Instagram is one of the top social media platforms not only for personal use but also for business and marketing use. If you have a business, brand, or creative endeavor, it’s basically a non-negotiable that you have a solid Instagram presence if you want to see true social media success.
Knowing the best time to post on Instagram in the UK can be one of the things that contribute to your success.
People use Instagram to view content and connect with brands and businesses, but they also use it to check out a business’s reputation and to see whether or not they want to support them and buy from them.
If you are an influencer or creator, you might be the person people look to for recommendations or life hacks.
In order to increase your Instagram presence and reach more people, it’s important that you know your target audience very well and post content that aligns with their needs and wants.
You have to know when your audience is online and post it when they’re likely to see it.
This article will help you to understand the best time to post on Instagram in the UK as well as some other strategies to get your content in front of the most people depending on your niche or industry.
Let’s get started.
Do Posting Times Matter on Instagram?
You may be wondering, why does it matter what time I post on Instagram? Won’t people see my content anyway?
Well, of course you’d hope that they see it, but when you know the best time to post on Instagram in the UK, you can ensure that they see it by putting it right at the top of their newsfeed.
The Instagram algorithm no longer works based on chronological order; it now works based on priority content and what a user is likely to want to see.
That means you need to get a user engaging with your content so that it will appear to them as soon as they open the app.
How can you get more engagement on Instagram? Post the content right when the user is likely to be online, so that they’ll be exposed to it, engage with it, and then be presented with it whenever they are on Instagram.
If you want to continue to get reach for your content and build your audience on Instagram, you need to have credible content with a lot of likes and comments.
Knowing the best time to post on Instagram in the UK can help you get exactly that.
You’ll not only get engagement, but it will also help to then get more reach for your content to people who don’t follow you, as content with a lot of likes and comments is more likely to end up on the Explore page or at the top of hashtag feeds.
The following sections will help you to understand the best times to post on Instagram in the UK by day, by industry, how to figure it out for your target audience, and more.
Let’s do it.
What is the Best Time to Post on Instagram in the UK?
It would be great to have a simple answer to the question “what is the best time to post on Instagram in the UK?,” but unfortunately you’ll find many different answers, and the answers you find may need to be adjusted a bit to work for you.
There are many factors involved in the best posting times on Instagram, so you first need to identify a few things:
- Where is my audience from?
- What does my audience do for a living?
- How old are they?
- When are they usually on Instagram?
Once you know those things, you’ll have an easier time finding your ideal posting times.
We’re going to include the general best time to post on Instagram in the UK for each day of the week in this section, giving you a rough idea of the best practices for optimal Instagram posting.
After that, we’ll give you some additional tips on how to specify your particular audience and make any tweaks necessary based on this information.
Let’s take a look at each day of the week.
Mondays
Mondays are the beginning of the week for many workers, so for this reason most people are shifting their focus and preparing for the tasks to come.
The best time to post on Instagram in the UK on Mondays, then, is when people have downtime — before 6am, 12pm, and 10pm.
These are the times that people are likely to have breaks, taking some time to rest or browse through Instagram, or finishing their day. This is when they’re probably checking out their phone.
Other times on a Monday aren’t optimal because you’ll likely see less engagement. If you know the best time to post on Instagram in the UK for Mondays, you can get your week off to a good start.
Tuesdays
Tuesdays are less busy than Mondays and aren’t as hectic. People are still focused on their work, though, so their Instagram browsing behaviors are reflective of this.
The best time to post on Instagram in the UK on Tuesdays is between 6am and 6pm.
6am is arguably better to catch morning traffic just as they’re waking up and getting ready for the day, as this is common behavior for Instagram users in the UK.
It’s better to keep it earlier in the day as most people are resting or taking a break on Tuesday evenings and may not be on their phones as much.
Wednesdays
The hump day of the week, Wednesdays are more similar to Mondays in their hectic nature and people are looking to wrap up the week successfully and also get things ready for the weekend.
According to data, Wednesdays are a bit lower when it comes to engagement.
If you want to know the best time to post on Instagram in the UK on Wednesdays, you should focus your attention on your target audience and consider posting before 8am or later at night after 7pm, as these are the times most users are likely to be browsing Instagram.
Thursdays
Thursdays are more similar to Tuesdays than any other day in the week; most people are still in work mode but they’re just working through their tasks and getting ready for the weekend. The day is relatively flat.
The best time to post on Instagram in the UK on Thursdays is 7am, 12pm, as well as 7pm.
Instagram users are likely to be on the platform during breaks or after winding down, and people are using Instagram to gear up for the weekend and see what’s happening so that they can plan accordingly.
Fridays
The optimal day for posting could be considered Friday. It is certainly the best chance for you to engage your audience and boost your numbers.
People are closing out their work week and starting to relax and look to be entertained.
There are many hours that could be considered the best time to post on Instagram in the UK on Fridays, including before 9am, 4pm, and 7pm.
Instagram users are likely to check their Instagram in the morning before work, after work or on their way home, as well as as their evening is getting started.
Later after 7pm may not reach all of your audience if they decide to go out or spend time with friends and family.
Saturdays
Once Saturday rolls around we’ve officially entered the weekend, which means that people are likely having a rest and not waking up early as they would during the week.
That means that the best time to post on Instagram in the UK on Saturdays won’t be until after 11am. People want to rest in the morning and probably won’t be checking out their feeds in the early morning hours.
During the day, people are likely out and about, so you’re not going to see as much browsing happening on Saturday afternoons. Saturday nights pick back up again, so if you’re going to post on a Saturday night, make it around 7-8pm.
Sundays
The final day of the week, Sunday, is also different from other days during the week when it comes to Instagram posting times.
Most people are really looking to take a breather on Sundays and want to get their errands done, spend time with friends and family, or just simply relax.
Instagram also gets a lot of traffic at random hours of the day, which means it can be tough to pin down a specific time that people are most likely to be on the platform.
If you’re going to post on a Sunday, the best time to post on Instagram in the UK would be between 10am-4pm.
After 4pm, people are once again getting ready for the week ahead or enjoying the rest of their time to themselves.
Instagram Posting Times: Know Your Audience
If you want to get more engagement on your Instagram posts and increase the amount of people who see them regularly, you’ll have to have a strong performance against the Instagram algorithm.
As we mentioned above, the algorithm is based on engagements and their user behavior on the platform. The feed is personalised to be able to provide a better user experience and keep people on Instagram longer.
There are three key factors that influence the Instagram algorithm:
- Interest: posts that have similarities to the content that a user posts or engaged with will be prioritised on their feed. For instance, if you’ve recently liked a fitness post from your favorite fitness influencer, you may see additional fitness-related content from other creators or businesses.
- Recency: even though the algorithm doesn’t go in chronological order, posts that are from the past 1 to 3 days get more priority than those that are a week old. More recent posts get priority.
- Relationships: a user is likely to see posts from accounts they’ve previously interacted with, searched for, or engaged with (liked a photo or left comments on content from that account).
It’s important to get your posting times right because recency does factor in, so knowing the best time to post on Instagram in the UK can boost your engagement— this is especially true if you know your target audience.
You must consider different factors about your audience if you want to be successful and post at the right time, including:
- Their job
- Likely free time
- Other users they follow
- Content they want to see
- Your reputation on Instagram
- How much you interact with them
If you can build a strong relationship with your audience, you are more likely to understand their behavior and present content that will get a strong reaction.
This is key if you want to boost your engagement and post at the right time.
Research on Best Instagram Posting Times in the UK
Not only do you need to consider your target audience, but you should also consider some general findings about the best time to post on Instagram in the UK.
There have been numerous studies and reports done on the topic, and here we’ll discuss some of the most prominent findings.
- Weekends have the least engagement rates on Instagram because people are typically busy doing other things. Even if they are on Instagram, they are likely not browsing their feed; they’re probably posting their own content and sharing things with friends.
- Saturdays in the late morning are the best time to post on Instagram in the UK, so avoid posting late on Friday nights and don’t make Sunday your primary posting day. Those are the times when people are likely to be hanging out with friends, resting, or out and about.
- Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays show high engagement times in the early morning, between 5am-6am. This is because people typically check their phone right when they wake up and before they start getting ready for the day.
- Also, the best time to post on Instagram in the UK could arguably be from 11am-3pm, which is when people are likely taking their mid-day breaks and want to check out what’s going on in the Instagram world.
Best Instagram Posting Times in the UK by Industry
As we mentioned various times already, the perfect posting time isn’t universal; it depends on the audience you want to target, and this is also true for different industries.
It’s different when you’re posting for those attending school or university as opposed to someone working professionally throughout the week.
Here are some general ideas about the best Instagram posting times in the UK by industry. All industries aren’t listed here, but there are some common ones that we’ve provided just to illustrate some best practices.
Technology
There is a ton of engagement from the tech industry around 10am on Wednesdays, so if you’re in this niche or are targeting those who are, you should be looking at that time as the best time to post on Instagram in the UK.
The worst day is considered to be Sunday for this industry, and most of your posts should happen between Wednesday-Friday from 10am-5pm. Thursdays is highly regarded as one of the best days for engagement in tech along with Wednesday.
B2C
Wednesday is also considered the best time to post on Instagram in the UK for the B2C industry. It’s also agreed that from 11am-1pm you’re likely to see more engagement in this niche.
Mondays remain the worst days followed closely by Sundays, but it can be a good idea to post something on a daily basis to reach your audience.
Healthcare
Healthcare has shown that the best time to post on Instagram in the UK is Tuesdays at 1pm, likely during a break or before getting ready for a long shift.
That said, if you post on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, you’re likely to get a good amount of engagement, so you should focus your posting schedule around those days between 9am-4pm.
This industry isn’t typically as active on the weekends, so it’s better to focus on weekday content.
Education
Unlike other industries we’ve seen so far, education is more kind to Mondays. Mondays have been shown to be the best time to post on Instagram in the UK if you’re in education, especially around 8am or just before classes are likely to begin.
Higher engagement levels are observed in the morning and afternoon, between 11am-4pm.
Sundays aren’t as good for neither teachers nor students because they may be hectic for this target audience as they prepare for the week to come or turn in/grade any last minute assignments.
Non-Profit Organizations
The last industry we’ll cover here is the non-profit industry. You’ll see that the best time to post for non-profits is on Tuesdays, but two times are debated— 3pm and 9pm. This is when people in this industry are most active.
If you want to optimize your content for the best time to post on Instagram in the UK, you can set your schedule for weekdays between 12pm and 5pm. Saturdays and Sundays aren’t particularly useful for this industry.
*note: these are general guidelines depending on what industry your target audience is in. You should take this information into account when trying to find the best time to post on Instagram in the UK, but your own research and understanding of your audience is essential. We’ll discuss this in detail in the next and final section.
How to Find the Best Time to Post on Instagram for Your Business in the UK
The key to knowing the best time to post on Instagram in the UK for your particular account starts with knowing when your audience is online. There are a couple ways that you can do this.
There are many different tools available, such as Later, Sprout Social, Iconosquare, and others that can help you get clear Instagram analytics to know when your audience is online and what to do about it.
Most of these services are paid, though, so if you don’t find any wiggle room in your budget to use an Instagram analytics tool, there are some other ways to figure this out:
- Instagram insights
- Competitor accounts
Instagram Insights
Instagram insights is a free feature that is based on the Instagram app itself. You can gain access to the feature if you have your account set to a professional account (either business or creator).
Once you have this, simply navigate to your profile, tap the menu, and find Insights.
Here, you’ll visit the Audience tab, and there you’ll see valuable information about when your audience is mostly online, their locations, age range, and gender.
You can filter the time that your audience is online by hours and days so you have an idea when people are active and what times you’re likely to reach your audience.
This is something you should absolutely be doing if you want to find out your best time to post on Instagram in the UK.
Competitor Accounts
Another option to see when your audience is likely to be online is to look at your top competitors and find out what they’re doing. This can give you a hint about when your audience is online and what is the industry standard for the best time to post on Instagram in the UK.
Look for posts that are very successful in terms of likes and comments. Once you’ve found the ones that you want to reference, you can look for the time that it was posted.
It will tell you in hours if it was the same day (it’ll say something like “10 hours ago”), or if it was days ago, it’ll tell you the month and the day (such as March 25).
If you really want to find out about the exact time a post was uploaded to Instagram, you can visit Instagram on your desktop or laptop computer to find out.
Navigate to the post that you want to find out about, and open it. Right-click on the date, and then choose Inspect from the menu.
Your computer will open the inspect page window on the right side of your browser window, and you’ll be able to see the exact posting time.
You can find the date and time formatted as so: datetime=”2021-03-25T01:10:31.000Z”
For example, this post was uploaded on March 25th at 1:10am. You can repeat this with a few different competitors and see if you can find a pattern, or even with a few posts from the same account.
Keep in mind the time zone depending on what account you are looking at.
Test Your Posting Times
Now that you have two solid ways to find out about when your audience is likely to be online, you can begin to do your own testing and to build your Instagram schedule based on the best time to post on Instagram in the UK for your specific account.
The idea here is to test content over the period of a few weeks and note the results— which ones get the most engagement and which ones helped your UK follower count to increase? You can track it on a spreadsheet or in a notebook.
For instance, if you see that your audience is normally online from 12pm-3pm on Wednesdays, post at each of those hours and see which posts perform better over time.
If you find that your posts get better engagement at 1pm and 2pm, then you can focus only on those times and figure out what the best time to post on Instagram in the UK is for your particular audience.
You should try to post content that is similar so that you don’t have to wonder if it was because the post looked better than the other one and people just liked it better.
Continue to post your content, test it, repeat for other optimal days and times, and you’ll soon have the go-to posting schedule for your particular Instagram account. Voila!
Final Thoughts: Best Instagram Posting Times UK
As you can see, finding the best time to post on Instagram in the UK is no easy feat; you can look at the general data all you want, and use it as a starting point, but the best thing you can do is look at your Instagram insights and competitors and test from there.
That way, you aren’t just using general information but tailoring your strategy to work with your unique audience.
You can see the patterns emerging and you’ll soon have no doubt about which time you should use to get more engagement and continually get your content out to more people.
If you want to grow your Instagram and see real business results, take the time to do this testing for your account and posting times— you won’t regret it!
