Benefit: posted at the best time
The best time to post is when your followers are online.
Search for the best time to post and you'll find charts averaged across millions of accounts, mostly overseas. Your best time depends on your customers, and it's usually different on Instagram and Facebook.
Why there's no single best time.
A café's followers might be scrolling after work. A gym's might be up before 6am. A bar's are planning their night mid afternoon. Generic advice can't know that, but your own account insights can.
The catch is that your peak is usually when you're busiest. That's why Placit holds each post after you approve and sends it at the right time for you.
How Placit times every post.
Reads your insights
Placit uses your own Instagram and Facebook numbers, not someone else's averages.
Each channel separately
Instagram and Facebook each get their own best time. Google gets a steady stream.
Holds it after you approve
Approve when it suits you, even mid-rush. Placit sends it later at the right time.
Spreads out batches
Approve ten photos at once and Placit spaces them across the week.
Keeps learning
As your audience changes with the seasons, so do your times.
No calendar
You never pick a time or drag posts around a planner.
Example: one café, two channels
Instagram peaks at 6:15pm. Facebook at 7:30pm.
This is what an example café's audience looks like by hour. Post to both at 6:15pm and the Facebook post goes up before most of its audience arrives.
InstagramFollowers online, by hour
FacebookFollowers online, by hourExample data. Placit uses your own numbers once your accounts are connected.
Do it yourself
How to find your own best time.
In the Instagram app, open your professional dashboard and go to your insights for total followers. Scroll down to Most active times to see the hours and days your followers are on. You need a professional account and enough followers for Instagram to show it.
In Meta Business Suite, the Insights section shows who your audience is. When you schedule a post there, it can suggest active times based on when your audience is on Facebook.
Google Business Profile
Google doesn't show an hourly audience. Its Performance view shows how people found you over the month. On Google, what counts is posting regularly so there's always something recent.
An Australian catch
Time zones and daylight saving move your peak.
Queensland doesn't do daylight saving, so for half the year Brisbane is an hour behind Sydney and Melbourne. If your followers are interstate, 6pm your time isn't 6pm theirs.
| Where your followers are | Daylight saving | Compared with Brisbane |
|---|---|---|
| Brisbane (QLD) | No daylight saving | Stays on AEST all year. |
| Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart | Daylight saving | One hour ahead of Brisbane from early October to early April. |
| Adelaide (SA) | Daylight saving | Half an hour ahead of Brisbane in summer, half an hour behind in winter. |
| Darwin (NT) | No daylight saving | Half an hour behind Brisbane all year. |
| Perth (WA) | No daylight saving | Two hours behind Brisbane all year. |
Placit works from when your followers are actually online, so this is handled for you.
What Placit needs to find your times.
- Your Instagram professional account and Facebook Page connected to Placit.
- A little posting history. New accounts start with sensible times for your type of business.
- That's it. There's nothing to set up.
Questions.
What is the best time to post on Instagram in Australia?
There isn't one time that suits every business. Published charts average millions of accounts, often in other countries. Your best time is when your own followers are online, which Instagram shows you under Most active times in your insights.
Is the best time different for Facebook and Instagram?
Often, yes. The same business can have followers who peak at different times on each. Placit looks at each channel separately and posts to each at its own peak.
Does the time I post really matter?
Posting when your followers are online gives a post the best start, because more of them are there to see it. It matters less than posting regularly with good photos, but it's free reach you'd otherwise miss.
How often should a small business post?
A few times a week is a good start for most small businesses. Regular beats perfect. Placit makes each post a few seconds, so it's easy to keep up.
Does Placit pick the time for me?
Yes. Once you tap Approve, Placit holds the post in Coming up and sends it at the best time for each channel. You never pick a time.
What if my followers are in another state?
Placit works from when your followers are actually online, so a Melbourne audience for a Brisbane business is handled automatically, daylight saving included.
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