If you've been keeping an eye on social media trends, you've probably noticed that Instagram Reels are dominating feeds and captivating audiences more than ever before. Whether you're an experienced creator or just getting started, there's a common challenge: figuring out exactly when to post your Reels to maximize engagement. Considering that over 200 billion Reels are viewed each day across Instagram and Facebook, standing out and connecting with your audience at the perfect moment is more crucial—and competitive—than ever.
While social media marketers often share endless statistics about ideal posting times, trends shift quickly, making it tricky to identify a consistent sweet spot. High engagement on one Reel at a specific time doesn't guarantee future virality, leaving creators guessing and experimenting. So, how can you pinpoint the ideal time to post Instagram Reels that consistently attract viewers and help build your community?
Choosing the single best time to post on Instagram Reels can be tough, but here’s what we found from analyzing more than 100,000 short-form video content posts to find the best engagement rates (all times in EST, ignoring sectors):
Best Times to Post on IG Reels:
- Monday: 6 AM, 10 AM, 10 PM
- Tuesday: 3 AM, 4 AM, 9 AM
- Wednesday: 7 AM, 9 AM, 11 PM
- Thursday: 9 AM, 12 AM, 7 PM
- Friday: 5 AM, 2 PM, 4 PM
- Saturday: 11 AM, 7 PM, 8 PM
- Sunday: 8 AM, 4 PM
Times marked with * had particularly high levels of engagement.
Try also our location-based Best Times to Post on Instagram Reels Calculator:
- How to Find the Best Time to Post on Instagram Reels For Your Audience
- Best Time to Post on Instagram Reels by Day
- Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram by Industry
- Best Times to Post Reels on Instagram by Country
- 7 Tips to Boost Engagement with Your Instagram Reels
- Your Next Viral Instagram Reel Starts With the Right Time
- Frequently Asked Questions
How to Find the Best Time to Post on Instagram Reels For Your Audience
Producing quality content that resonates with your target audience should be your top priority, but you also need to know when to post your content so you’re more likely to reach your audience when they’re active on your social media platform of choice. Here are two questions to ask yourself to find the best time to post content on Instagram Reels:
Where Is Your Audience Located?
Thanks to Instagram’s reach, Instagram Reels has a global user base. For example, the United States has 130 million Instagram users, India comes in with 100 million, and Brazil rounds out the top three Instagram-using countries with 91 million. But there are still hundreds of millions of Instagram users spread throughout the world.
These numbers matter because where your audience is located will influence not only the type of content you produce but also when you should post your content in the first place. Time zones will have an enormous impact on peak hours within a certain geographic location.
But, how do you use this information to find the best time to post on Instagram Reels?
Start by finding out where your followers are. With a creator or business account on Instagram, you’ll have access to Instagram Insights that will show you the cities or countries your followers come from. To view Insights, open Instagram, go to your profile and tap Professional dashboard.
From there, tap on your total followers:
When you access your total followers in Instagram Insights, you'll gain valuable analytics about your audience. This includes details such as follower growth, top locations, age distribution, gender breakdown, and when your followers are most active. Understanding this data is key to determining the optimal times to post, ensuring that your content reaches your audience when they are most engaged, thereby enhancing your overall impact and engagement on Instagram Reels.
Now you know where most of your followers are from!
Switch to a Creator or Business Account on Instagram
Don’t have a creator or business account yet? Here’s how to switch:
Open Instagram and go to your profile. Tap on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner (the “hamburger” menu):
Now, scroll down and look for the option labeled Account Type and Tools.
Here, you'll find the option to switch to a professional account.
If you’re already using a professional account, you’ll see the option to switch back to a personal account.
What Time Is Your Audience Awake?
Now that you know where your audience is located you can figure out when they’re most likely to be awake. This part is admittedly a bit messy and can be made a lot easier with an Instagram analytics tool.
Without an analytics tool, it’s a matter of working with time zones. If your audience is primarily located in Thailand and India, you’ll only have about an hour and a half to worry about; with audiences across North America and the UK, on the other hand, you’ll need to plan and schedule your content around an eight hour time difference.
See what we mean by “messy?”
With an Instagram business account, you’ll have some scheduling functionality. Unfortunately, that doesn’t apply to Reels. And, unlike Instagram Stories, there aren’t any scheduling tools around just yet that you can use to automatically post Instagram Reels.
The solution is to build a content calendar that covers the biggest geographic areas and time zones your fans come from. If you have audiences in countries with large time differences this can be hard to maintain, but it’s the only way to do it as of this writing.
Once you’ve figured out the best time to post on Instagram Reels and have created a content calendar, you’re ready to leverage these other six ways to grow your following and boost engagement with this feature.
Best Time to Post on Instagram Reels by Day
While general patterns can help guide your posting strategy, breaking things down by day of the week gives you a more granular view. People’s routines change throughout the week — and so should your posting schedule.
Here’s a day-by-day breakdown of the best times to post Reels on Instagram, based on data from over 100,000 short-form videos.
Best Time to Post Reels on Monday
Best times: 6 AM, 10 AM, 10 PM (EST)
Mondays are a great opportunity to capture early attention. Posting Reels at 6 AM reaches people starting their week and checking their phones first thing. 10 AM hits mid-morning work breaks, while 10 PM appeals to night owls unwinding before bed.
Best Time to Post Reels on Tuesday
Best times: 3 AM, 4 AM, 9 AM (EST)
Early birds and international audiences dominate Tuesday mornings. 3–4 AM might sound extreme, but if your followers are global (or night-shift workers), this is prime time. 9 AM captures morning scrolls in most U.S. time zones.
Best Time to Post Reels on Wednesday
Best times: 7 AM, 9 AM, 11 PM (EST)
Wednesdays have a mix of strong morning and late-night engagement. 7–9 AM is a reliable block as people ease into their day. The 11 PM slot works well for late browsers or those in earlier time zones catching up.
Best Time to Post Reels on Thursday
Best times: 9 AM, 12 AM, 7 PM (EST)
9 AM and 7 PM are traditional peak slots, but the surprising standout here is 12 AM — perfect if your audience is international or active at night. Thursdays are also great for launching end-of-week promos or content with weekend energy.
Best Time to Post Reels on Friday
Best times: 5 AM, 2 PM, 4 PM (EST)
5 AM lets you grab early risers or international users, while 2 PM–4 PM is the sweet spot before people mentally check out for the weekend. Fridays see strong engagement as people look to relax and scroll.
Best Time to Post Reels on Saturday
Best times: 11 AM, 7 PM, 8 PM (EST)
People sleep in on Saturdays, so late morning (11 AM) is your first window. 7–8 PM is peak chill-and-scroll time — perfect for entertaining, lighthearted, or weekend-themed Reels.
Best Time to Post Reels on Sunday
Best times: 8 AM, 4 PM (EST)
Sundays see slower morning traffic, but 8 AM still catches the early risers. 4 PM is your golden hour — users are winding down, prepping for Monday, and looking for relaxing or motivational content.
Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram by Industry
Posting at the right time matters — but what you post and who it’s for matters just as much.
Every industry sees different engagement patterns. A restaurant’s peak time won’t look the same as a fintech brand’s, and educational content doesn’t compete on the same schedule as entertainment.
When you post Reels at the right time for your niche, you're not just meeting your audience where they are — you’re also signaling to Instagram’s algorithm that your content deserves a bigger push. More visibility, more engagement, faster.
Here’s a breakdown of the best times to post Instagram Reels by industry, based on typical audience behavior and performance trends.
Pro tip: These are great starting points, but don’t stop here. Use Instagram Insights or tools like our Post Times Planner to dial in on the best times for your brand.
Best Times to Post Instagram Reels for Restaurants & Food Brands
Best Times: 2 PM – 5 PM (Weekdays)
Food-related content performs best in the afternoon, when people are looking for snack inspo, late lunch ideas, or planning dinner. Fridays tend to outperform Mondays, and weekends are hit-or-miss depending on your format (e.g., trending recipes vs. behind-the-scenes).
Best Times to Post Instagram Reels for Travel & Tourism
Best Times: 7 PM – 10 PM (Weekends)
People dream of travel during their downtime — evenings and weekends are ideal for high-performing travel Reels. Saturday night is especially strong for wanderlust-style content or trip planning tips.
Best Times to Post Instagram Reels for Finance & Fintech Brands
Best Times: 7 AM – 11:30 AM (Tuesdays & Wednesdays)
Financial content sees the best engagement mid-morning on weekdays, especially Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Your audience is most likely in a focused, information-seeking mindset — so these windows are perfect for money tips, market updates, or personal finance hacks.
Best Times to Post Instagram Reels for Education & Online Learning
Best Times: 11 AM – 1 PM (Weekends)
Weekends may be quiet for most industries, but they’re golden for educational content. Posting between late morning and early afternoon captures learners while they have time to focus. Use this window for tutorials, how-to content, or academic tips.
Best Times to Post Instagram Reels for Health & Wellness Brands
Best Times: 6 AM – 9 AM (Weekdays)
Morning routines are everything in the wellness space. Posting first thing in the morning aligns with when your audience is working out, journaling, or mentally prepping for the day. Wellness Reels should inspire, motivate, or educate quickly.
Best Times to Post Instagram Reels for Tech & SaaS Brands
Best Times: 9 AM (Sundays & Mondays)
If you’re in tech, Sunday and Monday mornings offer a rare sweet spot — people are either easing into their week or planning for it. Share product demos, tips, or use-case stories when your audience is thinking about productivity and tools.
Best Times to Post Instagram Reels for Creators, Artists & Influencers
Best Times: 12 PM – 3 PM (Daily)
Reels from creators and influencers often perform best around lunchtime, when users are casually scrolling. Trends, skits, transformations, and visual storytelling content all benefit from daily consistency during this window.
Best Times to Post Reels on Instagram by Country
Posting Reels at the right time isn’t just about the day of the week — it’s also about where your audience lives. Time zones, daily routines, and content consumption habits vary widely by region, so tailoring your schedule based on location can make a major difference in engagement.
Here are some of the top countries with large and active Instagram audiences — and when users in these locations are most likely to engage with your Reels:
Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram in United States
Best Times: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM EST
The US is Instagram’s largest ad market, and Reels get strong midday and early evening engagement. Lunchtime scrolls and post-work chill time are prime for visibility.
Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram in India
Best Times: 7:30 AM – 9:30 AM IST, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM IST
Instagram usage in India is booming — especially around morning routines and after dinner. Creators should aim for consistency during these peak windows.
Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram in Brazil
Best Times: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM BRT, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM BRT
Brazilian users are highly active on Instagram, particularly during lunch breaks and prime-time scrolling in the evenings.
Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram in United Kingdom
Best Times: 6:00 AM – 9:00 AM GMT, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM GMT
Morning Reels in the UK catch the early risers and commuters. Evenings are also strong — especially for entertainment or trending content.
Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram in Philippines
Best Times: 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM PHT, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM PHT
Users in the Philippines engage heavily during the morning rush and after work or school. Quick, entertaining formats do especially well here.
Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram in Canada
Best Times: 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM EST, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM EST
Canadian audiences follow similar patterns to the US — mid-morning and early evening Reels get the most love.
Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram in Nigeria
Best Times: 6:30 AM – 9:00 AM WAT, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM WAT
Mobile-first users in Nigeria are highly engaged in the morning and late evenings. Reels with strong hooks or humor tend to perform best here.
Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram in Australia
Best Times: 6:00 AM – 8:00 AM AEST, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM AEST
Australian audiences engage with Reels both before and after the workday. Morning inspiration or evening entertainment content sees higher reach.
7 Tips to Boost Engagement with Your Instagram Reels
1. Find Your Unique Offering
To attract a large audience, you need to find what makes you special. Why should anybody watch your Instagram Reels? This goes beyond skills or physical traits. In fact, physical characteristics and skills are really just complementary to your unique offering.
Sounds a little “out there,” right? Just ask your friends and family what they like most about you and you’ll have plenty to go with. What’s most important is that you be yourself. Don’t try to produce the exact same content in the exact same way as everyone else.
Rachel Brathen (@yoga_girl) is a great example of someone who has built an enormous following on Instagram by simply being herself. She uses Instagram Stories to promote her many endeavors and share her love of yoga. If you follow her for any amount of time, you’ll learn about her sweetheart of a daughter, Lea Luna, her husband, Dennis, and their idyllic life on the island of Aruba that Rachel loves deeply. But, you’ll also see a side of her life that most influencers don’t share like her struggles with sometimes saying the right thing in the wrong way, and how she can never get the lizards to leave her garden alone.
Rachel sets herself apart from other fitness and yoga influencers with her willingness to be imperfect and human.
2. Produce More Content
You probably just groaned a little. This tip is obvious, but if you’re a creator you already know how hard it is to constantly come up with fun, creative ideas. The good news is that you don’t always have to come up with groundbreaking or hilarious content. Instagram Reels can also be used as a vlog.
This might mean just sharing a quick update that doesn’t require video editing tools instead of spending hours planning and piecing together that perfect transition.
3. Collaborate With Other Instagrammers
Cross-promotion is an excellent way to share your brand with a larger audience on Instagram. And, it’s really easy to do. Just reach out to a brand or influencer whose target audience overlaps yours and ask if they want to collaborate on a post or series of posts. You’ll be sharing access to your audience with this person, so make sure it’s someone your audience would enjoy (trust, they’ll be thinking the same when considering your proposition).
Cross-promotion is mutually beneficial and will help you and your co-conspirator increase your reach and get new followers. Here’s how to find influencers on Instagram.
4. Create and Participate in Challenges
Challenges are big favorites on TikTok and there’s no reason to think that they won’t have a large appeal on Instagram Reels, too. They’re a great way to get new followers and a really easy way to get your brand in front of a large audience if you’re participating in a trending challenge.
5. Use Hashtags
Twitter really nailed it with the hashtag thing. Across social media platforms, creators include hashtags to make it easier for users to find their content. But you can’t just pick any old hashtag and expect it to magically draw in viewers. Find and use hashtags that are relevant to your content. If the hashtag you choose isn’t relevant, you’ll end up lumped in with content that’s nothing like what you’re doing and nothing like what your audience is expecting.
In other words, you’ll either be seen as spamming an unrelated hashtag for exposure (a turnoff) or nobody will find your content.
Finding hashtags isn’t hard. Just tap on the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the Instagram screen to get started.
Next, type in your keyword in the search bar:
Now, tap Tags and you’ll be taken to a screen showing all of the hashtags in use on Instagram related to your keyword. You’ll even be able to see how popular the hashtag is:
Chances are, you’ll end up with quite a list. Instead of including every single hashtag in your caption, choose the hashtags with the most views and that are the most relevant to your search term.
You can add hashtags to Instagram Reels in the caption, just as you would with a post or Instagram Story. If you’re stuck on what hashtags to choose, be sure to check out our free Instagram hashtag generator.
6. Repurpose Existing Content
You’ve probably put a lot of time, effort, and creative energy into all of the content you’ve created. So why not use it to its fullest potential? Repurposing content is a great way to share something fresh with your audience without needing to create entirely new content every time.
Repurposed content could be as simple as a “throwback” or “flashback” post, but if you create content for other platforms, you should really consider editing that content for Instagram Reels. For instance, if you already use TikTok, you can use that content on Instagram Reels. Or maybe you create YouTube content. Simply edit that content down to an appropriate length and suddenly you have brand new Instagram Reels content without having to come up with something entirely new.
7. Schedule Your Reels for Consistency and Reach
Once you know when your audience is most active, the next step is making sure your content goes live at those exact times — even if you’re not online. That’s where scheduling tools come in.
While Instagram doesn’t currently allow you to schedule Reels directly in the app, there are reliable third-party tools that do. Platforms like Later and Planoly let you plan, schedule, and publish Reels in advance. They also offer insights and time-slot suggestions based on your engagement history.
Scheduling Reels helps you stay consistent, maintain visibility across different time zones, and free up your day-to-day workflow. If you’re managing content across multiple platforms or juggling a global audience, it’s a must.
For a full breakdown of top-rated tools, check out our guide to the best Instagram scheduling tools to find the right fit for your needs.
Day Best Times to Post on IG Reels Monday 6 AM, 10 AM, 10 PM Tuesday 3 AM, 4 AM, 9 AM Wednesday 7 AM, 9 AM, 11 PM Thursday 9 AM, 12 AM, 7 PM Friday 5 AM, 2 PM, 4 PM Saturday 11 AM, 7 PM, 8 PM Sunday 8 AM, 4 PM
Your Next Viral Instagram Reel Starts With the Right Time
Nailing the best time to post on Instagram Reels isn’t just about chasing an algorithm — it’s about showing up when your audience is actually ready to engage. From location and industry trends to daily routines and platform behavior, timing plays a big role in how far your content travels.
Start by understanding your audience, test consistently, and refine your strategy based on real results. Combine that with quality Reels and a steady posting rhythm, and you’ll set yourself up for long-term growth — not just fleeting views.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best time to post on Instagram Reels?
In this article, we explored a range of factors impacting the best time to post on Instagram Reels for your brand. Overall, we’ve found that the best times to post content on short-form video platforms are:
- Monday: 6 AM, 10 AM, 10 PM
- Tuesday: 3 AM, 4 AM, 9 AM
- Wednesday: 7 AM, 9 AM, 11 PM
- Thursday: 9 AM, 12 AM, 7 PM
- Friday: 5 AM, 2 PM, 4 PM
- Saturday: 11 AM, 7 PM, 8 PM
- Sunday: 8 AM, 4 PM
Does it matter what time you post on Instagram Reels?
In a word, yes. To get the most return from your efforts on Instagram Reels, you’ll want to post content at the right time to maximize engagement. We’ve provided the best times to post on Instagram Reels in this article with the two main factors being where your audience is located and what time your audience is awake and active on the platform.
How many times should I post on Instagram Reels?
Many short-form video content creators (like TikTok influencers) post at least a couple times each day. Since Instagram Reels is video-based, it’s important to remember that creating high-quality content is going to take more time and effort than creating a text-based post for Facebook or Twitter, or even an image-based post like you would for a standard Instagram post.
Fortunately, quality is much more important than quantity when it comes to short-form video content. Even though the videos are short, they have to be worthwhile or your target audience is going to keep scrolling. To build an engaged and enthusiastic audience, though, you’ll want to post at least once on most days.
How do I get more views on Instagram Reels?
There’s no magic to getting more views on Instagram Reels. However, there are a number of things you can do to increase the number of views your Instagram Reels get:
- Create high-quality content
- Use relevant hashtags in your captions
- Add music to your videos
- Keep up with the trends and challenges
- Remember to engage with your audience.
Using these basic practices is going to be a much better use of your time than any attempt to trick the algorithm. And, with better content comes better audience engagement.
Do hashtags work on Instagram Reels?
Yes, they do! Hashtags are important to help Instagram users find your content. You’ll see hashtags around challenges, different topics, video methods, and more. Many businesses even use custom hashtags to gather all posts about their brand in a single, easy to find place.
Can you make money from Instagram Reels?
Yes. Instagram has introduced several ways for creators to monetize Reels, including bonuses, gifts, affiliate product tagging, and brand partnerships. If you qualify, you can earn money directly from views or fan engagement through Instagram’s Creator Incentives.
What’s the best day to post Instagram Reels?
Wednesday and Thursday tend to have the highest engagement on Instagram Reels across most industries. That said, the best day to post depends on your audience's habits, content type, and location. Track performance over time using Instagram Insights to find the best day for your brand.
What’s the worst time to post Instagram Reels?
The worst times to post Instagram Reels are typically very early in the morning (before 5 AM) or late at night (after 11 PM), when your audience is least likely to be active. Avoid posting during these off-hours unless you’re targeting a specific global audience in another time zone.
Should I post Instagram Reels on weekends?
Yes, weekends can be effective, especially for lifestyle, travel, food, or entertainment content. Reels posted on Saturday or Sunday mornings and early evenings often perform well. However, B2B and educational content may see a dip, so test your posting times to find your audience’s weekend behavior.
Can I schedule Instagram Reels in advance?
Yes, you can schedule Instagram Reels using social media management tools like Later or Hootsuite. These tools allow you to plan your content calendar, auto-publish Reels, and optimize timing. For a full list of options, check out our guide to the best Instagram scheduling tools.
