The best times to post Instagram Reels:

  • Monday: 6 AM, 10 AM, 10 PM
  • Tuesday: 2 AM, 4 AM, 9 AM
  • Wednesday: 7 AM, 8 AM, 11 PM
  • Thursday: 9 AM, 12 PM, 7 PM
  • Friday: 5 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM
  • Saturday: 11 AM, 7 PM, 8 PM
  • Sunday: 7 AM, 8 AM, 4 PM

Regardless of your time zone, these are the best times to post (if your goal is to reach people within your time zone through Instagram Reels).

Since Instagram has +2 Billion active users, it can get pretty difficult finding out the best time for your account.

That’s why it’s highly also recommended to post at least 1x a day on Reels.


How to Know: Best Time to Post Reels FOR YOU

Answer: To know the best time to post Instagram Reels, you only have to know when your audience is most active. Use Instagram’s Analytics for this!

But let’s dive deeper, though.

1. Your audience’s location

Understand your followers’ behavior using Instagram’s built-in analytics. This data shows when your audience is most active.

How to see audience insights on Instagram
Audience Insights
  • Check the “Insights” tab on your profile.
  • Note the days and hours with the highest engagement.
  • Identify patterns over a few weeks.

2. Try different times

Test different times to see what works best. Regularly track which posts get the most views and engagement.

Highlighting the time on an iPhone while posting on Instagram
Mind the time when posting
  • Post at various times throughout the day.
  • Compare the performance of morning, afternoon, and evening posts.
  • Repeat the process for at least a month.

3. Know your niche’s activity

Different niches have different peak times — you have to understand when your specific audience is likely to be online.

  • Research when your niche typically sees the most engagement.
  • Adjust your posting schedule to match these peak times.
  • Be aware of time zones if you have a global audience.

4. Check on competition

Observe when your competitors are posting. Their successful timing could guide your own strategy.

Highlighting the time difference of Instagram Reels posts between McDonald's and KFC
MC vs KFC
  • Track the timing of their most successful posts.
  • Use tools to analyze competitor activity.
  • Adjust your posting time based on their engagement patterns.

5. Keep up with trends

Social media trends and algorithms change often. Keep adapting to new best practices.

Browsing popular topics on Google Trends in Canada
Use Google Trends to find the latest stuff

FAQ

1. Do Reels do better at night?

Answer: Yes, Reels do better at night.

Gen Zs are most active on social media at night, so you want to post to get into their feeds just when they’re online → this helps boost your engagement and gain more followers.

2. Is it better to post Reels everyday?

Answer: Yes.

It is better posting Instagram Reels every day because this signals to the algorithm that you’re active and constantly putting out content.


Conclusion

In short, these are the best posting times for IG Reels:

DayBest Times to Post
Monday6 AM, 10 AM, 10 PM
Tuesday2 AM, 4 AM, 9 AM
Wednesday7 AM, 8 AM, 11 PM
Thursday9 AM, 12 PM, 7 PM
Friday5 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM
Saturday11 AM, 7 PM, 8 PM
Sunday7 AM, 8 AM, 4 PM
Best times to post on Instagram Reels

We really tried making this guide straight-to-the-point and not wasting your time — we know how busy creators get.

That’s also why we’ve created a SendShort, a tool that automatically creates Reels for you:

  • Reels out of Long Videos
  • Faceless Reels so you can put them on auto-pilot

And so much more. Check it out today at SendShort.ai!


Thanks a lot for reading this,
David Ch
Head of the Editing Team at SendShort

About the author

David leads the editing team at SendShort. With this help, the team delivers the latest guides on using your favorite social media apps and creating short-form content.