How to Schedule a Video Post on Instagram

Posting video to Instagram on a regular basis transforms your account, but trying to film, edit, and post on the fly leads to burnout. Scheduling your videos ahead of time is the secret to staying consistent without the stress. This guide will walk you through exactly how to schedule your Instagram video posts, both within the app itself and using more powerful tools to manage your entire content strategy.

Why Bother Scheduling Instagram Videos at All?

If you're still manually posting every Reel and in-feed video, you might wonder if scheduling is worth the effort. Once you start, you'll never go back. It's a fundamental shift in how you manage your content workflow that comes with some serious benefits.

• Unbreakable Consistency: Life happens. Busy weeks, creative blocks, and unexpected events can derail your content plan. Scheduling builds a buffer, letting you queue up weeks of content in advance so your account stays active even when you’re not. This consistency is a huge signal to the Instagram algorithm that your account is a reliable source of content.
• Huge Time Savings: Instead of scrambling to post daily, you can dedicate a single block of time to "batch" your content. Film several videos in one session, edit them together, and then schedule them all at once. This frees up your daily schedule to focus on other parts of your business, like community engagement or product development.
• Post When Your Audience is Actually Online: Your followers aren't active 24/7. Your Instagram Insights will show you the exact days and hours your audience is most likely to see and engage with your content. Scheduling allows you to hit these peak times, even if they're at 6 AM or late at night, maximizing your reach without sacrificing your sleep.
• Better Quality Control: Rushing to get a video out often means cutting corners. When you schedule in advance, you give yourself time to review everything - the edit, the caption, the hashtags, the cover photo - with a clear mind. You can catch typos, rethink your call to action, and make sure every post is a perfect reflection of your brand.

What to Know Before You Get Started

Before you jump into scheduling, there are a couple of important requirements and distinctions to understand. Getting these right from the beginning will save you a lot of headaches later on.

You Need an Instagram Professional Account

To access both Instagram's native scheduling feature and the ability to connect to third-party management tools, you must have a Professional Account (either a "Creator" or "Business" account). Standard personal accounts don't have these capabilities.

Switching is free and easy to do in your settings, and it unlocks a ton of useful features beyond scheduling, most importantly Instagram Insights, which gives you valuable data about your audience and content performance.

To switch to a Professional Account:

1. Go to your Instagram profile and tap the three lines in the top-right corner.
2. Tap Settings and privacy.
3. Scroll down and tap Account type and tools.
4. Tap Switch to professional account and follow the prompts.

Instagram Video Formats: Reels vs. In-Feed Video

You can schedule both major video formats on Instagram, but it helps to know the difference as you plan your content.

• Instagram Reels: These are short-form, vertical videos (up to 90 seconds) designed for viral discovery and entertainment. They live on the Reels tab and are heavily promoted by Instagram's algorithm. For most accounts, this is the primary format for growth.
• In-Feed Video Posts: These are videos that appear directly in your main feed. Previously known as IGTV, these posts can now be between 3 seconds and up to 60 minutes long. They are great for longer tutorials, VLOG-style content, or deep dives for your existing audience.

Both formats can be scheduled, but your strategy for each should be different. Reels are your top-of-funnel content to attract new eyeballs, while in-feed video is great for nurturing the community you already have.

How to Schedule a Video Post Directly on Instagram (Native Scheduling)

Instagram has a built-in scheduling tool that allows you to schedule Reels, photos, and carousel posts up to 75 days in advance. It's a solid option if you just need basic scheduling and don't want to use an outside app. The workflow is simple and happens right within the regular posting process.

Here’s how to do it step-by-step:

Step 1: Start Creating a New Post or Reel

Open the Instagram app and start creating a new post just like you normally would. Tap the "+" icon at the bottom of the screen and select either Reel or Post. Upload the video from your camera roll or film a new one.

Step 2: Edit Your Video and Get to the Final Share Screen

Add your music, text, filters, and any other effects you want. Go through the editing steps until you reach the final screen where you write your caption, tag people, and add a location.

Step 3: Access Advanced Settings

On this final share screen, scroll all the way to the bottom and tap on Advanced settings. This will open a new menu with several options.

Step 4: Schedule Your Video

Near the top of the "Advanced settings" menu, you'll see a toggle for Schedule. Tap it to turn it on.

A calendar and time selector will pop up. Choose the date and time you want your video to be published. Remember, you can schedule it up to 75 days out. Once you've set the time, tap Done.

Step 5: Finalize the Schedule

Go back to the sharing screen. The "Share" button at the top-right will now say Schedule. Double-check your caption and hashtags, then tap Schedule to confirm. Your video is now queued up and will post automatically at the time you chose.

Where to Find and Manage Your Scheduled Content

Need to make a change or delete a scheduled post? You can find all your upcoming content in one place.

1. Go to your profile and tap the three lines in the top-right corner.
2. Tap on Scheduled content.
3. Here, you'll see a list of all your scheduled posts. Tap the three dots next to any post to either edit, reschedule, share now, or delete it.

While native scheduling is useful, it has its limits. You can only manage it from your phone, and it lacks a high-level calendar view, which makes planning a complete content strategy across multiple weeks difficult.

Advanced Tips for Planning and Scheduling Better Video Content

Just knowing how to schedule is only half the battle. To actually grow your brand, you need a smart strategy behind the content you're scheduling. Here are some actionable tips to level up your video plan.

1. Let Data Drive Your Schedule

Don't just guess when to post. Use your Instagram Insights to find your custom "best times." Go to your Professional dashboard &rarr, Total followers, and scroll to the bottom. Instagram will show you a breakdown of the most active times and days for your specific audience. Schedule your most important videos to go live right before or during these peak activity windows to give them the best possible chance for initial engagement.

2. Batch Your Video Creation Like a Pro

The magic of scheduling is unlocked when paired with batching. Set aside a few hours once a week or a couple of days per month dedicated solely to content creation.

• Ideate: Brainstorm a list of video ideas.
• Script/Outline: Write quick outlines for each video.
• Film: Shoot all your videos back-to-back.
• Edit: Edit the raw footage for all your videos.

This assembly-line approach is far more efficient than the "one-and-done" method. You get into a creative flow and can knock out weeks of content at once, ready for you to write captions and schedule.

3. Write Strong Captions That Drive Action

A great video can fall flat without a good caption. When scheduling, you have the time to be more thoughtful. A great caption follows a simple formula:

• Hook: Start with a strong first sentence that builds curiosity or states the video's core value.
• Body: Provide context, tell a short story, or share valuable tips related to the video.
• Call to Action (CTA): End by telling your viewers exactly what you want them to do next. Ask a question, tell them to visit the link in your bio, or prompt them to share their own thoughts.

4. Set Up a Smart Hashtag Strategy

Don't just copy and paste the same 30 hashtags on every video. Organize your hashtags into groups based on your content pillars. For example, you might have one group for marketing tips, another for behind-the-scenes content, and a third for product showcases. This saves you time and ensures your hashtags are always relevant to the video, which helps Instagram categorize your content and show it to the right people.

5. Never Neglect Your Cover Image

The cover image (or thumbnail) is the first thing people see when your Reel appears on their feed or your profile grid. It needs to be clean, intriguing, and on-brand. When you upload your video in the scheduling process, always select a compelling frame from the video or upload a custom-designed cover image. A good cover image dramatically increases the chances someone will stop scrolling and click to watch.

Final Thoughts

Scheduling your Instagram videos is a powerful strategy that puts you back in control of your content. By planning ahead, batching your creation, and posting at optimal times, you can build a more consistent, less stressful, and a much more effective presence on the platform.

Whether you use Instagram's native tool for its simplicity or a more comprehensive platform, the goal is the same: to get your time back. We built Postbase because we knew there had to be a better way to manage modern social media. The chaos of disconnected accounts and tools that weren't built for video felt outdated. Our visual calendar makes it easy to see your entire strategy at a glance, and since we designed our platform with short-form video as the priority, you can trust your Reels and TikToks will publish reliably every single time.