thursday | 4 AM-5 AM | 10 AM-3 PM |
| Friday | 3 AM-6 AM | 11 AM, 2 PM |
| Saturday | 5 AM | 9 AM-4 PM |
Sunday: 12 AM, 5 AM, 11 PM
Sundays offer a different rhythm from weekdays. Late-night and early-morning posts yield higher engagement than posting during the day.
The prime times to post on Instagram on Sundays are at 12 AM, 5 AM, and 11 PM. These times are ideal captures because they attract both night owls and early risers as well as people prepping for the week ahead.
Secondary posting options would be between 10 AM and noon and again at 3 PM; these would yield decent engagement.
A note for brands: many brands do not post or take a break from social media, creating less potential competition for engagement on a post that day.
Monday: 5 AM and 11 PM
Research suggests that 5 AM is still the very best time for engagement. Of course, there is another opportunity at 11 PM. They work because they catch people either starting their day or winding down.
Some studies suggested again that Monday slots between 3 PM and 9 PM worked too, especially around 4/5 PM when people take a break.
Therefore, Monday has morning engagements and opportunities again at night for maximum engagement visibility.
Tuesday: 5 AM
Tuesday continues the early morning trend, with 5 AM standing out as the only best time to post.
This pre-dawn time slot works especially well since Tuesday has a higher overall engagement rate than Monday.
If businesses cannot post this early, there is a secondary option that works well between 10 AM and 2 PM.
Tuesday is one of the best two days for Instagram engagement overall.
Wednesday: 3 AM to 5 AM
Midweek brings slightly earlier optimal posting times. Research indicates the best window falls between 3 AM and 5 AM, with 3 AM showing particularly strong results. Wednesday has the highest consistent engagement levels throughout the day after Monday, making it a critical day in your posting schedule. For those unable to post in the early morning, the window from 10 AM to 3 PM can serve as an effective alternative.
Thursday: 4 AM to 5 AM
Thursday also has the best early morning times from 4 AM to 5 AM. The reason this works is that you are sharing your content with early risers and people commuting to work in the morning.
Thursday engagement continues to be excellent throughout the day from 10 AM to 3 PM, so you can be flexible with your time. As Thursday is the strongest overall engagement day for the week, it must be saved in your content planning calendar.
Friday: 3 AM to 6 AM
As the week draws to a close, Friday has the largest early morning window for the most effective posting, which is 3 AM until 6 AM.
This longer window allows the flexibility of scheduling your content in advance for your end-of-week publication.
Back-up times would be around 11 AM and 2 PM when users are on lunch breaks or slogging through the afternoon. For this reason, Friday provides several opportunities to reach users, as they are “moving into weekend mode.”
Saturday: 5 AM
Weekends provide different patterns, but the early morning opportunity still continues. Saturday at 5 am continues to be the best time to post.
Though engagement is likely to be lower than on weekdays, engagement does remain reasonably strong throughout the day from 9 am to 4 pm for anyone who cannot post early.
Some studies suggest that Saturday has lower engagement, but posting consistently will still deliver results in these recommended timeframes.
Keep in mind that these times reflect general patterns for millions of discovered posts.
Your audience may have its own unique behavior, which may require small adjustments to the recommended times provided.
Best Times to Post by Content Type
Different formats on Instagram require different posting times. Not all posts perform similarly during the day; something that works for Reels might bomb for Lives.
Best Times to Post Reels on Instagram
To achieve the best engagement on a Reel, focus on weekdays during morning hours from about 8 AM to 12 PM or from 6 PM to 9 PM.
Additionally, based on 250,000+ Reels analyzed about their best day of the week, we can see patterns on specific days.
| Day | Optimal Times for Reels |
| Monday | 3 AM, 11 AM, 12 PM |
| Tuesday | 8 AM, 9 AM, 10 AM |
| Wednesday | 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM |
| Thursday | 6 AM, 11 AM, 12 PM |
| Friday | 11 AM, 2 PM, 4 PM |
Interestingly, Reels get the most views on Tuesdays at noon, in contrast to our overall findings.
In general, morning and midday times are times of day that historically give the best reach for most industries.
Best Times to Post Carousels
Carousels have the best performance rate during the morning (8 AM to 11 AM) and evening (7 PM to 9 PM) timeslots.
This time is great for carousels because users tend to have more time to swipe through multiple slides during this time, either as they are getting up to start their day or winding down after work.
Best Time to Post Stories
The best time to post Instagram Stories is during the golden hour from 11 AM – 2 PM, just as lunch is going on and users are habitually scrolling through content again.
Then, when users are in the swing of ending their workday 4 PM – 8 PM on a weekday, they will become easy hooks.
So, in terms of days, Wednesday tends to be the most strategic day for maximizing Story views.
In general, workweek days are better for getting larger engagements with your Stories, especially Tuesday-Thursday.
Best Time to go Live on Instagram
Instagram Live sessions perform best in the evening hours from 6 PM to 9 PM when people have finished work and are seeking some entertainment.
More specifically, Monday to Wednesday from 7 PM to 9 PM has the best window of engagement.
During the week, engagement patterns do shift a bit:
- Monday-Wednesday: 7 PM-9 PM optimal
- Thursday-Friday: 1 PM-3 PM performs better
- Weekends: Both morning (8 AM-10 AM) and evening (8 PM-11 PM)
Remember, these recommendations show averages. Ultimately, your unique audience’s behaviors might differ, making your Instagram Insights the most valuable timing guide.
How to Find Your Personalized Best Time
Although general posting guidelines provide a solid foundation, discovering your own best times to post on Instagram requires analyzing your unique audience data.
Before we figure out how to know the best times to post, let’s take a quick look at key metrics to determine the best times to post on Instagram.
Using Instagram Insights
You’ll need a Business or Creator account to access your personalized data. Here’s what to do once that’s all set up:
- Go to your profile and tap on “Professional dashboard.”
- Tap on “Total followers.”
- Scroll down to “Most active times.”
This native tool will break down the audience activity by days of the week and hours of the day and show you, specifically, when your fans are online. This works best for accounts with 100 followers or more.
Using Third-Party Tools
User analytics tools can extend the analysis to identify the best times to post:
- Buffer reviews your performance data and shows you your best time on your scheduling calendar.
- Sprout Social’s ViralPost® technology looks at your account data to develop optimal times for you.
- Later looks at 6 months of profile data to provide you with unique best times to post based on when your audience is typically engaging with your posts.
These tools not only give you a recommended time but can also schedule those posts to be delivered at those times of engagement.
Tracking Engagement Trends Over Time
For customized outcomes, track your posts consistently:
- Make a spreadsheet that tracks the posting time, engagement rate, type of content, and reach
- Test one time consistently for at least two weeks
- Compare time slots against each other
This process will help illustrate trends that may not necessarily stand out in just analytics alone.
Adjusting Based on Audience Behavior
Your ideal post time is not fixed; it changes as your audience evolves. Consider the following when developing your post schedule:
- Hourly post frequency for each day
- Weekly engagement patterns in your content
- Seasonal follower behavior changes
In the end, your ideal posting schedule isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it process. Instagram’s algorithm and user patterns change frequently, so your timing decision process must be reviewed regularly.
Best Times by Industry & Follower Count
Optimizing the time of your posts can have an important impact across many industries and even your niche.
It is better to be scalable rather than follow blanket guidelines. Consider the industry you’re in and your audience size.
Best Times for Retail, Travel, Education, & more
Unlike general posting times, industry-specific patterns show distinct engagement windows. I’ve compiled the most effective times by sector:
| Industry | Best Days | Optimal Times |
| Retail | Mondays & Wednesdays | 11 AM-3 PM |
| Travel | Sundays | 10 AM and Noon |
| Education | Wednesdays & Thursdays | 10 AM-5 PM |
| Healthcare | Tuesdays & Thursdays | 10 AM-11 AM |
| Food & Beverage | Mondays & Thursdays | 11 AM-1 PM |
| Government | Wednesdays & Thursdays | Noon-5 PM |
Interestingly, financial services perform best on Mondays and Tuesdays around 1-2 PM, whereas nonprofits see peak engagement on Wednesdays at 5 PM.
Posting Times for Nano to Mega Influencers
Follower count dramatically shifts optimal posting windows. For instance:
- Nano influencers (1K-5K): Monday-Friday at 5 PM
- Micro influencers (5K-25K): Monday at 11 PM, Friday at 12 AM
- Mid-tier (25K-100K): Sunday at 12 AM, Monday at 11 PM
- Macro (100K-500K): Sunday and Monday at 12 AM
- Mega (500K+): Monday at 10 AM
Indeed, smaller accounts benefit from evening posts, whereas mega-influencers thrive during morning hours.
Why Industry & Audience Size Matter
In conclusion, your audience’s tendencies dictate engagement behavior.
Travel brands see strong audience engagement on Sunday at 10 am. Fitness content has strong engagement rates early in the morning (6-8 am) when people are searching for fitness inspiration.
You may also see different levels of exposure in the algorithm based on your audience size. Nano-influencers see significantly more engagement levels despite their small audience size, which exemplifies the importance of time to maximize engagement.
How to Boost Engagement
Timing is essential to Instagram success. While the highest overall engagement is at early morning hours (3 – 6 am), your best time to post will depend on your niche and audience.
Use Instagram Insights or an analytics tool. Test times based on recommendations, evaluate what gets the best result, and adjust your posted time as needed.
Finding out what works best for you will take some continuous trial and error, but every time you refine what works, you will end up with bigger engagement and growth channels.
Instagram Timing FAQ
1) Is posting time still relevant for Reels?
Yes- it is less important than feed posts; however, when you post when your followers are online, this boosts Reels’ early engagement and subsequent engagement on the algorithm.
2) How do I plan for different time zones to be able to see my posts?
Plan for your largest followers’ time zone. Then stagger or rotate a second plan for your second-largest time zone. Use Insights + scheduling tools to plan for overlap.
3) How often should I post to balance reach and burnout?
Prioritize consistency and quality. I would say a good target is somewhere along the lines of 3-7 Reels/week and 2-4 feed posts a week. You can also run short tests (2 weeks) to find what is sustainable for you.