Instagram is a really popular social media platform in Australia. As of December 2022, 57.7% of all internet users in Australia are active on Instagram. Knowing the best time to post on Instagram in Australia can help brands reach the 13.62 million Australians who use Instagram. 

Because there are so many active users, it’s really important for brands to schedule their Instagram posts at the right time. This can help them increase engagement, gain more followers, reach their target audience, and get a good return on their social media marketing efforts.

Here’s an interesting fact: according to Instagram itself, 90% of people on Instagram follow a business. That’s a huge opportunity for brands, especially considering that as of October 2022, there are 2 billion monthly active users on Instagram worldwide. 

Since the Instagram algorithm can change unexpectedly, smart brand marketers can boost their follower count by regularly checking their analytics. Using popular Australian hashtags is a well-known strategy for Instagram accounts, but it’s also important to post when your audience is active on the platform.

Why Timing Matters? 

The timing of your Instagram posts can greatly affect how many people see and interact with your content. When you post something on Instagram, it’s more likely to be seen by your followers if they’re using the app at that time. So, if you want to get more engagement, you should figure out the specific times when your target audience is most active on the platform. 

What Factors Influence the Best Time to Post on Instagram?

Several factors influence the best time to post on Instagram in Australia. We will explore these factors in detail to help you gain a deeper understanding of how they can impact your Instagram marketing strategy. Key factors to consider include:

1. Demographics 

Demographics can play a significant role in determining the best time to post on Instagram. Different demographic groups have varying habits, lifestyles, and preferences, which can influence their usage patterns on the platform. Here are a few examples:

Age Groups:

Teenagers and Young Adults: This demographic tends to be more active on social media and may have different daily routines. They may be more active during evenings and late nights, so it could be beneficial to post between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Working Professionals: The best time to target this group would be during their breaks or after work hours, such as between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays.

Different time zones: 

If your target audience spans across different time zones, it’s essential to consider the timing that aligns with their local time. For example, if you want to reach audiences in the United States and Australia simultaneously, you might consider posting at 10 p.m. in Australia to target the evening hours in the US.

Cultural and Religious Factors:

Religious Observances: During religious holidays or observances, people’s routines may change. It’s important to be sensitive to these cultural factors and avoid posting during times when your target audience might be engaged in religious activities or gatherings.

Occupation and Lifestyle:

Students: If your target audience consists of students, it’s best to consider their schedules. Posting during lunch breaks or the early evening when they are more likely to be active on social media could be effective.

Stay-at-home parents: If you are targeting stay-at-home parents, posting during mid-morning or early afternoon when they have some free time might be ideal.

It’s crucial to gather data and insights specific to your target demographic to determine the most effective posting times. Analyzing engagement metrics and experimenting with different posting schedules can help you find the optimal timing to reach and engage your target audience effectively.

2. Industry and Niche 

Your industry and niche can have a significant influence on the best time to post on Instagram in Australia. Different industries and niches have unique characteristics, target audiences, and consumer behaviors. Here’s how your industry and niche can determine the ideal posting times:

Retail and E-commerce:

Best Time: Weekends and evenings tend to be popular for online shopping. Posting on Saturdays and Sundays, especially during prime shopping hours like 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., can be effective in reaching potential customers who are actively browsing and making purchase decisions.

Food and Beverage:

Best Time: Consider posting during mealtimes or when people are likely to be thinking about food. For example, posting around breakfast, lunch, or dinner hours can be effective in capturing the attention of food enthusiasts and potential diners.

Fitness and Wellness:

Best Time: Mornings or early evenings might be ideal for this niche as people often prioritize their fitness routines during these times. Posting between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. or around 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. can help you reach fitness enthusiasts who are actively seeking motivation and inspiration.

Travel and Tourism:

Best Time: The timing can vary depending on the target audience and the type of travel experiences you promote. Posting during weekends or holidays when people are more likely to plan their trips can be effective. Additionally, posting during the evening hours when people are winding down and exploring travel inspiration can work well.

Creative Industries (Art, Design, Photography):

Best Time: Consider posting during moments when people are more likely to be seeking creative inspiration. Evenings and weekends when individuals have more leisure time to explore and appreciate visual content can be advantageous.

Professional Services:

Best Time: Posting during weekdays, especially during business hours, can be effective for reaching professionals and decision-makers. Consider posting between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays when people are actively engaging with work-related content.

It’s important to understand your specific industry, target audience, and their behaviors to determine the best time for your niche. Analyzing engagement metrics, conducting audience research, and testing different posting schedules can help you identify the optimal timing to maximize reach, engagement, and conversions within your industry and niche on Instagram.

3. Time Zones

Australia spans multiple time zones, making it important to consider the geographic location of your target audience and adjust your posting schedule accordingly. To clarify, we have provided you three different examples:

Example 1: Retail Store with National Presence

Imagine you have a retail store with locations across different cities in Australia, such as Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth. Each city is in a different time zone. To effectively reach your target audience in each city, you would need to adjust your Instagram posting schedule accordingly. For instance, if you want to announce a flash sale, you might consider posting at 9 a.m. local time in each city to ensure that your message reaches customers as they start their day.

Example 2: Travel Agency with International Clients

Suppose you run a travel agency in Australia that caters to international clients. It’s crucial to consider the time zones of your target audience when posting on Instagram. Let’s say you want to promote a vacation package to customers in the United States. To optimize engagement, you might schedule your Instagram posts to go live around 8 p.m. AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time), which aligns with the evening hours in the United States, allowing potential customers to see your posts when they are most likely to be active on the platform.

Example 3: Local Event Promotion

If you are promoting a local event, such as a music concert or a community gathering, the geographic location of the event plays a vital role in determining the best time to post on Instagram. Let’s say you’re organizing a concert in Adelaide. To maximize the visibility of your event among Adelaide residents, you might choose to post relevant updates and ticket information during the afternoon or evening hours when people are more likely to be checking their Instagram feeds.

In all these examples, considering the geographic location of your target audience is crucial to ensure that your Instagram posts reach them at the most opportune time. By tailoring your posting schedule to the specific time zones and habits of your audience, you can increase the likelihood of engagement, visibility, and ultimately, the success of your Instagram marketing efforts.

The Best Time to Post on Instagram in Australia (According to Australian Eastern Standard Time)

For brands, the best time to make Instagram posts is when there are a lot of active users on the platform.

Here are the time frames with the highest number of active followers, categorized by day:

• Monday: 9 p.m. – 13,491 followers
• Tuesday: 9 p.m. – 13,271 followers
• Wednesday: 9 p.m. – 13,223 followers
• Thursday: 10 p.m. – 13,123 followers
• Friday: 10 p.m. – 12,656 followers
• Saturday: 10 p.m. – 12,325 followers
• Sunday: 8 p.m. – 13,090 followers

For successful Instagram posting in Australia, it’s important to note the following insights:

• Mid-mornings are not favorable times to post.
• The worst time to post on Instagram in Australia is 10:00 a.m. every day of the week.
• The best times to reach your active followers are Monday evening, followed by mid-week evenings on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
• People are more likely to engage with Instagram during their leisure time, which is typically outside of working hours.
• Evening hours consistently show higher engagement throughout the week.
• Peak times for Instagram posts are between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
• Engagement levels peak early on Sunday evening, possibly because people use Instagram before bedtime to relax before the new workweek.
• Globally, the optimal times to post on Instagram are 5 a.m., 11 a.m., and 2-3 p.m. on Thursdays. 

However, for specific industries, there are different recommended times:

• B2C companies: Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., ideal for shopping-related content.
• Media companies: Fridays at 9 a.m., as users plan their weekend entertainment.
• Non-profit companies: Wednesdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., and Sundays at 9 a.m.
• Healthcare companies: Tuesdays at 1 p.m.
• Higher Education: Mondays at 8 p.m.
• Tech companies: Wednesdays at 10 a.m.
• Small business owners with a café, for example, posting at 5 AM on weekdays would be ideal as it would target the local audience.

By understanding these optimal posting times, businesses can increase their chances of reaching and engaging their target audiences effectively on Instagram.

How to Find the Best Time to Post on Instagram for Your Own Business?

There are several methods and tools that can help you find the best time to post on Instagram for your account. Here are some of them:

Use Instagram Insights: 

Instagram Insights is the native analytics tool that comes with every business or creator account on Instagram. It allows you to see various metrics and data related to your profile, posts, stories, reels, videos, and audience. You can access Instagram Insights by tapping the menu icon on the top right corner of your profile and selecting Insights.

To find the best time to post on Instagram using Insights, you can go to the Audience tab and scroll down to see when your followers are most active by hours and days.

You can also filter by location, age range, and gender. You can use this information to schedule your posts around the peak hours and days of your followers’ activity.

Use third-party tools: 

There are many third-party tools that can help you find the best time to post on Instagram based on your data or industry benchmarks. Some of these tools are:

• Hootsuite: Hootsuite is a social media management platform that allows you to plan, create, schedule, publish, monitor, and analyze your Instagram posts and stories. Hootsuite also has a feature called Best Time to Post, which automatically suggests the optimal times and days to post on Instagram based on your previous performance and audience behaviour. You can also customize your own posting schedule based on your preferences and goals.

• Later: Later is a visual marketing platform that allows you to plan, create, schedule, publish, and analyze your Instagram posts and stories. Later also has a feature called Best Time to Post, which automatically calculates the best times and days to post on Instagram based on your historical performance and industry trends. You can also see your weekly and monthly posting calendar and adjust your schedule accordingly.

• Sprout Social: Sprout Social is a social media management and analytics platform that allows you to plan, create, schedule, publish, monitor, and analyze your Instagram posts and stories. Sprout Social also has a feature called ViralPost, which automatically determines the best times and days to post on Instagram based on your audience’s engagement patterns and optimal send times. You can also see your posting queue and edit your schedule as needed.

Use trial and error 

The final method to find the best time to post on Instagram for your account is to use trial and error. This means that you experiment with different times and days and see what results you get. You can use tools like Hootsuite or Later to schedule your posts in advance and track their performance using Insights or other analytics tools. You can then compare the results of different posts and see which ones get the most engagement, reach, impressions,etc.You can also test different variables, such as content type, format, caption, hashtags,etc.,and see how they affect your performance.

By using these methods and tools, you can find the best time to post on Instagram Australia for your account and niche. However, you should also keep in mind that the best time to post on Instagram is not static or fixed. It can change over time depending on various factors, such as algorithm updates,seasonality,events,trends,etc.Therefore, you should always monitor your data and analytics and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Instagram is undeniably a popular social media platform in Australia, with a significant percentage of internet users actively engaged on the platform. To effectively reach the vast Australian Instagram audience, brands must schedule their posts strategically, taking into account the best times for engagement and maximizing their social media marketing efforts. With 90% of Instagram users following businesses, the potential for brand growth and success is immense, especially considering the platform’s global user base of 2 billion monthly active users. To stay ahead of the ever-changing Instagram algorithm and capitalize on this opportunity, smart brand marketers should regularly monitor their analytics and leverage popular Australian hashtags. Stay informed and gain an edge in the world of social media by subscribing to our website newsletter, where you’ll receive the latest news and updates about Instagram and other social media platforms. Join our community today and unlock the secrets to thriving on Instagram!