How Often Should You Post on Instagram?
One of the most common questions I get asked by small business owners is ‘how often should I post to Instagram?’ And unfortunately it’s a question that doesn’t have a straight-forward answer. Posting frequency is all about striking a balance between visibility, engagement, maintaining an active presence and your business goals.
While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, this post aims to provide insight and guidance on finding the right posting frequency for your Instagram account.
Benefits of Posting Frequently
Posting frequently on Instagram is a good thing for several reasons.. First, and more importantly, posting often increases your chances of being seen by a wider audience, and in turn growing your Instagram. By consistently sharing content, you increase the visibility of your posts, as well as your overall presence on the platform.
Posting frequently provides more opportunities for experimentation and learning. Through analysing the performance of your posts, such as with Instagram Reels, you can discover what resonates best with your audience. By testing and learning, you can improve your content every time you post.
Finally, maintaining an active presence on Instagram signals to potential followers that you are engaged with the platform, which in turn, makes them more likely to follow you. After all, if your Instagram account feels abandoned or unloved, it’s not likely to grow.
Avoid Burnout
While posting frequently has its benefits, it is essential to be realistic with expectations of yourself. Everyones’ circumstances and goals are different, and what works for someone else may not work for you. It is crucial to find a posting frequency that fits with your available time, resources, and the nature of your content.
I have even seen social media experts recommending that you post up to eight times a day in order to grow your Instagram account. Eight! That’s crazy, impractical and excessive. And it’s a fast track way to burnout.
Strike a realistic balance between posting often and posting consistently. My mantra is: It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
My Recommended Posting Frequencies
Here’s three different approaches to how often to post:
The bare minimum: One post per week
I wouldn’t never recommend that your posting frequency drops below one post per week. Less than this and your account feels abandoned - and even at 1 per week it feels neglected.
If you know you’re entering a busy time at work and need to put your Insta on the back buner then 1 post per week is the minimum you should aim for. But your grow will probably be stagnant or even go backwards during this periodl
The Average: Three to five per week
I generally recommend that businesses plan to post between 3-5 times a week. This strikes a good balance between being active and having opportunities to reach your target audience, while not having to dedicate too much time to the platform. I’m very much aware how much time creating content for Social Media can take!
With between 3-5 posts a week you have flexibility in your schedule and can dial up the number of posts when you want to make more sales, or dial it down when you’re too busy to fit it in.
Gunning for growth: Daily or more
If growing your Instagram is the goal and you’re willing to dedicate some real time to it, I’d recommend posting daily. And maybe even twice per day if you’re really committed.
Why? Because the more you post, the more you can experiment with your content, and see what works. In turn you can apply these learnings to your content and see results.
Reels is the best way to grow on Instagram and so planning to post a daily Reel is the best way to fast track your growth and reach more people.
What about Stories?
My recommendations so far have primarily applied to feed posts (including carousels and Reels), however Instagram Stories are a different beast.
Stories are less about reaching new audiences and more about engaging with your existing. They’re best when they’re more informal, giving insight into your life and behind the scenes at your business. Plus they only last 24 hours, so factor that in when spending time creating stories.
I’d recommend posting 3-5 stories every other day. I believe there is some benefit to letting your stories ‘expire’ before posting a fresh set, and so this every other day rhythm allows time for this.
To boost your story reach, make use of interactive stickers like polls or questions to encourage interaction.
Summary
There is no definitive answer to how often one should post on Instagram, as it depends on your individual circumstances and goals.
While posting often has its benefits, it is crucial to strike a realistic balance between quality, frequency and your other time commitments. The options posting in this blog offer a starting point for determining your ideal posting frequency.
Regularly evaluating and adjusting your posting frequency based on how you feel, your available time, how engaged your audience is (or isn’t!) and your business goals will help you build a successful and active Instagram presence.
Remember, the quality of your content is ALWAYS more important than how often you post. Pay attention to your content’s reach and engagement to understand how it is performing, and what improvements you can make.
