What is the Best Time to Post on Instagram in Kenya? [Crack the Code]

The best time to post on Instagram in Kenya is when most of your followers are online. Generally, 6 – 9 am, 12 – 2 pm, and 5 – 7 pm on weekdays are good times to share content on Instagram. And that’s because most Kenyans are active on social media when commuting to or from work and during lunch breaks.

With over 2 million users in Kenya, Instagram is a great platform to market your business. 

Posting consistently on your IG page can get you more likes, comments, followers, and potential clients. But you want to avoid posting when your target audience is offline because your post might be buried under other posts on your audience’s feed when they finally log in.

This guide covers how to ‘crack the code’ on Instagram posting. Fin out what is the best time to post on Instagram in Kenya?

Read on to discover how to maximize your reach on one of Kenyan’s most loved social media platforms.

Best time to post on Instagram in Kenya

The best time to post on Instagram in Kenya is when most of your followers are online.

There’s no one-size-fits-all on the perfect time to post on Instagram.

But here’s an average of the best time to post on Instagram on each day of the week:

Instagram users in Kenya are active at different hours, depending on the day and age group. For instance, most Kenyans would be online on weekdays when they have a few hours off work (or school). So, they’re likelier to check their Instagram when commuting to and from their workplaces and schools. You’ll also find that many people are active on IG around midday during their lunch breaks.

However, it’s pretty different during weekends. Most people wake up later than usual, so they’ll probably be active on Instagram around 10 to 11 am. And they’re likelier to be offline for the rest of the day since many Kenyans are out and about on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. But they might catch up with the latest Instagram updates in the late evening or a few hours before midnight.

Best time to post on Instagram on Monday

On Monday, the best hours to post on Instagram are between 11 am and 1 pm. Most Kenyans will be busy working in the morning since it’s the first day of the work week. But they’ll take a break around midday, making it a perfect time to check their Instagram feeds.

Best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday

The best time to post on Tuesday is 6 am to 9 am and 12. pm to 2 pm. Instagram users in Kenya are likely to be online when commuting to work on early Tuesday mornings. And they will also take advantage of their break around midday to see the latest on their Instagram.

Best time to post on Instagram on Wednesday

Since Wednesday is mid-week, most people would want to take a break from work. So, you’ll find that they’re active on Instagram and other social media platforms from 11 am to midday. Also, they could be online as they commute home from work (from 5 to 7 pm).

Best time to post on Instagram on Thursday

The best time to post on Instagram on Thursday is 11 am to 2 pm. Like Wednesdays, chances are high that users in Kenya will be active on Instagram around midday on Thursdays.

Best time to post on Instagram on Friday

Many Kenyan Instagram users might check their Instagram feeds once or twice from morning to midday on Friday. But the highest engagement is likely around 2 – 4 pm when people are winding up the week.

Best time to post on Instagram on Saturday

The best hours to post on Instagram on Saturday are 10 am to 11 am and 6 pm to 8 pm. Many Kenyans will have lazy weekend mornings, so they’ll probably be on Instagram after waking up (between 10 and 11 am). Also, they might check out their feeds later in the evening after spending a big chunk of the day on offline activities.

Best time to post on Instagram on Sunday

The best time to post on Instagram on Sunday is 6 pm to 8 pm. Most people are offline for a better part of the day on Sundays. Hence, they’ll likely be active on IG late evening when having dinner.

Best time to post on Instagram for likes

The best time to post on Instagram for likes is when most of your followers are very active.

Getting many likes on your Instagram posts is a sure way to earn followers and build a loyal community. Most people will follow an Instagram account immediately after liking their content since they want to keep receiving great content from it.

However, it’s a waste if you upload top-notch content and get zero likes because your target audience is offline. That’s why it helps to research and experiment to determine your Instagram account’s optimal posting time.

Best time to post reels on Instagram

The best time to post reels on Instagram is late evening when most users spend a lot of time online.

Reels are an exciting feature, allowing Instagram users to create and post short video clips. 

You can share fun, eye-catching reels on your Story, Explore Feed, and new Reels tab to build a good relationship with your followers or show off your products and services. 

Compelling reels will likely go viral as people like, comment, and share them. So leveraging reels is an excellent way to maximize your reach on Instagram. 

To make the best of reels on your Instagram account:

• Create eye-catching short clips using appropriate audio and AR effects.
• Post them when your target audience is active.
• Use suitable hashtags.
• Add location tags.

What determines the best time to post on Instagram?

Various factors, including content type and target audience, determine the best time to post on Instagram.

There’s no hard or fast rule on the perfect time to post your content on Instagram. Even if we’ve suggested the best hours to share your content on the platform, this is just a general outlook. And that’s because engagement on Instagram varies greatly.

The best time to post on Instagram will depend on the following:

1. Your brand or industry

Your Instagram account (or profile) is unique, as it portrays you as a brand or your industry. Hence, what you represent can determine the best time to post on Instagram and the type of content that will drive engagement.

For instance, if you own a restaurant, you’d want to maximize your reach to users interested in eating at your place. Hence, you can schedule your posts for late mornings to midday on weekdays when most people are looking for a place to have lunch.

Late afternoons are good posting times on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays if your followers love going out for dinner on weekends.

You will have more flexibility if you’re in the entertainment industry since people are always ready to welcome entertaining content. Hence, you can play around with different hours to see what time works best for you.

2. The target audience

The specific group of people you want to reach significantly affects your posting time on Instagram. 

Users are active on Instagram at different times, depending on their age, occupation, interests, and location. Hence, knowing your target audience is essential if you want to post content that grabs their attention.

For instance, the highest percentage (42.6%) of Instagram users in Kenya are between 18 and 24 years. If you’re a brand targeting Generation Z, you’d want to post content on Instagram when this group of users is active. 

As we’ve established, you can get insights on your followers’ online peak hours from Instagram’s analytics tool. However, you can also use other tools to get these analytics, including the following:

• Iconosquare
• Hootsuite
• SocialPilot
• Sprout Social
• Later

3. Type of content

You need to take note of the kind of content you publish on Instagram when choosing the best time to post it.

Your content can get zero or lots of impressions on Instagram, affecting your visibility and engagement.

The type of content you share on Instagram will largely depend on your brand, industry, and target audience. For example, if you’re targeting fashion enthusiasts, your posts will mainly be pictures or videos of stylish clothes or fashion tips. 

Hence, you’d want to know the ‘power hour (s) for users with fashion interests, as this would be the best time to publish fashion-related content.

4. Instagram algorithm 

Being up-to-date with the latest Instagram algorithms will help you choose the best posting time strategy.

Like any other social media platform, Instagram algorithms keep changing. Instagram has a set of different algorithms for Feeds, Stories, and Reels.

In recent changes, Instagram prioritizes Feed posts that your followers will likely like, comment on, or share. These will also be posts that they’ll spend more time on and eventually check your profile.

When gauging your follower’s probability of interacting with your posts, Instagram considers a few factors. These include:

• The post’s relevance
• Followers’ interests
• Your relationship with users 

5. Your Instagram marketing goals

Your Instagram marketing goals can also dictate the ideal posting time.

What do you want to achieve by posting on Instagram? Are you looking to create brand awareness, have more followers, build a community, or showcase your products/services?

If your main goal is to create brand awareness, you might have to post at different times every day since this increases your visibility on Instagram. On the other hand, if you want to have more engagement with your followers, post when most of them are active. Then stick around to like and reply to their comments.

Find your best time to post on Instagram in Kenya

Determining the best time to post on Instagram is challenging.

But you can elevate your IG game by following the following tips and tactics:

• Test and experiment with different posting times: You’ll only know what works best for you once you test it. So, choose different posting times every day for a couple of weeks. You can record this data on a spreadsheet or use analytic tools to determine when your posts got the most impressions.
• Review top-performing posts: Get insights on what type of posts (e.g., stories or reels) got the most impressions and what time you posted them.
• Consider your competitors: Since you share many followers with your competitors, check when they mainly publish their content and how it turns out.
• Be consistent: Consistency is key if you want to stay ahead of the game. Posting regularly at the right time places your content in your followers’ eyes. And this increases your chances of getting more impressions and loyalty from your target audience.
• Use scheduling tools: You may not always be online when your target audience is active. Hence, you can use a social media scheduler to ensure your content is out at a specific hour and day.

That said, put your creative foot forward and create original, compelling content for your target audience. Then, apply the suggested strategies on the best posting time to increase your reach and build your Instagram community. 

Further read: Does Instagram penalize scheduled posts?

FAQs

Is it good to post at night on Instagram?

Posting at night on Instagram is not good if your target audience is most active during the daytime. 

For instance, if you publish educational content, your followers will typically be teachers, students, and other stakeholders. So chances are high that they’ll be offline at night and not see your posts.

How late is too late to post on Instagram?

Generally, posting on Instagram after midnight might be too late since most people are asleep. 

However, there’s no fixed limit on how late it can be to post on Instagram since it depends on the content and your audience. For example, your content will still attract viewership if it targets people who work night-shift or ‘night owls.’

What’s the worst time to post on Instagram

The worst time to post on Instagram is typically in the wee morning hours (between 1 am and 5 am) since there’s low engagement.

Also, Sunday is considered the worst day (especially in the morning), as most people are off social media.

But the best and worst posting times are determined by several variables.

What time are people most active on Instagram in Kenya?

In Kenya, most users will be active on Instagram during their leisure hours or when they need a breather from serious stuff like work and school. 

And they will instantly hit the like button if a post, story, or reel is unique, interesting, or speaks to their hearts.

How do you see the most active time on Instagram?

Check your analytics on Instagram to see your followers’ most active time on the platform.

Instagram’s analytics tool gives insights into your followers” demographics, including their age, gender, location, and time spent on their Feed. It also shows how your posts perform; that is, how many likes, impressions, comments, or shares each post got.

Image source: Shopify

But you can only access these analytics if you own an Instagram business account.

Knowing which day and time most of your followers are online will help you schedule your Instagram posts. Plus, you’ll know what type of posts your target audience loves, so you’ll tweak it to their liking to grab their attention and boost engagement.

Got more questions? Let me know in the comments below!

Interesting read: How to create a social media content calendar

Sources:

• Statista: Distribution of Instagram users in Kenya as of May 2023, by gender
• NapoleonCat: Instagram users in Kenya, May 2023