How to Schedule an Instagram Post in 2024 [+5 Benefits]

On this page, we’ll talk about our two favorite Instagram scheduling apps this year, how to schedule Instagram posts in 2024, as well as five benefits of scheduling your Instagram posts. If you need help creating and scheduling Instagram posts, call us today at 888-601-5359 to speak with a strategist.

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Our top 2 Instagram scheduling apps

If you’re like most social media marketers, the more hands-free your campaign, the better. It can become daunting to post every time you have a sale, a new product launch, or a new employee — so scheduling your Instagram posts helps you free up your schedule for other marketing initiatives.

When it comes to Instagram scheduling apps of 2024, our two favorites are Hootsuite and Creator Studio.

Here’s how to schedule an Instagram post or posts using our top apps.

Using Hootsuite for Instagram scheduling

1. Add your Instagram account to your Hootsuite profile: Simply click the “Add a Social Network” button.
2. Log into your Insta account: Choose Instagram from the first dialogue box and then log into your Insta account.
3. Create a post within the Streams dashboard: Create your post as you normally would with your caption and hashtags. You can also add images by using the paperclip icon!
4. Schedule your post: Click the calendar icon to schedule your post!

Using Creator Studio for Instagram scheduling

1. Link Instagram and Creator Studio: First, you’ll need to link your Instagram account to Creator Studio. Creator Studio is native to Facebook, so that’s where you’ll find the instructions.
2. Create post: After you’ve linked your Insta account to Creator Studio, click “Create post” and then “Instagram Feed.”
3. Upload images or videos: Next, click the “Add Content” link and choose image or video files to upload.
4. Write your post content: Add your caption! This is also where you’ll include relevant hashtags.
5. Schedule your Instagram post: Finally, click the small arrow beside the “Publish” button, and click “Schedule.”

BONUS: Scheduling Instagram posts as a business profile

Instagram announced in January 2018 that businesses could schedule singular Instagram posts ahead of time. This feature is only available to business profiles, and it is restricted to posts only (no ads) since it works through social media software and not through Instagram itself.

If you logged into your Instagram business profile to try and schedule posts ahead of time, you wouldn’t be able to do it. Instagram doesn’t support the ability to schedule a head of time within its own program. Instead, you’d need to do it through a program like Buffer or Hootsuite.

To schedule your Instagram posts, follow these five steps:

1. Create a business profile:

First, you need to have an Instagram business profile to use scheduled posts. If you already have an Instagram account, you can go into your settings to change it to a business profile.

You’ll want to have a business profile to reap other benefits besides scheduling. Instagram business profiles allow you to access features, like Instagram Insights. This tool shows you when your followers are online, their ages, genders, and locations (cities).

A business profile also gives you access to adding a contact button on your Instagram profile. On top of all of that, you can promote posts and add links to your Instagram stories.

Not only will an Instagram business profile help you schedule Instagram posts, but you’ll also enjoy numerous other benefits.

2. Add Instagram to your social media management platform

If you want to schedule Instagram posts, you need to use a social media management platform like Buffer or Hootsuite.

If you don’t have a social media management platform, you’ll need to invest in one. Once you select a platform, you’ll need to follow their instructions for adding your Instagram account.

3. Plan your posts

The ability to schedule Instagram posts in advance means you need to plan your feed. You don’t want your feed to look to plain or repetitive — which can occur if you are scheduling your posts all at once and don’t notice how posts are similar.

By planning your feed, you’ll give your Instagram profile variety. It’ll help you see your overall content plan and see if you need to make changes. You’ll also keep your Instagram account engaging because you won’t post the same content repeatedly.

4. Create your post

Once you have your feed planned out, you can start creating your posts. You’ll want to make sure that your photos fit your company’s look and feel, which will help you build better brand consistency on your profile.

There are numerous things you can post to your Instagram account. One great option is your products. It’s a great opportunity for your Instagram followers to get the look and feel of your products.

You can share photos of people using your products or the product itself. You’ll want to vary your post types to ensure that your feed isn’t just filled with uninteresting photos of products.

Instagram is also great to post photos of your staff or projects you’re executing. It gives your audience insight into your business and helps them get to know your business better.

5. Schedule your posts

Once you have your posts created, it’s time to schedule them. You’ll want to consider the best time to reach your audience by asking yourself when are they most likely to see your Instagram posts.

You can use your Instagram analytics to help you figure out when your audience is likely to be online.

As you schedule your Instagram posts, ensure that you aren’t being too rigid with your schedule. If you consistently post content at the same exact time, your profile risks seeming robotic and boring.

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6 benefits of scheduling your Instagram posts

Now you know how to schedule an Instagram post or posts, you might think scheduling Instagram posts is not seem like a big deal, but it has numerous added benefits to your business.

1. Scheduling Instagram posts saves time

The biggest benefit to scheduling Instagram posts is saving time. When you can schedule a bunch of posts in advance, you don’t have to carve out time each day to schedule your posts. It’s more efficient to schedule a handful of posts at one time, rather than posting them every day.

This also means you don’t have to worry about being available to post when your audience is online. You schedule posts to appear when your audience is likely to see them. Your posts will always reach your audience at the optimal time, without you needing to set reminders to publish posts.

When you save time by scheduling Instagram posts, you open your schedule to working on other tasks. This makes it an efficient option to help you focus on other tasks.

2. Scheduling Instagram posts helps you publish seamlessly

Before Instagram enabled publishing, you needed to rely on your phone to publish photos for your campaign. This makes it more challenging to handle your Instagram account and properly post your content.

Now that you can schedule posts, you can do it on your desktop. This means that you streamline the process because you can keep all your photos on your computer instead of your phone. It makes it easier for you to prioritize which photos go first on your Instagram account.

It also allows you to keep everything in one place. Instead of constantly sending photos to your phone to post for late, you can do it all on your desktop. This makes it easy and convenient to post to Instagram.

3. Scheduling Instagram posts builds consistency

When you build your Instagram profile, you want to create some consistency. You want your audience to see your post in their feed and know it’s your business’. Your Instagram profile is an extension of your brand, so you want to carry your brand through your Instagram account.

Your photos should have a similar filter, color palette, and captions. This will help you build consistency across your posts.

By scheduling posts ahead of time, you ensure that you enforce this consistency on your posts. You can see how all your posts look together and ensure that they carry across the same style. It also makes it easier for you the look and feel across your posts if you’re focused on publishing them at the same time.

4. Scheduling Instagram posts encourages engagement

When you schedule Insta posts, it allows you to post more frequently. It’s easier to create multiple posts at one time. This means that you can increase engagement on your Instagram profile.

When you post more frequently, you encourage engagement. Your audience will see more posts from you, which means more brand exposure. It also creates more opportunities for them to comment and interact with your posts.

This can also help you earn more followers. If you are constantly posting content and promoting posts, you’ll attract more people to your page. It’s a great way to increase your followers and attract more valuable leads.

Higher engagement results in leads becoming more familiar with your brand. This will help you earn more valuable conversions down the line.

5. Scheduling Instagram posts creates balance

Scheduling Instagram posts helps you see your overall campaign better. You can analyze your posts and see where you need to make improvements.

When you schedule Instagram posts, you may find that you have too many of the same type of photo back to back. By scheduling posts ahead of time, you see your different posts and note if you need to make changes.

It’s important to create balance with your posts. You don’t want to have too many dark photos or light photos. You’ll want to keep the same type of filter but vary the contrast of the picture. This will help you stay consistent, but also keep your content fresh.

When you schedule Insta posts, it will help you have more control over your campaign. You’ll have a better perception of your overall campaign and can make the necessary changes to improve it before you launch your posts.

Let WebFX help you schedule impactful Instagram posts

There are numerous advantages to scheduling your Instagram posts. By taking the time to schedule them, you’ll have a more cohesive Instagram campaign. Although now you are fully aware about how to schedule an Instagram post, at WebFX, we have a team of over 500 experts that will help you schedule Instagram posts.

We’re a full-service digital marketing company that specializes in social media marketing. Our team has over 28 years of experience creating social media marketing plans that work. We’ll help you create an Instagram marketing plan that drives results.

If you want a social media marketing company that drives results, you’ve come to the right place. To date, we’ve driven over $10 billion in sales and over 24 million leads for our clients. We focus on creating plans that work to drive the best results for your business.

Want to know what it’s like to partner with us? Just ask our clients! Check out our 1,100+ client testimonials that attest to the great work we do for our clients!

Get started scheduling Instagram posts today!

If you’re ready to start taking advantage of Instagram’s scheduling feature, contact us online or call us today at 888-601-5359 to speak with a strategist.

We look forward to hearing from you! And in the mean time, check out our list of our favorite social media scheduling tools!