Mitt Ray — November 25, 2017 — November 25, 2017
Would you like to build a better Instagram presence? Do you want to find the best apps to schedule Instagram posts?
Your Instagram strategy should include a planned posting schedule as a study found that accounts that publish 7+ posts a week get the most engagement and followers.
Publishing 1 or more post daily might seem like an easy task to handle. But it is a lot harder than it looks as you need to publish these posts at the perfect time, share the right photos, write a brilliant description, include well researched hashtags and tags, etc. In fact, the above study found that only 5% of accounts post 7+ times a week.
To simplify this task you need an app to schedule Instagram posts. You can set aside a time every week or month and schedule all the posts to go out. Instead of taking time out each and every single day.
You cannot do this directly on a mobile scheduling app though. The Instagram API doesn’t allow third party apps to directly schedule posts. Instead you should install the mobile app on your device. After that you should use the browser version of the app to upload the image, add the description and hashtags and schedule them.
The app will inform you when it is time for the post to go live. You then visit your app and use it to directly transfer the image along with the description and hashtag to the Instagram app. There you can publish it.
Some apps might let you publish/schedule Instagram posts directly, but these are breaking Instagram rules and if you use them you will be breaking the rules as well. It could result in your account being suspended/deleted. So stay clear of them.
You will actually begin to like this process better as it is so much easier to post from your browser than your mobile device.
To ensure you are following the rules while scheduling posts, I have listed 7 Instagram posting apps below. They come with both the mobile app and a browser version that work together and make it easy to schedule posts.
Here are the 7 best apps to schedule Instagram posts…
Tailwind
Tailwind started off as a Pinterest scheduling tool. I use it to manage my Pinterest account and my clients as it is very easy to use and has a lot of features that simplify the process of scheduling images. They recently introduced Instagram management as well.
Tailwind has an iOS app and are working on one for Android. In the meant they have SMS reminders that alert you when it is time to post to Instagram.
To get started sign up for an account on their website and connect your Instagram account. When you connect your account with Tailwind it asks you how many times you want to post. Once you submit the details it will crunch your data and suggest the times to post for maximum engagement.
After that you can begin scheduling posts by either using their browser extension or by dragging images from your computer to the dashboard. After you add the image, you can write your description and add the relevant hashtags and the images will be added to the pre-chosen time slots. You can schedule the Instagram images to custom times if you prefer.
When it is time to publish, the Tailwind app will remind you via the app (iOS) or by SMS (Android) and you can transfer the image, description and hashtags from Tailwind app to the Instagram app with a click and hit publish.
Using Tailwind you can do more than just publishing and scheduling as the tool has various other features.
They have detailed analytics that let you analyse both your profile and posts.
Using profile analytics you can track follower growth, reaction score, engagement score, engagement rate, etc. and the post inspector lets you track performance of each post.
The post inspector also lets you check what the most trending posts are and what the peak days and times are.
It even tracks hashtags to help you find trending topics and brainstorm what hashtags to use in your posts.
If you want an app to schedule Instagram posts and Pinterest pins as well as offer other features like analytics, this a tool you must use. You can sign up and trial them out for free.
Pricing options:
Free Trial available: Yes.
Basic plan cost: $ 14.99/month or $ 9.99/month when paid for the entire year.
Most advanced plan cost: Custom. Requires a personal demo.
Instagram scheduling app for mobile devices available: Yes
PromoRepublic
If you looking for an Instagram scheduling app that can also help with creating images, you should use PromoRepublic.
They have a library of 100,000 templates and images. You can pick any of these Instagram optimized images and add your text, logo and other items. Their graphics editor lets you lets you add various overlays like icons, banners, stickers, frames, etc.
They also offer direct access to stock photos so that you can modify them.
After you create the images, you can schedule it for Instagram in the PromoRepublic dashboard. You can also schedule/publish images you create here directly onto other networks like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc.
After the images go live you can track their performance using their analytics.
One feature you will surely like most is their calendar. It shows you all the upcoming events so that you can create appropriate images in advance. It even suggests templates you could use. And just like Tailwind they have an Instagram posting mobile app too. Check them out for free.
Pricing options:
Free Trial available: Yes.
Basic plan cost: $ 9/month.
Most advanced plan cost: $ 49/month, billed annually.
Instagram scheduling app for mobile devices available: Yes
Viraltag
Viraltag is another tool that lets you schedule to both Pinterest and Instagram like Tailwind. Actually with Viraltag you can schedule to Linkedin, Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter as well.
It is a great option for anyone looking for a complete visual social media management tool. But you will need an additional social media management tool like Hootsuite and Buffer as you can only schedule images with it.
It has an image editor which isn’t as advanced as PromoRepublic’s. You can execute some minor image modifications with it. But they integrate with Canva. So you can create your images there and schedule them through Viraltag.
They make it easy for you to upload images from your computer through a drag and drop feature. It also integrates with Dropbox, Flickr and Google Drive to make uploading images even easier.
After you upload your image and add your description and hashtags you can schedule it for publishing. Their mobile app will update you when it is time for publishing. They even have an evergreen post option that automatically republishes posts (set as evergreen posts) when a gap occurs in your content calendar.
Once the Instagram post is published, you can track its performance using Viraltag’s analytics. Check Viraltag’s Instagram scheduler for free.
Pricing options:
Free Trial available: Yes.
Basic plan cost: $ 24/month.
Most advanced plan cost: $ 249+/month.
Instagram scheduling app for mobile devices available: Yes
Agorapulse
Agorapulse is another company that recently introduced Instagram management. You can also use it to schedule to Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, YouTube and Google+. You can schedule both image and text updates with it. Hence, it is a great option for anyone looking for a complete social media management tool.
Scheduling is only one of the features as you can conduct other Instagram management tasks like tracking comments and monitoring hashtags.
They have a social inbox feature where comments from all your connected social media accounts appear in one place. This makes it easy to respond to your social media comments.
They also offer top draw analytics. You can use it to track follower growth, brand awareness, engagement levels etc.
You can even deep dive into follower analysis to see who your influencers are and how they interact with you. This is especially useful for businesses that have an influencer marketing strategy.
Pricing for Agorapule is a bit higher than the other tools, but it is a complete social media management tool. Therefore, it is worth it. The only top social network you cannot manage with it is Pinterest. Check them out for free.
Pricing options:
Free Trial available: Yes.
Basic plan cost: $ 49/month.
Most advanced plan cost: $ 299/month.
Instagram scheduling app for mobile devices available: Yes
CoSchedule
Another great complete social media management tool that lets you schedule posts to Instagram is CoSchedule. The other networks you can manage with it are Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Google+, Linkedin and Tumblr.
It even integrates with WordPress.
Their standout feature is the marketing calendar where your Instagram scheduled posts will appear alongside those scheduled for other networks. You can drag and drop these posts to ensure they go out at the right time.
Posts can also be set to republish automatically with their ReQueue feature.
They also provide detailed analytics to see how your Instagram posts are performing. Check out their Instagram scheduler for free.
Pricing options:
Free Trial available: Yes.
Basic plan cost: $ 49/month.
Most advanced plan cost: Custom.
Instagram scheduling app for mobile devices available: Yes
Hootsuite
If you are looking for a cheaper app to schedule to Instagram that also lets you manage various other social media from one place, you should check out Hootsuite.
Using Hootsuite you can schedule posts to Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Linkedin and YouTube. It can also be integrated with Tailwind to manage Pinterest accounts.
Along with scheduling posts to Instagram, you can use it to monitor your competitors and brand. Their analytics lets you check the performance of your posts and profile in one place.
You can even create streams to see all the different types of Instagram activity like published posts, scheduled posts, likes, etc. in one single place. Check out Hootsuite’s Instagram scheduling tool for free.
Pricing options:
Free Trial available: Yes. Basic free plan available.
Basic plan cost: $ 19/month.
Most advanced plan cost: Custom.
Instagram scheduling app for mobile devices available: Yes
Buffer
If you are looking for a basic and affordable Instagram scheduling app that can be used to schedule posts on other social media as well, you should checkout Buffer.
It is the cheapest tool I have listed here. But just because they are inexpensive they don’t skimp on quality. Using Buffer you can schedule posts to Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Google+.
Once your Instagram posts go live, you can track their performance using the basic analytics. Their bigger plans let you track advanced statistics.
They also have their own image editing tool called Pablo. If you like publishing quote images on Instagram you will find it very useful.
Buffer comes with a long list of other features.
I regularly use Buffer to manage my Twitter account as they have a very user friendly interface. The Instagram dashboard is nice too. Check their Instagram post scheduler for free.
Pricing options:
Free Trial available: Yes. Basic free plan available. But you need the paid plan to schedule posts to Instagram.
Basic plan cost: $ 10/month.
Most advanced plan cost: $ 399/month.
Instagram scheduling app for mobile devices available: Yes
These are all the best apps to schedule Instagram posts. As you can see each tool has its own unique features that will suit different businesses. As all of the above tools offer free trials, I recommend you to sign up to all of them, install the mobile app they provide and try them out.
Once the trial period is up you can settle for the Instagram scheduling app that suits your usage and budget best.
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If you want some free Instagram background images that simplify your Instagram image creation process download these 100 free social media triangle patterned images.
Have you used any of the above apps to schedule Instagram posts? Which Instagram scheduling app is your favourite? Please leave your comments below.
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