Knowing the best day and time to post on Instagram is an easy way of maximising the chance of our followers seeing our posts – which is what we all want!

Instagram’s photo and video platform is the second most engaged social media platform after Facebook with more than two billion monthly active users. Users spend about half an hour, on average, per day on the app, with 63% of Instagram users logging in at least once a day (in 2024).

With so many people active on the platform, it’s no wonder we want to be seen by new potential clients as well as staying in touch with our existing followers. To do that, we need a personalised schedule of ideal times to post.

HOW TO FIND OUT THE BEST DAY AND TIME TO POST ON INSTAGRAM

Although there are general statistics for Instagram users worldwide for the most popular times and days, you need to find out exactly when YOUR followers are online so you can post when they are. Posting on Instagram when your followers are online is proven to help you reach more followers and get more engagement.

My favourite way of finding out the best time and day to post on Instagram is the Instagram app itself with a business or creator account.

HOW TO USE INSTAGRAM INSIGHTS FOR THE BEST TIME TO POST

• In the app, click the top right hand side for the menu (three horizontal lines).
• Select Insights (the icon looks like a graph) and choose Audience / Followers / New followers (depending on what you’ve been looking at recently). This will show you followers, their locations, ages, gender split and most active days and times, split into three-hour blocks.
• Choose the most popular times for your posts. You might also chose not to post on some days if your followers are not online much then.

You can go deeper and see which countries your followers are in, checking on their local time zones and how their use of Instagram fits in with their day. For instance, they may be on Instagram before and after work. You may want to test different content in the mornings and evenings.

WHY DOES IT MATTER WHEN MY FOLLOWERS ARE ONLINE?

If your followers are online when you post, there’s a good chance they will see your post and interact. You certainly have a better chance than when they’re not online!

That said, your followers don’t play as strong a role as they used to in overall post engagement. Reels and Carousels with audio are being shared as suggested posts and on the explore page, where they’re put in front of non-followers, which can expand the number of new people who see your posts – otherwise known as ‘reach’.

You can test posting at the times when your followers are online as well as an hour beforehand, to see if that makes any difference. Some Instagram experts suggest that it can take an hour or two of ‘warm-up’ time for your post to be seen.

You also might want to look at the Instagram app’s insights for ‘Content You Shared’, sorting it by engagement and see what times and days these posts were shared. Although there are many factors that contribute to a highly engaging post, there may be commonalities that help you identify the best times to post on Instagram.

HOW CAN I REMEMBER ALL THE BEST DAYS AND TIMES TO POST?

Most people can’t remember the best days and times to post, so make a note of them in your social media scheduler that you can refer to when scheduling your posts. It’s probably worth checking the times monthly to see if any need to be updated.

Once you know the best day and time to post on Instagram, you can schedule out your posts at those times and add in other content such as Instagram Stories for the times in between.

The social media planner Speedy Socials Kit is ideal for saving this information, so it’s always at hand when you’re planning your content calendar.

Should you even be using hashtags in 2025? if so, how many hashtags, where should you post them and why are influencers and people with huge Instagram accounts ignoring them and still succeeding? These and many more questions will be answered below … and it’s all changing because of the TikTok-ification of Instagram.

Why did Instagram start out with hashtags?

When Instagram was new – about 15 years ago, give or take – hashtags were used to find other accounts that shared similar interests. I used the likes of#jj_minimalism from Josh Johnson to find my first online photographer friends and wonderful photography that was shared daily. The JJ hashtags had strict ethics on supporting other accounts with likes and comments. Good times!

Since then, hashtags and their communities have given way to an emphasis in followers and in the last few years, Instagram has moved to an interest-based, algorithm-powered feed similar to TikTok. While followers are still important, they’re becoming less so. The shift away from hashtags was also, in part, a response to spammers stuffing more popular keywords with their spammy posts.

So now what? Is there any point in using hashtags?

Absolutely use them! Hashtags now help Instagram identify the topic of posts and who they’re for, so it can send posts – especially Carousels and Reels – to the right people on their explore page and as recommended posts – sharing the most relevant content for each person – a personalised feed. This was confirmed by Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri in an Instagram Story in February 2025. He said to ‘use them if it’s helpful for you to describe what you’re describing and connect to related content – not as an engagement hack.”

In other words, hashtags can help your posts be seen by strangers, like hashtags originally did, but they work in a different way. Instagram also looks at the rest of your caption to help identify relevant content (as best we know), so hashtags aren’t working on their own, but they’re an easy way of sending strong messages about your content.

Hashtags work well on Reels, Carousels and other grid posts.  They don’t ‘work’ on Instagram Stories, because those appear only in the feed of your existing followers.

How many hashtags should I use on Instagram?

Use as many hashtags on Instagram as it takes to show what your post is about and who it’s for. Technically, you can use up to 30 hashtags, but it’s unlikely you’ll need that many. Hashtags help with discoverability – you appearing on the explore page as suggested posts and coming up in the results when someone searches for your post topic. And appearing in these places is a new success metric on Instagram, as the important of followers decreases.

Hashtags become more important if you don’t post often, so there are fewer posts for Instagram to learn what your content is about and if you post about wildly varying topics.

Why don’t some accounts use hashtags and still seem popular?

Influencers and accounts with hundreds of thousands or millions of followers tend to post VERY regularly about the same few topics. This means two things: one, hundreds of posts gives Instagram a huge amount of data about content those accounts regularly share and two, Instagram has a lot of data about the interests of followers. These two factors allow instagram to pinpoint with some accuracy, potential people who are likely to enjoy posts from these accounts.

With smaller accounts that post fewer times, there’s simply less data, both in terms of follower commonalities and often in content topics.  Using hashtags can help Instagram be sure what your content is about and therefore, which accounts your posts should be shown to.

Where should I use hashtags?

Put hashtags in your post, to help Instagram know who to show your post to. Posting hashtags in comments doesn’t help Instagram know more about your post.

IN SUMMARY: 2025 is the year of using a descriptive number of hashtags in your captions to help Instagram know the topic and audience of your post. This allows Instagram to share it with people it knows will be interested in your posts, based on their past engagement. Using descriptive hashtags also helps you appear in Instagram search results.

NEED MORE HELP WITH INSTAGRAM + YOUR SOCIALS?

I’ve created a social media marketing planner and calendar – Speedy Socials Kit – that keeps all your ideas, captions and image links in the one place! Click the image below to find out more. 

Creating an Instagram carousel – the grid posts with multiple photos/videos – can be a challenge and yet the upside is so high: greater engagement, content that serves your audience and is perfect for sharing and saving. Here’s what you need to know about creating a carousel for your business that gives you the most saves, likes and shares for your time. There’s even a free PDF checklist at the end of this post you can download.

WHAT IS AN INSTAGRAM CAROUSEL POST?

Carousels are a collection of multiple photos, graphics or videos in one grid post. Viewers swipe through from right to left on the screen to view each slide, one at a time. Carousels are the same as regular posts in other ways including captions, the ability to share, comment, like and save. Instagram introduced them early in 2017 as an ad format, extending that to all users soon afterwards. They have a graphic on the top right of the first slide in the feed, showing this post has multiple slides.

INSTAGRAM CAROUSEL SIZE + RATIO

Your Instagram carousel size can be anything from a square to a 4:5 ratio vertical, as long as they have matching dimensions. If you try adding photos or videos of different sizes, they will crop to the same ratio as your first slide.

That said, in January of 2025, Instagram changed the Instagram grid from square to rectangular. Therefore, it’s recommended that your carousels are 4:5 ratio, to make the most of their appearance in the grid. Be aware that the sides of the first slide in your carousel will be slightly cropped, so make sure that any important elements such as text are not too close to the edge. The cropped size of your carousel’s first slide in the feed is 1015 pixels x 1350 pixels. 

Instagram carousel dimensions

In pixels, a 4:5 ratio for Instagram is 1080 pixels wide by 1350 pixels high. This format takes up the most amount of screen space available, so is the best format for impact in the scroll. You can also use horizontal images or videos up to a 1.91:1 ratio, which is 1080 pixels wide by 566 pixels high. This is not as good a format because it takes up so little space in the feed, which means it’s easy to scroll past without noticing it. If you want to keep your images wide and narrow, you could use a photo or graphics editor to add white space above and below your image, helping it stand out in the feed. Videos can last up to 60 seconds and need to be smaller than 4GB.

HOW TO CREATE AN INSTAGRAM CAROUSEL + POST IT

1. Tap the + sign on the top right, next to the menu.
2. Tap the post option (with a grid icon).
3. This will bring up the ‘Recents’ album. Navigate to another album if needed and tap the multiple photo option.
4. Tap on the photos or videos you want to include in your carousel, in the order you want them to appear.
5. Tap ‘Next’ on the top right of your screen. Select any preferred filter options.
6. Write a caption, adding tags and other details as you would for a regular grid post.
7. Tap ‘Share’ on the top right of your screen!

How to create a carousel inside Facebook Business Suite on desktop

1. Navigate to Creator Studio inside Facebook (find it in the options down the left of your screen on a desktop). This assumes you have a Facebook page attached to your Instagram account.
2. Create a new post and upload your carousel slides. They will automatically display in the order you uploaded them.  You can drag and drop the slides into a different order if needed.
3. Add your caption and hashtags to the text area. Add your location, if wanted.
4. Schedule or publish your post. There’s also an option to save as a draft.

You can also create and schedule carousels inside third party apps such as Planoly and Later.

WHAT ENGAGEMENT DO CAROUSEL POSTS RECEIVE?

According to Social Insider, Carousels have an average engagement rate per post of 1.92%, compared to 1.74% for images and 1.45% for videos. The engagement rate increases when 10 or more carousel slides are used and other studies suggest that carousel post engagement rates are even higher than this.

WHY DO CAROUSEL POSTS RECEIVE MORE ENGAGEMENT?

There are multiple reasons why carousel posts receive more engagement. One is time spent to see all of the post: looking at multiple photos or videos simply takes longer than looking at one. Another reason for increased engagement with carousel posts is that Instagram can show your post multiple times in the feeds of your followers.  If the first slide doesn’t stop the scroll, Instagram may show the second or third slides, to encourage swipe-throughs to the rest of the slides. This increases the chances of followers engaging with your post.

There’s also the fact that a post with multiple photos or videos is more likely to contain more value than those with a single slide, especially if you know your followers well and cater to their interests. This might be photos of a product and multiple details, a variety of styling for clothing or  inspirational quotes on one theme. Regina Anaejionu uses carousels for mini-lessons that lead into her courses for thought leaders. She’s creating huge value for her ideal clients, without even leaving Instagram. If they like what they read, they’re primed to click her bio and check out what else she could offer them.

HOW MANY SLIDES ARE IN A CAROUSEL?

There are up to 20 slides in a carousel. There were originally a maximum of 10 slides in a carousel, but Instagram increased this to 20 in summer 2024, after having had the larger slide numbers available in ads. Although you can share up to 20 slides, most carousels don’t have that many – just as many as you want to share and that you think will be captivating for your audience.

HOW TO CREATE AN INSTAGRAM CAROUSEL + POST IT

1. Tap the + sign on the top right, next to the menu.
2. Tap the post option (with a grid icon).
3. This will bring up the ‘Recents’ album. Navigate to another album if needed and tap the multiple photo option.
4. Tap on the photos or videos you want to include in your carousel, in the order you want them to appear.
5. Tap ‘Next’ on the top right of your screen. Select any preferred filter options.
6. Write a caption, adding tags and other details as you would for a regular grid post.
7. Tap ‘Share’ on the top right of your screen!

How to create a carousel inside Facebook Business Suite on desktop

1. Navigate to Creator Studio inside Facebook (find it in the options down the left of your screen on a desktop). This assumes you have a Facebook page attached to your Instagram account.
2. Create a new post and upload your carousel slides. They will automatically display in the order you uploaded them.  You can drag and drop the slides into a different order if needed.
3. Add your caption and hashtags to the text area. Add your location, if wanted.
4. Schedule or publish your post. There’s also an option to save as a draft.

You can also create and schedule carousels inside third party apps such as Planoly and Later.

WHAT ENGAGEMENT DO CAROUSEL POSTS RECEIVE?

According to Social Insider, Carousels have an average engagement rate per post of 1.92%, compared to 1.74% for images and 1.45% for videos. The engagement rate increases when 10 or more carousel slides are used and other studies suggest that carousel post engagement rates are even higher than this.

WHY DO CAROUSEL POSTS RECEIVE MORE ENGAGEMENT?

There are multiple reasons why carousel posts receive more engagement. One is time spent to see all of the post: looking at multiple photos or videos simply takes longer than looking at one. Another reason for increased engagement with carousel posts is that Instagram can show your post multiple times in the feeds of your followers.  If the first slide doesn’t stop the scroll, Instagram may show the second or third slides, to encourage swipe-throughs to the rest of the slides. This increases the chances of followers engaging with your post.

There’s also the fact that a post with multiple photos or videos is more likely to contain more value than those with a single slide, especially if you know your followers well and cater to their interests. This might be photos of a product and multiple details, a variety of styling for clothing or  inspirational quotes on one theme. Regina Anaejionu uses carousels for mini-lessons that lead into her courses for thought leaders. She’s creating huge value for her ideal clients, without even leaving Instagram. If they like what they read, they’re primed to click her bio and check out what else she could offer them.

INSTAGRAM CAROUSEL IDEAS

Multiple photos or videos can show many aspects of one product or idea or you can tell a story in bite-sized chunks spread across the slides. Curiosity is key here – make sure at least some of the information is shared in later slides, so viewers swipe all the way through your slides.

• Carousel posts can act as cornerstone content for your feed, providing valuable information for your ideal audience. This can include:
• User generated content, possibly with a cover image, so they fit your feed’s aesthetic.
• An introduction to a product or service
• A list of tips
• A range of testimonials
• Transformations: showcase ‘before’ and ‘after’ your service or product
• Tutorials
• Features on others in your niche
• Your origin story.

INSTAGRAM CAROUSEL TEMPLATES

Instagram carousel templates help you create a set of cohesive slides which work together, without taking hours or needing a professional designer. This also allows you to concentrate on choosing your words and images or graphics carefully, to tell the story that best works for your business.

I’ve created multiple carousel templates for free online design tool Canva. You can find the templates here.  Canva templates can be swapped out to your own brand’s colours and fonts in seconds, ready for your own text and photos or video.

Hopefully, you now have all the details you need to create your own engaging carousel on Instagram!

Complete the form to receive a copy of this guide - 27 ideas for Instagram Carousels. You'll also be subscribed to my weekly (or so) newsletter with the latest social platform updates + marketing tips.

When you share a post on Instagram Stories, there’s a trick to making sure your followers love your Story just as much as the original grid post: add value! Here’s how to do that in 2025.

Three steps to sharing your own grid post to Stories

It’s super easy to share your own grid post. Start by selecting the published post in the feed and press the message icon – it’s below the post on the left, next to likes and comments. A row of options will appear at the bottom of the screen, which includes “Add to story” with a + icon. Click this. At this point, you can share the post on Stories either to the “Your story” button or “Close Friends” button at the bottom of the screen, but you may want to take an extra step before sharing.

Why you want to add more before hitting share

Before you share your grid post to Stories, consider your followers; they’re in three groups:

• Followers who only see your Stories
• Followers who see your Stories and grid posts
• Followers who only see grid posts

There are a few reasons why not all followers see everything you post.

• Some people have a strong preference for Stories or the regular feed and don’t bother with the other.
• They don’t have enough time to see everything from accounts they follow, so Instagram’s algorithm shows them what they’ve been most engaged with in the past first, so they miss later posts.
• Instagram adds recommended posts to the feed, which dilutes the number of posts from accounts they follow, unless they proactively switch these off every 30 days.
• How engaged they are with your content on Stories and the regular grid feed
• Whether you’ve posted consistently recently.

Speaking to the followers who see your Stories

Your Stories need to cater to followers who only see your Stories and those who see your Stories AND also grid posts. Followers who only watch your Stories need to know what they’re missing out on when you share. That’s not always clear from the grid visuals shared alone and you’re likely to need to add text that explains why they might want to click through.

For the followers who also see your grid posts, they already know (or soon will) the content of your grid post, so they need added context or behind the scenes insights. If not, they’re likely to swipe ahead to the next story, telling Instagram’s algorithm that they didn’t like your story and pushing you down their Story queue. Given that these followers are spending time with two feeds on your account, they truly deserve you spending a few minutes adding to your Stories before sharing.

Ways to improve how you share a post on Instagram Stories

Here are a few ways you can add value to Stories that share your grid posts:

• Share why you created this post. What prompted it?
• Add any stories about the post’s creation / filming / outtakes that could make you see it in a different light?
• Share two options for your next grid post after this one. Using the poll sticker, ask which one they prefer?

Sharing other people’s posts to your Stories

Like sharing your own posts to Stories, you can share posts from other accounts in the same way as you share your own. Many people choose to do this without comment, especially with aesthetic posts from artists and photographers, where curation alone is comment enough.

But for many posts, adding your narrative is essential. What about this posts resonates with you? Do you feel the same way? What can you add? Where is your voice in this?

How to change the look of your shared post Stories

Change the background colour of the Story

Press the three dots on the top right to open more design options and click on ‘Draw’. Choose the pen tool on the far left and a colour from the palette, then press your finger on the background for a few seconds to have it change to your chosen colour. You can sample a colour from the grid graphic by clicking the eyedropper and sampling the photo’s colours.

Add a photo to your Story

Click the ‘Sticker’ icon at the top of the screen and select ‘Photo’ from the menu. Choose a photo from your camera roll and this will be added to the screen. Move around the screen and resize as you wish. To move it behind the shared grid post, press and hold the photo. A black square with white lines will appear on the centre left, with each white line representing a layer. Drag the selected photo layer down the screen to send it to the back.

Add stickers, gifs, polls and music

Click the ‘Sticker’ icon at the top of the screen and go wild with all the options, when you share a post on Instagram Stories. Use the search box for specific requests and don’t forget you can add polls, sliders, locations and mentions as you might with any Story.