What Is the Best Time to Post on YouTube in 2024?

Every day, individuals from around the globe congregate on one platform for education, entertainment, business, brand exposure, lead generation, and more – and you guessed it, that platform is YouTube.

As the second most visited website after Google, with billions of users and millions of visitors every hour, YouTube is also the second most popular social media platform.

With billions of potential customers, businesses and marketers are not far behind.

While viewers enjoy quality content, video marketers compete with each other to gain more views and leads.

They put in tremendous effort to create quality videos, meticulously plan promotional strategies, and closely monitor and analyze video performance.

However, one crucial factor that has a significant impact on a video’s performance is often overlooked – the best time to post on YouTube.

Customer behavior, viewers’ tastes, and YouTube’s search and recommendation algorithm are ever-changing, which makes it challenging to determine the best time to post videos on YouTube in 2024.

The answer is not straightforward, but we’re here to make it easy for you.

In the following minutes, let’s discuss the importance of video posting time, the optimal time to post videos on YouTube, what experts are saying, factors that influence posting time, and much more.

Is YouTube Video Posting Time Important?

Yes! However, to understand why the timing of your YouTube video posts is critical, you need to know a few things about YouTube: its objectives and how it works.

While there are other video-sharing platforms, such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Vimeo, and more, it is hard to deny that YouTube is the largest and most popular.

YouTube has maintained its leadership position despite fierce competition by setting the right goals and excelling in key areas.

According to reliable sources, YouTube has focused on two critical objectives:

• Providing users with the most relevant answers to their search queries on the platform.
• Encouraging users to spend as much time as possible on the platform.

YouTube accomplishes these goals in two ways.

First, it provides users with videos that match their search queries.

Second, the algorithm continuously analyzes the vast content library on YouTube to determine which videos to recommend in the “Recommended” section.

To arrive at these results, YouTube employs hundreds of metrics and signals, some of which are more important than others.

The upload time and day, as well as the freshness of the content, are among the vital metrics that the platform considers.

Moreover, people visit YouTube to stay up-to-date and obtain accurate information. YouTube takes this responsibility very seriously.

When a video is published, the platform tests its usefulness and impact by recommending it to a select group of the target audience.

The popularity and engagement generated at this stage serve as cues for the algorithm to recommend the video to a wider audience.

Therefore, the best way to impress the YouTube algorithm is to post your video at the time and day when your target audience is most active on the platform.

By doing so, you increase the likelihood of your video being seen and recommended by YouTube’s algorithm.

Now that you know why posting your videos at the right time is essential, you can take the necessary steps to ensure that your YouTube channel thrives.

The Best Time to Post Videos on YouTube in 2024

To ensure that your YouTube videos get maximum exposure, you should target the days of the week when more users visit the platform.

Several research studies and surveys on this topic have found that the best days to post videos are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

This should not come as a surprise as students and office workers are less busy and have more free time on the weekends to spend on YouTube.

Of these three days, Saturday is the best day to post videos if you want to generate maximum views and engagement.

If you want to narrow down the ideal post time, the best time slot on Friday is between 12 PM to 9 PM.

During the post-noon period on Fridays, people begin to wind up their work, and their minds crave entertainment.

This is the perfect time to post your videos on YouTube for maximum engagement.

On Saturdays, the majority of people dedicate the day to rest and relaxation, and they are most active on YouTube and other social media platforms.

You can publish your videos any time between 9 AM to 9 PM on Saturdays.

Sundays are also a good day to post videos on YouTube, but it’s best to publish your content between 12 PM to 6 PM.

After 6 PM, people may be busy planning for the week ahead and may not be as active on YouTube.

While YouTube receives millions of users every hour, even on weekdays, and many content creators upload videos three to four times a week.

Hence, if you plan to post on weekdays, do so between 2 PM to 6 PM. The following table shows the best and ideal times to post on YouTube:

Day	Ideal Time Range to Post		Best Time Slot to Post
	From	To	From	To
Monday	12 PM	9 PM	2 PM	6 PM
Tuesday	12 PM	9 PM	2 PM	6 PM
Wednesday	12 PM	9 PM	2 PM	6 PM
Thursday	12 PM	9 PM	2 PM	6 PM
Friday	12 PM	9 PM	6 PM	9 PM
Saturday	9 AM	9 PM	11 AM	6 PM
Sunday	12 PM	6 PM	12 PM	6 PM

By posting your videos at the ideal times on YouTube, you can increase the chances of reaching your target audience and achieving maximum views and engagement.

When Not to Post Videos on YouTube?

After examining the previous section, it’s apparent that weekdays, particularly the first three days of the week (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday), are not as popular among YouTube users.

For B2C videos, Monday generates the least interest, followed by Tuesday and Wednesday.

This is because students and workers are occupied with their work and studies during the first three weekdays, leaving them with very little time to spend on YouTube.

Additionally, the table above clearly shows that early morning and late evening hours are not the optimal times to post on YouTube.

Expert View on the Best Time and Day to Post on YouTube

Marketing giants have conducted extensive research to determine the best time to post videos on YouTube and other social media platforms.

They have analyzed data from businesses, marketers, and users to provide valuable insights that can help you determine your personal video publishing schedule.

Frederator Networks

Frederator Networks suggests that Friday (6-9 PM), Saturday (3-6 PM), and Sunday (12-3 PM) are the best days to upload videos for maximum exposure, with weekdays between 2 to 4 PM being the ideal time range.

HubSpot

HubSpot’s survey yielded similar results, with Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays being the most favorable days to post videos and Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays being the least favorable.

HubSpot also recommends posting a few hours before the peak viewing time to get the most visibility from YouTube’s search and recommendation algorithm.

Boosted

Boosted agrees with other sources that posting videos a few hours before peak time is the best strategy for maximum engagement.

Their report shows that the US is the largest market for YouTube, followed by China, the UK, India, and Brazil.

According to Boosted, Sunday between 11 AM to 5 PM is the best period to publish videos, while weekdays between 5 PM and 9 PM are the ideal time slots.

HowSociable

HowSociable emphasizes the importance of posting at the right time to gain an edge over competitors. They claim that the best time to post videos is during the late afternoon (2 PM to 4 PM) on Thursdays and Fridays.

Biteable

Biteable suggests that YouTube’s algorithm doesn’t immediately pick up new videos, so it’s best to post a couple of hours before the peak time.

They also stress the importance of considering the geographical location of your target audience.

Biteable recommends uploading videos on Friday (6-9 PM), Saturday (3-6 PM), or Sunday (12-3 PM) for optimal results.

Factors That Influence Video Posting Time on YouTube

The organizations mentioned above all concur that the best time to post on YouTube is dependent on various factors, including the niche, market trends, and customer demographics.

As a result, the ideal upload time for a B2B business may not be the same as that of a B2C brand.

It is important to consider the following factors to determine the perfect post time for reaching and engaging your target audience:

Goals and Objectives

Consider your goals, objectives, and the viewer’s mindset when watching your video.

These factors are crucial in determining the optimal posting time.

Depending on the objectives of your video marketing campaign, you may need to make minor or major changes to your posting schedule.

For instance, let’s say you’re planning to upload a B2B marketing video targeting company executives.

The decision to purchase your product or reach out for more information might require a joint decision.

In this case, the best time to reach your target audience would be on weekdays when potential customers are more likely to be focused on business and making informed decisions.

Audience Demographics

Your location doesn’t really matter when it comes to uploading video content. What truly matters is that you post your content at a time when the target audience is most active on YouTube.

For instance, the United States has 6 different time zones, so if you’re based in the Pacific Time Zone but your target audience is primarily in the Eastern Time Zone, it’s best to post your videos between 6 PM to 9 PM (ET) on weekends.

Competition and Industry Trends

You can learn valuable lessons from studying your competitors.

By analyzing both their successes and failures, you can gain insights into effective YouTube video marketing strategies and techniques.

If your competitors are seeing success by posting at specific times, it may be worth experimenting with those same posting times to improve your engagement metrics.

Additionally, it’s worth considering current industry trends when determining your post times, as scheduling your videos to reach your audience at the most effective times can help you gain an edge over the competition.

Conducting competitor research and analyzing industry trends should be an integral part of your marketing strategy.

Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, you can benefit from the hard work of others and position yourself for success.

Use the Right Marketing Tools to Understand Your Audience Behavior and YouTube

Despite the abundance of information provided here, discovering the ideal time to post your content on YouTube and fully harness its potential may require some trial and error.

As a marketer, you have a multitude of responsibilities, and finding the perfect post time is just one of them.

Therefore, utilizing analytics tools to analyze audience behavior on YouTube and other significant social media platforms is wise.

These marketing tools can help shorten the time it takes to identify the best post time.

Moreover, you can use social media tools to schedule video uploads to cater to viewers residing in different time zones.

How to Find Your Best Time to Post on YouTube

Instead of relying on what others have to say about this topic, let’s explore ways to determine the best posting time and days for your channel.

There will be no generalizations or guesswork here. All answers will be backed by facts and data.

From YouTube Analytics and Audience Report

The YouTube Studio section is a treasure trove of information.

To access it, visit the Channel Dashboard and open the Analytics page.

Click on the ‘Audience’ tab and review the data and graphs on the page.

The second graph, titled ‘When your viewers are on YouTube,’ provides the time slots during which your audience was most active and engaged with your videos.

If the page is blank and no graphs appear, it means your video pages haven’t had many viewers in the past 28 days.

Going back to the second graph, areas with darker shades indicate days and times when your audience was most present on YouTube to watch your content.

Unlike text or image posts, producing videos takes time and requires investment.

Therefore, it’s important to be strategic about posting videos.

If you plan to post once a week, pick a day to post that is slightly lighter than the peak day.

That’s because most videos get the maximum viewership in the first two days after upload.

Finding Best Post Time from Other Sources

If your channel is new and the Audience tab is not populated, don’t worry.

You can still determine the best day and time to upload your videos.

Simply go to the Overview tab on the Analytics page and look for the Real Time box on the right side.

This box shows the number of viewers you’ve had every hour for the past 48 hours.

To use this method, you’ll need to create a spreadsheet manually and populate it with real-time viewer count data for a week or a month.

Once you have the data, analyze it to find the highs and lows, and determine when your audience is most active.

Another option is to ask visitors to your video page to take a poll or survey.

You can offer a reward, such as an eBook, discount code, etc. to encourage participation.

This will give you valuable insights into when your audience watches videos.

You can also use marketing tools like TubeBuddy, which provides real-time data of your channel directly in your Chrome browser.

This Chrome Extension analyzes the data and offers recommendations on the ideal post time, thereby reducing your workload.

Success Stories

By now, you may have learned that a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work when selecting the best post time on YouTube.

We have already discussed the common factors that influence the video post date and time.

Now, let’s take a look at how YouTubers utilize and benefit from their post time.

Bon Appetit

Bon Appetit, a popular cooking channel on YouTube, publishes new recipe videos every Wednesday at 4 PM. By posting mid-week, the channel provides viewers with enough time to plan and buy ingredients, so they can try out the recipe over the weekend. This posting time also aligns with the ideal time we discussed earlier.

PewDiePie

The success of this YouTube channel can be attributed to the consistency and timing of its video uploads.

PewDiePie, also known as Felix, became one of the most well-known YouTube personalities by consistently posting engaging content every day at 4 PM. This post time falls right within the best post time range mentioned in the table above.

Technical Guruji

Technical Guruji has become a go-to source for technology news, drawing in viewers on a daily basis.

To cater to its target audience in India, the channel posts videos at 9:30 AM Indian Standard Time. Consistently posting videos every day has contributed to the channel’s impressive following of over 22 million subscribers on YouTube.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why Should I Know the Best Time to Post on YouTube?

Posting videos when your audience is most active on YouTube can offer four benefits:

• Gain more views than your competition.
• Provide your audience with fresh and timely content, leading to more subscribers for your channel.
• Increase brand awareness, which can result in more leads, conversions, and loyal customers.
• Have a better chance of appearing in search results and the video recommendation section.

2. Why Post Videos on YouTube before the Peak Time?

In a few places throughout the article, we recommend posting videos one or two hours before peak time.

Even though posting during peak times may seem tempting, there are several reasons why you should follow our advice.

Posting before peak hours allows the YouTube algorithm to evaluate the video and recommend it to the appropriate viewers.

This provides more time for your content to gain traction. Videos that are at least two hours old have a greater impact on the audience.

3. Should I Schedule YouTube Videos?

Scheduling your videos is a no-brainer and can save you a ton of time and effort, especially if the best post time is in a different time zone.

Additionally, with scheduling tools, you can easily manage multiple videos across different social media platforms without any hassle.

Final Thoughts

To sum up, what we’ve learned so far, there isn’t a single, ideal time or day to post videos on YouTube.

However, it’s essential not to overlook the importance of posting time.

The timing of a video’s release can provide the initial push it needs to connect with its target audience.

Fortunately, finding the optimal posting time doesn’t have to be a struggle.

We’ve shared our research findings, expert opinions, and the factors that influence posting time.

We’ve also provided guidance on how to determine the best time to post your videos in 2024.

If you have an opinion on the topic, please share it with us. We’d love to hear from you.