YouTube has become an unparalleled platform for businesses and creators to connect with a massive audience, paving the way for immense growth and success. With over 2.504 billion monthly active users, YouTube offers many opportunities to captivate viewers, build brand awareness, and drive engagement.
For businesses like yours, the success of the YouTube campaign depends on various factors, including the timing of the content. While relevance and quality precede recency, posting when your audience is most active can still boost your video’s visibility.
In this blog, we have highlighted the best times to post on YouTube that can work wonders for you. We also help you discover your ideal posting times, make informed decisions, and improve your YouTube strategy.
Let’s dive in!
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Best Time to Post on YouTube
The best time to post on YouTube is between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. (EST) on weekdays and between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. (EST) on weekends. We’ve reached this conclusion after monitoring the engagement of over 50,000 accounts across various industries and locations.
- Monday: 12 p.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m.
- Tuesday: 12 p.m., 4 p.m., 8 p.m.
- Wednesday: 12 p.m., 2 p.m., 6 p.m.
- Thursday: 12 p.m., 3 p.m., 8 p.m.
- Friday: 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 9 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 7 p.m.
- Sunday: 9 a.m., 12 p.m., 7 p.m.
Note: The timings given above are in the Eastern Time Zone (EST).
Apart from the optimal time, you can dive into SocialPilot’s study, which breaks down the average good times to post throughout the week.
The Best Time to Post on YouTube on Monday
The best time to post on YouTube on Monday is 12 p.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
On Mondays, after getting back to their busy routines, people tend to check YouTube during their lunch break at 12 p.m. to unwind. The 3 p.m. slot targets those seeking a break as the workday winds down. Later down in the day, 7 p.m. is ideal since people are finishing their workday and transitioning into their evening routines, often relaxing with YouTube content.
The Best Time to Post on YouTube on Tuesday
The best time to post on YouTube on Tuesday is 12 p.m., 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Following Monday, Midday breaks at 12 p.m. remain a top choice for people to check YouTube. In the 4 p.m. slot, people start relaxing after work or school. 8 p.m. is the peak evening when viewers are likelier to watch long-form YouTube content, making it a great time to post.
The Best Time to Post on YouTube on Wednesday
The best time to post on YouTube on Wednesday is 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Like Mondays and Tuesdays, the lunch breaks are when people scroll for videos, while 2 p.m. sees a peak as people reach mid-afternoon and take short breaks. 6 p.m. is also a sweet spot as people finish their work and look for entertainment or relaxation with YouTube content.
The Best Time to Post on YouTube on Thursday
The best time to post on YouTube on Thursday is 12 p.m., 3 p.m., and 8 p.m.
Lunchtime continues to be a strong window at 12 p.m., with people checking their phones. 3 p.m. works well as users start mentally checking out from work as the weekend nears. 8 p.m. in the evening is a great time when people are winding down, making it perfect for engaging content.
The Best Time to Post on YouTube on Friday
The best time to post on YouTube on Friday is 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 9 p.m.
Fridays are one of the best days to post on YouTube. At 10 a.m, people are starting their weekends and ready for some rest and entertainment. The 1 p.m. slot catches the lunch crowd. 9 p.m. is also highly effective as it marks the end of the workweek, and people are now ready for casual YouTube content.
The Best Time to Post on YouTube on Saturday
The best time to post on YouTube on Saturday is 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 7 p.m.
Saturdays at around 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. garner many active views and engagement for newly published videos. 7 p.m. is a great time when people are relaxing at home, making it an ideal moment to catch their attention. This gives the audience ample time to discover the video and drive it forward.
The Best Time to Post on YouTube on Sunday
The best time to post on YouTube on Sunday is 9 a.m., 12 p.m., and 7 p.m.
Similar to Saturday, 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. is when viewers are easing into their Sunday vibes. By 7 p.m., people are wrapping up their day, preparing for the week ahead, and typically go through their YouTube feeds and engage with content before calling it a night.
Since the above posting times have been calculated after accounting for indexing time, it is evident that the average actual peak time is in the evening.
This insight becomes more interesting when you realize that most people use YouTube during typical TV-watching time. Isn’t that a win for streaming?
Best Time to Post on YouTube Shorts
The best time to post on YouTube Shorts is during peak hours from 11 am to 3 pm and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. This is particularly applicable on Monday and Tuesday. We’ve reached this conclusion after monitoring the engagement of over 50,000+ accounts across various industries and locations.
- Monday: 7 a.m., 12 p.m., and 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Tuesday: 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Wednesday: 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Thursday: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Friday: 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and 10 p.m. to 12 a.m.
- Sunday: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 9 p.m.
Note: The timings given above are in the Eastern Time Zone (EST).
We are sure that the findings shared above will help you in your ongoing search for the ideal posting times.
How We’ve Identified the Best Time to Upload on YouTube?
Our team conducted a comprehensive study to determine the right times to upload on YouTube, analyzing around 3,00,000 YouTube videos published from around 50,000+ YouTube accounts connected to SocialPilot. The study analyzed the performance of these YouTube videos and the fan’s activity, specifically observing how their engagement rates and the audience presence varied depending on the hours and days of the week they were shared. The findings pinpoint the good times to post on YouTube every day of the week.
Now that we’ve categorized the best times for each day let’s understand them by location.
Best Times to Post on YouTube by Location
Have you ever wondered if your location impacts the best posting times on YouTube?
It absolutely does! Posting at the right time based on your audience’s time zone can make or break your video’s visibility. A 3 p.m. post in New York might hit the sweet spot, but it’s already dinner time in London. Knowing where your viewers are and scheduling your videos to their peak watching hours is the secret to maximizing reach and engagement.
Luckily, our extensive global customer base has provided us with enough data to uncover the best times to post on YouTube by location. We’ve analyzed thousands of posts and accounts to find peak engagement times based on different countries and here is what we found:
Best Time to Post on YouTube in Australia
- Monday: 7 a.m., 12 p.m., 5 p.m., and 8 p.m.
- Tuesday: 8 a.m., 1 p.m., and 8 p.m.
- Wednesday: 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 5 p.m., and 8 p.m.
- Thursday: 9 a.m., 5 p.m., and 10 p.m.
- Friday: 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 6 p.m.
- Saturday: 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 6 p.m.
- Sunday: 10 a.m., 4 p.m., and 9 p.m.
Note: The times are expressed in AEST
Best Time to Post on YouTube in the USA
- Monday: 2 p.m., 5 p.m., and 9 p.m.
- Tuesday: 2 p.m., 5 p.m., and 8 p.m.
- Wednesday: 2 p.m., 5 p.m., and 8 p.m.
- Thursday: 12 p.m., 3 p.m., and 6 p.m.
- Friday: 3 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 4 p.m.
- Sunday: 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 5 p.m.
Note: The times are expressed in EST.
Best Time to Post on YouTube in India
- Monday: 6 p.m., 8 p.m., and 10 p.m.
- Tuesday: 6 p.m., 8 p.m., and 10 p.m.
- Wednesday: 6 p.m., 8 p.m., and 10 p.m.
- Thursday: 11 a.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m., and 10 p.m.
- Friday: 11 a.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m., and 10 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m.
- Sunday: 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m.
Note: The times are expressed in IST.
Best Time to Post on YouTube in the Philippines
- Monday: 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 5 p.m.
- Tuesday: 9 a.m., 12 p.m., and 6 p.m.
- Wednesday: 8 a.m., 3 p.m., and 7 p.m.
- Thursday: 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 6 p.m.
- Friday: 11 a.m., 4 p.m., and 9 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 6 p.m.
- Sunday: 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 6 p.m.
Note: The times are expressed in PHT.
Best Time to Post on YouTube in Canada
- Monday: 2 p.m., 5 p.m., and 9 p.m.
- Tuesday: 2 p.m., 5 p.m., and 8 p.m.
- Wednesday: 2 p.m., 5 p.m., and 8 p.m.
- Thursday: 12 p.m., 3 p.m., and 6 p.m.
- Friday: 3 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 4 p.m.
- Sunday: 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 5 p.m.
Note: The times are expressed in EST.
Best Time to Post on YouTube in Europe
- Monday: 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m.
- Tuesday: 10 a.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m.
- Wednesday: 11 a.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m.
- Thursday: 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 6 p.m.
- Friday: 2 p.m., 5 p.m., and 8 p.m.
- Saturday: 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m.
- Sunday: 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m.
Note: The times are expressed in CET.
These timings vary across different geographies and reflect watching habits, ensuring better engagement rates. However, the best posting times also vary based on the industries.
Best Times to Upload on YouTube by Industry
We did research and found out the best times for YouTube that can give maximum engagement. Here are some of the best posting for several industries:
- Gaming: 3 p.m., 7 p.m., and 9 p.m.
- Education: 9 a.m., 12 p.m., and 6 p.m.
- Fitness & Health: 6 a.m., 10 a.m., and 7 p.m.
- Beauty & Fashion: 11 a.m., 3 p.m., and 8 p.m.
- Technology: 8 a.m., 12 p.m., and 6 p.m.
- Food & Cooking: 11 a.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m.
- Entertainment: 1 p.m., 5 p.m., and 9 p.m.
- Travel: 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 6 p.m.
- Business & Finance: 7 a.m., 11 a.m., and 6 p.m.
- Kids Content: 8 a.m., 3 p.m., and 7 p.m.
Now, the bigger question is, will these work? Absolutely yes.
Start using these posting times to find out what works for you and gives you maximum views and likes.
But if you are a social media manager and managing multiple social media accounts, one question that can probably come across your mind would be:
How to Find the Best Time to Upload Video on YouTube?
Now that you are well-equipped with the average best time to post on YouTube, it is time to find the right time specifically for your YouTube channel.
How do you do that?
The easiest way to find the optimal time is by looking at the recently introduced ‘When your viewers are on YouTube’ report.
Let’s go through the step-by-step process to learn the best time frames that can help you make the most of your YouTube video efforts.
Step 1: Access the Analytics section
Firstly, head to the YouTube studio.
On your channel dashboard, find the Analytics section in the left-hand side menu. Click on it to access tons of data to understand your Page’s performance.
But we are looking for a specific graph. You will find it in the “Audience” tab of the “Analytics” section.
You will see a purple bar graph. That’s our destination. Now the next step is to assess it.
On the other hand, if you don’t see the graph under this section, it is because your channel didn’t gain enough viewer data in the last 28 days.
But don’t worry, later in the article, we will discuss the ways to find out the best time to post videos on YouTube without the help of the audience graph.
For now, let’s continue with the further steps.
Step 2: Find the Best Day and Time to Post
The “Where to find your audience” graph shows you the data for the last 28 days and is based on your time zone.
The dark purple bars in the graph indicate the timings on a specific day when most of your audience is present on YouTube.
Similarly, the lighter bars indicate the times when the presence of the audience is the lowest.
So basically, these reports tell you the time when most of your audience is present on YouTube to watch your videos.
It is helpful because the best time to post on YouTube is when most of your audience is live to see your video. If you post keeping these times in your mind, your video will appear on the home page when the most audience is present.
Unlike other social platforms, you can’t post on YouTube every day, given the time it takes to make a single video. So you need to choose the best day to post on YouTube based on your preferences.
What to do if you have multiple dark bars throughout the week?
In such a case, pick a day with a shade lighter purple bars that comes near your main day. It has been seen that videos tend to get most of their views in the first 2 days. So, it’s better to align your posting with the two peak days.
For instance, in the above example, Friday has the darkest bar, and Thursday stands second. Now posting on Thursday will also get you a view of Friday. But posting on Friday will get you the views of Saturday, which is clearly a bad day according to the graph.
How to Find the Best Time to Post on YouTube Without the Audience Report?
Alright, you are new on YouTube or don’t have enough daily flux of audience for the “When your viewers are on YouTube” report to appear. How do you find your best time?
By crunching some numbers manually.
You will find another section in YouTube analytics, inside the ‘Overview’ tab called ‘Real time’ on the right-hand side.
It provides the number of views you have got in each hour within the time frame of the last 48 hours.
I’d recommend tracking this data for a month or quarter in a spreadsheet to spot the pattern of views across a week. This way, you will be able to find what day and time your audience remains the most active.
Also, you can use the average best time to post data we discussed in the beginning to kickstart the tracking process. See if the universal time works for your niche or not.
But how are you going to take care of so many posting times? We have a solution. Keep reading.
How to Stay Consistent with Your YouTube Posting Schedule?
Consistent posting is part and parcel of every marketer’s job. Yet, it remains a distant dream for most of them. With multiple best times to post on YouTube at your disposal, it gets hectic to test out every time and choose the best one.
For one YouTube channel, it’s okay, but imagine testing out times for multiple YouTube accounts while dealing with other social networks as well; it sends chills down the spine.
This is where SocialPilot comes to your rescue!
A one-stop solution to schedule your YouTube videos, shorts, and content on other platforms way ahead.
Take advantage of its scheduling feature to A/B test the best times so that you can find the perfect time for your audience.
Apart from A/B testing the best times for your YouTube Channel, SocialPilot also comes in handy when you need to automate scheduling to post multiple times.
All social media marketers know that a social media automation tool can work wonders, from helping you post in different formats to posting on various accounts at different times.
SocialPilot also has multiple other features that can save you time, especially if you are an agency, social, or digital marketer.
Why don’t you try it yourself for free?
Why Does the Right Time to Post on YouTube Matter?
Timing is everything, especially when it comes to YouTube. Posting your videos at the right moment can significantly boost visibility and engagement. When you publish a video during peak activity times, it aligns with your audience’s viewing habits, increasing the likelihood of your video being seen and interacted with.
This strategic approach makes sure that your content doesn’t get lost in the vast sea of uploads, giving it a better chance to stand out and attract viewers. In essence, understanding and leveraging the optimal posting times can be a game-changer for your channel’s growth and success.
Wrapping Up
Video marketing is not easy. The excruciating amount of effort and time it takes to export a single video is a lot.
That’s why it’s important to turn every stone that can get your hard-made video its due success, including finding the best time to post on YouTube.
With the methods discussed above and the findings of our study on over 50,000 YouTube accounts, you will find the best time to post YouTube shorts as well as videos.
So take inspiration from general popular time, analyze your data with YouTube analytics, and kickstart your successful YouTube marketing.
Keep in mind that posting at the best time is just one factor in getting you in the spotlight. Consider it more as a chance to show the high-quality content you have tailored. In the end, it all comes down to one thing – creating quality content for your audience.
Don’t forget to use SocialPilot to schedule your YouTube videos and shorts to boost your YouTube marketing results.
