If you want to get the best results with your marketing, knowing the best time to post YouTube Shorts is crucial. Especially if you feel like no matter how often you post or how good your content is, it’s not getting the traction you want.
From saving you time to getting better video views and in turn generating more attention to your business, learning the best time to post YouTube Shorts for your business will have numerous benefits,
We’ll explore how the YouTube algorithm works, how you can leverage it for faster growth, and how you can find the best time to post YouTube shorts for your business. But, before we discuss the technical side of YouTube, its algorithm, and analytics, let’s take a deeper look into why posting on the right thing matters.
The importance of posting YouTube Shorts at the right time
There are a few reasons why the right time for posting Shorts is important:
1. Maximize reach and engagement
Posting at the best times of the day and week when your audience is the most active helps you maximize reach and engagement. When you post during peak hours when most people are on the platform and eager to consume content ensures that your content is seen by more eyes.
When more people see your content, the chances of receiving more likes, comments, and shares also increase. And, the more engagement your videos get, the better the YouTube algorithm will treat your videos. Remember: Engagement is an indicator to the algorithm your content resonates with people, and therefore, more people should see it.
2. Faster growth
Posting Shorts at the best times during the day and the week allows you to be consistent with our posting time. And, being consistent with your audience is key to growth.
When you show up for your audience at the same time over a long period of time, they’ll learn to expect you at those times. The super fans might even start getting excited about waiting for the time that you’ll post.
That’s one of the reasons why you see so many YouTube content creators announce the days of the week when they’ll upload their videos on their YouTube channels.
3. Better visibility
The YouTube algorithm takes many things into consideration when determining if they should recommend a video in the YouTube search results and Homepage or not. Unfortunately, not many people know exactly what factors come into play.
However, it’s clear that posting your video at the times when your target audience is the most active on the platform gives your content the best chance to get in front of those people, hence increasing your visibility.
4. Better ROI
When you post YouTube Shorts at the best time, you reach more people and get better engagement. This means you can increase your growth and build an audience more efficiently. All of that increases your return on investment (ROI) because by being smart and optimizing your work with YouTube Shorts you save time and money.
Using Youtube Analytics to find the best time to post YouTube Shorts
YouTube makes it super easy for its creators to optimize their workflow and better understand what works and what doesn’t with their content. Figuring out the best times to post YouTube Shorts is also something makes easy for creators.
Every YouTube content creator has access to a free tool called YouTube Studio. In your YouTube Studio, you can see how much YouTube pays you every month for the ads on your videos, how your videos are performing, your subscriber growth, and the best times to post your videos, Shorts, and long-form content.
Using YouTube Analytics to determine the best time to post YouTube Shorts will be much more beneficial than using general marketing statistics. Your analytics show what works for your audience, so it’s much more targeted to your business. That’s why we recommend you learn how to navigate YouTube Studio.
Now, let’s walk through the process of how to find the best time to upload for you:
- Go to your YouTube Studio. You can find it by clicking on your profile icon in the top right corner when you’re on your YouTube Homepage. A drop-down menu will appear and you’ll see the “YouTube Studio” option.
- Go to your Analytics. Once you’re inside your YouTube Studio, on the left you’ll see a menu where you want to find the “Analytics” option.
- Go to the Audience page. In the Analytics, you’ll see a few different tabs, choose “Audience” and go to that page. Scroll down a bit and you’ll see the section “When your viewers are on YouTube” that shows you the best times to post on your channel.
Google has a number of in-depth guides that walk you through how to use YouTube Studios, and they even have a video you can watch that’s great for beginners and those who want to start a YouTube channel but are too intimidated by the platform:
When is the best time to post YouTube Shorts?
OK, it’s time to dive into the nitty gritty of when is the best time to upload YouTube Shorts for your business.
1. Time of day
The best time of day to post on YouTube for both long-form content and Shorts is when the majority of the majority of the viewers are on YouTube. Now, when would that be? For YouTube, it’s mostly after work hours, when people are at home, unwinding.
Here’s an exact breakdown of the best times of day to post for each day of the week:
- Monday: between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
- Tuesday: between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.
- Wednesday: between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.
- Thursday: between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
- Friday: between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
- Saturday: between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
- Sunday: between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.
As you can see, the best times to post Monday to Friday are after work, before bedtime. On the weekends, with many peoples’ schedules being mostly free, the best times to post are in the afternoon and going into the early evening.
2. Day of the week
If you’re not posting your YouTube Shorts daily, then you want to truly maximize your content by posting videos on YouTube on the best days of the week.
Generally, the data shows that the best days of the week to post YouTube Shorts are:
- Monday
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
During the work week, people are looking to consume short-form content. This may be on their commute to and from work, while they’re waiting for their coffee or lunch, or yes, during their work hours when they take short breaks.
As expected, weekends, including Fridays, often have lower engagement because people might be preoccupied with other plans and engagements.
The type of content you want to post on your Shorts can also vary depending on the day of the week. Consider:
- Weekdays: Informative and educational content might do better Monday to Friday as people may be alert and more into work and self-improvement mindset.
- Weekends: People are looking to relax, so the best type of content for the weekend may be lighthearted, inspirational, or purely entertaining.
3. Frequency
The question many content creators struggle to answer is: How often should you post on YouTube Shorts? Some people are in the camp of “quantity over quality”, while others believe that the quality of the videos is more important than how frequently you post.
The general advice for YouTube Shorts is this: If you’re looking to grow your account rapidly and you’re interested in going viral with your videos, then posting more frequently, two to three times per day, might be better to accomplish your goals.
If you’re a small creator, this number can look intimidating. But, the good news is that you don’t have to post that frequently to grow. In fact, some experts believe that if you’re interested in growing a loyal audience interested in your business specifically, focusing on quality over quantity is better.
Find a frequency that works for you and that allows you to be consistent with your videos. But always keep in mind that for best results posting YouTube Shorts at least three times per week at the minimum is recommended.
4. Country
If your business has an international audience, you have to take time and countries into consideration when you determine the best time to post on YouTube Shorts.
Different countries and cultures consume content slightly differently. For example, countries like Japan or South Korea where they are early risers, might be consuming content earlier in the day than let’s say Spain or Italy, which tend to have more lively evenings.
Europeans might be more interested in consuming content during their lunchtime hours, between 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.. In the United States, the most popular times are between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., which might be based on U.S. longer work schedules.
Ultimately, your Analytics will show the best times to post in your time zone, and sometimes the best time to post might be 3 a.m. for you just because where the majority of your audience lives around the world. In this case, scheduling your content can be super helpful. You can then post new videos even in the middle of the night for you without compromising on missing out on the best times to post for your audience who might live in completely different time zones from you.
5. Putting it together
Let’s sum up all of the results and look at the overall best times to post on YouTube Shorts. Generally, the best days of the week to post are:
- Monday
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
During those days, the best times of the day to post are between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.. Also, the type of content you post during weekdays matters, and people are more receptive to educational and informational content.
When it comes to frequency, it’s best to post at least three times per week at the minimum, up to two to three times per day if you have the bandwidth for it and can stay consistent with your posting schedule.
FAQs concerning the best time to post YT shorts
And now, let’s answer some of the most frequently asked questions people have about the best times to post on YouTube Shorts.
How often should I post YouTube Shorts?
How often you want to post YouTube Shorts will depend on your business goals:
- If you’re looking for rapid growth, then posting more frequently, two to three times a day can help you maximize the growth and increase your chances of going viral.
- If you’re looking to build a loyal audience, then frequency doesn’t matter as much, and the quality of the content should be your focus.
The minimum of posting three times per week is recommended to grow, no matter which goal is your priority.
What’s the best time to upload YouTube Shorts in 2023?
When it comes to the best time of the week, the best time to upload YouTube Shorts is during weekdays, Monday to Thursday. The best times of the day depend on the country, but generally, it’s between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Does upload time affect YouTube Shorts?
Yes and no. If you will upload your Shorts at other times rather than peak times, you can still grow and reach your target audience. However, posting at peak times greatly increases your chances of being seen by more people which might allow you to grow faster.
How long are the most successful YouTube Shorts?
All YouTube Shorts have to be between 15 and 60 seconds long. Any videos longer than 60 seconds don’t count as YouTube Shorts anymore.
There is no magic number for how long a successful YouTube Short has to be. What matters is whether or not people watch it all the way through. If the viewer watches your video all the way to the end, and engages with it by liking, commenting or sharing it, it sends a signal to the algorithm that this content resonates with people. This will encourage the algorithm to share the video with more people.
So, the quality of your content and your ability to hook the viewer to watch until the end is more important than the length of the YouTube Short.
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