Posting top-notch content material that your viewers can join with ought to at all times be your first precedence for Instagram progress. However if you really feel such as you’ve bought that down pat, is there the rest you are able to do to spice up your content material efficiency?
Because it seems, there is perhaps.
We dug into Buffer’s wealthy Instagram information to reply a giant query: What’s the perfect posting frequency for progress on Instagram in 2025?
We analyzed over 2 million posts from 100,000+ Instagram accounts — and the information paints a very clear image: the extra you submit, the higher your content material performs.
Technically, this isn’t information. At Buffer, we bang on about persistently posting rather a lot. So do loads of profitable creators and, even Instagram’s prime boss, Adam Mosseri.
However what does ‘consistency’ really imply? How typically do you have to be posting on Instagram? How a lot is an excessive amount of?
You need specifics? Now we have them.
Let’s discover what the information says about Instagram posting frequency’s impact on follower progress, attain, and extra.
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When you’re eager to dig into the information otherwise you need some receipts for the suggestions we’re making beneath (honest), scroll right down to the part The examine: How posting frequency impacts progress on Instagram.
How typically do you have to submit on Instagram?
Buffer information reveals that posting 3-5 occasions per week on Instagram is probably going the candy spot for reaching each attain and progress with out burning out or sacrificing high quality.
Posting extra often than it will result in extra attain and followers, however the returns are diminishing.
⚡️ Posting between 3 and 5 occasions weekly can greater than double follower progress fee, in comparison with posting one or two occasions weekly.
✨ Posting 3–5 occasions weekly may enhance your attain per submit by round 12% in comparison with your baseline.
On this evaluation, we checked out Instagram feed posts — so pictures, reels, and carousels — not Instagram Tales, since tales aren’t supreme for reaching new audiences. Extra on this beneath.
That stated, in the event you’re a full-time creator or Instagram-focused model (and you are able to do so with out sacrificing content material high quality), you may bump that quantity as much as 6-9 or 10+ posts weekly for a follower enhance.
Our evaluation reveals that posting 6–9 occasions per week may yield practically 3.7× the improve in follower progress fee (0.44%) of posting 1–2 occasions per week.
Posting 10 or extra occasions per week may imply a couple of 5.5× improve (0.66%).
Extra progress, sure, there are these diminishing returns we talked about.
The largest leap in attain per submit occurs if you transfer from 1–2 to three–5 posts per week — a couple of 12% elevate.
Rising past that also drives positive aspects, however the dimension of every step up will get smaller: 6–9 posts/week provides one other ~6 share factors, and 10+ posts/week provides ~5 extra.
On the alternative finish of the spectrum, the minimal quantity to submit on Instagram is 1-2 occasions per week. Posting any lower than that would lead to account stagnation or perhaps a drop in followers.
Our suggestions in a nutshell:
- 🌱 When you simply need to keep lively or preserve your account: 1–2 posts/week
- 🪴 Develop your viewers in a sustainable method: 3–5 posts/week
- 🌳 Maximize your progress (deal with with warning): 6–9+ posts/week
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Buffer makes it a lot simpler to remain constant on Instagram. Set your posting aim, get rewarded for constant streaks, schedule prematurely, and extra. Join free →
Does posting extra typically harm attain?
In no way. In reality, the information reveals that attain per submit really goes up with extra frequent posting.
It’s a honest concern — you is perhaps wanting on the numbers above, considering you’d be flooding your followers’ feeds with that a lot content material. Will extra posts simply cannibalize one another? Or will they annoy your viewers, prompting them to unfollow?
Neither of those is probably going. Keep in mind how a lot the varied Instagram algorithms and feeds have modified. The house feed, the place your present followers will probably come throughout your content material, hasn’t been chronological for years. It’s unlikely the algorithm will push all of your posts out one after the opposite (it’s a lot smarter than that!).
I at all times like to consider including extra posts to my content material calendar like shopping for extra lottery tickets — the extra you purchase, the extra possible you might be to hit the jackpot of touchdown on the discover web page or reels feed.
Sure, there are diminishing returns on the greater finish — however even these additional few posts can transfer the needle in case you have the bandwidth.
Right here for the information deep dive? Listed below are the numbers that again these suggestions up.
📚 The examine 📚
How posting frequency impacts progress on Instagram
This in all probability received’t shock any veteran Instagram creators: The extra you submit, the extra possible you might be to achieve new individuals and develop your viewers.
Buffer’s resident information scientist Julian Winternheimer sliced and diced the information a number of alternative ways, and regardless of which angle you’re taking, the next posting frequency means extra attain and progress.
There’s some nuance right here, after all — we’ll dig into that beneath, too.
Earlier than we get into it: On this evaluation, we checked out Instagram feed posts — so pictures, reels, and carousels — not Instagram Tales.
Since tales usually are not sometimes proven to non-followers, they’re great for participating present followers, however not a game-changer for rising your account.
With that in thoughts, Julian analyzed the efficiency and posting frequency of two.1 million posts from 102K Instagram accounts. He classed posting frequency into 5 totally different ‘buckets ’:
- No posts
- 1-2 posts per week
- 3-5 posts per week
- 6-9 posts per week
- 10+ posts
On this examine, we didn’t phase reels, single-photo posts, and carousels. All three of those codecs are included. (We’re engaged on it, although, so watch this area for extra!)
Right here’s what he uncovered.
1. Extra posts per week means extra progress
First, we explored the hyperlink between posting frequency and progress, which, as Julian places it, “reveals a robust constructive correlation.”
As cool as that is to see, take this evaluation with a pinch of salt. “This relationship is sweet to see, however it could not inform us the total story,” Julian says. “We have to management for variations in accounts’ pure progress charges.”
The easy (can we name it easy..?) calculation doesn’t account for the variations within the pure progress of huge accounts versus small ones. Bigger accounts that develop quicker would possibly naturally submit extra.
“For instance, think about a fast-growing account that positive aspects 1,000 followers per week and posts 20 occasions, whereas a smaller account positive aspects 10 followers per week and solely posts twice,” Julian explains.
“If we merely common these collectively, we would conclude that posting 20 occasions results in quick progress. Nonetheless, the bigger account would possible achieve the next variety of followers even when they posted much less often.”
So, with out accounting for these variations in accounts, we will’t inform whether or not frequent posting causes progress, or whether or not naturally fast-growing accounts simply occur to submit extra.
To verify the correlation between posting frequency and progress, Julian did the slicing and dicing I discussed.
As a substitute of evaluating totally different accounts, this methodology (known as a z-score evaluation) compares every account to its personal baseline stage of progress. So, primarily evaluating every account to itself.
- For every account, we calculated their common follower progress fee throughout all weeks, and the way a lot that quantity tends to differ (i.e., their customary deviation).
- Then we checked out how every particular person week in comparison with that common.
Right here’s the information introduced one other method:
Weekly posts
Common progress (Z-score)
No Posts
🚫 -0.08 (decline)
1–2 Posts
➕ 0.00 (baseline)
3–5 Posts
📈 0.07
6–9 Posts
🚀 0.11
10+ Posts
🔥 0.14
And the way we outlined these Z-scores:
- Z = 0: Typical efficiency for this channel
- Z = +1: Sturdy constructive week (higher than ~84% of weeks)
- Z = +2: Distinctive week (higher than ~97% of weeks)
- Z = -1: Poor week (worse than ~84% of weeks)
“This information suggests that there’s a robust constructive relationship between posting frequency and follower progress on Instagram,” Julian says. “Channels that submit extra often persistently achieve extra Instagram followers relative to their baseline.”
2. Not posting in any respect may imply a lack of followers
You could have already noticed this — however check out the ‘No posts’ bar once more. The evaluation above additionally reveals there’s a price to not posting.
Julian has dubbed this the “no-post penalty”.
On common, weeks with zero posts had follower progress that was ~0.08 customary deviations beneath the account’s typical progress.
In plain English, that may imply account stagnation, and even follower loss. As an Instagram creator, I can personally attest to the truth that no-content weeks — particularly consecutive ones — may lead to a sluggish, regular decline in followers.
“Channels that don’t submit in any respect considerably under-perform their baseline progress charges,” Julian says. “Even posting a couple of times every week leads to a big improve in follower progress in comparison with weeks with no posts.”
3. Constant posting drives actual, measurable progress
In one other evaluation, Julian explored how a lot posting frequency can affect progress, in comparison with weeks when customers don’t submit in any respect.
Just like the Z-score mannequin, the fixed-effects mannequin additionally compares every account to itself, however as an alternative of analyzing particular person weeks, it focuses on isolating the impact of posting roughly.
It controls for every account’s distinctive baseline and long-term habits, then it measures whether or not follower progress goes up throughout weeks when that very same account posts extra typically.
It confirms the identical story:
- 1–2 posts per week: +0.12% follower progress fee
- 3–5 posts per week: +0.26% follower progress fee
- 6–9 posts per week: +0.44% follower progress fee
- 10+ posts per week: +0.66% follower progress fee
Word that we’re speaking about a rise in follower progress fee, moderately than % improve in whole followers. Right here’s a sensible instance:
I’ve 5K followers on Instagram. For simplicity’s sake, let’s assume that after I don’t submit in any respect, my account stays stagnant (my baseline progress fee is 0%).
- Posting 1–2 occasions/week may imply about 6 extra followers per week than not posting in any respect.
- Posting 3–5 occasions/week may add about 13 extra followers/week.
- Posting 6–9 occasions/week may imply 22 extra followers/week.
- Posting 10+ occasions/week may imply 33 extra followers/week.
The instance above can be a very clear method to have a look at the diminishing returns of posting greater than 5 occasions per week. I often submit as soon as per week, so including two extra posts to my content material calendar would in all probability internet me round 13 extra followers. Nice! Two extra posts aren’t an enormous elevate.
However to maneuver myself up into the subsequent class (and solely achieve 9 extra followers, in comparison with the earlier leap) I’d must double the quantity of additional posts I’m creating. Extra followers, sure, however I don’t have the bandwidth to create six Instagram posts each week — a lot much less six good posts.
Armed with this information, I’ll fortunately bump my frequency as much as 3 posts per week for a way more sustainable improve I can preserve long-term, with out sacrificing the standard of my content material.
4. Posting extra persistently will increase weekly attain
Right here’s one other discovering that wasn’t shocking, on condition that attain and follower progress are likely to go hand in hand.
The extra you submit in any given week, the upper your attain for the week might be.
That’s fairly frequent sense — the extra you submit, the extra alternatives you might have for showing in your followers’ dwelling feeds, the reels feed, and even the discover web page.
However right here’s the place issues get fascinating…
5. Posting extra means extra attain per submit
We analyzed median attain per submit, and located that accounts that submit extra are likely to get extra views on each piece of content material.
“Every step up in posting frequency delivers substantial share positive aspects in attain per submit,” Julian says. “The most important leap happens when shifting from 1-2 to 3-5 posts.”
In comparison with posting simply 1–2 occasions per week:
- Posting 3–5 posts/week = ~12% extra attain per submit
- Posting 6–9 posts/week = ~18% extra attain per submit
- Posting 10+ posts/week = ~24% extra attain per submit
It is a fairly clear sign that the Instagram algorithm rewards consistency.
“Even at greater frequencies, there are nonetheless significant 20-25% incremental positive aspects for posting extra often, nonetheless the returns are diminishing.”
Extra diminishing returns right here? Yep. As Julian identified, the most important leap occurs if you transfer from 1–2 to three–5 posts per week. With every frequency leap, the attain achieve shrinks each time.
So, what does all this imply for creators and types trying to develop on Instagram?
The tempting conclusion is that posting greater than 10 occasions per week on Instagram is the quickest strategy to improve attain and progress.
Technically talking, it’s. However creating greater than 10 posts on Instagram per week would possibly imply:
- It’s a must to drop the standard of your content material with the intention to produce at that quantity
- Burnout — so that you give up posting altogether after two or three weeks.
Each of these items would possibly show extra detrimental to your general follower progress than taking a extra measured method.
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Prepared to seek out your individual posting candy spot? Whether or not you’re aiming for 3 posts every week or 10, Buffer makes it simple to plan, schedule, and monitor your Instagram content material. Join free →
Extra doesn’t at all times imply higher
One of the best posting schedule is one you may persist with persistently.
“For me, the underside line is that Instagram rewards frequent and constant content material creation,” Julian says. “Nonetheless, there’s a huge caveat that crucial issue in all probability stays content material high quality. You’re in all probability not going to see huge positive aspects in followers and attain by pumping out low-quality posts.”
Posting frequency is without doubt one of the strongest levers you may pull to develop on Instagram, and the numbers again that up. However bear in mind: high quality issues, and burnout is actual.
Deal with constant, sustainable effort over brief bursts of excessive quantity. Even small will increase in how typically you submit could make a giant distinction.
