Instagram's Content Scheduling: How to Use It to Your Advantage

Effective Instagram marketing involves taking advantage of all the features the platform offers. One of the most recent additions is content scheduling, which Instagram announced in early December of 2022.

It’s worth taking a closer look at what it is and how you can use it to your advantage.

How It Works

The content scheduling feature is straightforward. You can use it to schedule reels, photos, and carousel posts. Use the new Instagram feature to schedule posts 75 days ahead of time or sooner, conveniently from the Instagram app.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Using the feature takes a few simple steps.

• 1. Select “Create” to create your content.
• 2. Choose whether you want to make a Reel or Post.
• 3. Select “Advanced Settings.”
• 4. Select “Schedule.”
• 5. Choose the date and time. You can select a date up to 75 days in the future.
• 6. Select “Done.”
• 7. Select the back button, and you’ll go back to your share sheet.

If you want to edit the post or reschedule it, just navigate back to it.

• 1. Click on the upper right corner’s hamburger menu.
• 2. Select “Scheduled posts.”
• 3. Select the post.
• 4. Edit or reschedule it as desired and click “Done.”

Limitations

You can use this new content scheduling feature for carousel posts, reels, and photos. However, there are a handful of features that won’t work with scheduled posts. You can’t use the following on scheduled Reels or Posts:

• Product tagging
• Cross-posting to Facebook
• Collaborative posts
• Fundraisers
• Sponsored posts

Understand the Benefits of Scheduling Your Content

Whether you are using Instagram or another social media platform, scheduling your posts is a smart way to save time and be consistent. Now that Instagram has a built-in scheduling feature, you don’t need to use an external program to schedule your content.

This way, you get all of the following benefits of scheduling Instagram content from inside the app:

• Save time by scheduling multiple future posts in one sitting
• Be consistent, and never forget to post on time
• Organize your content calendar
• Write stronger captions because you can plan
• Write a more cohesive story because you can plan photos and text

And It’s Built Into Instagram

Even better, the new feature means that you can schedule your posts right from within Instagram. That means you no longer have to spend time comparing various post-scheduling tools, setting up an account with them, or paying for third-party services. You can now do it all for free via your Instagram account.

With that background in mind, how can you use the new content scheduling feature to your advantage? You’ll notice that some of them come down to following the best practices you would for any other Instagram post, Reel, or Story.

Schedule Posts for the Right Time (and Date)

One obvious benefit of post-scheduling is the ability to schedule future posts. This way, you can plan and set up your holiday post months ahead of time. You don’t have to worry about remembering to post on a given day, something that is especially important if you are on vacation or sick.

But you can also use content scheduling to post at the appropriate time. This lets you figure out when the ideal time to post is for your audience and then always schedule posts for that time. It won’t matter if the ideal time for your audience is the middle of the night or outside of work hours. The scheduling feature will automatically post your content at the selected time.

Example Times

Every industry and audience will be slightly different, but the following are some common posting time suggestions:

• Monday: 6 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m.
• Tuesday: 8 to 10 a.m., 2 p.m.
• Wednesday: 9 to 11 a.m.
• Thursday: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 7 p.m.
• Friday: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., 2 to 4 p.m.
• Saturday: 8 to 11 a.m.
• Sunday: 6 to 8 p.m.

Make Sure You Are an Admin on the Business Profile

When you schedule Instagram posts, they will show up on your professional account’s profile. So, you will need to make sure that you have administrative access to your Instagram business profile to use this feature.

Choose the Right Images

Whether you are scheduling a post ahead of time or posting it immediately, you want to use high-resolution photos that are on-brand and appealing to viewers. Consider using bold colors or making branded illustrations to help your profile stand out.

Follow Hashtag Best Practices

As with any other post or Reel on Instagram, follow the best practices regarding hashtags. Try to use enough hashtags to increase attention to your post. As you choose the hashtags, make sure that they are all relevant to your post or business.

Include SEO Keywords

Yet another Instagram best practice to follow with scheduled posts is using keywords. As you craft your caption, do your best to include SEO keywords naturally. This will make your content easier to find when people search for those keywords on Instagram.

Use Your Free Time to Boost Engagement

Using the content scheduling feature on Instagram lets you save time. Smart marketers will use that newly freed time to boost engagement with their audience. For example, you can set an hour or two every week (or day) to respond to comments and host polls. Use this time to share stories you are tagged in as well.

Conclusion

In the past, you had to use third-party programs to schedule content on Instagram. But the platform recently announced the ability to schedule posts up to 75 days ahead. Using this ability wisely can save you time and ensure you stick to your posting schedule. It also gives you time to plan your posts, letting you choose the best images, captions, and hashtags without feeling rushed. The new feature also makes it easy to reschedule or edit your scheduled posts if you need to.