Best Time to Post Videos on YouTube: An Ultimate Guide

Finding the right time to publish content on YouTube is just as important as making quality content.

If you notice some of the best programs on television or radio, you will realize that most of these are aired during prime time.

Depending on the geography and demographics, prime times vary from one region to the other. To get the maximum possible views from your YouTube channel, it is important that you find the best time to post on YouTube at the soonest.

YouTube offers plenty of tools to help you find the best times to post videos. They also have a dedicated analytics feature that has reports on key statistics.

Here are some interesting ways to find the best times to post videos on your YouTube channel:

Does the time of posting actually matter on YouTube?

Even if you spend hours editing a video and post it at a time when everyone else is sleeping, you will never get the engagement you expect.

Long story short - the time of posting matters a lot.

All your subscribers receive a notification when you publish a video. However, if you publish the video when everyone is away, chances are higher for them to miss your notification.

If your target audience or subscribers are mostly working individuals or students, posting videos during the daytime is not recommended. Many of your audience will be busy and might not go through your video.

Ideally, you need to post videos after working and school hours end (after 4 - 5 PM) on weekdays, and on mornings during weekends (after 8 AM) to get the best results from your videos.

When is the best time to post on YouTube?

No two YouTube audiences are the same, even if you make content on the same niche.

Depending on geographical differences, interaction with the subscribers, and how creators build their community, YouTube audiences can be really different from one another. This makes it really difficult to come up with a ‘best time to post on YouTube’ that works for everyone.

Therefore, the response from trying out these generally great times to post videos can have different effects for different YouTube channels.

There could also be differences depending on the genre a YouTube channel focuses on.

However there are some global time zones that should work for every YouTube channel. That’s why it's worth experimenting at these times and see how your videos perform.

Best Days and Hours to Post YouTube Videos

Monday to Saturday - 5 PM to 9 PM

Sunday - 8 AM to 11 AM

How to find the best time to post on YouTube?

The introduction of YouTube Studio has made life easier for all creators on the platform.

YouTube Analytics has to be one of the best feature on YouTube Studio, that lets you track the performance of your YouTube video.

You also get instant access to metrics like typical performance, top videos, real-time performance over the last 48 hours or 60 minutes, and performance of latest videos.

There are also detailed reports of traffic that your content generates on YouTube analytics. You can also get a basic idea about how your videos are performing in different locations, along with which devices bring in the most views.

With this information, you can easily track which time brings in the most engagement on your videos and thereby time your next videos accordingly.

You will also get an idea about what kind of videos work for your YouTube channel and what does not. In addition, you can also get insights into what competitor channels are working on by going through the suggested videos option.

How to use YouTube Analytics in finding the best time to post videos?

YouTube Analytics is the perfect tool for creators to figure out the perfect timing for publishing a video. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make the most of YouTube Studio.

Open YouTube Studio.
Head over to the Analytics tab.
Click on the Overview option
On the right side, look for the real-time option

If you check the graph, you will see a spike during a particular time on a regular basis.

This is often your channel's peak time or the time that gives the most views on your channel. Chances of getting the maximum are highest when you post around the same time regularly.

Understanding your target audience and demographics

Time zones have a solid impact on how your video performs.

Finding the right time and having an understanding of your target audience and demographics can help you create really amazing engagement and discoverability to your content.

It also helps to check out the 'Advanced Mode' from YouTube Analytics to get a better insight into which age group and location your subscribers are mostly from. You can find this option at the top right side of your Analytics page.

Once that’s figured, the next thing you need to do is get a better idea about the demographics and primary age group that is visiting your channel and adjust your time schedules accordingly.

To get an idea about demographics, you only need to come back to analytics and scroll down until you come across the Geography tab.

For further clarity on the age of your audience, scroll down on the analytics page until you come across the tab 'Age and Gender'. This will provide a detailed report on the ratio of different age groups of people that visit your YouTube channel.

Focusing on content accordingly can help increase the discoverability rate.

By setting schedules based on the data you collect from YouTube Analytics, you can ensure that all your videos have the maximum possible visibility, reach, engagement, and discoverability.

What is the best time to post Shorts on YouTube?

Regardless of the type of content you post, most of the studies on YouTube have shown that engagement is the highest on YouTube after 5 PM.

If you want to get the maximum views and initial engagement to your YouTube Shorts, it is always best to consider having it ready by 4PM - 4:30 PM, so that you can work on the title, description and thumbnail by 5 PM.

By uploading and working on the video by 4:30 PM, you can also ensure that the ‘High Definition’ version will be available for the audience when you publish the video at 5PM.

Most YouTube Shorts that are uploaded at 5 PM usually keep generating more views and engagement until 9 PM. Alternatively, you can also consider publishing new YouTube Shorts on Sundays between 8 AM to 11 AM or after 5 PM to get similar engagement rates.

YouTube FAQs about best time to post videos

Is it good to post everyday on YouTube?

The more videos you have, the more chances you have of getting discovered by a new viewer. However, creating quality videos require a lot of time, energy, research and planning. Even though it is good to post everyday on YouTube, it is always best to give priority to quality than quantity and post when you have good content. It also avoids creators from getting burned out by consistently making content.

Does scheduling a YouTube video affect views?

The schedule feature when used right can be an effective strategy to increase your views and overall engagement. However, for scheduling to work efficiently, it is important that you know which timeslot brings in the most activity and views to your channel. By scheduling a video to publish when activity is the highest, you can publish high definition videos when activity peaks on your channel.

Should you always publish immediately after uploading?

Creators, who are relatively new to YouTube often make the mistake of publishing their first video as soon as they complete uploading. Publishing videos on YouTube during the day time on weekends is not a bad idea. However, it is always best to upload videos after 5 PM on all other days. When you publish immediately after uploading, the initial viewers won't have access to High Definition versions (720p, 1080p, HD, 4K etc) and will be restricted to Standard Definition only.

Why should you post YouTube videos before peak time?

If you are receiving the peak views, one hour between 8 PM - 9 PM, it helps to upload new videos by 5 PM and have it published by 6 PM - 7 PM. This give you plenty of time to review the video and ensure that the HD version will be available by the peak time. YouTube also needs time to index and analyze the video so that they can suggest it to more viewers and the right audience.

Which are the best days to publish new videos on YouTube?

The majority of global viewers on YouTube are found to be school-age children or young adults. That makes Thursday and Friday, the best days to publish new videos. Viewership is the best on Thursday and continues this way until it peaks on Saturday and starts cooling down by Sunday afternoon. Uploading a new video between 9 AM to 11 AM on Saturday will make sure that you get the highest discoverability.

Can the time of publishing be the same on weekdays and weekends?

If you want the maximum views, engagement, and performance, you should always maintain a schedule. As the majority of YouTube viewers are either school-going children or young adults, viewership is generally low during the day on weekdays. All videos, published during the day on weekdays have less engagement compared to videos published after 5 PM or during the weekends.

Is it good to premiere your videos on weekends?

The premiere option is a great way to get more views and engagement. The live chat feature is one of the most powerful features in YouTube Premiere as it helps creators interact with their fans in real-time. If you are a creator that has an idea about when activity peaks on your channel, it is really good to premiere videos on weekends. If you are a YouTube channel with less than 1,000 subscribers, it is best to not use the premiere feature.