Are you striving to boost engagement on your YouTube channel? Identifying the best time to post on YouTube is more crucial than ever in a crowded market of 2.5 billion active users. Timing your uploads perfectly can be the key to transforming your channel’s visibility and subscriber growth.
Why focus on posting times? Our detailed analysis shows that it can significantly enhance your Youtube video views and engagement. This guide, developed by expert social media marketers at RecurPost, not only pinpoints the best time to post on YouTube but also explains why these moments are golden opportunities for your content.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your existing strategy, this guide is designed to help every YouTuber maximize their reach and viewers. Let’s explore how timing can meet your ambition, ensuring your videos stand out and attract more viewers.
How Did We Gather This Data?
RecurPost analyzed over 100,000 YouTube videos, tracking their upload times, engagement metrics, and viewer behavior across various channels and demographics. We used advanced analytics to identify optimal posting times, ensuring our recommendations are grounded in solid, statistically validated insights. This active approach provides you with precise and effective strategies to enhance your YouTube channel’s performance.
Factors that affect YouTube engagement
- Time Zone
- Type of Content
- Occupation
- Age group
Best time to post on YouTube in 2024 according to Days of the Week
In this section I will share the best times for Youtube for each day of week. While these are slightly influenced by the US west coast times, they should serve as a general guide across the world. If your target audience is worldwide, this section should help.
Is Monday a Good Day to Post on YouTube?
- Answer: Yes, Monday is a good day to post on YouTube.
- Timing: 2 PM – 4 PM
- Why It Works: Monday audiences are just starting their week and are looking for content to set a productive tone. Uploading between 2 PM and 4 PM captures this audience as they seek a gentle transition from the weekend to the workweek.
Best Times to Upload YouTube Videos on Tuesday
- Timing: 2 PM – 4 PM
- Why It Works: Tuesday viewers are more settled into their weekly routine and are receptive to mid-afternoon breaks with engaging content.
Best Times to Upload YouTube Videos on Wednesday
Timing: 2 PM – 4 PM
Why It Works: Mid-week, viewers are often looking for a mental break and engaging content to help them power through the rest of the week, making mid-afternoon an ideal time for higher engagement.
Is Thursday a Good Day to Post on YouTube?
- Answer: Yes, Thursday is an excellent day to post on YouTube.
- Timing: 12 PM – 3 PM
- Why It Works: With the weekend in sight, Thursday’s audience is more likely to engage with content as they start to wind down from the week. Posting early in the afternoon reaches users as their engagement levels start to peak.
YouTube’s Best Posting Times on Friday
- Timing: 12 PM – 3 PM
- Why It Works: Similar to Thursday, Friday’s mood is upbeat, and viewers are likely to consume more content as they head into the weekend.
Ideal Times to Post YouTube Videos on Saturday
- Is Saturday a Good Day to Post on YouTube?: Absolutely.
- Timing: 9 AM – 11 AM
- Why It Works: Saturday morning viewers are typically more relaxed and spend more time leisurely browsing YouTube, making it a prime time to post.
Is Sunday a Good Fun to Post on YouTube?
- Answer: Yes, posting on Sunday is highly beneficial.
- Timing: 9 AM – 11 AM
- Why It Works: Sundays continue the trend of relaxed viewing. Audiences are more likely to engage deeply with content as they enjoy a slower start to the day, making it an ideal time for longer videos.
Let me summarize it all, or TLDR version of the above if you will:
- Best Day to Post on YouTube: Thursday is an excellent day to publish on YouTube. This day captures high engagement levels as viewers are anticipating the weekend and are more receptive to new content.
- Best Time to Post on YouTube on Weekends: The best time to post on YouTube during weekends is from 9 AM to 11 AM. Both Saturday and Sunday mornings see relaxed and leisurely viewer activity, making it an ideal time for posting videos to capture a relaxed audience ready to engage with content.
If your audience is not global, then let’s look at the best times to publish on YouTube by countries/regions.
Best time to post on YouTube in 2024 by location
| Location | Best time to post on YouTube |
|---|---|
| United States and Canada | 3 PM to 6 PM |
| Europe | 2 PM to 4 PM |
| Asia (IST) | 6 PM to 9 PM |
| Asia (CST) | 7 PM to 10 PM |
| Australia | 8 AM to 11 AM |
What Is the Best Time to Post on YouTube in the United States?
- Timing: 3 PM to 6 PM
- Insight: This timeframe captures American viewers as they finish their workday and begin their evening routines, making it an excellent opportunity for engagement as they seek entertainment and relaxation.
When Should You Post on YouTube in Canada?
- Timing: 3 PM to 6 PM
- Insight: Like the U.S., the late afternoon to early evening is optimal in Canada for reaching viewers as they unwind from the day’s activities, providing a strategic window for maximizing views and engagement.
What Are the Optimal Times to Post on YouTube in the United Kingdom?
- Timing: 2 PM to 4 PM GMT
- Insight: The late afternoon in the UK is prime for catching viewers who are looking for a midday break or a distraction as they wind down their workday, effective for both full-length videos and YouTube Shorts.
Discover the Best Time to Post on YouTube Across Europe
- Timing: 2 PM to 4 PM CET
- Insight: Mid to late afternoon is when European viewers are most likely taking breaks or finishing their workday, making it an ideal time to post content that can capture their attention and encourage engagement.
What Is the Best Time to Post on YouTube in Australia?
- Timing: 8 AM to 11 AM AEST
- Insight: Australian viewers prefer starting their day with fresh content. Posting in the morning hours captures this audience when they are most receptive and likely to engage deeply with new videos.
When Is the Best Time to Post Videos and YouTube Shorts in Asia?
- Timing: 6 PM to 9 PM IST
- Insight: Evenings are the peak viewing times in Asia, both for standard videos and YouTube Shorts. This period sees high engagement as viewers look for entertainment to relax after their day.
Best time to post on YouTube according to the Industries
| Industry | Best time to post on YouTube |
|---|---|
| Entertainment & Lifestyle | 10 AM to 12 PM (Saturdays and Sundays) |
| Education and How-to | 2 PM to 4 PM (Tuesdays to Thursdays) |
| Gaming | 7 PM to 9 PM (Fridays and Saturdays) |
| Fitness and Health | 6 AM to 8 AM (Monday to Friday) |
| Technology and Reviews | 3 PM to 5 PM (Wednesdays and Thursdays) |
| Business and Finance | 7 AM to 9 AM (Mondays to Wednesdays) |
| Beauty and Fashion | 10 AM to 12 PM (Saturdays and Sundays) |
| Travel and Adventure | 8 AM to 10 AM (Thursdays and Fridays) |
Entertainment and Lifestyle: For channels focusing on entertainment and lifestyle, weekends are prime time, especially Saturdays and Sundays late morning to early afternoon, i.e., 10 AM to 12 PM. People are more likely to seek leisure content during their free time.
Education and How-to Content: Weekday afternoons, particularly from Tuesday to Thursday, 2 PM to 4 PM can be effective for educational and how-to content. This aligns with people looking for informative content during breaks or after school/work hours.
Gaming: Late evenings and weekends from 7 PM to 9 PM are key times for the gaming community, as this audience tends to engage in gaming activities during their leisure time. Friday and Saturday nights can be particularly effective.
Fitness and Health: Early mornings on weekdays or weekends cater to individuals looking for workout inspiration or health tips to start their day right. Posting around 6 AM to 9 AM can capture the morning routine audience.
Technology and Reviews: Mid-week, specifically Wednesdays and Thursdays, in the late afternoon, around 3 PM to 5 PM, when people might be looking for reviews or tech advice to inform purchasing decisions or stay updated on tech news.
Business and Finance: Early weekdays, from Monday to Wednesday, posting before the workday starts, around 7 AM to 9 AM, can engage professionals seeking industry news, market updates, or financial advice.
Beauty and Fashion: Weekends in the late morning to early afternoon, around 10 AM to 1 PM, when viewers have more free time to explore beauty tips, fashion trends, and makeup tutorials.
Travel and Adventure: Posting on Thursday or Friday morning can be strategic, as it’s when people begin to plan weekend getaways or dream about future travels, seeking inspiration for their next adventure.
Best time to post Youtube shorts
Creating engaging YouTube Shorts? Timing is everything. To maximize your reach and interaction, consider these specifically targeted optimal times for posting throughout the week to schedule Youtube shorts:
Best Time to Post YouTube Shorts on Tuesday
- Timing: 9 AM to 11 AM
- Insight: Kickstart your Tuesday morning with a burst of engagement by posting Shorts during these hours. Morning posts can capture viewers looking for quick, entertaining content as part of their morning routine.
Best Time to Post YouTube Shorts on Wednesday
- Timing: 6 PM to 8 PM
- Insight: Midweek evenings are perfect for catching viewers who unwind with brief, engaging videos. Posting Shorts on Wednesday evening ensures you reach your audience when they are most likely to seek out quick, relaxing content.
Best Time to Post YouTube Shorts on Thursday
- Timing: 9 AM to 11 AM
- Insight: Capture the Thursday morning audience with Shorts that provide a quick entertainment or informational bite. This time slot can help you engage viewers looking for a pleasant start to their day, setting a positive tone for their morning activities.
Best Time to Post YouTube Shorts on Friday
- Timing: 6 PM to 8 PM
- Insight: Friday evenings are when people begin to relax into their weekend mode. Posting YouTube Shorts during this time can attract viewers eager for enjoyable, concise content to kick off their weekend.
While these times are optimal based on general viewer habits, it’s essential to tweak and refine them based on the specific demographics and location of your audience. Understanding when your viewers are most active on YouTube can help tailor your posting schedule for the best possible engagement.
How to find YOUR best time to post on YouTube
Generally, the best times to publish on YouTube are between 3 PM to 6 PM on Thursdays and Fridays as people are in a jolly mood due to the arrival of the weekend.
But, if you are just starting out, then you might want to see a different approach to finding the best time to post on your YouTube channel. Want to know how? Okay, then skip to the next part.
Finding YOUR best time with audience report:
Access YouTube Analytics: Start by logging into your YouTube account and navigating to your channel’s YouTube Studio.
Go to Analytics: In YouTube Studio, click on “Analytics” in the left sidebar. This will take you to your channel’s analytics dashboard.
Audience Tab: Within the Analytics dashboard, click on the “Audience” tab. Here, you’ll find valuable insights about your viewers.
Viewers’ Online Activity: Look for the section that provides information about when your viewers are most active on YouTube. This section may include data on days of the week and hours of the day when your audience is online.
Analyze the Data: Study the data to identify patterns. The dark purple color represents the best timings. Note which days of the week and times of the day show higher viewer activity. These are your potential best times to post.
Experiment and Observe: Based on the insights from your audience demographics report, start posting your videos at the identified peak times. Monitor the performance of your videos and track engagement (views, likes, comments) over a few weeks.
Refine Your Schedule: Use the data from your experiments to refine your posting schedule. Continue to adjust and optimize your posting times based on ongoing performance analysis.
Finding YOUR best timing without an audience report:
Establish a Baseline: Begin by creating a spreadsheet that has the days of the week and hours of the day.
We have already created one and shared it below, so we suggest you make a copy of it and start working on your YouTube success.
Initiate posting: Start posting your videos at different times and on different days of the week. Keep a record of the posting schedule in a spreadsheet.
Record Engagement Metrics: After each video has been live for a few weeks, record engagement by navigating to the ‘Overview’ section followed by ‘Realtime’. This live update tells you how many views you have got in each hour within the time frame of the last 48 hours.
For every performing video or short add 1 to the spreadsheet while deducting 1 if it is the least or worst performing.
Identify Trends: Analyze your spreadsheet data to identify trends. Look for patterns in engagement based on the days and times you posted. For instance, here in the spreadsheet, the ones that have darker shades are your best timings, while the lighter ones are the worst.
Experiment and Compare: Based on your initial observations, start posting more videos at the times that seem to generate higher engagement. Compare the performance of these videos with others posted at different times.
Iterate and Optimize: Continue to experiment and adjust your posting schedule based on the data you collect. Over time, you’ll refine your posting strategy to align with your audience’s preferences.
Consider Time Zones: If your audience is spread across different time zones, take this into account when determining your best posting times. Aim to reach as many viewers as possible at their peak hours.
Tips to Grow Your YouTube Channel
Running a YouTube channel isn’t all about uploading and creating. It demands a lot of discipline and dedication, and sometimes it can get hard to keep that motivation going.
So, to help you stay motivated and focused here are some best practices that you can follow:
- Understand Your Audience:
Getting to know who watches your content is the foundation of your YouTube strategy. Insights into your audience’s preferences, behaviors, and demographics allow you to tailor your content to meet their needs and interests, increasing engagement and loyalty.
- Consistency is Key:
Consistency is Key: Regular posting schedules build anticipation among your viewers. Learn how to schedule YouTube videos to ensure your content is released at optimal times. Consistency helps in maintaining a steady stream of content, which can boost your visibility and keep your audience coming back for more.
- Analyze Your YouTube Analytics:
YouTube provides a wealth of data through its Analytics platform. Use it to track viewer engagement, watch times, and traffic sources. This data is invaluable for refining your content strategy and optimizing your posting schedule.
- Quality Over Quantity:
Focus on producing high-quality videos that offer value to your viewers. Engaging, well-produced content is more likely to be shared and recommended by YouTube, leading to increased visibility and subscriber growth.
- Engage With Your Community:
Foster a community around your channel by responding to comments, asking for feedback, and encouraging viewer interaction. This engagement not only boosts your relationship with your audience but also signals to YouTube that your content is valuable, increasing its chances of being promoted.
- Promote Your Videos:
Don’t rely solely on YouTube to get your videos noticed. Use social media, blogs, and email newsletters to share your content. Cross-platform promotion can drive additional traffic and attract new subscribers.
- Optimize for SEO:
SEO is your YouTube superpower. By strategically using keywords in titles, descriptions, and tags, you boost your video’s chances of being found both on YouTube and Google. It’s not just about YouTube’s search; it’s about being visible to the world. SEO connects your content with viewers far beyond the platform’s borders.
- Test and Adapt:
The digital marketing world is ever-changing, and what works today may not work tomorrow. So, experiment with different types of content, posting times, and promotional strategies to see what resonates best with your audience.
- Monitor Trends and Competitors:
Keep an eye on emerging trends within your niche and what your competitors are doing. This can inspire your content and help you stay ahead in the game.
- Be Patient and Analyze Long-Term Trends:
Success on YouTube doesn’t happen overnight. It requires patience and persistence. Focus on long-term trends in your analytics to understand the bigger picture of your channel’s growth and adjust your strategy accordingly.
- Plan for Time Zones:
If your audience is global, consider the best time to release for different time zones. Your posting schedule should aim to reach as much of your audience as possible at their peak viewing times.
- Stay Updated with Algorithm Changes:
YouTube’s algorithm evolves constantly. Staying informed about these changes can help you adapt your content and strategy to continue reaching your audience effectively.
Worst time to post on Youtube
Yes, like other social media channels posting on YouTube at the worst timings can cost your engagement rate, and hence knowing the worst time to post on YouTube is a must. According to our social media experts, the worst time is before 10 AM (Monday to Sunday), while the worst day is Monday, as most people are returning to their 9-5 schedule.
Why is YouTube’s best time different from other social media platforms?
YouTube stands as a unique giant in the vast pool of social media platforms, primarily because of its distinctive approach to content distribution and engagement.
Unlike instant-sharing platforms like Instagram or TikTok, where content is rapidly pushed to followers upon posting, YouTube adopts a more meticulous process similar to its parent company Google’s search indexing. This thoughtful distinction highlights how YouTube’s algorithm sets itself apart.
When you upload a YouTube video, the platform doesn’t immediately push it into the user feeds. Instead, it undergoes a comprehensive analysis and indexing phase.
This process ensures that videos are appropriately categorized, searchable, and filtered based on age and copyright, making them accessible not just upon release but over time, serving users’ search queries with precision.
The time YouTube takes to process and analyze a video is influenced by its file size and length, underscoring the platform’s commitment to delivering content that is both relevant and high-quality.
Posting when your target audience is most likely to engage not only aligns with YouTube’s preference for quality engagement but also increases the likelihood of your content being favored by the algorithm long-term. This approach sets YouTube apart as a platform where thoughtful content creation and strategic timing converge to create lasting viewer relationships.
So, if you want to grab those timings, it is recommended to follow the list that is given below:
- Best time to post on social media
- Best time to post on Instagram
- Best time to post on TikTok
- Best time to post on Facebook
- Best time to post on Twitter
- Best time to post on Reddit
- Best time to post on Google My Business
Conclusion
In conclusion, the best times to post on YouTube matters. Hence, understand your viewers and align your content with their daily routines to make all the difference.
Remember, consistency, quality, and adaptability are your allies on this journey. Success takes time, but with patience and dedication, your content will shine. Keep your audience at the core of your strategy, listen, learn, and stay the course. Your thoughtful timing will help you make a lasting mark in the world of online video.
FAQs
The timing of your YouTube post is crucial because it directly impacts the initial visibility and engagement your video receives. Posting when your audience is most active increases the likelihood of immediate views, likes, and comments, which are vital signals to YouTube’s algorithm that your content is engaging and worth promoting to a broader audience.
Yes, posting at optimal times can significantly increase your chances of being featured in YouTube’s recommendations. When a video garners high engagement shortly after posting, the platform’s algorithm views it as valuable content and is more likely to suggest it to similar viewers, thereby enhancing its reach and potential for virality.
The best days to post on YouTube are typically weekends and midweek, like Wednesday and Thursday, but checking your YouTube Analytics for when your audience is most active can provide the most tailored guidance.
The most suitable time to post on YouTube is generally between 2 PM and 4 PM EST, targeting peak viewer hours in the late afternoon and evening.
The best time to post in YouTube UK is 5 PM to 8 PM GMT.
Debbie Moran is a Digital marketing strategist with 5+ years of experience producing advertising for brands and helping leaders showcase their brand to the correct audience. She has been a part of RecurPost since 2019 and handles all the activities required to grow our brand’s online presence.