With 2.2 billion users, YouTube is the second-most popular social networking platform in 2022. Businesses and creators alike flock to the site to increase their visibility, sales, outreach, and engagement.
Even today, with 720,000 hours of content uploaded daily, YouTube still helps brands unlock their full potential. Like on the other major social media sites we discussed, you need to have a strategic plan to succeed on YouTube. Formulating that plan can be totally overwhelming.
To be successful, you need to know what your audience likes to watch and when they like to watch it.
We never want you to feel overwhelmed, so today, we will cover how to figure out YOUR best posting time. Before we get started, we want to mention two things.
First, we know many sites show you charts of the best posting times based on time zone. These can be helpful, but they are not 100% accurate. The best time to post on YouTube is unique to each creator. This brings us to our second point.
Remember that what works for your favorite well-established YouTuber may not work for you, which is perfectly fine! There are ways for you to find your "sweet spot" for posting. You can’t base it on anyone else.
Let’s jump right in!
Check out YouTube Studio
To figure out your best posting time, you need verifiable data. You can get this data directly from YouTube.
YouTube Studio gives you reports on what times your subscribers are active, which is very important information. To find these reports, go to YouTube Studio and click "Analytics." From here, select the "Audience" section.
Here you can see not only when your audience is most likely to watch your video, but also the average amount of time they spend watching your content, where most of your audience is located, the age of your subscribers, and more.
All of this information can be used to your advantage, but the big one for today is finding out when most of your followers are online. From here, you can choose the best day and time based on your viewers.
Experimentation
Start experimenting when you have found the best day and time or likely groupings of days and times to post. Remember, these are averages of when your subscribers are online, so you may need to tweak your plan a bit after gathering your data.
Try choosing a mixture of days and times to post, and analyze how each video performs. Start creating a tentative posting schedule as you go, and tweak it as you see what works and doesn’t.
Is peak time the best time?
Ok, so let’s say from your research you realize the majority of your followers are online and actively watching your videos on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:00 PM EDT. You may think, so I post at 3:00 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Maybe, but maybe not.
Think of posting as an investment. You don’t want to buy in at peak value, and you want to get in a little before. If your peak window is at 3 PM, try posting around 1 PM. By doing this, YouTube has time to analyze and process your video and push it to your audience.
Exceptions always exist
You’ve done the research; you've experimented with different days and times. You’re all set, right? Well, kind of.
Depending on your channel type, you may never need to post outside the set schedule you create. But, exceptions always exist.
For example, if you are a reaction channel that focuses on pop culture and the biggest celebrity breakup of 2022 just happened on a Thursday night, but you aren’t scheduled to post till Tuesday… What do you do? Wait till Tuesday and miss out on being one of the first creators to cover the drama? Absolutely not.
In this example, it would be appropriate to upload your reaction immediately.
Even if you don’t react to celebrity drama or the latest political scandal, you may find yourself in a situation where you need to post outside your schedule. That's fine. You can diverge from your posting schedule when it's needed. Remember, your schedule is there to work for you, not against you.
In any situation where time is of the essence to stay relevant, throw the schedule out the window momentarily. You can always get back to uploading as usual later.
Food for thought
Before we finish this article, we wanted to mention that YouTube has released statements saying they are not sure that posting time correlates with long-term video success.
Some creators on the platform may argue about this topic, but it's worth remembering. You want to find a time frame and schedule that works for you, BUT know that this will not make or break the long-term success of your videos.
It is, however, more likely to optimize your visibility, grow your following, and increase engagement. All worthwhile things in our opinion! Now get to planning.
Conclusion
So what’s the answer? Unfortunately, there is no simple solution to find the best time to post on Youtube. However, armed with the knowledge in this article and a little experimentation, you should be able to find your own golden posting time - the time of day when your videos have the best chance of being seen by as many people as possible.
Have you tried any of these methods for finding your optimal posting time? If not, give them a go and let us know how they work out for you! And If you’re looking for more helpful tips on how to succeed as a content creator or influencer on YouTube (or any other social media platform), be sure to pick up our latest ebook – How To Monetize Your YouTube Channel and Earn $10k/month.
This ebook is designed to help you make money on YouTube by teaching you how to optimize your presence, as well as providing tips and tricks for growing your channel and increasing your income. Whether you're just starting out or you've been making videos for years, this ebook has something for every creator.
Inside, you’ll find tips on creating high-value content, optimizing your videos for search, and leveraging other platforms to drive traffic back to your channel.
You'll learn how to attract viewers, and monetize your channel from start to finish. With a little effort and this extensive guide, you'll be on your way to earning $10K or more each month from YouTube! Get your copy today!
