The Best Times to Post YouTube Shorts

As of late 2024, YouTube Shorts are snagging over 70 billion views every day, encouraging audience engagement, reaching large audiences of people who prefer short form content, and giving you the opportunity to be creative - and possibly create something viral!

Posting high quality content at the most optimum times can significantly boost your audience reach - so leveraging the YouTube algorithm and knowing when to upload your YouTube Shorts can help you get the most out of this fun and beneficial format. 

We'll dig into the most optimal, best times to post, how to use your YouTube Analytics (in your YouTube Studio) to figure out the best days for your particular audience, and more, so you can find the perfect posting schedule for your content and get those Shorts seen - and then we’ll tell you how to integrate YouTube with your Fourthwall website and merch shop, so you can build everything onwards and upward!

Why Timing Matters for YouTube Shorts

Posting times for form videos on “regular” YouTube, while still important, have less of an impact than choosing specific times to upload and post your YouTube Shorts. Timing actually plays a critical role in how well your Shorts perform. YouTube’s algorithm is designed to reward videos that get early traction - so the trick here is to pay attention to time zones, and learn the best times to reach more viewers during peak hours on YouTube.

This is where understanding your target audience’s behavior and their viewing habits comes in. For example, Millennials and Gen Z viewers might be more active during afternoons, while professionals and college students might watch in the mornings during their commute. Posting during the right time frames can mean the difference between a well-performing video and one that struggles to gain traction.

By understanding the different time frames and peak hours, you can increase your chances of getting early engagement on your posts, which can boost visibility rapidly thanks to the YouTube algorithm, which relies heavily on early engagement metrics like views, likes, and comments. A post launched at a peak viewing time + more interaction on that post = a higher chance of your video going viral! Linking to your YouTube Shorts from other platforms, for instance from your custom Fourthwall site, can help get even more eyes on your Shorts content.

How YouTube's Algorithm Affects Shorts Visibility

The YouTube algorithm is a way to measure viewer engagement and approval. It essentially looks at unique user activities, including what users watch, how much time they spend watching it, what they like (thumbs up) and dislike, and what channels they subscribe too. The algorithm helps YouTube figure out which videos and Shorts to make more visible, and what relevant videos they can suggest to individual users.

The algorithm also rewards videos that get a buzz going soon after they’ve been posted, which is why choosing good posting times is essential. Factors such as likes, watch time, and comments all contribute to whether or not a video gets picked up and placed on YouTube’s Shorts shelf - which is basically prime real estate for your Shorts. So posting at optimal times and with consideration of your target audience’s viewing habits increase the chance that your Shorts will get a shot at the Big Time!

Best Times to Post YouTube Shorts

So when are the best times to post on YouTube Shorts? Assorted research suggests that most users are most active during specific periods throughout each day, and can vary depending on the day of the week; so while these are general recommendations for YouTube Shorts posting, it's even more beneficial for you to observe and evaluate your particular target audience to collect even more useful data!

General Posting Time Recommendations

• Mornings (9 AM - 11 AM) - Posting in the morning gets your content out there early in the day, to be discovered throughout the late morning as users check in.
• Lunch Hours (12 PM - 2 PM) - This is a common time for work or school breaks, and audiences often look for quick bursts of entertainment during this period.
• Evenings (5 PM - 8 PM) - After work or school, many people use this time to unwind by consuming content, whether they're watching on a commuter train or bus, or chilling out after arriving home.
• The Best Overall Times - Regardless of the day of the week, there are some times that are universally popular with viewers (according to Social Pilot's 2024 research monitoring over 50K accounts); these recommended times to post your YouTube videos are from 11am to 3pm, and again from 7pm to 10pm.

Day by Day Suggestions

• Mondays between 9am - 11am and again after 6pm - Monday is the start of most peoples' work or school week, with limited time for leisure; people are slowly detaching from the weekend, so are likely to watch videos in the morning before work/school.
• Tuesdays between 11am - 2am, and again after 7pm - The week is rolling forward, with daytime remaining busy, so early evening appears to be the better choice for posting YouTube Shorts on Tuesdays.
• Wednesdays between 2pm - 4pm and again after 8pm - People are still in the thick of work/school on Wednesdays, so while midweek fatigue is driving people to a little YouTube distraction in the afternoons now, evenings are still your best bet.
• Thursdays between 9am - 12pm and again after 5pm - Everyone's starting to get distracted by the fact that the weekend is right around the corner, so there's more socials scrolling as the weekend approaches. 
• Fridays between 2pm - 5pm and again between 7pm - 9pm - The weekend has begun, and people are ready for some entertainment, whether they're sneaking peeks at YouTube Shorts during work, or relaxing at a coffeeshop scrolling on their phone. 
• Saturdays between 10am - 12pm and after 6pm - People are waking later in the morning and checking out YouTube shorts before their day off really kicks in; evenings, again, are leisure time and perfect for video viewing. 
• Sundays around 9 or 10 am and after 5pm - Similar to Saturday, leisure time is in full force, starting a bit later in the morning and running all day, although with many people having to wake early on Monday, you might want to post your YouTube Shorts a little earlier in the evening hours.

Posting consistently during these peak hours can help you maximize the engagement potential of your content. But again, as we mentioned earlier, each target audience varies, it’s so crucial to analyze your audience and your YouTube analytics to refine the best times for your YouTube Shorts upload schedule!

Use YouTube Analytics to Find Your Best Times

Using YouTube Analytics via YouTube Studio provides invaluable insights into finding the best time to upload YouTube Shorts. Here are six steps to utilizing YouTube Analytics, so you can learn more about your target audience and determine your optimum YouTube Shorts posting times.

1. Access YouTube Studio

Your first step is to log in to studio.youtube.com using your YouTube credentials. Consider YouTube Studio your info base - the place where you’ll start determining the optimum times to upload YouTube Shorts for maximum impact!

2. Navigate to Analytics

Once you’re in YouTube Studio, click on "Analytics" from the menu on the left side. This is where you’ll find all the info on the performance of your YouTube Shorts. Selecting the “Audience” tab will let you view detailed data on your audience/viewers and their engagement.

3. Find Your Viewers’ Active Times

Scroll down to locate the "When Your Viewers Are Online" graph. This graph helps you identify the peak hours when your viewership is most active, which will help you decide the best days and best times to upload YouTube Shorts.

4. Analyze Your Data

Spend some time looking through your graphs in YouTube Analytics to find patterns of peak hours throughout the week. Identifying the best days and times where your audience is highly active will give your content a better chance of succeeding and even possibly going viral!

5. Maximize Time Zones 

Reviewing the geographical data in the "Audience" tab will help you understanding the time zones of your viewers in different countries and different parts of the U.S. This data is another way to help you determine when to post at the right times for your global audience.

6. Create Your Posting Schedule

Now that you’ve dug into your YouTube Analytics, use the the insights that you’ve gathered to create a schedule that aligns with peak viewing/engagement times for your target audience. You can even use tools like a content calendar to track your posting times across weekdays and weekends to ensure consistency, and keep you posting regularly for best results!

Optimizing Your Posting Times

Testing and optimization are great ways to better narrow in on the best times for you to post your YouTube Shorts. By experimenting with different times and using YouTube analytics, you can find the perfect posting schedule for your target audience - try some of these methods:

Time Testing - Test the performance of your Shorts at different times to see which ones get the best results, comparing metrics like views and engagement.

Experiment with Days: Try posting on different weekdays to identify which days gets the best response from your target audience.

Track Metrics - Keep track of your YouTube Shorts’ performances, including engagement rate, watch time, comments, and overall views, to determine if you’re hitting the mark with your selected posting times.

Adapt Based on Results: Use the insights you’ve gathered through testing to refine your posting schedule, so you can more consistently reach your audience during peak viewing hours.

Great Ways to Maximize Engagement on YouTube Shorts

• Eye-Catching Thumbnails and Titles - An eye-catching thumbnail can boost the initial impact of your content, especially during peak hours! Create thumbnails that stand out by using appealing colors, a great screenshot or promo image, and a question or CTA (call to action; complement your thumbnail with a concise, informative, intriguing title.
• Great Intros - Make the first few seconds of your video count! This can also help with early engagement, which is essential for grabbing the attention of the YouTube algorithm. Many people will click away in those first few seconds if you don’t present them with something compelling right away, so think carefully about your video’s opening gambit.
• Popular Audio Clips - Use trending audio tracks to increase the chance of being featured by the YouTube algorithm (popular music is also another way to snag your audience’s attention); you can add cleared-for-use music to your Shorts video by using YouTube’s audio library.
• Consistency! - Consistent uploads, especially during peak posting times, help build your audience! If they know you’re regularly posting Shorts, they’ll watch for them, which will help improve your visibility on YouTube so you can keep growing.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Posting Shorts

• Low-Quality Content - Don’t rush the creation of your YouTube videos; viewers can tell when a video or Short is just thrown together, and are less likely to engage with content that is poorly made, irrelevant, or shows a lack of care on the part of the creator.
• Not Using Hashtags - Using relevant hashtags helps improve the discoverability for your YouTube Shorts, especially during peak hours - so don’t forget your hashtags!
• Ignoring Analytics - If you’re serious about growth, posting YouTube Shorts without researching your analytics is like just throwing your Shorts out into the void. Utilize your YouTube Analytics to make data-driven decisions about when to upload YouTube Shorts!
• Inconsistent Posting Times - Posting at random times makes it harder for your target viewers to watch for your new content, which means it could take you much longer to build your audience and fan base.

Boost Your YouTube Engagement with Fourthwall!

Deepen your audience connections and monetize your YouTube Shorts and videos even further by bringing Fourthwall into your content creation journey! Fourthwall offers so many tools for you to work with, from creating fan memberships and linking your YouTube videos to your customized Fourthwall site, to integrating branded merchandise into YouTube Shopping from your own Fourthwall merch shop.

By using Fourthwall as part of your YouTube Shorts and videos strategies, you can turn new and casual viewers into loyal fans and community members, creating a complete engagement experience with you, your brand, and your content! Elevate your content and go deeper with Fourthwall today!