How to Schedule YouTube Videos

As a YouTube content creator, knowing how to schedule YouTube videos is an important YouTube marketing strategy and helps when planning your social media content calendar. Scheduling YouTube videos is always a great way to ensure you don’t forget to share your content with your subscribers and make sure you never miss an update. Eventually, you will find the best time to schedule your YouTube videos which aligns with the viewing habits of your audience.

Here is a simple step-by-step guide on how to schedule YouTube videos.

How to unlock scheduled videos on YouTube 

First things first, in order to schedule YouTube videos you need to unlock the feature on your account. If you don’t see ‘schedule’ as an option before you go to post then you need to verify your account.

Step 1: See if you’re already verified

In order to see if you’re already verified, click your YouTube profile icon and choose the third dropdown option: YouTube Studio. This will take you to your channel dashboard; in the left hand column, you will see more options. 

Once you scroll down and select Settings > Feature eligibility and at the bottom of that section you will see Status and Features. If you are verified then you don’t need to do anything further, however, if you are not verified you will have to begin the verification process. 

Step 2: Prove you’re human 

To become verified, YouTube will ask you to select the country you’re working in and how you’d like to receive your verification code. After that you will be asked to provide a phone number.

Step 3: Enter your verification code

After picking a verification of your choice, you will receive a six-digit code, this will arrive either via text message, or sent to your phone as an automated voice message. Enter the code into the box provided and click submit.

Step 4: You’re verified

Once your account is verified you will have access to a few more YouTube features, including the ability to use custom thumbnails, post longer videos and of course, schedule your YouTube videos.

How to schedule YouTube videos in platform

Step 1: Upload your video

There are two different ways to schedule YouTube videos, either click on the camera icon in the top right hand corner of YouTube, or click on the red create button if you’re in YouTube studio. Then, drag and drop your video to upload.

Step 2: Add your video details

To ensure that your video stands out against the rest, make sure you add a title, description and thumbnail image. You will also be given the option to select which playlist you would like your video to appear in as well as place any age restrictions.

Step 3: Select schedule

Once you have filled in the information in the Details and Video elements tabs, you will end up at the Visibility tab. This will give you the option to save, publish or schedule. First, choose whether you would like the video to be public or private once it goes live. Click on the Schedule button, this is where you can enter the date and time you would like your content to go live. 

Step 4: Click Schedule

Once you have clicked “schedule”, you will receive a notification saying that your video has been scheduled successfully.

How to schedule YouTube videos with Hootsuite

You can also curate your YouTube posting schedule with the help of social media management platforms like Hootsuite. Tools like Hootsuite can be an easy way to save time when scheduling, especially if you’re publishing content to multiple social networks. 

Step 1: Connect your YouTube account with Hootsuite

In order to schedule YouTube videos using Hootsuite, you first need to connect your YouTube account. In Hootsuite, select manage social networks from the dropdown list and then click Add Network. Click add social network and next you will then be given the option to choose YouTube and complete the steps to connect the channels. 

Please note that in order for the connection to work, you need to give Hootsuite permission to access YouTube.

Step 2: Compose your scheduled video

Rather than clicking on the green ‘New Post’ button, click on the dropdown arrow. Choose Open Legacy Composer which will take you to the New Post screen.

Step 3: Drag and drop your video file

Firstly, make sure that your file has been saved in the right format, only MP4 and M4V files are accepted. Click on the paper clip icon – Attach Media – and select YouTube video. Once you drag and drop a file, your YouTube channel will show next to the processing upload bar. If you’ve connected several YouTube channels, use the dropdown to choose the channel you want your video to publish to. Then enter your title, description, tags and category. 

Step 4: Schedule your video

Under the Privacy section, choose to keep your video private. Under that you will then have the option to choose the date and time you want your video to go live to the public. Ensure that once you have clocked the blue Schedule button, that you receive a confirmation notification. This will tell you whether the scheduling of your content was successful. Once scheduled you will be able to see the scheduled video in the Hootsuite planner view as well as under scheduled messages in the Content view. 

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