Best Time To Post on Instagram Reels: The Truth

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Karen Lin

Instagram 101 | May 23, 2024

Want More Real Instagram Followers?

Nobody wants to spend their entire day working on a reel for nothing. We would hate for your effort to fall into oblivion, too. You want people worldwide to view the wonderful stuff you have created. But when would the most appropriate moment be to drop it on their timelines? You will have a better understanding of the best time to post on Instagram reels after reading this article.

You really should check out Instagram’s newest and most entertaining feature. It is in your best interest to familiarize yourself with the algorithm and experiment with various content concepts. Keep reading for the best tips for posting reels.

An IG user watches reels to find a template or audio to use.

What Are Instagram Reels? Are They Just Instagram TikToks?

We all see the influx of short-form content. There’s no way Instagram would stay away. They officially entered the short-form video chat with “reels.” Reels are short videos that may contain photos or video clips. Users often set them to platform-provided audio.

So, what are Instagram reels? It’s a viable alternative to TikTok. Truth be told, that app has a reputation for being best suited for Gen-Z. Now, you can indulge in short-form content with your millennial and boomer counterparts.

Now They Can Be Longer 

When reels first stepped on the scene, they were only fifteen-second videos long. IG quickly realized that content creators had a lot more to say. They extended the time limit to 90 seconds. Now, you can stuff more content into your reels if needed.

The Editing Process Is Intuitive

IG anticipated your need to release your inner Spielberg. You don’t need external apps to create and upload reels. There are many editing features in the IG app. You become your own director when you crop, adjust audio, and use captions as you please. It’s a gentle learning curve — IG made sure of that. When you discover when to post Instagram reels, you won’t spend too much time on content.

Reels Are Accessible to Everyone

It doesn’t matter if your Instagram account is private. You could have a small following. You can still post reels. It’s not limited to just creator accounts. IG gives access to all users. You may see influencers and content creators take advantage of it more than anyone. Still, it’s available for just about everyone.

There Is a Wide Selection of Music

There is much audio to choose from. It doesn’t have to be strictly a song. It could be an iconic phrase or clip from a movie. If there is a melody or sound that you hear all the time, it may be available for IG reels. If a sound is viral on TikTok, sooner or later, it will make its way to IG as well.

Other Ways To Get the Attention of the Instagram Reels Algorithm

The algorithm gets such a bad rep. It’s not a vast giant that you need to conquer. Instead, it’s a high current wave that you need to become one with. Find out what the big bad algorithm wants. Then, you can adjust to it. We can help you with that.

There is so much to think about when making reels. For example, you want to know the best time to post reels on Instagram. That is because you want your reels to be successful. They need to be more than good. You want as many people to see as possible. Here are some tips to make the best of the Instagram reel algorithm: 

Use Popular Audio

It’s not by chance that you keep hearing that song everywhere. That weird audio that is taking over IG is not by chance. It’s a trending audio. This means that Insta is currently sharing content using that reel at a higher rate than others. Additionally, more people are using it. When people look up the audio, they will inadvertently watch the reels with that audio, too. These reels tend to be on the shorter side.

Go to the reels tab. Scroll through the content. Listen to the audio that pops up often. Chances are, it’s currently trending. You could create a reel with that audio. The algorithm will push it to users as well.

Reel Templates

Some content creators have this reel thing down. There is no shame in taking inspiration from them in some way. A good practice is to use their reel as a template. You may have gotten used to manually cropping videos to sync to audio. Thankfully, now you just have to look for the “Use Template” sign on reels. Do you like how the user distributed the time stamps? Well, all you’ll have to do is click the clips and photos that you want to include.

A person holds an iPhone, ready to post a reel on Instagram.

The Difference in Posting Times for Instagram Reel vs Story

There was a time when the app didn’t have stories or reels. This era is a different time for social media users. Content creators are experimenting with what the best posting times are for each. They will quickly find out that the optimal time for each differs. Let’s discuss the best times to post reels for Instagram reel vs story.

Stories

You may not like to hear this. There is no one ideal time of day to publish content to your Instagram stories. You could get away with it posting at any time. As you know, stories live for 24 hours. Notification that you have a recent story post stays at the top of follower’s feeds for a day. They have a lot of time to check your reels. Reels and regular posts may disappear from a user’s feed when they refresh a page. Stories are popular for promoting other forms of content. People will direct attention to recent posts and reels using their IG stories.

It may work out better for you to refrain from posting when everyone is posting. Your post could get lost in all the other stories. In this sense, there could be the worst time to post.

Reels

You need to know what you want to accomplish with your account. Do you want to maximize engagement on IG? The best move is to post during times of the day when they are active. There is no one-size-fits-all response to the best times to post on Instagram reels. The optimum time to post on Instagram will vary depending on your audience and content. Let’s break down the best time to post a reel on Instagram with a few questions:

Where is your target audience? Do they live in your country? Well, then you know when they are likely to be at lunch. You’ll know when they are likely to unwind after work. If your target audience is in a different time zone, this could be difficult.

What is your follower age demographic? Teens may have access to their phones less than they’d like during the day. They may, however, overdose on content routinely at night. 

What kind of content do your followers like the most? If they like your morning routine content, post that for them to watch in the morning. If they love your weekend recaps, a Sunday night post could drive numbers.

You may think it’s impossible to know these answers. However, the answers are in your Instagram Analytics. When you switch to a business account, you get the lowdown on who your followers are and what they like. The best times to post on Instagram reels are entirely subjective. Trial and error is part of the process. With Instagram’s insights, you can narrow down the best times to post.

An Instagram content creator points their camera to their phone.

Why Creators Want To Know the Best Time To Post on Instagram

Reels are everywhere, and it’s for a reason. They offer big possibilities for content creators. People will be spending a lot more time on the app thanks to video content. It’s just for us to find the best time to post reels on Instagram. You say you don’t get why reels are so important to a brand. We can explain.

You’ll Have Access to More People

Reach is one of the most significant benefits of the new Instagram Reels feature. So many brands look for new ways to communicate with a more expansive audience, and reels give them that chance. When a user edits and uploads a reel, it’ll appear on a reels tab. There, IG users will be able to view your high-quality content. Ideally, they engage with your reels by sharing, liking, and commenting.

Reels allow you to reach the people you’ve always wanted to. Don’t be discouraged if you have a very modest following on IG. Your accounts have the potential to reach more people. 

Not only will you reach a substantially larger audience, but you will get follows from people in your target market. This is what you should be aiming for. Small IG businesses and micro-influencers need new ways to close the gap between them and their audience. With IG reels, everyone looking to grow their following on the platform could get the windfall they’ve been hoping for.

There Is an Engagement Ripple Effect

IG watches when a new video enters the Instagram ecosystem. The algorithm makes a note if it starts getting views. This is why you must post on your story to promote your reel. IG will try to promote this content to people who don’t follow you. It can end up on the explore page of people most likely to engage in it. If they engage, IG promotes it some more. Voila! You have a viral moment!

A calendar is open next to a laptop for a content creator ready to plan content.

Use the Scheduling Tool for the Best Times To Post Reels

You could learn how to schedule a reel on the Instagram app. It is a great skill and a big part of creating a good content calendar. When your Instagram Insights tells you the best time to post, it’s time to refer to your IG scheduling tool. With all this free time, you can focus on other pertinent things. One such thing is reacting to direct messages.

For more tips, feel free to find information at Influencer Marketing Hub. You don’t even have to use a third-party app. This is great for maintaining an active presence without being, well, active. Follow these steps to post at the best time to post reels on Instagram:

  1. Open Instagram. 
  1. You’ll remember that the plus sign is where you create a new post. Go there to post a reel. 
  1. At this point, create a high-quality reel. You should do this to get the hang of it.
  1. Use the still images or video clips you want to publish for your followers to see. Your Instagram reel can have all the usual effects added to it, even when scheduling a post.
  1. Don’t hit “Share” to publish the material. This is where things are different. Make sure you select the option labeled ‘Advanced Settings’ instead.
  1. Choose the “Schedule This Post” option from this new list. 
  1. At this point, you must remember your analytics. Unfortunately, IG doesn’t suggest the most optimal time to post here. Hopefully, this will change in the future.
  1. You can pick the time and day when the reel goes live. It might be between 50 and 75 days from now. After you have completed that step, hit the “Done” button.

An Instagram user scrolls through pictures to add to her reel.

The Best Time To Post on Instagram Reels Is Now

We know what your overarching aim is. You want to expand your brand and boost engagement with your content. We want that for you, too. For the last ten years, the marketing team at Path Social has been working on growth solutions. With an internal platform for Instagram influencers and an artificial intelligence targeting algorithm, our results will impress you.

Using our tactics can reel in followers who will engage with your content. Build a thriving Instagram community by following our advice. Then, put what you learn into action. The best time to post on Instagram reels is when you see this message. Why not work right away on expanding the amount of people who follow you on Instagram? We’re ready to start growing your following right now.