The 13 Best Times to Post YouTube Shorts

Timing isn’t a minor detail when it comes to posting Shorts—it can be the difference between 200 views or 2 million. As we’ll see, there is no single golden hour in which you should post. Instead, timing comes down to what audience you’re trying to reach and what short-form content you’re making.

That being said, some times are generally better than others. Here’s a rundown of the best hours to post for each day of the week:

• Monday: 6–9 a.m., 12–3 p.m.
• Tuesday: 7–11 a.m., 6–10 p.m.
• Wednesday: 12–3 p.m., 6–11 p.m.
• Thursday: 7–11 a.m., 5–9 p.m.
• Friday: 12–8 p.m.
• Saturday: 6 a.m.–12 p.m., 5–8 p.m.
• Sunday: 6 a.m.–12 p.m., 4–9 p.m.

Why these hours? It’s not an exact science, but these are the general times in the day where users are taking a break from work or unwinding. For example, some people may look at social media before work or school in the morning. Or, toward the middle of the week, they’ll start scrolling later in the day due to a mid-afternoon slump—we’ve all had them.

If you’re pursuing content creation as a career, it’s important to remember that algorithms for different types of posts work differently. Sometimes Shorts don’t pick up until a few hours—or even days—after being published. But posting at a strong time increases the odds of faster traction.

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How to Make YouTube Shorts

So you’ve got the general framework; now, let’s look at the variable that can, and should, influence when you hit publish on your Short. Remember, the first step to growing your audience is knowing your audience. Who is drawn to your videos? Where do they live? What do they do? How old are they? Once you know the answer to those questions, you can make the following considerations.

1. Audience location

One of the most overlooked factors in timing is geography. If your audience is global, you need to think in multiple time zones. If your audience is concentrated in one region, you should time posts around that region’s peak usage hours, regardless of where you’re located yourself.

A few examples:

• A U.S.-based audience is best reached on Eastern or Central Time, which hits the largest segment of viewers across the country.
• A U.K.-focused audience has peak hours around 12–3 p.m. GMT, especially on weekdays.
• An audience based in India often peaks between 1–4 p.m. IST during weekdays and slightly earlier on weekends.

2. Content type

It bears repeating: Different content draws different audiences, and different audiences are best reached at different times.

• Gaming videos often perform best in the evenings, since gamers tend to engage with content after school or work hours, especially during the oh-so-familiar late-night gaming sessions.
• Food-focused Shorts often do well when posted around mealtimes. If you’re doing a breakfast video, release just before breakfast.
• Educational videos can usually do best when released around midday, when a viewer is most primed to learn some new information.
• Comedy Shorts are typically consumed in the early evening, when users are unwinding and want a laugh.
• Fitness videos are great for the early morning, so that health-conscious viewers may check fitness content before a workout or as part of their morning routine.

3. Your upload consistency

It’s a good idea to maintain consistency once you decide on a time to release so that people know when to expect your Shorts.

If you’re posting daily, slight variations in time may not matter as much because you’re always feeding the algorithm new content. If you’re posting just a couple times a week, timing becomes much more important, since you have fewer opportunities to hit peak engagement periods.

Consistency is key, since it both trains your audience to expect your content and signals to YouTube that you’re active and engaged.

4. Day of the week

Different days of the week get varying levels of traffic. Usually, the days that get the most engagement are Mondays and Tuesdays. But again, this may or may not be the case depending on your specific audience.

Credit: T. Schneider/Shutterstock

Luckily, you and YouTube have the same goal: You both want to get as many viewers as possible. YouTubers are provided data that they can analyze to better understand their audience and its viewing habits. Here’s how to use these tools to find your personalized best times to post:

1. Go to YouTube Studio.
2. Click on Analytics.
3. Select the Audience tab.
4. Look for the section that says “When your viewers are on YouTube.”

You’ll then be provided with a chart that shows the days and times when your audience is most active. A good rule of thumb is to post your Shorts one to two hours before peak times so your video is already live and being watched as people come online.

You can also do some old-fashioned experimenting. Try posting at different times over a few weeks and track your initial views, like-to-view ratio, and watch duration. You’ll start to see patterns, and then you can adapt to them.

Contrary to the popular adage, timing isn’t everything. While you’re finding the best hours to post, make sure what you’re posting is competitive and attractive to viewers. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Hook viewers fast.

You only get a couple seconds to catch someone’s attention, so start bold to stop the scroll.

2. Use strong titles and hashtags.

Shorts benefit enormously from a compelling title and relevant tags—and don’t forget to include #Shorts in your description.

3. Upload consistently.

We’ve already mentioned it—the algorithm loves consistency. Posting three to five times per week increases your odds of landing in the Shorts feed.

4. Repurpose high-performing content.

Already have long-form videos with popular moments? Turn those into Shorts, so you can build off of proven material.

Finding success on YouTube Shorts is about more than timing. Understanding your audience, delivering quality videos, and showing up consistently will all help you gain a following. But getting your timing right? That’s how you give yourself the best shot at blowing up.