What’s the best day and time to post on YouTube?
Here’s the quick answer:
- During the weekdays, it is 2 PM to 4 PM (EST)
- During weekends, 9 AM to 11 AM (EST)
Quick note: The data is collected from multiple resources and reports. It is up-to-date.
According to Statista, over 2.6 billion people worldwide use YouTube per month, of which 2 billion monthly users are logged in.
Also, YouTube is the second-largest search engine after Google. If used right, YouTube can help you attract millions of people to your business.
That’s why posting at the right time matters a lot. Remember that your YouTube posting times depend on several factors, including the videos you create, your audience demographics, their time zones, and more. There is no one-size-fits-all answer, so experiment to find the best times for your YouTube channel.
In this case study, you’ll discover the optimal times to post on YouTube. Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
What’s the Best Time to Post on YouTube for Views [Based on Real Data]
According to multiple sources, here are some of the best times to post on YouTube.
According to Social Pilot (EST):
- Monday: 2 to 4 pm
- Tuesday: 2 to 4 pm
- Wednesday: 2 to 4 pm
- Thursday: 2 to 4 pm
- Friday: 2 to 4 pm
- Saturday: 9 to 11 am
- Sunday: 9 to 11 am
According to VEED.io (EST)
- Monday: 2 PM to 4 PM
- Tuesday: 2 PM to 4 PM
- Wednesday: 2 PM to 4 PM
- Thursday: 12 PM to 3 PM
- Friday: 12 PM to 3 PM
- Saturday: 9 AM to 11 AM
- Sunday: 9 AM to 11 AM
According to HubSpot (EST):
- Friday: 6 PM, 7 PM, 8 PM, 9 PM
- Saturday: 3 PM, 4 PM, 5 PM, 6 PM
- Sunday: 12 PM, 1 PM, 2 PM, 3 PM
As you can see, the best times to post on YouTube during the weekdays (Monday to Friday) are 2 PM to 4 PM and 9 AM to 11 AM during weekends.
Quick note: Post at different times of day and week to see what works best. Make sure to use YouTube analytics to track your channel’s results and active times.
Best Time to Post YouTube Shorts in 2024
YouTube shorts have been going viral ever since their launch.
In case you’re wondering, YouTube shorts are “short videos” with a maximum length of 60 seconds. They’re also vertically shot, mostly from users’ mobile phones. These are primarily aimed at smartphone viewing.
The best time to post shorts on YouTube is between 6 PM to 10 PM.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the timings for YouTube Shorts;
- Monday: Between 6 pm & 9 pm
- Tuesday: Between 6 pm & 10 pm
- Wednesday: Between 6 pm & 10 pm
- Thursday: Between 6 pm & 9 pm
- Friday: Between 4 pm & 8 pm
- Saturday: Between 3 pm & 6 pm
- Sunday: Between 12 pm & 3 pm
Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday are the best days to post YouTube shorts for better user engagement, such as views, likes, and comments.
Here are some of the BIGGEST benefits of YouTube Shorts;
- You’ll get more views as people discover new content. Also, YouTube has an exclusive section for “Shorts,” so busy people prefer 60-second quick videos over regular videos.
- Do you know that you can monetize your Shorts as well? Just like other regular videos on YouTube, you can make money from Shorts, which is an extra way to make money for creators.
- Shorts often lead to better engagement because most watch the video because they’re extremely short. You can also create exclusive shorts talking about your regular video content.
- Above all, these are easy to create and upload content on the go. You can use your smartphone to create compelling shorts.
Here are some PROVEN ways to make your YouTube Shorts go viral.
Focus on trending topics: Make original videos that are catchy. Often unique and attention-grabbing videos go viral on YouTube shorts.
Take feedback from viewers: You should create polls on your YouTube channel to take feedback from your audience. Ask them when they prefer to watch your videos, including YouTube shorts. Then, analyze the results by comparing them with your analytics. If you see a pattern, keep posting at those times for the best results.
Optimize for smartphone audience: Do you know why Shorts often go viral and get more viewers? The majority of them are watched on smartphones. So optimizing your video for mobile viewing is ALWAYS a brilliant idea. Make sure your videos are vertically oriented and visually appealing on smartphones.
Diversify videos: The good thing about Shorts is you can try new topics, trends, etc. Most successful YouTubers use YouTube Shorts to experiment with new types of content that may not work compared to longer videos. So experiment with various things to see what works.
Use Hashtags: Last but not least, use relevant hashtags. Research all the keywords you can use within your shorts. Adding relevant and trending hashtags to your Shorts can increase your views and help you find more people interested in that topic.
How to find the best time to upload to YouTube? Top 3 tips
Here’s a quick tip: know when your audience is most active on YouTube. That way, you can post your videos only when they’re online.
The best time to post on YouTube depends on several things, such as;
- Your audience demographics
- The type of videos you create (for example, funny videos are usually watched 24/7 all across the world)
- The time zone you are in
That being said, here are some practical tips for finding the right times to post on YouTube.
1. Check YouTube Analytics
One of the best ways to find your channel’s best times to post on YouTube is to use Analytics. Here’s how you can access it;
Open YouTube Studio. Click on “Analytics.”
Then, open the “Audience” tab and view your viewers’ analytics.
Here’s what it looks like;
As you can see, YouTube shows a section called “When your viewers are on YouTube,” along with days and times. That’s how you can find the BEST times to post on your channel.
Using YouTube Analytics, look for patterns in your viewership.
Make sure to identify the days and times when your YouTube videos generate the most views.
Also, keeping an eye on your competitors’ channels is essential. If your competitors are getting thousands of views and gaining a ton of subscribers, they must be doing something right. Find out what kind of videos they’re making and how they create engaging videos.
2. Experiment with different times
As already mentioned, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to anything, including YouTube’s best timings. You must experiment, no matter what type of videos you post or your time zone.
Try to post your videos at different times (and different days) to see which times work best for your audience.
For example, if your channel videos are getting MORE views on Wednesdays at 6 pm, consider posting new videos around that time. Keep doing that for several weeks (or months) to notice a clear pattern.
As mentioned above, you can use YouTube analytics to easily track the total number of video views on your channel and adjust your posting schedule accordingly.
3. Understand the YouTube algorithm
If you want to succeed on YouTube, you must understand how YouTube’s algorithm works.
You can’t solely rely on the video posting timings. So how does YouTube know what videos to show and what videos to collapse?
YouTube uses various algorithms to its users exactly the videos they seek.
Here are some of the MAJOR ranking factors YouTube considers;
- Relevancy: Search relevance is the KEY to getting more views on your videos. Relevancy measures the accuracy of the relationship between the search query and the video search results. Pick one topic and try posting quality videos for the best results.
- Video Metadata: Your video factors like title, tags, content, and description are essential. These are known as the metadata, which YouTube considers while ranking a video.
- User Engagement: If more users are liking, sharing, and commenting on a particular video, it tends to show up more in recommendations, which ultimately leads to more views. Focus on increasing engagement on your videos if you want better results.
- Quality of Videos: Above all, YouTube often considers the quality of your videos. It determines the quality by the average number of views and likes. Keep your users engaged until the end of your videos (use end cards as well) if you want to rank higher for your target keywords.
Get inspired by the most popular YouTubers in India. See our full list here.
FAQs | Best Time to Post on YouTube 2024
Here are some FAQs about the YouTube best timings to upload.
“6 a.m. to 9 a.m., 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. (midnight), and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.” are some of the worst times to post on YouTube (According to HubSpot).
The best times to post YouTube shorts are between 6 PM to 10 PM (EST). Also, make sure to keep an eye on your YouTube channel analytics to see when your users are active.
Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are often considered the best days to post on YouTube.
Yes, publishing time matters a lot when it comes to YouTube views. If you post without user activity, your videos will get fewer views and vice versa.
YouTube video length does NOT matter. As long as you keep your audience engaged, you can create any duration of videos.
If you’re planning to post at night, the best time to post, in general, is at 5 PM. You can get better results until 9 PM (EST). Avoid posting late at night, as most people usually avoid using the platform.
Here are some proven ways to increase your YouTube video views in 2024.
– Do keyword research to find keywords that your audiences are searching for
– Analyze your competitors’ popular videos
– Create videos on trending topics
– Create engaging YouTube Shorts
Sunday, at 11 am or 5 pm (EST), is the best time to upload videos on YouTube.
Yes, posting frequency matters a lot on YouTube. It can help your subscribers know when to expect new content and make it will also attract new people to subscribe to your channel.
Free Resources:
- 30+ Game-Changing YouTube Stats for Savvy Marketers
- 10 Best YouTube Keyword Tools to Get More YouTube Views
- YouTube SEO 2024: 11 Tips to Get Your Videos Noticed
- The Best Time to Post on Instagram
- The Best Time to Post on Pinterest
- The Best Times to Post On Social Media Sites (Based On Research)
Final Thoughts on the best time to upload to YouTube
Timing is everything on platforms like YouTube. If you want more views and user engagement, find out when to post on YouTube.
The timings posted above are already proven to generate more buzz on your YouTube videos. Also, consider the demographics of your YouTube audience to post when they’re most active. YouTube Analytics is your BEST bet, as it can help you track your videos’ performance and identify the peak times to post on your channel.
What do you think about the YouTube best timings? Have any questions? Let us know in the comments.
