One of the most critical factors for success on Instagram is posting at the right time. The comprehensive research conducted by Hootsuite and Sprout Social in 2024 analyzed 2.8 million Instagram posts to reveal which days and hours get the most engagement.
In this guide, you'll find all the information you need to optimize your Instagram posting schedule with an interactive heatmap and detailed analyses backed by real data.
Weekly Engagement Intensity Heatmap
The following heatmap shows the average engagement rates of Instagram posts by day and hour. Dark blue colors represent low engagement, green and yellow medium engagement, orange and red high engagement.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Color Scale
🔍 Important Insights from Data Analysis
- Wednesday 7:00 PM absolute peak: 7.0% is the highest engagement point on the chart. Wednesdays generally show the best performance.
- Thursday 7:00 PM second peak: 6.8% engagement rate is the second-best time period. Thursday evenings are also very effective.
- Wednesday midday record: 6.8% at 11:00 AM is the highest daytime engagement. The lunch break effect is clearly visible.
- Saturday morning peak: The best weekend time is at 10:00 AM with 6.3% engagement. People browse Instagram comfortably.
- Friday evening drama: From 4.5% at 5:00 PM drops to 2.8% at 10:00 PM. People go out and don't look at their phones.
- Golden hour Sunday 10:00-11:00 AM: 6.0% is the second-best weekend time. Instagram time after breakfast.
- Night desert 2:00-5:00 AM: Lowest engagement between 0.1%-0.3% all days. Everyone is sleeping.
Weekday Strategy (Monday-Friday)
Three main time windows stand out during weekdays: Morning (9:00-11:00 AM) people check Instagram on their way to work and during free moments at work. Lunch break (11:00 AM-1:00 PM) is one of the highest engagement periods. Evening (7:00-8:00 PM) are the peak hours - users consume content comfortably at home. Wednesday and Thursday achieve the highest engagement mid-week.
Weekend Strategy (Saturday-Sunday)
User behavior changes on weekends. Activity starts at 9:00-11:00 AM due to late waking and remains high until noon. Saturdays reach their peak between 10:00-11:00 AM with 6.3% engagement. In the evenings engagement drops due to social activities. Sunday evenings (6:00-8:00 PM) there's a slight increase with the 'Sunday anxiety' phenomenon.
💡 Professional Timing Tips
- 1Analyze your own audience: Check your 'Most Active Times' data in Instagram Insights. General data is a good starting point, but your audience may be different.
- 2Test in 3-4 different time zones: Post at different times for at least 2 weeks and compare the results.
- 3Don't forget time zones: If you have an international audience, consider the time zone of your main target audience.
- 4Consistency is important: Get your followers used to it by posting regularly at specific times.
- 5Adjust according to content type: Educational content works better at noon, entertainment content in the evening.
- 6Use scheduling tools: Plan your posts in advance with tools like Hootsuite, Later or Buffer.
Conclusion and Recommendations
To succeed on Instagram, sharing the right content at the right time is of critical importance. The above heatmap and analyses provide you with a general framework based on data from 2.8 million posts.
But remember: Every audience is unique. Use this data as a starting point, but regularly analyze your own Instagram Insights data and optimize your strategy accordingly.
Action Plan: This week post in 3 different time zones (morning, noon, evening) and measure which gives the best results. Then focus on those times and stay consistent. Good luck!