Virality is every YouTuber’s dream, regardless of the channel size or number of followers. Because of this, YouTube users employ a lot of different strategies to ensure their content gains a torrent of views on the platform. However, one effective approach people often overlook when posting on YouTube is their timing strategy.
Did you know that the time you post your content on YouTube is very important in determining how many people see it? If you’re serious about expanding your YouTube reach, you’ll need to master timing your posts on the social media platform. This post contains everything you need to know about the best time to post on YouTube.
The YouTube Video Indexing Factor
For regular social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, your posts go into the viewer’s feed immediately after you upload them. This means you won’t experience any delay between video upload and its “publishing.” However, things are somewhat different where YouTube is concerned.
When you upload a video on YouTube, the social media platform will first take some time to index your video. Here, it’ll go through every second of the video to better understand what it’s about and identify its target audience.
Generally, for every minute of a video upload, YouTube requires between 30 seconds to one minute to fully index it. So, if you upload a 20-minute video, you may need to wait another 20 minutes before your content is available on YouTube. However, it’s also important to mention that there are cases of YouTube video indexing being done much faster. This depends on how well you incorporate search engine optimization (SEO) practices into your video.
Why Is Indexing Important?
Leveraging the YouTube video timing approach requires that you factor in the time it takes indexing your videos. This is because the entire idea behind this strategy is to ensure you post your videos at peak viewing times. However, since YouTube will still take some time to index your videos, you shouldn’t upload them at these exact timeframes. Instead, target at least two to three hours before prime viewing time. This way, you can be sure that your content will already appear in YouTube’s search results when your target audience starts surfing the platform.
Best Time To Post on YouTube
Overall, data has shown that the best way to get more views for your YouTube videos is to schedule your posts for the evening. According to research by HubSpot, it was discovered that most content creators prefer posting on YouTube in the evenings. According to them, this is because they’ve discovered that their content performs better when they post from 3 pm to 9 pm, at the latest
The above guideline is an excellent start for increasing your views on YouTube. However, you should know that there are variations in YouTube viewing patterns depending on the day. Let’s take a closer look at this.
Monday
If you’re looking for consistent improvement in the view analytics of your YouTube videos, you should avoid posting on Mondays. The reason for this is simple: Monday is arguably one of the most chaotic days of the week. Chances are your target audience will be jam-packed with work commitments and getting settled in for the week. So, if you post on Mondays, you may not get the results you want.
That said, if you really have to post on a Monday, then target between 2 to 4 pm. This way, you can ensure your content will be ready for viewing after work hours when people need to relax.
Tuesday and Wednesday
While some allowances exist for posting on YouTube on Mondays, you should avoid Tuesdays entirely. Mondays through Wednesdays are the busiest parts of the week for most individuals. However, Tuesday takes the cake here in terms of business and workload. Like Monday, timing your posts for evening releases is the best way to get results when posting on YouTube on Wednesdays.
Thursday and Friday
These two days signify the beginning of prime YouTube viewing time every week. This is because people are more relaxed this time of the week as they look towards the weekend. If you want to post on YouTube on Thursdays and Fridays, you should target having your videos out by 12pm to 3 pm. This ensures that indexing will be complete and your videos ready for viewing by later in the evening when YouTube traffic increases.
Saturday and Sunday
These two days are the best of the week to release new YouTube content. This is because people spend more time on their phones during weekends, exploring different content types. The best time to post on YouTube during these days is anytime between 1 pm and 6 pm.
Other Things To Consider
The above timing works for most channels and content types. However, it is important to mention that there are still some peculiarities regarding YouTube post timing. There are quite a number of other factors you’ll need to consider to ensure you always hit the perfect timing target. Major ones include the following:
- Content Type: The type of YouTube content you plan on releasing determines your peak viewing times. For example, educational content targeted at students will perform better with scheduled evening releases. However, more technical content like programming performs better on the mornings of workdays. Gaming content will see a lot of views when they are posted later into the night.
- Time Zones: If you’re creating content intended for people in other time zones, you’ll need to account for this in your scheduling plans. Luckily, YouTube allows you to stagger your post-scheduling with respect to time zones. This, in turn, ensures you can target peak viewing times irrespective of time zone difference.
- Analytics: At the end of the day, every YouTube channel has its differences from the rest. As such, to truly understand how to engage your audience best, pay attention to your post analytics. YouTube lets you review detailed statistics about your precious uploads, including peak engagement times. This, in turn, allows you to know precisely when to target for the best results.
Conclusion
With over two billion monthly users, YouTube definitely offers an excellent opportunity for visibility. However, mastering the art of timing posts will go a long way in ensuring your content gives you the reach you want. For the best results, target posting in the evenings and avoid days like Mondays or Tuesdays. However, remember that you also have to take the unique nature of your content into question when seeking optimal upload times for your audience.
