Post planner for Instagram and TikTok

When is the best time to post, and how often? You only really find out from your own numbers. Pick your platform, your audience and how often you want to post: the post planner makes a four-week test schedule that you add to your calendar and track in a simple sheet.

How the post planner works

1. Pick Instagram or TikTok and who you post for. The planner chooses two or three time slots that suit that audience, such as the lunch break or the evening.
2. Pick how often you want to post each week. Each time slot comes up on different days, so you can compare them fairly.
3. Already have statistics? Enter your followers’ busiest hours. TikTok Studio shows those times in UTC; the planner converts them to your time.
4. Add the schedule to your calendar and download the tracking sheet. After 24 hours, note each post’s views, likes, comments and new followers.
5. After four weeks, compare the time slots. Keep the best one and then test a new slot.

How often should you post?

Regularity works better than volume. Research gives a direction:

• Instagram: three to five posts or Reels a week is the best balance according to Buffer (2.1 million posts, 2025). Accounts that posted that often grew faster than accounts with one or two posts a week.
• TikTok: two to five videos a week brought 17% more views per video on average than one a week (Buffer, 11.4 million posts, 2025).

Choose a number you can keep up for months, busy weeks included. More on this in the best time to post on TikTok.

Build a content calendar in three steps

A content calendar is more than times: it is also what you post. With the planner’s tracking sheet you make one in three steps:

1. Rhythm and times. Let the planner make your schedule and add it to your calendar.
2. Topics. Fill in the Topic column for each post. Mix it up, for example a tip, something behind the scenes and an answer to a follower’s question.
3. Adjust. Fill in the numbers after 24 hours. After four weeks you will see which times and topics work best.

Why test it yourself?

Lists of “the best times to post” are averages across a huge number of accounts, often with audiences in other countries and time zones. For your followers they say little. That is why the times in the planner are starting points from a normal daily rhythm, not research results: your own numbers decide.

Questions about the post planner

Is the post planner free?

Yes. You don’t need an account. The planner works in your own browser: we do not send or keep anything you enter.

Does the calendar file work on my phone?

You can open or import the .ics file in most calendars, such as Apple Calendar and Outlook. In Google Calendar you import it through the website on a computer. You get a reminder ten minutes before each post.

Can the planner publish my posts automatically?

The planner doesn’t publish anything for you. You can schedule in the apps themselves: at the time of writing, a professional Instagram account can schedule posts and Reels, and TikTok Studio can schedule videos, at least on a computer.

What is the best time to post?

It differs per account. You find your best time in your statistics and by testing. If you have no data yet, start with moments from a normal daily rhythm, such as the lunch break and the evening, and compare the results in the tracking sheet.