The Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram

It’s difficult not to become engrossed in Instagram Reels — the 60-second, vertical clips conducive to passing the time with endless scrolling. Whether you’re a professional marketer, a social media influencer, or a regular user, you know Reels are one of today’s hottest social features and the perfect tool for going viral.

According to a Sensor Tower report, Instagram was the most downloaded social media application in Q4 of 2021. That same year, its 1.21 billion monthly users made up 28% of global social media users, expected to account for 31.2% by 2025. That’s a lot of users your brand could be reaching through Instagram.

Of course, achieving the full Reels effect is only possible when you develop the perfect marketing strategy. Like all social media features, there’s a time and place for posting new Reels content to attract users.

If you’re just starting with Instagram Reels or trying to streamline your Reels marketing approach, this guide will help you discover the best time to post content to your brand’s feed.

When Is the Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram?

Those with a background in social media marketing know that figuring out when to schedule posts is challenging. You want to garner the most likes, shares and comments with a single form of content — and despite there being plenty of stats to guide you, the trends are constantly changing. 

According to Influencer Marketing Hub, the best time to post Instagram Reels is as follows:

• Monday: 6 a.m., 10 a.m., and 10 p.m.
• Tuesday: 2 a.m., 4 a.m., and 9 a.m.
• Wednesday: 7–8 a.m. and 11 p.m.
• Thursday: 9 a.m., 12 p.m., and 7 p.m.
• Friday: 5 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.
• Saturday: 11 a.m. and 7–8 p.m.
• Sunday: 7–8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Remember that when all else fails, you can always boost your posts. Promoting content ensures your Reels will receive maximum engagement with followers and the broader Instagram community. However, you should at least try posting organically first.

3 Tips for Determining the Best Time to Post Reels

The best time to post Reels on Instagram is not an exact science. Instead, allowing the trends to guide you as you develop your Instagram marketing strategy is best. Here are some tips to help you figure out when you’ll reach your maximum audience with Reels. 

1. Determine Audience Location

Where is your primary audience located? It’s best to go by their specific time zone when figuring out when to post to Instagram. Switching over to a business account will deliver further insight into where the chunk of your audience lives. 

2. Learn Your Audience’s Wake Time

Second to location is your audience’s wake time. What hours do they usually wake up, and what time do they go to bed? You’ll want to lean into analytics tools to help you figure this out. Because Instagram Reels has yet to develop analytics, you’ll want to create a content calendar that spans your audience’s time zones and geographical regions. 

3. Find Out When Your Audience Shops

If your brand sells retail, knowing when your audience shops online is crucial. According to SaleCycle’s 2020 Ecommerce Stats Report, consumers prefer shopping online between 8–9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. While that’s not exactly true for everyone, posting Reels content to reach audiences during that timeframe may effectively garner attention from potential customers.

Creating Unique Content Using Reels

Of course, posting Reels on Instagram is only one part of the equation. If you’re hoping to enhance brand awareness and user engagement, unique content creation is the ticket to success. Here are five ways you should be optimizing your Reels content for Instagram. 

1. Discover What Makes Your Brand Special

Why should users pay attention to your brand? What’s your unique offering? When posting Reels content, it’s essential to hone in on your brand’s specialty. This becomes most challenging when trying to keep content as fresh and exciting as possible with little redundancy. 

For instance, colleges and universities might create Reels highlighting exemplary students or campus activities. During mid-terms and finals, creating Reels that offer study tips is a great way to engage students through social media.

Shops might also create Reels to showcase the latest products and services. Maybe develop a Reel that shows users how to wrap scarves in various ways or put together a seasonal outfit using new store items. Meanwhile, a makeup artist might make a Reel of them giving a makeover to a satisfied customer.

Your best bet is to find a balance between personal and professional, embrace imperfections, and just be human.

2. Collaborate With Other Instagrammers

Broaden your reach by collaborating with fellow influencers. You can tap into a much larger audience when working alongside a brand whose audience overlaps yours. 

Is there a nonprofit your brand supports that you can help generate awareness and fundraising opportunities? Maybe you’re hoping to come out with a mutual product or develop a social media contest for a winning audience member to receive a prize. Instagram “takeovers” are also popular in which a brand hands the reigns to another influencer for a day. 

Send a direct message asking if they’d like to create a post or multiple posts with you. Remember that you’ll be sharing your audience with this brand, as they will do the same with you — so ensure beforehand that your audience will appreciate who you choose to create with.

3. Participate in Viral Challenges

Instagram Reels is becoming its own unique feature — but there’s no denying that it still resembles TikTok. Therefore, you’ll want to consider participating in viral challenges.

Challenges are popular content on TikTok and have begun to grow in popularity across Instagram, too. It’s an excellent opportunity to attract new followers and have a little fun with your audience by showing off your personality.

4. Post Consistently

It takes work to come up with new, creative content all the time. However, the best way to improve your performance is by posting Reels on Instagram consistently. 

The more Reels you post, the better your chances of going viral. Instagram’s algorithm also likes when users post content regularly, prioritizing showing the latest content when users scroll through their feeds. 

5. Use Hashtags

Hashtags help get your posts seen by users looking for a particular product, service, industry, or topic. However, not just any hashtag will do — there’s a trick to getting the most out of hashtags for users to find your content more easily.

You can search for relevant hashtags by typing a keyword in the Instagram search bar. Tap on some of the results to view the hashtag and see how well it’s performing. 

Jot down every hashtag you want to include in your Reels post’s caption — Instagram allows you to add up to 30 hashtags per post. If you try to add more hashtags, the caption or comment won’t post.

You can always search for hashtag generators online if you need help finding the right hashtags. Hashtag generators will provide you with a list of the most popular hashtags with your chosen keyword to ensure you reach your target audience.

Maximize Instagram Marketing With Reels

Instagram Reels is an ideal tool for brands to lean into creativity and deliver fresh visual content beyond the traditional grid post or Story. You can maximize your marketing strategy by posting Reels whenever you’re likely to reach the broadest audience.