You have great YouTube video content, a perfect title, an attractive thumbnail, well-optimized SEO, and a spot-on video description. You post it, hoping to see viewers flock to your video.
But why isn’t the view count meeting your expectations?
You did everything right… or did you?
Was your upload timing right?
Do you know when your audience is actually online and ready to watch?
If not, this cycle will keep repeating, and you’ll never get the view count you’re aiming for.
You need to understand what is the best time to post on YouTube—considering factors like the day of the week, location, and industry.
It might seem complicated, but we’ve simplified it all in this blog.
So, take the first step toward an effective posting schedule and start maximizing your reach!
Just having a well-produced YouTube video won’t guarantee views—what truly matters is timing. Yes, timing is everything on YouTube. Uploading your videos at the right moment can significantly boost engagement and visibility.
When you post during peak activity hours, there's a higher likelihood that your video will appear in your target audience's feeds and encourage interactions.
This strategy ensures your content doesn’t get lost among the millions of videos on YouTube and gives it a fair chance to attract viewers. To find the best time to post, explore the insights in the following sections.
Picture Credit: Buffer
According to Buffer, the best time to post on YouTube is usually on a Friday between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., as videos shared during this window tend to attract more viewers.
The best days to post are Tuesday around 2 p.m. and Thursday around 6 p.m. Posting on weekdays in the early morning hours generally results in fewer views.
However, engagement picks up mid-morning, during lunch breaks, and in the late afternoon and evening when people have more free time to watch videos.
You might also notice some late-night spikes, especially around 11 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. Views tend to increase as the week progresses, peaking on Fridays before dropping over the weekend.
Check out our linked blog to learn how to get more views on YouTube.
The best time to post YouTube Shorts is Friday between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Other optimal times are Thursday at 6 p.m. and Tuesday at 2 p.m.
Now that we’ve covered the general best times to post videos and shorts on Instagram, let’s dive deeper and understand what is the best time to post on YouTube based on the day of the week, location, and industry.
Note: The time zones mentioned above are universally applicable.
Learn how to make YouTube shorts here.
Picture Credit: Buffer
Mondays are packed, and people don’t have the leisure to scroll through their YouTube feeds as usual. They mostly check YouTube during their lunch hours—between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.—to unwind. However, the best time to post on Monday is 5 p.m., as that’s when most people are finishing their workday.
Just like Monday, midday breaks are when people scroll through their YouTube feeds. The best time to post on Tuesday is 2 p.m., with 11 a.m. also being a good time for high views.
Just like on Mondays and Tuesdays, people scroll through their feeds on Wednesdays during mid-afternoon, short breaks, or before starting work. The best time to post on this day is around 9 a.m., with 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. also being good for higher engagement.
As the weekend approaches, people start to mentally check out from work and scroll through their feeds. The best time to post on Thursday is around 6 p.m. Like other days, posting at 3 p.m. and 9 a.m. also works well.
Now, this is the best day of the week to post YouTube videos and shorts. To get maximum engagement, posting between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. is ideal. During these hours, people are mentally done with work for the week and seek casual YouTube content.
Saturday is a slow day on the platform, as people are relaxing at home and spending more time with their loved ones rather than scrolling. However, the best time to post on YouTube on a Saturday is in the late afternoon—between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. You’ll see the most engagement at 4 p.m.
Sunday is, well, the worst day of the week in terms of engagement. But there’s still a chance of getting a good number of views if you post at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m., with 11 a.m. being the peak engagement time on Sundays.
Note: The mentioned time zones are universally applicable.
Picture Credit: Freepik
Your YouTube video's success depends on when your audience is active on the platform—when they’re online and available to watch. It’s important to align your posting schedule with your viewer’s time zone. For example, posting based on New York time won’t work if your viewers are in London.
To help you fine-tune your posting times, here’s a list of peak engagement times for some major countries:
Note: All the above-mentioned times are in EST.
Note: All the above-mentioned times are in EST.
Note: All the above-mentioned times are in CET.
Note: All the above-mentioned times are in AEST.
Note: All the above-mentioned times are in IST.
Note: All the above-mentioned times are in PHT
It also varies based on the industry you belong to. As a restaurant, your videos will gain traction at a certain time of day, and as a travel business, your page will gain traction at a different time.
Here's a list that discusses the best times to upload on YouTube for some major industries.
You can adjust your posting schedule to match the peak times for your industry to maximize engagement!
The worst time to post on YouTube is typically when most people are asleep—between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Other slow periods to keep in mind include 8 a.m. on Saturdays, 9 p.m. on Sundays, and 4–5 a.m. on Mondays.
Day-wise, Sundays are the worst, followed by Saturdays. People are not as active online and scrolling YouTube on weekends, so these days tend to get lower views.
The best timing mentioned above provides a general range to work with, but the best time to post on your specific YouTube channel should be based entirely on your target audience and its behavior.
A scheduling strategy that works well for others might not be effective for you if it doesn’t align with your audience. Here’s how you can find the ideal time to post on YouTube for your channel:
Picture Credit: Buffer
YouTube Studio is the control center for all your major YouTube activities. It's where you go to upload your videos and Shorts, monitor your video performance, check comments and subscribers, and manage monetization. There are several ways to access YouTube Studio, but the easiest way is by using studio.youtube.com.
Picture Credit: Buffer
YouTube Studio has one of the best analytics tools, giving you detailed YouTube statistics about your videos. Simply click on the ‘Analytics tab’ on the left side of your screen to access your channel's data. Here, you’ll get insights into your viewership, watch time, subscriber growth, and engagement metrics. Make it a habit to regularly check your analytics to make necessary tweaks in your video marketing strategy.
Picture Credit: Buffer
Next, click on the ‘Audience tab’ at the top of your screen. Here, you can explore who’s watching your videos—whether it’s your subscribers or other viewers. You’ll also see data on your audience’s demographics, such as location, age, and gender, along with what kind of content they watch (videos, Shorts, or Lives).
Picture Credit: Buffer
In the ‘Audience tab’, scroll down a bit, and you’ll find the "When your viewers are on YouTube" section. Here you’ll see a heatmap showing when your audience is most active. The darkest purple areas indicate the times when your viewers are most active, while the lightest purple shows the least active times. For example, you might notice your audience is most active between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Mondays and 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays.
By following these steps, you’ll gain important insights into your viewers and can plan an accurate posting schedule based on this data.
Picture Credit: Freepik
Choosing the best time to post your YouTube Shorts and videos is just one part of crafting a successful YouTube marketing strategy. It's not the whole picture. To maximize your chances of success, be sure to follow this checklist:
Your YouTube channel needs to look great. Make sure you have a unique profile picture, a catchy banner, and a video watermark. Don’t forget to write a clear channel description and create a short trailer or spotlight video.
Understanding and cracking the algorithm is crucial, as it decides where your videos show up. It looks at things like views, watch time, and engagement to determine what content to recommend.
YouTube is the second largest search engine, so it's important that its search works similarly to Google. Do keyword research using good SEO tools, and include those keywords in your channel and YouTube video descriptions, as well as in your video titles.
Create thumbnails with faces, bright colors, and bold text, as they tend to get more clicks. Make sure your thumbnail stands out and grabs your viewers' attention. Here are some of the best YouTube thumbnail fonts you can use to enhance your thumbnails.
Skip the long intro in your YouTube video production and get to the point quickly. Show your audience what they can expect from the video to grab their attention. Here are some best YouTube intros you can take inspiration from.
Talking-head YouTube videos can get boring quickly. Spice things up with text, transitions, b-roll footage, animations, and stickers to keep your audience engaged.
Encourage viewers to come back by creating a video series. If your content fits, release new episodes on a regular schedule.
Consistency is key on any social media platform. Whether it’s a regular video or a Short, make sure to upload often. Algorithms love creators who post consistently. Consider using a content calendar to stay on track.
Liking and replying to comments is just the start. Feature great comments in your videos and ask questions to spark conversations. You should also make sure your community feels safe and valued.
And finally, just keep grinding. YouTube success takes time. Don’t get discouraged if your first video doesn’t go viral. Keep improving with each upload, pay attention to what works, make tweaks, and eventually, the subscribers will follow.
To learn more about how to make a YouTube video, check out our linked blog.
Making YouTube videos and uploading them the right way isn’t easy. It takes a lot of effort and understanding to make a single video successful.
You can keep improving your content, but if your posting time doesn’t align with your target audience, your video still might not take off.
So, take inspiration from the timings shared here, analyze insights from your YouTube analytics, create a perfect posting schedule, and keep hustling to make your YouTube marketing a success!
Written by Anshu Thakur
She is a writer at Broadcast2World. She has written over hundreds of articles on video marketing so what Anshu doesn't know about video isn't worth knowing!