Table Of Contents:
The Ideal Times & Days To Post
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If you have been using Instagram actively as a part of your marketing strategy you likely know that Instagram has recently come up with some significant algorithm changes. And this is why you may want to do things a little differently, including how often you should be posting on your account.
So let’s cut right to the chase and talk about the factors worth considering when figuring out an ideal posting frequency.
Instagram Algorithm Changes
Some of the latest algorithm changes seem to have changed the way your posts get engagement. Earlier, a post was typically believed to have a half-life of 72 minutes, meaning that it would probably get half of its total engagement in that time.
However, the recent algorithm changes have apparently removed this limit (if it ever existed, that is). Brands now seem to get significantly less engagement when they make a new post.
But on the other hand, they have started getting a decent amount of engagement on their older posts, which wasn’t common before. What this means for brands or businesses like you is that while you may get much lower engagement on your new posts than you used to, your posts will likely have a longer lifespan and keep getting engagement for a much longer period of time than before.
But what does mean as far as your posting frequency is concerned?
It Depends On Your Audience!
We know it might not sound anything groundbreaking that you might have expected after our in-depth insight on the algorithm changes above, but honestly, your audience is always going to be the cornerstone of your Instagram marketing strategy.
That said, users in some niches can digest a lot more content than the others. So if you’re in one of such niches, you may want to start posting more often and see where that gets you. You will obviously have to find this out for yourself by analyzing your competitors’ posting frequency and engagement as well as your past experience.
However, if you have noticed a drop in the overall engagement every time you tried to post more often than a particular limit, you may want to stay under that limit.
Consistency Matters More Than The Frequency
If there’s one thing we can tell for sure with respect to the ideal posting frequency, then it would be that you shouldn’t post more often than what you can consistently maintain. If you start posting three to four times a day, only to end up posting only a few days a week shortly after, it may definitely affect your overall engagement more negatively than you may think.
That said, there can be some exceptions to this rule. One of the common exceptions is when you’re running a major promotion or have launched a new product. During such times, you can post more often than usual and then go back to your normal posting frequency once the promotion has ended.
However, the catch here is that the increase in frequency must be coupled with a healthy engagement. If you’re having a much lower engagement on the “extra” posts you make during this period, you may want to reconsider your content strategy or post less often.
Want A Clear Number?
If you came here looking for a number that you can use for references or as a guide, then you will not be leaving disappointed. Union Metrics did a detailed study on the posting frequency of brands on Instagram, and determined that on an average, brands post 1.5 times a day.
This may not only turn out to be a good posting frequency for most businesses or brands, but also something that will be easy to maintain over a long period of time. Hence, you would be able to be consistent with your posting schedule, something that’s crucial for your overall engagement as we discussed above.
