What is the best time to post Instagram reels in India

Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash

Are you an avid Instagram user in India, Picture this: You’ve just created a remarkable Instagram reel, filled with creativity and laughter. You hit that “Share” button with anticipation, hoping to witness your content soar to new heights. However, despite your best efforts, it fails to generate the desired views and engagement. This gives rise to the burning question: What is the best time to post reels on Instagram in India? When should you hit that “Share” button to ensure maximum visibility and engagement? Sound familiar? Don’t worry: you’re not alone.

As a content writer. I used to post on Instagram when I first started (I’m still learning) and have seen the problems that many creators suffer. You pour your heart and soul into creating the perfect reel, only to have it drowned in a sea of content. That’s why I’m creating this article: to solve the issues that most people have when it comes to posting reels on Instagram.

This article aims isn’t just about finding the best time to post Instagram reels, We’ll explore how to increase views on Instagram reels, discover creative reels, discover innovative ideas that stand out, unravel the elements that make a reel go viral, and many more. So it’s time to unlock the potential of your reels, establish a strong online presence, and connect with your audience in ways you never thought possible.

I strongly believe by the end of this blog, you’ll better understand the strategies and insights you need to build your presence on Instagram with your reels.

Get ready to make an impact, tell your stories, and captivate the world– one reel at a time.

Without further ado let’s start by addressing the basics

Instagram content creation and what to keep in mind.

Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash

Content creation on Instagram has become an art form in itself. It’s no longer just about sharing a photo or a simple caption. With over 2 billion active users, Instagram is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms. So it’s no wonder that many people are turning to capture those eyeballs and drive the traffic.

But here’s the catch: With millions of content shared every day, how do you make your reel or any post stand out from the crowd? This makes it important to understand the 3 pillars to make the content unique :

• Capturing attention
• Sparkling emotion
• Telling stories in a matter of seconds

So that’s where the Instagram reels come into play. Reels allow you to unleash your imagination, and combine music, effects, and quick snippets of video content to create something truly captivating. Previously, the reel length was 30 seconds, but now you can choose a video length of up to 90 seconds. In addition to reels, there are other video contents, such as :

Instagram stories: Short video clips often 15 seconds or less that are generally casual and easy to make. They also disappear within 24 hours unless you pin them to your highlights. Which makes it a great place to experiment.

Instagram videos: The IGTV feature and in-feed video of Instagram merged to create one single video format. Now you can post both short and long videos anywhere between 3 seconds to 60 minutes. It is a better way to create contents that are long like how-to and product demonstrations.

Instagram Live: They are usually live streaming. It can last up to 4 hours and can ask 3 guests to join the live show.

So, for the time being, I’ll be focusing primarily on Instagram reels. So let’s delve further into understanding the reels.

Which topic is best for Instagram reels?

Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash

If you have this question in mind then, it’s likely because you haven’t yet identified your niche or haven’t found clarity in your content ideas. There isn’t a one-size fits all answer to this question as it depends on your interest and passions. So when it comes to selecting topics for reels, authenticity is key. Consider this: if we have a disease, we will always go to a doctor. Why?. Because we know they are the finest at treating sickness because of their authenticity.

To build authority, start by reflecting on your passions, interest, and areas of expertise. What do you love talking about? What knowledge or skills do you have that can add value to your viewers’ lives? By addressing these questions you can define your niche and target audience, which is the first step in any content marketing journey. Focusing on subjects that genuinely inspire you will help to create more consistent content or otherwise at some point you lose interest in what you’re sharing.

To understand your target audience better, identify their pain points, desires, and interests. For example, if your target audience is freelance content writers, then they may be looking for content related to — how to get leads, showcase their portfolio to clients, pricing strategies, and more. Thus by knowing what type of content your target audience consumes, you can tailor your content to provide solutions, inspiration, or entertainment.

Another crucial aspect is to observe the current trends and popular themes on Instagram, Stay up to date with the latest viral content that is taking the platform by storm. Incorporating these trends into your reels while staying true to your niche, can help you reach a wider audience.

Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things, Instagram reels allow for versatility, so feel free to explore various topics and formats. But remember, as we always say “consistency is the key”. Create a stream of content around your niche, you may not see results at first but stay disciplined, and keep posting, Maintaining a content planner can help you stay on track. We will be discussing more about the Instagram content planner in the coming sections.

So to put it simply trust the process and over time this will help you establish yourself as an authority in your chosen areas and build a loyal audience.

With that said, let’s take a look at some of the creative ideas that can come in handy.

Some Creative Instagram reel ideas

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Who doesn’t love surprises? Imagine giving your audience something truly unexpected through your Instagram reels. Creating engaging reels is all about offering a unique and surprising experience.

Here’s an idea: why not try storytelling through your reels? Craft a mini-narrative that takes your viewers on a journey. If you’re a travel vlogger and you are targeting budget-conscious travelers,

let’s look at how can you do it :

1. Begin with an attention-grabbing shot: capture a breathtaking view of the destination you’re visiting, this will immediately spark curiosity within them to know more.
2. Introduce the place: You can use a voiceover or some caption(along with good music) to provide a brief introduction to the location while the different shots still play in the background.
3. Unfold the journey: Showcase the snippets of your exploration, such as walking through the beautiful sceneries and trying local cuisine, etc.
4. Give the budget ideas: By this time your audience will be interested in the place but the next question that comes to their mind is “Is this costly?”. Here is where you could introduce the cost.
5. Keep the curiosity: Create suspense and leave your audience wanting more. This will keep them engaged and eager to see your future travel reels.

Remember, the above steps we discussed can be rearranged or customized as per your preference. Design it the way you want!

Another creative approach is to leverage the power of music. Choose a catchy tune that complements your content and enhances its impact. You can synchronize your movements, actions, or transitions with the rhythms. This creates an immersive and entertaining experience for your viewers.

Humor is also a powerful tool. Infusing your reels with laughter and lightheartedness can go a long way in capturing your audience’s attention and forging a connection. It can be clever wordplay or relatable situation reels etc. I personally like relatable reels. So go out there and explore different options by keeping your eyes wide open.

Always remember to align your creative approach with your niche and what you are trying to communicate. Some ideas may work others may not, so do the experiment and observe the insights to understand which content gets the most engagement. This way, you can focus more on creating that type of content.

Before we go any further, here are a few free AI tools that can help you write outstanding content for your Instagram posts with ease.

Let’s take a look at some of the methods for increasing the number of views on your Instagram reels

How to increase views on Instagram reels

Photo by Oleg Laptev on Unsplash

1. Provide valuable content:

Credibility is an important factor among Instagram followers especially when you are sharing something informational or awareness content. For example, Neil Patel’s reels (hope you know him) focus on SEO tips for online marketers, people follow the page to get some insights into a particular field.

“Valuable” content isn’t just limited to informational but it can be funny or humorous content.

Focus on delivering value and avoid posting stale and repetitive content — aligned with your niche.

2. Add relevant Hashtags:

Take time to research popular and relevant hashtags within your niche. Find ones that are frequently used by your target audience or related to the content of your reels. This will help you identify niche-specific hashtags to attract the right viewers. These hashtags may have a smaller reach, but they can help you attract genuinely interested audiences, to who you should focus.

On the other hand, Popular hashtags have a higher audience reach, but they also have higher competition. So by combining both types of hashtags, it will help you reach a wider yet relevant audience.

3. Timing:

A simple strategy to get more views and engagements for your Instagram reels is to post when your followers or target audience are most active.

But how will I know at what time people are most active?

If you have an Instagram business account, you can see when your followers are most active using the app’s Insights feature. On the insights you can know about the accounts reached and accounts engaged, and at the bottom of the followers’ section you can view the “most active times” of your followers. So posting the right post at the right time works well.

4. Create a suspense element in your reel

You might have come across some reels which say “Wait till the end” or “Wait for the twist”. Now tell me how many times you waited to know the twist even though you felt like skipping it.

Be sure to give them the twist at the end and not fool your audience or it will backfire.

Incorporating elements of suspense or unexpected twist in your reels will keep viewers engaged which increases the watch time. This signals the Instagram algorithm that people are interested in your content and in turn, promote your content.

5. Use a trending Audio Track:

Trends are crucial in Instagram reels. They often revolve around specific audio, such as songs or independent clips.

Don’t know what’s trending? At the bottom of any reel, click on the music to see how many have used the audio in their reels.

For instance, you most probably would have come across the trending “The Boys” audio (in red color) playing in numerous reels, with around 29k reels using it. Another example is “See you again”( epic orchestral) was used in close to 80K reels by the time of writing this blog.

Remember trends on social media platforms come and go quickly. When a trend shows up, be sure to join it while the trend is rising rather than when it’s fading from the peak.

6. End with an engaging CTA

Including an effective CTA or “Call to Action” can be the best way to grow the audience base. This means that you’re encouraging viewers of the reel to do something specific.

Your CTA can be anything, like asking your viewers to comment on how they felt about the reels, asking them to share, or liking if they found the content valuable(especially for informative content). You can also ask them to mention a friend especially if you shared a “relatable video” content — trust me people love to do that.

As a creator, you can be creative with your CTA as long as it makes sense in the context of your video.

Finally don’t forget to share your Instagram reels across your other social media platforms and digital channels. You can share the snippets of your reels on platforms like Facebook, and Twitter. You can also embed your reel link to relevant blog posts to drive traffic. Remember the more visibility your reel has, the more the chances of increasing views and engagement.

I think now is the time to address the elephant in the room

what is the best time to post reels on Instagram in India?

Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash

Let me clarify that first, There is no one size fits all answer to this question, The first step in determining the best time to post your reels depends on whom your target audience is and when they are most active. Consider their demographics, lifestyle, and online behavior. Are they working professionals, students, or a mix of both? Are they more active during weekdays or weekends?

So by gaining insights into your audience’s habits, you can tailor your posting schedule to align with their availability and maximize the chances of your reels being seen.

But generally speaking the good time to post reels on Instagram is between 9 am to 12 pm, especially during work days and during the weekends these timing can vary due to people’s plans. Remember that the cultures of different countries vary, therefore when writing, bear in mind how to align your post correctly, with your target group.

In India, for example, there are numerous festivals such as Diwali, Dussehra, Thrissur Pooram (a festival in Kerala state), and important dates such as Independence Day, Republic Day, and so on. So it’s necessary to study these days and produce posts on them, such as designing a post sending wishes during Diwali can help you attract an audience to your brand.

Now let’s look at some key factors to consider which could help us get an idea for better Instagram post timing :

Competitors: An easy way is to observe your competitors. Take a look at when they are posting and try to identify any pattern also if they are getting good engagement for their post, then it might be worth considering posting at the same time.

Frequency of posting: One question that keeps playing with our minds is, “How often should I post reels”.

Let me tell you that there are no magic numbers. But if you’re starting out, aim to post at least once a day. As you build up a following, you can experiment with posting more or less frequently to see what works for your audience.

The most important thing is to observe the performance of your reels, some may get more engagement and others may not. So study Why certain reels get more attention than the rest. If you are using an Instagram business account you can easily analyze it from the “Insights” on Instagram.

Your Industry: Depending on your industry, the active online time your audience may vary significantly. For example, sectors in which most of the staff work during the night are going to respond to different hours than those that work during the daytime.

Audience Demographics & Routine

Understanding when your potential viewers’ routines and interests can help you identify a pattern of when they will be most likely to be active on social media.

• Your audience’s age: Younger audiences tend to be more active on social media after school or college hours — in the evening and nighttime. While working people could be active during lunchtime or maybe in between work breaks. On the other hand, Retired individuals or older people will be active during the day time.
• Your audience location: If your audience is mostly in the same time zone, consider posting during the peak hours of that time zone.
• Your audience’s Interest: Post topics that are in line with the interest of the audience. Also, make sure to post it when they are more likely to online searching for the information

Your follower’s behavior: your existing followers are your brand ambassadors, and there already likes your content, so it’s important to know when they are most active. As we discussed in the above section Instagram Insights can give you valuable information about your follower’s behavior. This helps you pinpoint optimal posting times for reels.

Most importantly experimentation is the key when determining the best time to post your reels. Don’t be afraid to try different time slots and observe the response from your audience. Analyze the performance of your reels, including views, likes, comments, and shares, to identify the trend. This interactive approach will help you fine-tune your posting and optimize your reel strategy over time.

What is the Instagram content planner and how can it be helpful?

Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

Identifying the reel timing alone won’t help but we need to be consistent with posting the content. Having a popper content plan will help you stay organized and disciplined with content creation. A good Instagram content planner can help you achieve that.

How a content planner can be helpful

• Capturing content at the optimal time: We must admit that we are busy and there will be hundreds of thoughts going through our minds and it makes sense that we won’t be having that creative juice flowing every single day. But sometimes, we may feel our creative juices just keep flowing and there is no turning off. This is the time we should capture the essence and schedule it for the upcoming days. So creating a bulk of posts at once can keep you concentrated on your creative side.
• Managing your time: By the time we know that the optimal time to post is when your audience is most active. But it may not be feasible to log in to Instagram every day at the exact time to post as we may be busy with something else. So if you could capture the content as we mentioned above and scheduling it can save you time and give up your tension of posting.

Now as you got an understanding of “why” content planners, now let’s explore some content planners out there.

1. Planoly: They helps you schedule post not only on Instagram but on other platforms such as LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.

screenshot from Planoly website

You can easily draft, plan and schedule the post based on the calendar. They also offer analytical features that help you know the performance of your post and help to get an idea of what type of content your audience enjoys.

Planoly offers a 7-day free trial and offers 3 options starter — which allows 60 uploads per month, Growth — unlimited uploads, Professional — unlimited uploads, and 6 users can use the profile. So according to the stage or the need of your company, you can choose the plan.

2. Hopperhq: This content planner helps you to schedule 50 posts at one time, and you can set your various accounts to different time zone.

screenshot from the Hopperhq website

It gives Instagram analytics, a grid planner, and social media calendar which helps you see your plans. One thing to remember is that Most of the apps give these features and I will not be repeating them. They offer a 14-day free trial.

3. Social Champ: It helps you plan and schedule social content across different platforms. You can create, plan, view, schedule or reschedule, edit, post right away, and delete your social posts within the content calendar.

Screenshot from SocialChamp website

The free version helps you add a maximum of 3 social accounts and the analytical feature is available only for the paid version. If you are someone who is just starting on your Instagram or any other social media posting and mainly looking to schedule your post I would say a free version of the tool is enough, but if you want further options you can look into upgrading the plan.

4. Canva: I hope most of you are aware of this amazing design tool.

Screenshot from Canva website

As someone who isn’t skilled with Photoshop, Canva is really helpful in creating content, especially for social media. I consider Canva as one the best tool out there because it is both a great designer and a great content planner. So if you’re already designing with Canva you dont need to find any other tools to plan or schedule the contents. But to use the scheduler we need to upgrade to the premium version.

In addition to what we have discussed, there are many other tools out there like Simplified, Plann, Hootsuite, and more. Remember we dont need every tool, if you are starting out, try out each tool’s free trial and decide which one suits your business or posting style.

Now let’s look at some of the FAQs

What makes a reel trending?

Photo by Ben Eaton on Unsplash

Trigger emotions: If you have observed there is something common about trending reels — it’s their ability to evoke emotions. Whether it’s laughter, inspiration, or a surprise a reel that resonates with the audience tends to attract more attention and shares. Just think what made you share or comment on a reel that you just watched? What made it special from others? It’s nothing but the emotions that triggered and encouraged you to take action.

Relevance and trend: Another factor that can contribute to the success of a training reel is its relevance to current trends or popular topics. Paying attention to what’s happening in the world and leveraging timely events, challenges, or viral trends can significantly boost the chances of your reel gaining momentum.

In addition to the type of content how you structure your reel is quite important. Capturing your audience’s attention in the first few seconds is crucial. So starting the content with a hook and building up the curiosity is critical. I hope you remember we discussed thein in the above sections.

A good call to action: will make people engage with your reels which gives an Instagram algorithm to promote your content. Remember, creating a trending reel is a combination of creativity, relevance, and engagement together with visually appealing and discoverability.

How to collaborate on Instagram reels

Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash

Collaborating on Instagram reels can be a great way to cross-promote each other’s content, tap into new audiences, and create engaging content together. By partnering with other creators, you can tap into their follower base, exposing your content to a whole new audience who may be interested in your unique style and content.

The first step in collaborating on reels is finding the right partner or partners. Look for creators that align with brand values, have similar target audiences, or have similar content. Once you’ve found your collaborators, Use the Instagram collabs feature that lets users work together and co-author posts or reels. This feature allows you to share a post simultaneously on two profiles. This will drive the engagement rate more than usual and in turn the Insatgram’a algorithm will also take this high engagement rate into account and promote the content.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Instagram app on your mobile and create a post or reel.
2. When posting details, go to the “Tag People” option.
3. Select the “Invite Collaborator.”
4. Find the person you want to collaborate with by searching for them and choosing their username. You can add multiple collaborators.
5. After selecting the partner you are collaborating with then add other details to the post and tap on the Share button.

The post or reel will be shared as a collaboration once the request is been accepted by other users(partners).

Conclusion

Photo by Fab Lentz on Unsplash

I hope by now you got a better understanding of how to deal with Instagram reels and maximize the impact on the platform. We’ve explored a range of topics, from finding the best time to post the reels to crafting engaging and creative content that captivates your audience. Along the way, we’ve learned the importance of storytelling, leveraging popular trends, and optimizing the reels for maximum reach.

Remember, the key to success in Instagram or any platform lies in staying true to your unique voice and connecting with your audience authentically. Most importantly whether you’re someone aiming to build a presence on Instagram or any other platform, the basic and the most important step is to define who your target audience is in a crystal clear manner, or else whatever you do is pointless.

Take what you’ve learned experiment, learn from your successes and failures, and most importantly, have fun along the way. Eventually, you will find what content style suits you. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day