How often should you post on Instagram?
About once a day. Doubling how many Reels you post cut each one's views by about 20%, though your weekly total still rose about 61%. Past daily it gets expensive: twice-a-day weeks cost each Reel 20%, and 15+ Reels a week 41%.
What we found
- About daily (4–7 Reels a week): each Reel −4% against the creator's average week, and 43% more total views that week.
- Twice a day (8–14): each Reel −20%; 15 or more: each Reel −41%.
- A busy week also dented the next one a little: −6% per Reel when doubling.
- TikTok is far more forgiving: doubling there cost each video only about 7%.
Views per Reel, by Reels that week
Each creator's week against their own average week.
Total views that week
Each creator's week against their own average week.
How we know: We compared each creator's busy weeks with their own quiet weeks across 193 Instagram creators (their latest 100 or so Reels each), with calendar weeks held equal so platform-wide ups and downs cancel out.
Related questions
Is posting twice a day on Instagram too much?
Per Reel, yes: twice-a-day weeks got 20% fewer views per Reel than the creator's average week. The week's total was still higher, so it depends whether you care about each Reel or the week.
How often do most creators post Reels?
The typical creator posts about 5 Reels in a week they're active; 25% average daily or more.
Should I post the same amount on TikTok and Instagram?
Not necessarily. On TikTok, doubling cost each video about 7%; on Instagram, about 20%. You can post more on TikTok before it costs you.