Scheduling Posts on Instagram
Scheduling Instagram posts can make managing your brand’s account much easier. When you schedule your posts, you can plan out your content in advance, freeing up time for other important tasks related to your social media strategy. In addition, consistent posting can help boost your brand’s engagement and grow your audience. If you have an Instagram Business or Creator account, you can schedule Instagram posts directly from the app or Meta Business Suite. Alternatively, you can use a tool like Metricool to manage all of your social media content in one place. Interested in learning how to schedule your Instagram posts? Keep reading below.
How to Schedule Instagram Posts
Instagram introduced post scheduling in late 2022, finally allowing their users to plan their content ahead of time. Users can schedule up to 25 pieces of content per day, and up to 75 days in advance.
To take advantage of this feature, you need to have an Instagram Business or Creator account. You can schedule posts directly on the Instagram app or through Meta Business Suite, providing flexibility and convenience in managing your brand’s content.
Schedule Instagram posts on the app
It’s easy to schedule your brand’s Instagram content directly from the app. You can schedule both posts and Reels through the platform. However, if you want to schedule Instagram Stories, you’ll need to use Meta Business Suite.
To schedule posts through the Instagram app:
- Open your Instagram app and ensure you have a Business or Creator account.
- Tap the ‘+’ button at the bottom of the screen or swipe right on your home feed to create a new post.
- Select ‘Post’ or ‘Reel’ as your content type.
- Upload or record the content you wish to schedule.
- Edit your content and add a caption.
- Tap ‘Advanced Settings’ at the bottom of the screen.
- Toggle on ‘Schedule this post’ and select your preferred date and time.
- Go back to the previous screen and tap ‘Schedule’.
Schedule Instagram posts with Meta Business Suite
You can also schedule your Instagram posts from Meta Business Suite on desktop. Here, you have the choice of scheduling Instagram posts, Reels, and Stories.
To schedule your Instagram content through Meta Business Suite:
- Open Meta Business Suite on your desktop and click ‘Content’ in the left menu.
- Select ‘Create Reel’ or ‘Create post’ for posts and Reels, or click the down arrow next to ‘Create post’ and choose ‘Create Story’ for Stories.
- Choose your Instagram account under ‘Post to’.
- Upload your post, Reel, or Story with all the necessary media and captions.
- Review the preview of your post or Story and ensure you’re satisfied.
- Toggle on ‘Set date and time’ for scheduling. For Stories or Reels, click ‘Schedule’ and choose your desired time.
Why Schedule Instagram Posts in Advance?
Planning and scheduling your brand’s Instagram posts in advance can improve the management of your social media marketing strategy, enabling you to better achieve your business objectives. This proactive approach allows you to fine-tune your strategy, freeing up additional time to focus on strengthening your brand.
The benefits of scheduling Instagram posts in advance include:
- Consistency: Keeping a regular presence on Instagram is crucial for engaging your audience and boosting brand recognition.
- Time Management: Save time and streamline your social media tasks, giving you the freedom to focus on other business priorities or interact more with your brand’s community.
- Global Audience Reach: Easily connect with followers in different time zones, expanding your brand’s reach to a wider audience.
- Strategic Planning: Plan ahead to create a cohesive content calendar, post at the best times for engagement, and share valuable content that resonates with your brand’s audience for better results.
- Data Analysis and Adaptation: Use scheduled posts to analyze social media data, identify top-performing content, best times to post, and refine your brand’s marketing strategy for improved success.
How to Schedule Instagram Posts with Metricool
Metricool lets you create, schedule, and manage your Instagram posts from one easy dashboard.
To schedule your brand’s Instagram content with Metricool:
- Go to your brand’s Metricool dashboard.
- Select ‘Planning’ from the top of the screen. Here you will find your brand’s social media content calendar.
- Click ‘+ Create post’ to open up the content creation window.
- Choose which social media platforms you want to post to. For scheduling Instagram, choose whether you want a post, Story, or Reel from the dropdown menu next to the icon. You can also preview your account’s profile feed.
- Add your desired content and caption, and choose relevant hashtags from our Trending Hashtags Generator.
- Choose the date and time you want to schedule your Instagram post for.
- Once you’re satisfied with your post, click ‘Schedule’ at the bottom of the window.
Metricool offers more than just scheduling Instagram posts. You can create and plan content for popular social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube. With Metricool, you can also track your brand’s account growth and post performance, generate analytics reports, and manage all mentions, comments, and direct messages from one inbox.
