Consistency is key to growing your YouTube channel. In addition to determining how many shorts and videos you want to post each week, you need to know when to post. Posting when your target audience is online accelerates viewership. This helps you monetize your channel, stay monetized, and increase engagement. But when is the best time to post on YouTube?
What Factors Influence When to Post on YouTube?
Audience Time Zone
Consider the country and time zone of your target demographic. You can preschedule YouTube shorts and videos in your preferred time zone. Scheduling software, including Buffer, analyzes your engagement and suggests when to post.
- Consider where most of your viewership lives. For example, the US has 4 primary time zones, plus Hawaii and Alaska. Don’t forget daylight savings time changes.
- Many international content creators target consumers in the USA. So, they schedule their content in US time zones.
- Consider which countries you have a growing presence and create content to target this audience.
- If the region or countries you’re targeting aren’t English-speaking, use an AI clone to post similar posts in a second language. Just upload a photo and the script and AI does the rest.
- If the region or countries you’re targeting are English-speaking, create an AI UGC video in their regional accent. Maybe in a celebrity voice!
Small Geographic Location
Anyone in the world can watch shorts and videos on your YouTube channel. But if you’re targeting a city, state, or small region think beyond posting time. Add your business location and local area keywords in your About section and Description. This helps YouTube’s algorithm target viewers by location.
Here are keyword examples for Dallas, Texas:
- City: Dallas
- State: Texas, TX
- Airport code: DFW
- County: Dallas County
- Region: Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
- Local nicknames: Dallasites, Dallasonian
Engagement Trends
If your channel is new, schedule during the generic best times to post on YouTube. After you’ve posted about 10 videos, view your YouTube analytics to see what times your audience is viewing. These times may vary from the times suggested in this blog post. For example, post B2B content Monday through Friday between 9 AM and 2 PM.
Industry and Content Type
Your industry and content type may influence when you post. For example, if you have a cooking channel, post new dinner recipes a few hours before dinner. Or if you’re posting a “how to” product video, consider the times of day consumers use your product. For example, post instructional gaming videos on weekday evenings. Or at any time on the weekends.
Does It Matter When You Post to YouTube?
Yes! Understanding audience behavior increases viewership and engagement. It’s a balance though. The newer your channel, the more important it is to post consistently. When possible, post daily, or at least 2 times per week.
Posting daily can be overwhelming, as filming and editing quality content takes time. The most successful content creators leverage AI to accelerate content creation. With JoggAI, you can clone your voice, clone yourself, and create human UGC avatars.
When Is the Best Time to Post Videos on YouTube?
Monday through Friday
- Late Afternoon between 2 PM and 4 PM: Social engagement is higher near the end of the day.
- Evenings between 7 PM and 9 PM: People are at home and winding down for the day.
Weekends
- Saturday and Sunday between 10 AM and 1 PM: You may have higher viewership on weekend mornings than on weekday mornings. This is because viewers have more flexibility in their schedules on the weekends.
What Is the Best Day to Post on YouTube?
Thursdays and Fridays are typically the best days to post to YouTube. Many YouTube channels have higher viewership toward the end of the workweek. But don’t let this limit you to posting on Thursday and Friday, or on your channel’s highest viewing days.
If you’re still growing your channel, posting more frequently is your bigger priority. Maybe post at a few different times on your busiest days and once or twice throughout the week.
When Is The Best Time to Post Shorts On YouTube?
When to post shorts on YouTube depends on your strategic objectives. If you’re monetized with shorts, you’ll need to focus more on volume than time of day. If you’re monetized with longer video content, you can be more strategic with the time of day you post.
- If shorts are your primary content type, you want to post every day, up to 3 times per day. Post at least one short between 2 PM and 4 PM on weekdays. On weekends, post between 10 AM and 1 PM and 8 PM to 11 PM.
- If shorts are your secondary content type, you want to post between 2 PM and 4 PM on weekdays. This is close to the end of the workday when viewership rises. On weekends, post between 10 AM and 1 PM and 8 PM to 11 PM.
When to Post by the Day of the Week?
The general times to post your videos are above, but let’s explore the best times to post by the day of the week.
The Best Time to Post on YouTube on Monday
- Lunchtime: 12 PM
- Late afternoon: 3 PM
- Evening: 7 PM
The Best Time to Post on YouTube on Tuesday
- Lunchtime: 12 PM
- Late afternoon: 4 PM
- Evening: 8 PM
The Best Time to Post on YouTube on Wednesday
- Lunchtime: 12 PM
- Late afternoon: 2 PM
- Evening: 6 PM
The Best Time to Post on YouTube on Thursday
- Lunchtime: 12 PM
- Late afternoon: 3 PM
- Evening: 8 PM
The Best Time to Post on YouTube on Friday
- Morning: 10 AM
- Afternoon: 1 PM
- Evening: 9 PM
The Best Time to Post on YouTube on Saturday
- Morning: 9 AM
- Morning: 11 AM
- Evening: 7 PM
The Best Time to Post on YouTube on Sunday
- Morning: 9 AM
- Afternoon: 12 PM
- Evening: 7 PM
Quality and Consistency Matter More Than Your Posting Schedule
Success on YouTube requires a balance of quality, consistency, and SEO strategy. Never post for the sake of posting. It’s better to post fewer high-quality videos than it is to post daily low-quality videos. Understanding what times to post is one way to leverage YouTube’s algorithms to your advantage.
Maximize your time by creating more content with JoggAI. Clone your voice, clone yourself, or create a custom UGC avatar!
