When is the Best Time to Post on Instagram in South Africa?

Every social media manager wants to get the most out of the content that they publish. But even the right Instagram content might not get the right reach if it’s not posted at the right time.

So when is the best time to post on Instagram?

The answer isn’t quite as simple as it may first seem. The best time to publish on social media depends on your audience, your followers, and their behaviours.

So while there is no definitive ‘perfect’ time to post on Instagram, there are peak times for brands in South Africa to publish content and give it the best chance to reach a broad audience.

Content

• The Best Time to Post on Instagram in South Africa By Weekday

• Important Instagram Posting Insights for South Africa

• Driving Engagement on Instagram in South Africa

• The Influence of Instagram in South Africa

• How Meltwater Helps You Find the Best Time To Post on Instagram in South Africa

Tip: Read our full guide on how to post on Instagram.

The Best Time to Post on Instagram in South Africa By Weekday

The graph below shows a South African brand with several Instagram accounts.

With the Meltwater social media publishing tool, we can show you when your South African audience might be online:

Important Instagram Posting Insights for South Africa

• The least favourable time to post on Instagram in South Africa is at 6PM in the week.
• The best time to schedule your Instagram posts in South Africa is 6AM.
• The best time to reach your audience online is mid-morning, especially in the beginning of the week.
• Engagement begins to pick up while people are having their morning coffee and then increases towards the lunch break.

The below insights are based on global engagement rates, but South African social media statistics follow a similar pattern:

• B2C companies achieve their best Instagram engagement on a Saturday at 11AM and at 1PM.
• Instagram content published by media companies performs the best on Friday at 9AM.
• Companies in the healthcare sector see the best performance on Tuesday at 1PM.
• Higher Education content on Instagram performs best on Monday at 8PM.
• Tech companies see the best engagement on Instagram on Wednesday at 10AM.
• Nonprofits' Instagram posts perform well on Wednesday between 9AM and 3PM and on Sunday at 9AM.

Driving Engagement on Instagram in South Africa

To improve engagement on Instagram, it’s important to pay attention to your social media analytics. Make sure you are up to date with the best social media analytics tools to help social media performance.

Our Meltwater Social Media Management Suite offers the social media analytics you need in order to understand when your South African Instagram audience is online. Get a free tour today.

To increase followers and drive overall engagement, a great strategy is to work with South African Instagram influencers in your industry. This increases your reach as your brand is introduced to a new audience through accounts that typically have a loyal following.

The Instagram algorithm typically rewards original (unique) content both as Reels and in the form of photos. If you have engaging content, increase your engagement by including calls to action in the caption, such as “Drop an emoji that best describes your mood seeing this!”

Find the best South African influencers to partner with your brand: The Top 10 South African Instagram Influencers, Top South African Fashion Influencers, Top Beauty Influencers in South Africa, Top South African Fitness & Sports Influencers, and The Top 10 South African TikTokers.

The Influence of Instagram in South Africa

Far gone are the days of one-photo-only-posts on Instagram. The platform has grown into a massive marketing platform specialising in images, designs, videos, Reels, and live streams.

The Digital 2023 South Africa report published South African social media statistics and as of January 2023, South Africa boasted 25.8 million Instagram users (42.9% of the total national population).

Of these users, the average time spent on social media totalled to 3 hours and 44 minutes daily.

Instagram was the third most visited social media platform in South Africa, after Facebook and Twitter, and ninth most visited website overall.

Instagram has grown exponentially as a marketing tool. To get the most out of it, it’s vital that brands know the best time to post photos, Stories, and Reels in South Africa.

This will help brands:

• Reach the right audience
• Grow their follower count
• Improve engagement rates
• Increase ROI on social media marketing and social media management efforts

How Meltwater Helps You Find the Best Time To Post on Instagram in South Africa

The best time to post on Instagram in South Africa depends on your brand, your followers, and their behaviours. Having social media management tools to dig into the analytics to find the best time for your brand to publish will help take your brand to the next level.

The Meltwater social media management suite helps you get the best out of your content in the ever-changing digital content environment.

Get a free demo of our platform today by filling out the form below: