The Best Time to Post on YouTube in 2023: An Ultimate Guide

Did you know that roughly 3.7 million videos are uploaded to YouTube every day?  Of all 3.7 million uploaded, only those posted at an intentional time will maximise their chances of driving engagement . This is because the timing of a video upload is a key contributing factor in achieving online success. That’s why you’ve probably noticed that your favourite YouTubers tend to have ‘upload days’. If you partner up with a YouTube marketing agency, worry not, as the most effective posting schedule will be created for you.  Unlike other social media platforms YouTube does not have a Feed. This is a likely reason for there being no precise best time to post on the platform. However, we’ve covered the best time to post on Instagram, the best time to post on TikTok and even the best time to post on LinkedIn, so we’ll do our very best to cover the best time to post on YouTube for you too. Read on to find out more!

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO UPLOAD A YOUTUBE VIDEO?

Unlike platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube is a very casual form of social media. Where LinkedIn users would make use of the networking site during work hours, YouTube is mostly reserved for the weekend wind down.

The Best Day & Time to upload to YouTube in 2023:

To reflect this, the overall best times to upload on YouTube are as follows: Friday – 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, 9pm Saturday – 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm Sunday – 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm

Another notable point for YouTube’s weekend popularity is the content type it offers. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram focus on short-form content, which is easier for users to consume while on-the-go or on a lunch break. However, YouTube favours long-form video content which requires more of people’s time; hence the weekend being the perfect time to binge 10+ minute videos.

What are the best days to post YouTube videos?

The best days to post on YouTube are at the weekend. This is because the majority of YouTube users are active on the platform outside of working hours and in their free time. To generalise the YouTube audience base, most users are active on the weekends in the afternoon. So, posting in the morning gives YouTube time to index videos and build up traction. The more views a video gradually receives, the higher the chances of it being promoted by the algorithm or claiming a spot on the trending page.  However, once again, you should tailor your posting days to your audience. The posting schedule for YouTube fitness influencers will be different to tech or beauty influencers.

Does it matter what time you post on YouTube?

Unfortunately the answer to this question lies within a very grey area.  While the timing of your YouTube uploads greatly affects their short-term success, it doesn’t really do anything for their long-term performance.  A posting schedule will only ensure that your upload receives the maximum potential number of views in the first few hours and while this can generate more traffic and help with the growth of your channel, it doesn’t play a huge role in the long-run.  Unlike social media platforms such as Instagram, which favour consistently fresh, new content, YouTube favours relevance. This is why everything uploaded to the platform is essentially timeless. As long as it is relevant to the user’s search query, it will be displayed regardless of whether it performed well or not upon its publication.

How to find your channel’s best time to post on YouTube?

Your Analytics Dashboard is the best place to find accurate and reliable data. If your channel generates enough traffic, you will have access to an advanced report which shows you when your viewers are most active on the platform. Using this data, you can begin to create your own posting schedule.  To access your dashboard:

1. Open YouTube Studio
2. Click ‘Analytics’
3. Open the ‘Audience’ tab and view your report

Now that you have a better understanding of the best times to upload to YouTube, it is important to remember that this is just one contributing factor to an entire catalogue of variables. Once you have your posting schedule down, turn your attention to publishing high-quality, original content, consistently.

Key considerations for the best time to post on YouTube

When thinking about the best time to post on YouTube, you must always prioritise your audience. If you live in a different location to your audience, you must cater to their time zone instead of your own. This is to ensure that your videos are visible to as many people as possible. Aside from your target audience, there are numerous factors to consider when determining the best time to post on YouTube. As a result, we have created a guide to key factors that will guarantee an increase in user engagement with your YouTube videos. When considering the best time to post on YouTube, prioritise your audience. If you live in a different location to your audience, you need to cater to their time zone over yours. This will ensure that your videos are seen by as many people as possible from the get-go, which will help the video build traction.  Aside from your target audience, there are a few other key factors to consider when finding the best time to post on YouTube. We have created a guide of the key considerations that will guarantee an increase in user engagement and views of your YouTube videos.

1. Research YouTube channels within your niche

While understanding your audience should be your main priority, you also need to understand how your niche operates. To do so, you should observe other YouTube channels and influencers within your niche to gain a better understanding of your own audience. Keep track how frequently and when other YouTubers share their content—this will show you the times that receive the highest initial views and engagements within your area of expertise. The best types of YouTube channels, the most subscribed YouTubers and the most viewed YouTube videos have all managed to use the best time to post on YouTube for their niches in order to build a loyal following. In order to receive more views, you should use relevant and popular YouTube hashtags to categorise your content.

2. Be consistent

Consistency is key. Knowing how often to post your content is just as important as finding the best time to post on YouTube. If your audience is active on YouTube most days of the week, you should consider posting at least twice a week. However, if they are mainly active on the weekends, one video a week is fine. Knowing your audience inside out is the best and fastest way to learn how frequently you should upload to YouTube. In order to keep up your consistent posting, you should create a content calendar to keep track of the content you deliver—this way you can ensure you are posting a variety of content to entertain and provide value to your audience.

3. Think about the age of your audience

The best times to post on YouTube always comes back to your audience. The age range of your audience plays a pivotal role in determining the best time to post. This is because each demographic is active on YouTube at different times of the day. This is why you need to dedicate time to investigating when your demographic is most active on the platform.

FAQs

When is the best time to post on YouTube in the UK?

The best time to upload to YouTube UK depends on your audience. If you have a predominantly UK-based audience, you should post Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 12pm and 6pm. However, if you are based in the UK, but your audience is based in the US, your posting time will be different. For example, you will want to post at around 5PM on the weekends in order for US audiences to see your content from 9AM. If you want to target a US audience in the afternoon, you will want to schedule your YouTube video to go live around 10PM UK time.

How often should I post YouTube videos?

The frequency you post YouTube videos depends on your audience. If your audience is most active on the platform during the week, you will want to capture this as frequently as possible by posting multiple times a week. However, if your audience is mainly active on the weekends, keeping to one post per weekend will be the best option.

What time is YouTube most active?

Generally anytime between 9am – 6pm on the weekends and 2pm – 6pm on weekdays.

The best times to post on YouTube UK is… 

For a UK audience, the best times to post on YouTube is between 2PM and 4PM on the weekdays and 9AM and 11AM on the weekends. Posting at these times will give YouTube time to index your video so when your audience comes online, it is more likely to be promoted by YouTube’s algorithm.

How much do YouTubers make? 

“How much do YouTubers make?” is potentially one of the (if not the) most asked questions regarding the platform. There are 3 main ways YouTubers earn money on the platform: AdSense, partnerships and channel memberships.  For ad revenue, Google pays creators 68% of their AdSense revenue. The average YouTube channel receives around $18 per 1,000 ad views, however to be considered “a view”, viewers need to watch 30 seconds of the ad to count for payment. So, for those 1,000 views, only 150 people are likely to watch the ad. This means the YouTube channel will earn around $3 – $5 for every 1,000 views.  Sponsorships and partnerships with brands can earn YouTubers big bucks. If brands are paying through views, some YouTubers can charge between $10 and $50 per 1,000 views. If you’re a big YouTuber and receive over 1M views consistently, you could be looking at upwards of $50K per partnership.  A relatively new addition to a YouTuber’s revenue stream comes from channel memberships. YouTube creators can encourage their subscribers to become a channel “member” which gives them access to exclusive emojis, badges and other offerings in return for a monthly payment. These memberships are usually around the $5 – $10 mark, and can add up quickly if you have a big following.