How Often Should You Post on Instagram for Consistent, Lasting Growth?

Do you find yourself wondering, “How often should I post on Instagram to gain more followers?” Or, “How often should I post on Instagram to keep my audience engaged?” Figuring out the right posting frequency is not rocket science — but it’s not easy, either. You have to account for shifting trends and algorithm updates. Then, social media fatigue – yes, it’s a real thing – and that the ideal number of posting changes over time. How often you should post on Instagram can be daunting to figure out. However, these general guidelines can help you stay on target. 

How Often Should You Post on Instagram to Grow?

There’s no magic number that answers the question, “How often should you post on Instagram to grow?” There are a lot of variables that determine the best number for how frequently to post to your Instagram account. These variables include but are not limited to the following: The type of account you have — is it a personal account or a business/creator account? The industry you’re in and the type of audience you’re targeting. The type of content, product or service you’re posting and how many followers you have. Last, what hashtags you’re choosing that are relevant to your business, brand or industry.

Increasing your follower count for growth is the ultimate goal for most Instagram users. Knowing how many times you should post per day, week or month is a must for a successful growth strategy. Let’s take a look at what some studies and industry experts say about Instagram posting frequency.

• A 2021 social media engagement analysis found that the average posting frequency on Instagram is 4 per week. This study was conducted on 14 industries across Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
• A study conducted by Tailwind found that posting once per day can lead to a higher increase in followers. This study is from 2017 but is still relevant today.
• Later’s 2021 analysis of 81 million feed posts found that the more posts per week, the greater the reach. This analysis excludes the use of reels and Instagram stories. You should definitely use Instagram stories for automatic likes and engagement.

How Often to Post on Instagram: It’s All About Your Followers

Really, how often you should post on Instagram truly varies. Your follower number dictates when you should post. Don’t forget that you should always be creating valuable content. Then, post multiple times throughout the week or over weeks. Linking to other social media accounts, like your Facebook page, is a social marketing strategy that helps with engagement.

So, How Many Times Should You Post on Instagram?

The aforementioned Later study further found that how many times you should post on Instagram depends on your follower count. How often to post on Instagram factors in a want to maximize reach and engagement every week. Their recommendations are as follows:

• Less than 1,000 followers – 14 posts per week, or two posts a day.
• Between 1,000 and 250k followers – 14 to 20 posts per week for the highest reach. One Instagram post per week for the highest engagement per post
• More than 250k followers – one post per week for maximum reach and engagement per Instagram post.

So based on Later’s findings, the higher your number of followers, the less you should post. Wondering why? Accounts with fewer followers need to exert more effort through a higher posting frequency to increase their reach and engagement. They need to reach and engage new audiences to grow, so more often is advantageous. However, accounts with more followers must find the right balance between the reach and rate of engagement per post.

How Often to Post on Instagram: High Reach Rates Doesn’t Mean High Engagement

Large reach doesn’t always equate to a high engagement rate. It makes sense. When an account posts too many times their audience will not engage with each and every one of their posts. In such instances, audiences will begin cherry-picking which posts they’ll like and comment on. Essentially, don’t flood your feed with multiple posts in a day. Spread your content out on your Instagram feed until you find the best posting frequency.Accounts with higher follower counts can rely on their existing community to maintain good numbers for reach and engagement. These accounts have already established themselves. Therefore, their high follower numbers practically guarantee that each post will reach a significant percentage of their target audience. In summary, how often to post on Instagram strongly depends on your follower count.

How Often Should You Post on Instagram vs When Should You Post on Instagram

How often you should post on Instagram, whether daily or weekly, should also follow the established best times to post on Instagram. These times differ across niches, industries, audience types, and content types. In addition to knowing the current trends within your industry and for your type of audience, you can narrow down further the ideal posting times for your brand/business by analyzing your Instagram Insights.

Use the information from your Insights to experiment with various posting times — while also taking into consideration how often you should post on Instagram daily or weekly. Keep an eye on how your Insights data changes, i.e., did your post at a particular time reach more people and/or receive more engagement? Once you’ve figured out a posting schedule that optimizes your posting frequency for reach and engagement, just stick to it. If you notice a decline in your numbers, this could indicate a trend shift in your industry or maybe the result of an algorithm update. You’ll have to repeat your trial and error process to re-establish your solid footing on the platform.  

When Should You Post on IG?

Now you know how often you should post on Instagram let’s tackle when you should post on the platform. You should follow the established best times to post on Instagram. These times differ across niches, industries, audience types and content types. For most industries, Wednesdays are a sure bet as well as posting first thing in the morning. Typically around 6-7 AM for maximum exposure. In addition, knowing the current trends within your industry and for your audience narrows down your ideal posting time. For a deeper dive into specifics for your brand/business analyze your Instagram Insights.

Use the information from your Insights to experiment with various posting times. Take into consideration how frequently you should post weekly or daily. Keep an eye on how your Insights data changes. Did your post at a particular time reach more people and/or receive more engagement? Once you’ve figured out a posting strategy that optimizes your posting frequency for reach and engagement, just stick to it. If you notice a decline in your numbers, it indicates a trend shift in your industry. Or, maybe it’s the result of an algorithm update. You’ll have to repeat your trial and error process to re-establish your solid footing on the platform.  

How Often Should a Business Post on Instagram?

If you are a business account wondering how often you should post on Instagram, consider your competition. A key consideration is your competition’s posting frequency. The most recent reports indicate that businesses post an average of 1.56 times per day. Hootsuite’s recommended strategy is to post feed content 2 to 3 times per week, and the same number for stories. If you want to stay competitive, you have to match this number.

For specialized niches and smaller industries, doing some research on your competition will give you more valuable insights. Visit the pages of your biggest competition and scroll through their in feed posts. Take note of the following:

• How many times they post per day and per week. 
• What times they usually post. 
• The times and days when their posts received the highest engagement.

Based on the information, you’ll be able to understand your posting frequency. You can opt to match your competitors posting frequency and schedule. This is especially helpful if your follower numbers are not too far off from theirs. Or post one or two times more than they do if you’re still far behind in terms of follower numbers. Just remember to always consider your optimal times for posting and make sure you are posting consistently.

How Often to Post on Instagram if You’re an Artist

We have good news if you’re an artist wondering how often you should post on Instagram. Artists can enjoy a bit more flexibility with their posting frequency. Two to three times a week is a good place to start with your social media marketing strategy.

A posting frequency that is both consistent and manageable is the bigger consideration for artists. Their audience’s online behaviors and their competition’s account practices play a less significant role in an artist’s content schedule strategy. You need a consistent posting schedule so as to remain relevant to your audience. However, your posting cadence must also allow you to focus on the more important work — which is your art. Do you have an event coming up or a new piece you want to promote? By nature, you’ll be posting more frequently over the weeks leading up to it. 

It’s okay to take a break from social media so you can devote your time and attention to your work. Or, if you need to look after your mental well-being. Before going off the grid, take some time to inform your followers via a post. Don’t forget to log out of your Instagram account to keep it secure while you’re off the platform. If you don’t want to quit Instagram altogether, schedule posts in a regular cadence to minimize your time on social media.

Final Thoughts on How Often to Post on Instagram: Find a Balance

How often should you post on Instagram for consistent and lasting growth? What works for others may not work for you. But, knowing the current trends overall and within your industry will put you on the right track. Plus, it’s something you can add to your multitude of social media management tools.

Remember that posting too many times may do more harm than good if it causes your engagement rates to fall. It might also make some of your followers want to see less of you. Posting not enough times, on the other hand, will most likely put you “out of sight, out of mind.” Instagram’s algorithm will also give your posts a low relevance score. A low score lowers your post reach if you have minimal account activity.

Once you’ve figured out the ideal posting frequency for your business, you have to post consistently. Of course, you also have to make sure that you’re posting high-quality and interesting Instagram content each and every time. 

At Path Social we’ve built up an in-house platform of Instagram influencers and a proprietary AI targeting algorithm. That’s how we reach organic users who are targeted, interested and engaged. You’ll build an Instagram community that lasts. Start growing and gaining Instagram followers today!