Figuring out how often to post on Instagram is the pillar of any strategy for the platform. It's also a balancing act. You don't want to post so little that no one sees your content, but you also don't want to post so much that Instagram thinks you're a spam account. On top of that, you also have to consider how much time and energy you realistically have to dedicate to the platform.

Whether you have a social media team or you're a mighty entrepreneurial team of one, we have advice on how often you should post on Instagram as you build your social media marketing strategy.

We looked at what Instagram has posted publicly, checked out the strategy of successful merchants, and analyzed available research to get the best advice for how often to post on Instagram in 2023.

How Often Should You Post on Instagram

It's recommended to post 3 stories a day evenly spaced out around popular viewing times for your target audience.

Instagram's Head, Adam Mosseri, has stated that “a couple of feeds a week, a couple of Stories per day” is a great pace to aim for. By that suggestion, while your feed is important, posting more frequently to your Story is also valuable, maybe even more so.

It's important to have a "healthy feed" that is consistent in your posting strategy. According to research from Hubspot, the median cadence of feed posts across Instagram users was four per week. However, this is higher for business accounts, which posted an average of 1.56 times per day to their main feed. As well, 20% of business accounts posted to their Story at least once per week.

Combining this research with Adam's comments, we can ascertain that posting one feed post and two Stories per day is a pretty good bet for growing your engagement. Whether you are able to start at that pace depends on how much time, experience, and personnel you have.

Get into a Consistent Rhythm

The most important piece of advice for when to post on Instagram is that consistency is more important than volume, especially as you start out. Here are some tips to get your rhythm going:

• Start with a doable schedule. Focus on a consistent posting schedule that makes sense for you and your business right now. That might look more like three feed posts per week and three Stories per week.

• Set up a schedule for your posts. However much you're posting, spread it out. Schedule days, such as posting a feed photo on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and a Story on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

• Use Instagram management apps. Use Instagram management apps like Sked, Later, or Hootsuite to schedule posts in advance. That way, you can create your posts in bulk ahead of time and not have to worry about checking in and coming up with new content every day.

Consistency is king when it comes to how often to post on Instagram, and that applies to more than just your posting cadence. Creating and maintaining a posting rhythm will build a habit for you or your team, let your audience know when to expect new posts, and keep you in tune with trends and your own metrics.

Experiment with your Content

The key to growing on Instagram is to consistently provide high-quality content that people love interacting with. Experimenting with new formats, like video, as well as using hashtags, thoughtful captions, and geotagging locations can all help boost your content. Keep an eye on your metrics and monitor what works, what doesn't, and what your customers respond to most.

Fifthweapon: Your Social Media Partner

At Fifthweapon, we help build scalable and measurable creative campaigns that sell. We use data to CREATE, DISTRIBUTE, ENGAGE & ITERATE our marketing strategies & paid advertising campaigns across all major social media platforms, including Google, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Snapchat. Our team of experts is platform agnostic and strategically works to connect our clients with their ideal customers.

Partner with us to take your Instagram presence to the next level. Contact us today for a consultation and see how we can help you achieve your business goals.