Organic reach continues to decline on Instagram and also in other Social Media, so it’s very important to know when to post to Instagram, it’s also important to know how often instagram posts to be uploaded!
Is it twice a day or every 2 days? No Worries! This post may help you to understand the posting frequency and effect on engagement.
Instagram algorithm is a hot topic this year and a lot of users wonder how it’s affecting the posts. You may have probably noticed old posts less than 3 Days will appear on your feed and new likes popping up on photos you posted days ago.
Earlier to the new algorithm, the half-life of an Instagram post was 72 minutes, means it may get half of its total engagement within that time frame.
As majority of the users have noticed a significant decline in their engagement and reach since the Instagram algorithm introduced, posts seem to have a longer lifespan. So while your initial visibility might be decreasing, your post may still end up on your followers’ feeds later on.
So based on this,
- Do you need to have a good Strategy for Publishing Instagram Posts?
- Should you post to Instagram frequently since reach has drastically decreased?
- Should you post to Instagram less frequently since your posts now have a longer lifespan?
- Will an increase in posting increase your engagement?
- Does Higher Frequency Equal Higher Engagement?
I have seen most of the people posting up to six times a day, while some brands are even posting up to 30 times a day!
Top 3 Brands in Instagram to follow are, AirBnB, Tesla & Adobe
Top 3 Celebrities to follow in Instagram are, Selena Gomez, Christiana Renaldo & Adriana Grande
So is there a strategy that would work better?
Why would a company use social media?
As per my opinion, it’s a No. Always how often you post to Instagram will be heavily depend on what your followers want and how much time you will be able to dedicate to your Instagram marketing strategy.
While many Instagram users are worried their followers aren’t seeing their posts.
Some of the Fashion Brands You Should Follow on Instagram for Marketing Inspiration are Nike, Everlane, Fashionnova, etc.
Some brands posts up to 30 times per day, scheduling a new Instagram post every half hour! Their audience doesn’t seem to mind the high-frequency of posts either. While some posts perform better than others.
So these Brands social team believe this allows the brand to reach a wider audience since their followers may be online at different times of the day. They also see it as a way to beat the Instagram algorithm — by posting more frequently, they’re able to ensure their followers are seeing at least a few of their posts each day.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean you should start posting 10 or more times a day! Some brands has cultivated an audience that’s used to how often they post on Instagram and are excited to see new content more often.
Coschedule gives these figures,
A recent study by an agency, they looked at the Instagram posting activity of 55 brands over a period of several months and confirmed that there’s no recorded drop in engagement when posting more often.
“Our initial assumption about those high-frequency posters was that the more often a brand posts, the lower their engagement rates would be on the subsequent posts,” the study says. “But that does not seem to be true.”
The study also confirms that there isn’t a connection between how much content a business posts and the engagement rate those posts receive.
Instagram Tips#
Consistency Over Frequency
Your ideal posting frequency will depend on you or your business’ goals and the amount of time you can dedicate to your Instagram marketing efforts.
Social media expert Neil Patel explains, “If you make a habit of posting several times a day and then transition to only a few times a week, you will start to lose followers and generate less engagement per post. This means that the best posting frequency for Instagram is the posting frequency that you can consistently maintain for the rest of your natural life.”
So there’s no drop-off in engagement for posting more, provided you can keep up the rate of posting. If you make a habit of posting several times a day and then transition to only a few times a week, you may start to lose followers and generate less engagement per post.
This means that the best posting frequency for Instagram is the posting frequency that you or your business can keep up with consistently.
Posting More Often During Special Events or Promotions
All of that being said, there will be times when you’ll want to bump up your posting frequency!
As most Instagram users are selective and tailor down the list of accounts they follow, it’s likely they won’t mind seeing a few extra posts from you when there’s something exciting to be shared!
Quality Over Quantity
While posting to Instagram more often may help grow your reach by increasing the likelihood that your content will be seen, if the quality of your content declines, so will your engagement and followers.
If you decide to post to Instagram more frequently, it’s important you make sure you have enough time to dedicate to your efforts. It’s important you never post for the sake of posting.
Instagram Stories is one of the perfect place for quick and “natural” content since you don’t have to worry about maintaining a curated aesthetic as you would on your feed.
Ask Your Followers
Another great way to figure out how frequently you should be posting is simply by asking! Add a poll to your Stories (the Instagram algorithm will reward you for this too!) and ask your followers if they would prefer to see more or less posts.
Recently, we’ve noticed a lot of bloggers asking their followers if they’d prefer more Instagram posts or Instagram Stories content. At the end of the day, your audience is most important, so make sure you’re listening to what they want!
Stick to the Average
The average brand posts 1.5 times per day. This is a good rate for most businesses, especially those that have consistently stuck to this pace, letting current followers know what to expect after following your account. This is also a realistic goal for most businesses as creating multiple posts per day for Instagram could become quite time-consuming.
Test & Track Your Efforts with Instagram Analytics
When it’s all said and done, the best frequency to post on Instagram will depend on you and your followers.
So how can you determine what’s working and what isn’t?
Analytics Tool of Instagram also allows you to see how your posts are performing and discover which types of content get the most engagement. Taking on your Instagram strategy with a better understanding of what’s working (and what isn’t) will help you come up with a fine-tuned posting strategy, saving you even more time.
Since there are so many other factors that go into the success of your Instagram posts, such as the type of content, timing, hashtags, and more, it’s important to continually track your efforts.
Optimizing Your Instagram Posting Strategy
Once you’ve decided what frequency works best for you and your followers, it’s time to put your strategy into place!
As i mentioned earlier in the post, consistency in your Instagram publishing schedule is key if you want to maintain a good amount of engagement you get on your posts.
But if you’re planning to post to Instagram more often, it’s a good idea to get acquainted with how to schedule your Instagram posts. There are many tools these days for this like, Hoot suite, Later, Buffer, etc
This will save you a lot of time (and sanity), and leave you plenty of extra time to focus on other important areas of your Instagram marketing strategy.
Users with a business profile can now schedule Instagram posts directly to Instagram with all these tools, no push notifications required! Now you don’t have to interrupt your busy work day or stop what you’re doing to post to Instagram, just schedule your posts and let us do the rest.
Schedule Posts Directly to Instagram
Spending just 20 minutes a week planning out your content will save you a ton of time and effort, and help you achieve your business goals through Instagram because all of your content will be optimized — including your posting time!
As we’ve said before, posting at times your audience is most active on Instagram can help get your content seen by more users. There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to how often you should post to Instagram, so make sure you’re continually listening, testing, and adjusting your Instagram posting strategy.
The “perfect” frequency for you or your business will depend on your goals and the amount of time you’re willing to commit to your Instagram marketing efforts!