Does Scheduling Instagram Posts Affect Engagement?

Scheduling posts on Instagram affects engagement depending on timing, content quality, and interaction with followers. Poorly timed posts, lack of real-time interaction, inconsistent posting schedules, and low-quality content can lead to decreased engagement. But you can effectively boost engagement on scheduled posts by strategically planning and monitoring posts, maintaining high content quality, and actively engaging with followers. 

There has been a heated debate about whether scheduling Instagram posts leads to low engagement. On one hand, some Instagram users and brands offering scheduling services claim that scheduling IG posts doesn’t affect engagement.

On the other hand, some Instagram users argue that their scheduled posts have less engagement. In fact, one user claimed to get an 80-90% drop in engagement on most scheduled posts.

In this guide, I address the question, “does scheduling Instagram posts affect engagement?” and explain how the Instagram algorithm works to help you improve engagement on scheduled posts.

Do scheduled posts on Instagram get less engagement?

Scheduled posts on Instagram can get less engagement because of poor timing, low content quality, lack of interaction, and algorithm changes. 

I interviewed Mercy, who runs the Marriage Notebook, an Instagram account with 90K followers. She uses Instagram’s scheduling tool to schedule her posts, and I wanted to know how this affects engagement.

Here’s Mercy’s response:

“Scheduling helps you maintain consistency, but Instagram knows when you use a bot. I’ve noticed a higher engagement with the posts I share manually than the scheduled ones. But it’s not always the case.

Content quality determines whether a post will have less engagement or not. So, if your post is high-quality, it doesn’t matter if it’s scheduled or posted manually. If people engage with your content shortly after posting, the algorithm will know that it’s good.

I recommend you post manually when starting out and only start scheduling when you have a reasonable following and good engagement. You may also consider mixing scheduled and manually posted posts.”

Now, let’s look at the reasons why scheduled posts on Instagram get less engagement.

Why scheduled Instagram posts get less engagement

You’re posting at the wrong time

Poor timing of your scheduled Instagram posts can lead to less engagement. If your posts go live when your target audience is offline or inactive on Instagram, they’ll have low visibility. 

Plus, Instagram won’t rank your posts higher on users’ feeds when they have low immediate engagement.

You don’t engage after posting

Your scheduled Instagram posts will have less engagement if you always ‘post and ghost.’ 

If you’re not online when your posts go live, you’re more likely to miss out on any interactions on your posts. And when you don’t engage people who comment on your posts, you’re more likely to experience low engagement with your subsequent posts.

You’re posting inconsistently

If your posting frequency suddenly changes, your target audience won’t know when to expect your posts.

Also, if you have an inconsistent posting schedule, your posts will have less engagement because your audience may not always be active when your scheduled posts go live.

You’re posting low-quality content

Scheduling low-quality posts will negatively affect engagement. For instance, if you use unappealing visuals and irrelevant or non-engaging content, your followers may not interact with your posts.

Also, your followers may not be interested in your scheduled posts if they don’t offer any value, appear inauthentic, or impersonal.

Instagram algorithm doesn’t favor your posts

Some Instagram algorithm changes may not favor your scheduled posts. For instance, posts that fail to get early interactions have lower visibility than those with higher engagement.

The Instagram algorithm may also penalize posts that don’t align with the audience’s interests or appear too promotional, leading to lower engagement.

Your posts don’t capture shifts in trends

If your scheduled posts miss out on new trends and events, your audience may not interact with them. For instance, if you batch-create a month’s or year’s worth of content, some posts may not capture shifts in trends or events that come up after you’ve scheduled the posts.

How does the Instagram algorithm work?

The Instagram algorithm works by ranking posts and reels based on your past activity, information about the post, the person who posted it, and your history of interacting with another person.

Let’s dive deeper into these details below.

Ranking Feed and Stories

The IG algorithm ranks all the recent posts shared by your followers, excluding ads, in the first place. It then considers ‘signals’ or all the information about who has posted, what content they’ve posted, and your preferences (or past behavior).

Here are the signals the IG algorithm checks when ranking posts in feed and stories:

• Information about the post: A post will be ranked highly if it appears popular (many people have liked or commented on it shortly after posting). Also, the IG algorithm will prioritize posts with content types that users like, for example, engaging visuals.
• The person who posted: The IG algorithm considers a person to be interesting if many people have interacted with them. So, it prioritizes the posts this person shares.
• Your activity: The Instagram algorithm will first show you the posts that match your interests. For instance, it will display posts similar to what you’ve liked, commented on, or shared before.
• Your history of interacting with another person: You’re more likely to see the posts of those people with whom you’ve interacted with their posts. These may include your family, friends, and close connections.

Ranking Reels

The Instagram algorithm ranks reels by considering your interests to improve your experience. So, you’re likely to see more of the reels that the algorithm predicts will entertain you the most. 

If you’ve come across pop-up questions while scrolling on IG, that’s just the Instagram algorithm conducting surveys to know your interests. For instance, they’ll ask if you found a particular reel funny or entertaining. From the information gathered, the algorithm will prioritize showing you similar reels.

Similar to feeds and stories, the IG algorithm considers the following signals when ranking reels:

• Your activity: The IG algorithm uses machine learning to predict what reels you are likely to be interested in based on your past behavior. It analyzes what kind of reels you’ve liked, shared, or commented on before. 
• Information about the reel: Reels with captivating audio tracks or videos get first priority over those with less appealing features. Plus, the IG algorithm is more likely to push reels that get higher engagement, even to users who don’t follow the content creator.
• Information about the person who posted: You’re more likely to see reels from popular creators first, especially if their content aligns with your interests. But the IG algorithm also considers every creator who shares compelling content in their reels.
• Your history of interacting with the person who posted: The IG algorithm prioritizes reels shared by persons you’ve interacted with, even though they’re not your connections. So, it emphasizes interest and engagement over familiarity.

Ranking the Explore page

The Instagram IG displays recommended photos and videos on the Explore page. It ranks this content based on your past interactions and interests. So, the algorithm suggests posts you might be interested in from accounts similar to those you already follow and engage with.

Below are the signals the IG algorithm considers when ranking content on the Explore page:

• Your activity: The algorithm analyzes your past behavior on the Explore page. So, it considers the kind of content you’ve liked, saved, shared, or commented on.
• Information about the post: Posts that people like or comment on immediately on the Explore page get the first priority.
• Information about the person who posted: The IG algorithm considers how many times other users have interacted with the person who shared a post. So, you’re more likely to see posts from accounts with higher engagement first.
• Your history of interacting with the person who posted: The IG algorithm will first show posts from people you’ve engaged with before because it assumes you’re interested in such content.

How can you get good engagement on scheduled posts?

You can get good engagement on scheduled posts by planning strategically, improving content quality, and engaging actively.

Let me break down this further:

• Determine the best time to post on Instagram. The optimal time is when your target audience is active. You can use a social media scheduler to help you know this.
• Create high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience, engaging, and valuable. Use captivating visuals, captions, and hashtags.
• Balance scheduled posts with real-time interactions. Don’t rely only on scheduled posts because the IG algorithm may not always favor them.
• Engage with your followers’ posts before and after yours go live. If you show interest in their posts, your followers will be more willing to interact with yours.
• Use user-generated content. Encourage your followers to create posts that mention your brand and then share them on your account. 
• Use location tags. Geotags will push your content to local users who’ll be willing to engage, especially if it resonates with them.
• Branding consistency. Be consistent, from your content quality to themes, colors, and even posting frequency.
• Monitor all your scheduled posts and respond (promptly) to all comments and direct messages.
• Measure performance and adjust. Analyze all your scheduled posts. If they’re not doing well, adjust your timing, frequency, and content forms.

Is it good to schedule Instagram posts?

Scheduling Instagram is good because it can help you increase your visibility and reach, promoting your account. It also helps you maintain consistency.

Below are the benefits of scheduling posts on Instagram:

• Saves you time and reduces stress. You can create posts in batches (in advance) and keep your Instagram active when you want to focus on other tasks.
• Helps maintain consistency. You’ll have a specific posting frequency so your followers know when to expect your posts.
• Optimal timing. You can share one post at different times to reach your audiences when they’re most active. This strategy works best when you have a global audience.
• Improves engagement. Scheduling your posts in advance can help you set more time to engage with your audience and followers.
• Maintains content quality. Creating content in advance helps you ensure that you meet all the quality standards. Plus, you’ll not be rushing last minute to create and share posts.
• Campaign coordination. Scheduling improves your social media strategy, especially when creating content for multiple platforms.
• Social media scheduling platforms offer analytics/reporting features. These features are helpful when you want to measure your posts’ performance and adjust your content marketing strategy.

FAQs

What causes low engagement on Instagram?

Low engagement on Instagram is usually a combination of factors like content quality, timing, and low interaction.

Here are the most common causes of low engagement on Instagram:

• Not actively engaging with other people’s posts
• Posting and ghosting
• Posting low-quality or irrelevant content
• Posting overly promotional content 
• Being inconsistent

How do I increase my engagement on Instagram?

You can increase your engagement on Instagram by creating high-quality and captivating content, interacting with your followers, and collaborating with other creators.

Here are more ways to increase your engagement on Instagram:

• Post content when your audience is most active.
• Be consistent with your posting frequency.
• Interact with posts from your followers and creators in your niche.
• Use interactive features like polls, questions, and sliders in IG stories to engage your followers.
• Add CTAs (Calls to Action) on all your IG posts, including stories and reels.
• Create and share short, engaging reels to hook your audience.
• Participate in popular challenges and seek feedback about them from your followers.
• Partner with influencers and other creators to reach wider audiences.

Does scheduling Instagram posts affect reach?

Scheduling Instagram posts may affect your brand’s reach, depending on your strategies. 

For instance, it can lower your reach if you don’t engage with your audience when your posts go live. Also, 

On the other hand, scheduling Instagram posts can boost your brand’s reach if:

• Your posting frequency is consistent
• You actively engage with your followers on your posts (and theirs)
• Your posts go live when your audience is active on Instagram
• Your posts have captivating visuals

Why are my IG posts not being seen?

Your Instagram posts are likely not being seen because the Instagram algorithm limits the people who can view them.

Here are some reasons behind this:

• Your posts don’t align with your target audience’s interests
• They are of low quality or unappealing
• They appear unauthentic or impersonal
• They are too promotional
• You have an irregular or inconsistent posting schedule