Remember the show Mythbusters? Yeah, that was one of my favorites. I always wondered what it would be like to take popular misconceptions and explain how they were or were not true. Well, today I get to find out exactly how that feels, because I’m debunking the myth that surrounds the elusive “best time to post on Instagram.”

My name is Ariel, and I’m a social media strategist and coach here to help female entrepreneurs market their businesses online. I’m all about making social media feel easy and approachable, which means addressing the popular—but incorrect—beliefs around how, what, and when to post on Instagram

Say it With Me: There Is No Best Time to Post on Instagram

I don’t know exactly how this belief started, but I totally understand why it got so popular. Let’s face it, us business owners love a formula. If there was a single time to post online that magically meant my posts would reach more people, I would be all over it. But unfortunately, no matter how confidently the social media tycoon you follow says it, there is no actual strategy behind the best universal time to post.

However, if you’ve developed a system for posting at exactly 3:12pm every other day and that works for you, stick with it! My biggest issue with the “best time to post on Instagram” narrative is that, for most people, it creates a barrier. If you miss that window, it’s so easy to just wait for the next day. And then you miss it again… and before you know it, you haven’t posted in three weeks and you’re questioning if you ever will.

Is there one universal best time to post on Instagram? No.

But can there be a best time for you to post on Instagram? Absolutely.

How to Find Your Ideal Posting Time

Check Your Audience Data

Can it help to post when your audience is most active? Sure. But this is not something to stress about. If you happen to post within this window, great. If not, no worries. If you’re interested in the nerdy side of social media, it can be really interesting to look at your audience data!

My favorite way to find this data is through Metricool (which features as one of my favorite low-lift Instagram marketing tools). Metricool will show you which percentage of your audience is active at which time, and it looks like this:

A screenshot of Instagram audience data within Metricool, showing how active a user's audience is at certain times of the day

If you don’t use Metricool, you can find this info directly in Instagram. Go to your profile → professional dashboard → new followers (under insights heading), and scroll to the bottom. There, you’ll find your most active times. When you click through each day of the week, you’ll see when your audience is most active.

If you continue showing up consistently, you’ll notice some patterns. For me, Friday’s are low engagement days, so I post light content—no hard sells. My audience is more active between Monday and Thursday, so I save my educational and sales content for those days.

Consider Time Zones

While I don’t pay much attention to exact times my audience is most active, I pay very close attention to the time zones. If you didn’t know, I’m based in Portugal, but most of my clients are in the U.S. Because of this, I intentionally post in the afternoons, which is the morning for most of my followers. This way my content is being seen when they’re, ya know, awake.

Build Around Your Real Life Schedule

Here’s the truth: the best time to post on Instagram is whenever is best for you. Create a schedule that works for your life! If you have to drop your kids off in the morning, then don’t stress about posting at 9am sharp. Even if your audience is “most engaged” at a certain time, if you are not able to post at that time, it’s not your ideal posting time.

Schedule Your Posts in Advance

I think my favorite development in social media over the last few years is the ability to schedule your posts in advance. Seriously, it is a lifesaver. Because you and I are not just business owners. We are also humans with a whole ass life outside of work. Life gets busy, things come up, and motivation is not a reliable posting strategy (ask me how I know). Batching content and scheduling it one or two times a month instead of scrambling multiple times a week is better for you and your content. It removes the decision fatigue and “What do I post” panic, making it not just possible, but way easier to stay consistent. Get a crash course on scheduling content by reading this blog!

What to Focus on Instead of Post Timing

As we’ve established, there’s no single best time to post on Instagram, but there can be a best time for you. But even then, the timing of your post matters so much less than the quality of it! If you want to grow your audience and reach aligned clients, focus on these three things instead of searching for a magical posting formula that doesn’t exist.

Quality Content

Every single post should have a purpose. Before you create a post, ask yourself if it’s trying to reach new people, deepen the connection with the audience you already have, or sell. And sometimes it can be all three!

In addition to purpose, each post must have value. And value can be anything you want it to be!! It doesn't always mean teaching. Sometimes, the value is giving someone a reason to laugh.

Consistency

Consistency isn’t just how often you post (though I highly recommend developing a rhythm and sticking with it!). Consistency also means showing up the same way, using the same fonts, colors, and voice. When someone sees your content, they should be able to recognize that it’s yours. This kind of consistency builds recognition, and recognition builds trust. And trust? Well, that’s what we’re all working towards!

Engagement

I’m going to hold your hand as I say this: Social media is supposed to be social. Chat in the DMs! Respond to comments on your posts, and comment on others! The more engagement you give, the more you get back. So if you’re only consuming content, without liking, commenting, or responding to stories, don’t be surprised if your engagement rates are low, too.

Make Social Media Work For You

If you have been white-knuckling your social media, trying anything that promised to grow your following and attract clients, I totally get it. There is a lot of social media advice out there. But can I be honest with you?

Most of it is bullshit.

Because there is no one-size-fits-all strategy—just like there’s not one universal time for posting. If you want to grow your Instagram following, attract the right people, and connect with aligned clients, you don’t need to follow another formula. You need a personal plan that’s built around your goals AND your lifestyle.

The Content Strategy Intensive breaks down your goals and audience, and it gives you a custom roadmap to posting consistent, quality content. Or, learn how to understand and utilize your data, optimize your content, and create an achievable posting strategy through one-on-one coaching with yours truly. I promise, we have a ton of fun and you walk away feeling lighter, more knowledgeable, and ready to tackle social media.

So what do you say? Fill out the contact form to get started!