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How many times can you post on instagram a day


The Latest Instagram Limits Per Hour & Day (2022)

Alexandra | Dec 18, 2021

Wondering what Instagram Limits are in 2022 for likes, comments, following, hashtags, highlights, and EVERYTHING else?

Per hour and per day?

Let’s get straight into it.

  • Instagram limits for established accounts
    • Instagram “Likes” limits
    • Instagram “Comments” limits
    • Timing limit
    • Follow limit
    • Maximum following limit
    • Unfollowing limit
    • Combined actions limit
    • Direct Message limit
    • Instagram post limit
    • Tagging people limit
    • Hashtag limit
    • Deleting post limits
  • Instagram limits for new accounts
  • Instagram Story limits
  • Instagram Story Highlights limits
  • Instagram account profile limits
  • Why does Instagram have those limits?
  • What happens if you exceed Instagram’s daily limits?
  • How to avoid getting blocked or banned?

Instagram limits for established accounts

Have you had your Instagram account for months or years?

If so, here are restrictions to know:

Instagram “Likes” limits

How many “Likes” can you do?

  • 120 per hour, or 
  • 300-500 per day

Timing limit

Are you liking or commenting on other people’s posts too fast?

  • Wait 20 – 30 seconds between each “like” or “comment”.
  • If you go too fast, Instagram might think you are a bot and block you.

Follow limit

How many accounts can you follow per hour or day?

  • About 10 follows per hour
  • 100-150 per day

Maximum following limit

You can follow a maximum of 7500 accounts.

Unfollowing limit

Want to unfollow some accounts?

Don’t do it all at once.

  • Unfollow 60 per hour
  • Unfollow about 150 per day
  • If you unfollow more than 150 per day, your account could get temporarily banned.

Combined actions limit

“Combined actions” is the combination of likes, comments, follows, unfollows and messages.

Overall, Instagram puts a limit on the total number of actions you can do in one day.

It is around:

  • 500 per day

Direct Message limit

How often can you message? How many Direct Messages (DMs) can you do?

  • 50-70 per day

Here are tips to not get blocked because of DMs:

  • Don’t send the exact same text to multiple people 
  • Create different text versions of the same message
  • Send personalized messages
  • If you receive a lot of DMs, try to reply to them in batches (some in the morning, mid-day and afternoon for example, so you don’t get action-blocked)

Instagram post limit

How many posts can you post on Instagram in one day?

Instagram hasn’t revealed a limit.

You can post as many times as you want during the day.

However:

We recommend you leave time between each post (a few minutes, or even hours).

If you post too many posts all at once, the Instagram Algorithm might think you’re a spam account and could block your account temporarily.

If you choose to auto-post to Instagram, make sure you schedule your posts at least 5 minutes apart.

Here is how I schedule posts with Preview App:

The less you look like a spam account, the better.

Tagging people limit

How many people can you tag on your post?

  • For a single post: 20 people per post
  • For a carousel post: 35 people per post

Hashtag limit

How many hashtags can you use on Instagram?

  • 30 hashtags per post

Click here to see the new Instagram hashtag trends.

Deleting post limits

Want to delete posts from your feed?

At the moment there is no limit on how many posts you can delete in one go.

Instagram limits for new accounts

Did you just create a brand new Instagram account?

Instagram wants to make sure new accounts are not spam or bots.

So you will have some limits.

I know it can be annoying. But I’m sure you don’t want fake followers or fake accounts liking or commenting on your posts.

So these Rules are important to keep fake accounts away from Instagram.

If you have a new account:

Take it easy.

  • Timing: Wait 30-50 seconds between any actions.
  • Timing between posts: To be safe, post no more than 5 times a day.  I recommend waiting 10-15 minutes between each post (or a few hours). If you want to be extra safe, post only once a day.
  • Combined actions in total: 500 actions a day. This includes the following, likes and unfollows.
  • Direct Message limits: 20-50 DMs per day.

After 4 weeks, you can go faster and send more DMs.

Instagram Story limits

Now let’s talk about Instagram Stories.

  • Number of Instagram Stories: 100 per day
  • Instagram Story length: 15 seconds per clip (Instagram will automatically split your long video into 15 second-clips)
  • Instagram Story dimensions: 1080 by 1920px

Instagram Story Highlights limits

Highlights are the circle under your Instagram bio.

  • Highlight title: 12 characters
  • How many Highlights you can create: Unlimited
  • Number of Stories per Highlight: 100

Instagram account profile limits

Here are other useful Instagram limits and rules:

  • Display name: 30 characters
  • Instagram bio: 150 characters
  • Square post dimension: 1080 by 1080px
  • Portrait post dimension: 1080 by 1350px
  • Landscape post dimension: 1080 by 608px
  • Feed video length limit: 1 hour
  • Reels video length limit: 1 minute
  • Captions: 2200 characters
  • Instagram accounts limit: 5 logged in account

Why does Instagram have those limits?

To limit spam and fake accounts.

Spam and fake accounts usually like, comment and message a lot, fast.

They act like “bots” (robots).

Instagram wants real people using the app.

What happens if you exceed Instagram’s daily limits?

2 things can happen:

  1. Action block: You can see a pop-up message that says “Try again later”
  2. Account deletion: Your account could get deleted / banned temporarily or indefinitely.

How to avoid getting blocked or banned?

Super simple: Don’t act like a bot.

Here are 4 things you can do:

1. Go slower

Don’t do too many actions too fast.

For example, don’t like or comment too fast. Otherwise you will look like a bot.

2. Space out your Instagram tasks

I know a lot of you have your own business and might not want to spend a lot of time on Instagram.

If you can, try to divide your Instagram time into tasks and set your own Instagram limits.

For example:

  • Morning: Reply to DMs (15 minutes)
  • Afternoon: Like and comment on other people’s accounts (15 minutes)

This will ensure you don’t go over the limits.

3. Use your account regularly

If you have a brand new account, try to use your account regularly.

This will show to Instagram that you act like a human, not a bot doing a LOT of actions, all at once.

4. Do not use third party apps or websites that are NOT approved by Instagram

Many apps and websites out there are NOT approved by Instagram, and do NOT follow Instagram’s Rules and Policies.

You might have logged into them, which means that they could have access to your Instagram password.

This means they could be liking, commenting, following and unfollowing with your account, without you knowing.

Which puts your account in danger of being blocked.

What to do?

If you suspect you used an unapproved app or website in the past, change your Instagram password right now.

Tip:

Preview App has been officially reviewed and approved by Instagram. Preview follows all Instagram’s Rules and Policies to keep your account safe.​

That’s it!

To sum it up:

Don’t act like a bot.

Act like a human (and go slow).

Use approved third-party apps.

Click here to use it

How Often Should You Post on Instagram in 2022

Succeeding on social media can often seem like a never-ending juggling act where the smallest slipup can bring about cataclysmic problems. And while the reality is definitely more tame, it’s still important to optimize your profile so you can reach as many people as possible while garnering positive brand awareness. One essential part of optimizing your profile is figuring out how often you should post on Instagram.  

Even if you create scroll-stopping content that you’ve poured hours of work into, it won’t matter if your audience doesn’t see it. Have you shared that one amazing post that you were sure would propel your account to new heights, only to have nothing happen? Even worse, your post gets less liked than usual?

Accounts of all sizes face this problem at one time or another and while the problem isn’t always simple to find, if you already have your captions, hashtags and branding nailed down, the issue could be when and how often you’re posting.  

Sharing posts at the right time and at the right frequency can massively affect your engagement and reach. 

So how often should you post on Instagram? And what’s the best time to reach your audience? Well, we’ve done the research and in this article, we’ll be going over how often businesses should post on Instagram and what times are the best for reaching your audience. 

Content

Is posting frequency on Instagram important?Posting too little Posting too much How often to post on InstagramHow often to post Instagram Reels Feed postsHow often to post Instagram Stories Instagram TVListen to your audience and to your data. 

Is posting frequency on Instagram important?

With a forecast predicting nearly 1.2 billion users worldwide by 2023, Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms and the second most popular one after Facebook. 

The platform’s user base prefers visually-rich content and features like Stories, Reels, IGTV and Live can help your business reach new audiences, convert customers more seamlessly and convey your core branding in a creative way. Instagram’s myriad of tools and primary demographic of millennials, the highest-spending age group, has attracted businesses of all sizes.

Although the average lifespan of a post on Instagram is usually 48 hours, you can stretch the longevity of your content by paying close attention to aspects like hashtags, replying to comments and using trends filters or stickers.

Though businesses definitely have the opportunity to reach a good amount of people on Instagram without spending on any ads, the platform’s algorithm is pivoting to a pay to play model for businesses. Even though organic reach on Instagram is slowly dwindling, upkeeping your profile and posting quality content is a must, even if you rely on ads for reach. 

As we already mentioned, the frequency at which you share posts can affect your profile in different ways. This quote from Neil Patel sums it up pretty well:

“If you post too infrequently, your audience will forget that you exist and you will quickly fade into the deep dark recesses of their minds. However, if you are posting too often, you will become a complete nuisance and they will dread seeing your posts overcrowding their feed.”

Let’s explore those two scenarios a little deeper. 

Posting too little 

Posts are the lifeblood of your social media accounts. For a large percentage of your audience social media is the only way they receive news, launches and updates regarding your product. Social media is also an easy way to service customer complaints or inquiries. 33% of people aged 18-34 have contacted a company’s customer service via social media.

If your Instagram page lays dormant, people will simply stop caring. Not only will you lose followers but the algorithm will analyze your lack of engagement and categorize your account as irrelevant. As a result, your page won’t garner any more organic reach. Long story short, being inactive on Instagram is a death sentence for your brand’s profile. 

Posting too much 

So posting too little is a big no-no. But is it possible to post too often? 

We all know what spam is. Once your audience sees your brand as spammy, there’s no going back. The problem is, many accounts post too much without even realizing it. Social media users are very stringent about their personal virtual space. If you’re cluttering their feeds with content, even content that might be great, you’re going to annoy your audience. Spam can easily lead to content fatigue, which isn’t a situation you want to end up in. Now of course, the amount of posts you should be sharing can vary by industry. 

For example, news outlets like The New York Times share upwards of 6 posts per day. 

Source

The number 1 rule on Instagram is consistency. When you keep to a regular posting schedule you’re letting your audience know what to expect and when to expect it. This drives engagement and subsequently pushes your profile in front of newer audiences. One thing you should avoid is sharing several pieces of content in rapid succession then not posting for a few days. If you want to share multiple photos at the same time, use Carrousels instead of single static posts. Spread your posts out evenly over the span of the week and keep to a manageable schedule. 

That being said, keeping a consistent posting schedule isn’t always the easiest to do. Life sometimes gets in the way and that post that was supposed to go out on Monday? Well, it’s getting pushed further and further into the week.

If you’re looking for a quick solution, you could consider scheduling your Instagram posts with a tool like Kontentino. Kontentino is a social media management tool made for teams. Plan, edit and schedule content while keeping your team aligned. 

How often to post on Instagram

We’ll break this down further and even get into Instagram’s different content features, but the general rule is 1.5 – 3 times per day. This is the amount that most major brands on Instagram use, which means it won’t work for everyone. 

There are a few factors you should take into account when tailoring a posting schedule: 

  • Your goals 
  • Your current account size 
  • Your niche 

Most businesses, when asked, will say that their #1 goal on Instagram is to get followers. And while a big number can certainly look impressive from a distance once you dig deeper, the amount of followers a brand has is usually arbitrary. A brand with 300k followers and only 3k likes per post is either a signal of audience fatigue or fake followers. That’s not good. Your engagement rate (number of comments and likes/ follower count)  and reach rate (number of accounts reached per post/number of followers)  is what you should really be looking to improve. 

That’s where your account size comes into play. Generally speaking, the smaller your account, the more you want to post. If you only have a few hundred to a thousand followers, you want to be posting up to twice per day. 

When smaller accounts post quality content that people enjoy, the algorithm will push your account to more people, boosting your reach rate and subsequently your engagement rate; which is also a good signal for the algorithm. 

Just remember to provide value. If you ever find yourself wanting to share something of lower quality just to fill your feed, don’t do it. The Instagram algorithm knows exactly what posts are interesting to your users by analyzing how long they spend consuming your content and whether they engage or not. If your profile sees consistent dips in engagement and positive impressions, you could get penalized. 

Instagram has come out with multiple content features recently, features that you should be taking advantage of if you aren’t already. In addition to the traditional feed posts and stories, Instagram Reels and IGTV can be great avenues for growth. Here’s how often you should use each medium:

How often to post Instagram Reels 

Instagram released this feature in 2020 as a way for people to share short video clips. The feature was released in an attempt to join the bandwagon of short-form video sharing and compete with the Chinese social media giant TikTok. Since its inception and consequent success, the Reels feature has attracted businesses of all sizes. Different brands are sharing tutorials, case studies, hopping on trends and promoting their products. Since Reels are a relatively new feature there isn’t a concrete number for how many times one should use it. A good rule of thumb is to share a Reel when you have something worthwhile and scroll-stopping  for your audience. Considering Reels are becoming a massive part of many brands’ content strategies, posting 4 – 7 Reels per week can maximize the amount of new accounts you reach.

Source

Feed posts

Feed posts count as any content that is visible on users’ timelines. As we covered earlier, share 2 posts per day if your account is smaller and no more than once per day if you already have a larger, dedicated user base. If you want to post multiple images then use Carousels. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWK34_nqWfB/

How often to post Instagram Stories 

It’s been long debated among social media experts whether posting more stories leads to better results or not. It’s much easier to come across as spammy when your content is cluttering users’ feeds but with Stories you have more leeway. If you look at most major brands, they’re usually sharing 4 – 7 stories per day. Instagram themselves post multiple stories in a 24 hour period. 

Source

Instagram TV

Instagram TV, previously called IGTV, is a place for brands to share longer videos, up to 60 minutes long,  on their profile feed. Think of Instagram TV as Instagram’s version of YouTube. Since most businesses don’t create long videos as often as they do images and short-form video, keeping Instagram TV  posts to one per week is just fine. 

Now that we’ve gone into depth about how often you should be posting on Instagram, let’s go over timing. 

When is the best time to post on Instagram? 

In terms of time zone, working in Central Daylight Time (CDT) is top for getting the most engagement. 

  • Best time to post: Tuesday 11am – 2pm
  • Best general posting window: Mon to Fri 11am
  • Best day: Tuesday
  • Worst day: Sunday

Now, this is a general model that works for MOST businesses but if you really want to stand out it’s important to study your audience.  

Head to your analytics and see which posts got the most engagement. Now check the dates and times that those posts were shared. If you notice a pattern then stick to it, it’s working. If you’re wondering how often you should post on other social media platforms, check out this article.  

Listen to your audience and to your data. 

We hoped that this guide helped you figure out how often you should be posting on Instagram. While the numbers we cited here are a solid guideline for most businesses, it’s important to listen to your audience. What kind of content is resonating with them the most? During what time of day are they most active? Analyzing these things and switching up your strategy accordingly is what will really push your profile to new heights. 

What are the limits on Instagram and why stick to them? In this article, we will look at the limits on Instagram, find out what criteria to follow and for what actions an account can be blocked.

  • Why stick to limits on Instagram
  • Violation of what limits leads to blocking nine0006
  • Other limits on Instagram
  • Conclusion

Why stick to limits on Instagram

Instagram limits apply to any kind of content: the number of likes, comments, subscriptions, messages, and the like. The site algorithm checks the user's actions and blocks suspicious activity in the profile, and also warns against using "gray" promotion methods. nine0003

Note . You can read about the Community Guidelines in the Meta Help and the Instagram Guide.

The site has a negative attitude towards:

  • Cheats and automatic actions.
  • Attempts to manipulate and bypass algorithms.
  • Intrusive advertising in private messages and comments.
  • Spam.

Consequences of violation of limits

For one violation you will receive a warning, which can be viewed in the "Notifications" tab. If the moderators notice a large number of identical actions in the account, you will receive a warning, followed by blocking or deleting the profile. Particularly strict requirements apply to new accounts that have been in existence for less than six months. nine0003

  • Shadowban . The site limits the display of posts, Reels and stories - they do not fall into recommendations and cannot be found by hashtags. If you notice a sharp drop in reach within a few days, this is a sign of a shadowban.
  • Temporary lock . The algorithm limits your actions and does not allow you to like, subscribe to users or leave comments. This blocking lasts up to three days.
  • Temporary deletion of account . In this case, you do not lose access to the profile, and when you try to log in, a notification appears that the account has been blocked for violating the rules. Access can be restored, but technical support takes a long time to respond, which means it will take time.
  • Permanent ban . Instagram will delete the page without the possibility of recovery.

Recommended reading! Learn how to unblock Instagram.

You may also receive a warning for content that does not comply with platform standards. Because of him, account holders fall under the shadowban. To find out the status of your account, go from your profile to the menu and go to the "Settings" section. nine0003 Account settings

Then go to the "Account" tab.

"Account" tab

And check "Account Status".

Account Status tab

Here you can check the list of violations, see recommendations and options on how to get deleted posts back.

Check your profile for prohibited content
Convert Instagram followers into regular customers

Create a chatbot, automate communication with customers and improve sales in Instagram Direct. nine0003

Violation of what limits leads to blocking

Let's consider violations for which some functions can be limited or even blocked forever.

Limit of likes on Instagram

To increase the reach and attract users' attention to the profile, account holders put likes.

Account age from 3 months Account age from 6 months Account is over a year old
Daily 300 likes 500 900
per hour 12 likes 20 50
Minimum break 1-2 minutes

Message limit on Instagram

The site monitors the observance of the personal space of users - mass mailing to strangers who did not consent to correspondence is perceived negatively. Community members can file a complaint and your account will be blocked. Therefore, keep track of the number of messages sent to Direct. nine0003

Account age from 3 months Account age from 6 months Account age over a year
Daily 20 messages 35 50
per hour 3-5 messages 10 15
Minimum break 10 minutes

Instagram comment limit

Accounts are often blocked due to comments - make sure that they are different and contain text, not just emoji.

Identical comments are treated as spam. This is followed by a warning, and if the action is repeated, the account is blocked.

Account age from 3 months Account age from 6 months Account age over a year
Per day Not recommended to use in order not to get banned 140 comments 200-250
per hour Not recommended to use in order not to get banned 7 comments 8
Minimum break - 4-5 minutes

Instagram follow limit

The algorithm takes into account the total number of followers and unfollows per day. Therefore, if you have subscribed to a large number of users, it is better to postpone the unsubscribe to the next day so as not to get banned. nine0003

Account age from 3 months Account age from 6 months Account age over a year
Daily 100 subscriptions 300 500
per hour 20 subscriptions 30 40
Minimum break 8 minutes 5 minutes 30 seconds to 1 minute

Limits on unsubscribing

You can start unsubscribing from 300 non-reciprocal and 200 mutual subscriptions per day, gradually increasing this number. But do not forget about the total amount of subscriptions and unsubscriptions per month - otherwise the account will be blocked.

nine0087 1400
Account age from 3 months Account age from 6 months Account age over a year
Daily 500 unsubscribes 2000
per hour 20 unsubscribes 50 80
Minimum break 2 to 5 minutes

Other limits on Instagram

Let's look at other limits that do not lead to blocking, but limit the number of posts - for example, stories or hashtags.

Stories

Up to 100 stories can be added per day. If you upload another one, the very first story will be automatically deleted and the total number will be one hundred. nine0003

Mentions

Up to three users per hour can be mentioned in comments, and up to 20 per day for new accounts. For profiles that have existed for more than six months, up to 50 users can be mentioned per day.

Number of characters under the post

Up to 2200 characters can be added to the post. If this is not enough for you, you can overlay text on the image and add it to the carousel, as in the screencast below.

Carousel text example

Adding photos and posts

Up to 10 images can be added to a post. Up to 20 publications can be published per day with an interval of 5-10 minutes, but practice shows that it is enough to upload 1-2 posts per day, and send the rest of the content to stories. This way you won't bore your audience.

Hashtags

Up to 30 tags with target and near-target keys can be added to a post. And for Reels, it is recommended to prescribe no more than 5 hashtags. You can also use tags in stories - geolocation, brand or thematic query. nine0003

Use spaces or periods in the text to separate tags.

An example of delimiting tags in the text for publication

Account blocking

Brands and bloggers constantly use account blocking: fakes, spam, trolls, competitors, and the like. At the same time, mass blocking is perceived negatively by the platform - so do not rush to take such measures so as not to receive a warning. It’s better to try to calm the person down or pause between blocks so as not to attract undue attention from the moderators. nine0003

Recommended reading! Learn more about Instagram:

  • “How to write a post-acquaintance on Instagram”;
  • "How to make a mask on Instagram";
  • "How to create, promote and maintain an Instagram store";
  • "How to create a high-quality visual on Instagram";
  • "How to sell on Instagram";
  • "How to use Instagram Guides for organic promotion"; nine0350
  • "Earnings on Instagram - TOP-18 ways to get real money";
  • "How to make stories on Instagram from your phone and computer";
  • "How to add a photo to Instagram from a computer";
  • “How to create a content plan for Instagram. Rules, tips, examples”;
  • "Instagram design: how to make your profile attractive to the audience."

Conclusion

In this article, we looked at the new Instagram limits that are updated every year. You can learn about changes only by trial and error - the site does not talk about the operation of the algorithm and how it reacts to mass actions.

If you are banned, follow these precautions:

  • Do nothing on your account and try checking your profile the next day.
  • File an appeal with technical support and ask for options to resolve the problem. nine0006
  • After you exit the ban, reduce the number of actions. For some time, moderators will closely monitor the account and can delete it at any time.
  • Stop using automated services that help you publish content.

You can automate the process of communication with users using the chatbot on Instagram, which will send mailings to those who have agreed to the correspondence.

The SendPulse bot allows you to set up answers to frequently asked questions, create any chains, send data to CRM, place orders and notify customers about delivery. nine0003 SendPulse Chat Bot Builder

And also connect our other tools for comprehensive promotion: create multilinks using the landing page builder, send email, Viber, SMS and push notifications, set up chat bots in instant messengers and social networks — Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Telegram!

Optimal Instagram Posting Frequency: 20+ Expert Tips

How often do you post on Instagram? Many bloggers, no matter how many followers they have, don't know if they should post new posts once a day, three times a week, or several times a day. nine0003

You don't want to bore your audience with too frequent posts, but being forgotten is a so-so prospect.

What to do?

There may not be a universal answer to this question, but in this article you will find advice from 20+ marketers with years of experience in managing Instagram accounts. You will learn how to develop a strategy that is right for your company and audience.

Article content

How often to post on Instagram: best practices

Posting daily

1. Instagram algorithms will probably reward you
2. Increased visibility
3. You keep the attention and interest of the audience

Posting 3-5 times a week

1. Engagement rate can increase
2. Possibility to improvise
3. You don't have to post irrelevant content

Posting 1-2 times a week

Do I need to make a schedule?

Quality over quantity

What's next?

How often to post on Instagram: best practices

If you've been looking for the secret formula to find the exact answer to this question, we're going to have to disappoint you: best practices vary by industry and company type. Much depends on the preferences of your audience.

Only one thing is universal - you need to study your subscribers and find out how often they want to see you in their feed. Below you will find recommendations from marketers, most of whom have been blogging on Instagram for more than three years (>40% of respondents), which means they have had enough time to test different strategies and find out which ones work best. nine0003

How long has your company had an active Instagram account?
Less than a year
1-3 years
Over 3 years
We don't have an account

Read also: How to grow your business by attracting leads from Instagram?

Daily posts

Some companies benefit from publishing new posts every day. This may depend on your goals, or whether you work in B2B or B2C, or what other channels you use to promote your products or services. nine0003

If Instagram is your main social media platform for finding new potential buyers, then posting every day can be especially beneficial for your company, according to experts.

There are three reasons for this:

1. Instagram algorithms might reward you

You may have heard complaints about Instagram algorithms: if you take a moment to distract yourself, your audience reach is reduced. While it's not true that all activity on an app is tracked by a single algorithm, frequent and regular posts do get more attention. nine0003

John Frigo of Best Price Nutrition says, "Instagram's algorithms, and indeed most social media, reward frequent posts, so it's best to post daily."

2. Increase visibility

Many companies benefit from publishing one post each day. Marketing experts believe that this frequency of posts is optimal: they do not overload the audience and at the same time do not let you be forgotten.

Only 10% of survey participants have an audience between 25,000 and 50,000 subscribers, the majority (more than 30%) have less than 1,000. In order to attract more, increase visibility and expand your reach, it can be beneficial for you to post every day. nine0003

How many followers does your Instagram account have?
Less than 1,000
1000 - 3000
5,000 - 10,000
3000 - 5000
25,000 — 50,000
10,000 - 25,000

For Finding Balance's Lily Ugbaia, daily posts are the best fit for her company and audience. This frequency of posting helps to attract the attention of new followers: “Instagram is a very visual platform. Therefore, to get the most out of it, you need visuals that represent your company so that customers and potential buyers can see you all the time.” nine0003

Harriet Chen of CocoFinder also believes that daily posts increase visibility on Instagram. It can be useful to post even a few posts a day: “Experts believe that you need to post new posts every day. But for maximum engagement, you need three posts a day. This frequency increases the visibility of your brand and helps boost sales of your products.”

3. You keep the attention and interest of the audience

Daily posts give engaged audiences exactly what they want. If your followers enjoy interacting with brands, posting daily will help keep them engaged and allow followers to enjoy new content all the time so they don't lose interest. nine0003

“For years, we have been experimenting with post frequency and choosing the best strategies for our business Instagram account,” says Jonathan Ofrey of Growth Hackers Agency. "We've found that daily posts work best because by providing content regularly, we keep engagement without overwhelming our community."

Chloe Sisson of Zen Media agrees that posting more than once a day can overwhelm subscribers unless the posts are related to each other. “If Instagram is your main marketing tool, it is recommended to post once a day. Set a specific time for this so your followers know when to expect your content. We post once a day. We have found that this frequency works best for our audience.” nine0003

Read also: How to build a large audience on Instagram: 7 recommendations

Posting 3-5 times a week

What if you can't post every day? Or, for example, is your audience dissatisfied with an overabundance of content? Do not worry. Some experts recommend posting once or twice a week, as well as posting on weekdays rather than weekends.

Once again, it all depends on your audience. If your target followers commute during the week and spend the weekend with their family without looking at their phones, you'll schedule your schedule so your best posts don't go unnoticed. nine0003

1. Engagement rate may increase

The majority of survey participants (more than 30%) name an engagement rate of 1-3%, and this is good for Instagram. The majority of those surveyed only post a few times a week because such a schedule increases engagement. The audience has more time to explore the content and interact with it.

What is your average Instagram engagement rate?
Less than 0.5%
0.5 - 1%
1 - 3%
Over 3%
Don't know

2. Ability to improvise

Sometimes something unexpected happens that you want to tell subscribers about. If your schedule calls for two or three posts a week, you can always cram in an announcement or post something impulsively without overwhelming your audience.

A strict schedule also robs your profile of authenticity. Authenticity is important because people want to get to know you, feel your energy, and see if you're the right fit for them. People want to talk to people, not robots. nine0003

So always leave space for spontaneous posts, as Stephanie Gutierrez of Online Optimism advises. She thinks it's best to post 3-5 times a week if you want to "maintain an active Instagram account that grabs and keeps attention. It's important to leave room in your content plan to accommodate the new material that's coming out this week and stay on schedule."

3. You won't have to post irrelevant content

What if you post a post a day and have nothing prepared for today? Will you post anything just to stay on schedule? Frequency is important, but not enough to post irrelevant content. nine0003

Dennis Hancock of Mountain Valley MD thinks you shouldn't post just to tick off a plan. The best practice is to “post often enough for your audience to remember your brand, and if your posts are engaging, Instagram will reward you with a wider audience reach. Posting once a day is good if you share something important. No need to post irrelevant or weak content. ”

Charlotte Spence of Mattress Nerd says, “Posting 3 times a day is annoying for most users and will quickly lead to unfollowing. Make a schedule and post anywhere from 5 posts per week to 2 posts per day, but only if you're sharing high quality content. Create your posts ahead of time when you have a good idea, and if you don't have a good post ready, don't post anything. Better to remain silent than to post irrelevant content." nine0003

Read also: Lead generation on Instagram: how to create photo captions?

Posting 1-2 times a week

If Instagram is just one of your marketing channels, then you don't need daily posts to maintain your online presence and keep your audience up to date with all the latest news about your brand.

Posting once or twice a week works well if you're consistent. Mitchell Harad of Expert Opportunities says it's important to stick to a schedule, and consistency is "the most valuable quality" for a company looking to win over an audience. nine0003

“If you only post once a week, that's fine. Just make it a habit to do it at the same time so your audience will expect it. The same goes for posting three times a week. This strategy isn't three times better: it's just as valuable if you stick to your schedule. The audience craves consistency, and when the frequency of your posts provides it, that's good."

This is true: people love routine and predictability. If your followers are used to reading your content over their Tuesday morning coffee, don't disappoint them. nine0003

"It's important to set up a schedule and stick to it so your community knows what to expect from you," says Jordin Jewell of Simple Machines Marketing. - If you decide to post twice a week, then twice a week share valuable, engaging content that your audience will want to keep and forward to friends. If you can post content like this five times a week, that's great! But it’s better to share valuable content 1-3 times a week than to post anything every day for show. ” nine0003

Read also: Why Your Instagram Posts Don't Engage: The Scientific Reason

Do You Need to Schedule?

Does every company need a schedule for posting content? Scheduling is useful because people will get used to you posting at certain times and will wait for them.

Tarlia Smedley of Pulse Recruitment says consistency is key. “Instead of requiring a fixed number of posts every day or every week, I believe that success on Instagram depends on the quality and consistency of the posts.” nine0003

“There is no point in posting low quality content, especially if you are not achieving the desired engagement metrics. In that case, I would suggest posting less content overall to focus on the quality of posts with higher engagement rates.”

For those who don't know how often to post, Smedley's advice is: “Determine how much content you can create in a week and stick with that amount of posts. You may only post them three times a week, but if you spread them out by day of the week and stick to a schedule, you'll get better results in the long run. Each company is different, so set achievable goals for yourself and post at least once a week and no more than three times a day.” nine0003

Engagement is important, of course, but sometimes it can be difficult to create engaging content for Instagram, especially if it's not the only platform you use to advertise and find new audiences. Alex Birket of Conversion.AI thinks the key is to create something of value and attention: “Actually, I think you shouldn't be posting as often as you think. Creating interesting content for Instagram is not easy, especially for companies: you are competing with friends and family of your followers. Your ad may not be the most interesting thing they see in a day.” nine0003

Most people don't go to Instagram to shop and watch ads, so your job is to create an interesting and engaging story. Birket says: “I think you should post when you have something interesting for your followers. But don't overdo it. Instagram algorithms are such that the more followers interact with your content, the higher you will appear in their feed, and vice versa. Therefore, quality is more important than quantity. Anyway, it's about posts, but you can post more stories." nine0003

Also read: Stop organic social media activity to increase profits

Quality over quantity

All experts agree on one thing: quality is always more important than quantity.

Over time, your audience will get to know you better and understand which of your posts are authentic and which are posted for show. If you don't have the time or material to create a quality post, it's best not to post anything.

It takes a lot of time to experiment and find out what works for your audience. To get started, try the best practices recommended by the experts. This way, you will probably find your ideal posting frequency faster and develop a schedule that works for you and your audience. nine0003

The main thing is to listen to what your followers want and monitor their reactions to your posts. Then you will be able to strike a balance, delight and engage your audience, and provide them with high-quality content so that your Instagram community will grow and grow.

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