Best Time to Post on YouTube Shorts [2024]

Imagine this…

You post on YouTube Shorts.

And, in a couple of minutes, you immediately see hundreds, if not thousands, of viewers engaging your Shorts.

You see tons of comments, likes, and shares, and your client goes wild upon seeing the massive success of your YT Shorts!

People around start slow clapping because of how a-m-a-z-i-n-g you are. 🕺

Sigh… 

Wouldn’t it be awesome if you kept getting the same results every single time?

Here’s the deal…

There are a lot of nuances you must consider to create winning YT Shorts.

We’ll share a more in-depth guide on the anatomy of successful YT Shorts in the coming weeks, but before we even talk about that, I need us to pay attention to one thing that impacts your Shorts’ performance.

And that is when you post your YouTube Shorts.

Knowing the best time to post on YouTube Shorts is crucial.

It’s something seasoned social media marketers pay attention to since it drastically impacts the performance of your posts.

After all, if you publish when your target audience is asleep or deep at work, you’ll never get the same level of audience engagement if you post your video at optimal times.

TL;DR: Publish your YT Shorts at the best time… Or suffer. 😨

Sounds dreadful?

Welp, allow me to share the best times to publish so your YT Shorts don’t get ignored.

What you’ll learn:

• The not-so-good-news about figuring out the best YT Shorts publishing times
• Questions to ask to determine the best time to publish on YouTube Shorts
• Best times to post on YouTube Shorts… The generic version
• The one tool to determine the best YT Shorts publishing time
• Factors that impact the best time to post on YouTube Shorts
• Benefits of finding the best time to post on YouTube Shorts
• Frequently asked questions on the best time to post on YouTube Shorts
• Knowing the best YT Shorts publishing time isn’t enough

The not-so-good-news about figuring out the best YT Shorts publishing times

First things first…

Right off the bat, I’d like to tell you that no one-size-fits-all publishing time window applies to all demographics.

As you can imagine, the life dynamics of a fresh grad who’s recently started their 9-to-5 job are worlds different compared to a single mom who cares for preschoolers or toddlers.

The illustration shows how nuanced figuring out the best YT Shorts publishing time can be.

You need to pay very close attention to the dynamics of your target customers.

Also, you need to consider the type of content you’ll publish.

Are you looking to publish entertaining YT Shorts? Or are you looking to publish instructional how-to videos?

If it’s the latter, you could consider publishing earlier in the day since your audience needs answers to their questions before going to work.

If you’re looking to publish the former—the entertaining videos, I mean—publishing them later after work is a better fit since your audience wants to unwind and relax.

The key here is to have a firm grasp of your customers’ life dynamics.

Questions to ask to determine the best time to publish on YouTube Shorts

There’s a myriad of questions you ought to consider to learn the best YT Shorts posting time.

Allow me to point you in the right direction by sharing some of the best questions below:

• What time does their work end?
• When are their days off? Are their days off fixed?
• What time do they go to sleep?
• What time do they wake up?
• What are their break schedules?
• Etc.

If all else fails and you can’t figure out the answer to these questions, remember that you can always ask your audience when they’d like you to publish your YT Shorts.

You’ll get varying answers to this question, but you’ll see a pattern emerge.

The pattern gives you a better glimpse of the ideal time to post your YT Shorts.

Best times to post on YouTube Shorts… The generic version

If you don’t have a solid grasp of your customers’ life dynamics.

And you’re oblivious to when their work starts, when they go home, or when they wind down, don’t worry—there’s hope!

According to the survey conducted by Hubspot, the best time to post on YouTube is from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

This attests to the data Google shared. Google revealed that YouTube reaches more adults (compared to cable networks) during prime time on an average week.

(Note: YouTube might require a few hours to index newly published content. Therefore, it’s advisable to upload between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to ensure your videos are indexed and ready by prime time.)

The time window above can be your starting point as you experiment and figure out the ideal publishing time that fits your audience.

However, start gathering first-party data about your customers ASAP.

You can run surveys using forms, polls, or ask your email list to gain as much insights about your customers as possible to help you determine your best posting times.

The one tool to determine the best YT Shorts publishing time

If you’re not too keen on using the generic YT Shorts publishing times, which you really shouldn’t, and you have no information about your customers’ schedules, then here’s another option.

Use Vista Social, a multi-award-winning social media management software trusted by over 20,000 social media marketing agencies and brands.

Vista Social suggests optimal times to publish your YT Shorts based specifically on your audience engagement, content velocity, etc.

That means the suggestions you get aren’t generic. They’re highly relevant to your business dynamics and the behavior of your audience.

Here’s how the suggestions look.

With Vista Social, you can avoid the hassle of doing tons of research and spending countless hours (and dollars) trying to figure out the best publishing times for your YT Shorts.

Just choose from Vista Social’s publishing time suggestions, and you’re pretty much ready.

We’re just scratching the surface, by the way.

Vista Social does so much more.

Some of Vista Social’s most celebrated features are:

• AI-assistant. Create fun, engaging, and compelling content 10X faster with Vista Social’s AI-assistant, powered by ChatGPT.
• Advanced scheduling & publishing features. You can schedule your posts in bulk and create content for various social media platforms from one simple dashboard.
• Smart team collaboration features. Vista Social allows you to save drafts, set an approval process, set permissions, receive notifications, etc. All of which help you streamline your social media marketing campaigns.
• Comprehensive reporting features. Create highly customizable and automated reports without writing a single line of code.
• Sophisticated audience engagement features. Easily reply to comments, reviews, and messages from your desktop. You can also sort and label your messages through Vista Social’s message tagging feature to better manage your engagements.
• Link in bio tool with Vista Page, a customizable landing page and micro-website your clients can link to from their social media profiles. You can create Vista Pages to showcase your clients’ product or brand information and integrate videos, images, forms, payments, calendars, and other lead-generation tools. 

Factors that impact the best time to post on YouTube Shorts

Know the various factors that can help you understand the best time to post on YouTube Shorts. 

Consider the following:

Time zone

Viewers can be active at a different time from others, depending on where they are in the world. 

Consider the different time zones of your clients’ followers when you schedule your YouTube videos and Shorts in 2024. 

This way, you can post YouTube Shorts when your clients’ audiences are most likely watching and ready to engage. 

Target audience

Various demographics have different online behaviors. 

A specific posting time may work best for one audience group but not for another, depending on the group’s location, age, and interests. 

For instance, if your clients’ target audiences are students, the best time to post YouTube Shorts is on weekends or in the evenings when they’re most likely online.

On the other hand, if your clients’ target audiences are working professionals, the best time to churn out Shorts is on workdays, specifically during lunch or commute times.  

Day of the week

While there’s no day of the week that guarantees more views and engagement, Mondays and Tuesdays are generally peak days for boosting viewership and audience engagement.  

Many YouTube Shorts viewers are most likely to be interested in consuming content at the start of the week, making the first two days optimal days for posting content.  

[Must read: Are Your YouTube Shorts Not Getting Views? Here’s Why…]

Content type

Some YouTube Shorts content types are best published during the workday when your clients’ audiences want more informative content. 

Other content types, such as comedic skits, lighthearted posts, and reaction videos, are best on weekends or in the evenings when audiences are more likely to be interested in entertainment. 

Know the factors that influence the best time to post on YouTube Shorts to help you set an optimal posting schedule. 

[Must read: How to Write a YouTube Script: Step-by-Step Guide [2024]]

Benefits of finding the best time to post on YouTube Shorts

Knowing the optimal times to post Shorts offers the following perks.

Enhanced Visibility

Posting a YouTube video when target audiences are most likely to engage facilitates higher engagement rates. 

The more engagement your clients’ YT Shorts get, the more likely the videos are to be noticed and featured by the YouTube algorithm. 

It can get your clients’ Shorts in front of more viewers, expanding their reach, visibility, and engagement opportunities. 

Boosted Discoverability

Picking the best time of the day to post on YouTube Shorts can amplify the discoverability of your clients’ videos. 

After all, YT Shorts shared during peak periods have higher chances of reaching wider audiences, increasing their chances of getting seen. 

One way of ensuring maximum visibility is to upload your clients’ Shorts during high-activity periods. 

For example, the evening or during lunch breaks can be high-activity times since most people are off work and have more time on their hands to consume social media content.

You can throw in popular topics and trends to help draw more attention to your clients’ Shorts videos. 

Amplified engagement

Sharing and publishing your clients’ YouTube Shorts during peak times gives their videos a better shot at getting comments, shares, and likes. 

Posting at optimal times gives your clients access to a larger and active audience, boosting their engagement opportunities. 

That said, top-quality videos with the right dimensions, engaging content, and posted at optimal times can be your clients’ ticket to YouTube Shorts fame.

[Must read: YouTube Shorts Dimensions | The ULTIMATE Guide [2024]]

Frequently asked questions on the best time to post on YouTube Shorts

Check out these FAQs on the optimal times to upload your video to YouTube Shorts. 

1. How do you go viral on YouTube Shorts?

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula or guaranteed tactic to ensure your clients’ YouTube Shorts videos go viral. 

Your best bet is to follow tried and tested tips for creating viral-worthy content to boost your clients’ chances of achieving YouTube Shorts fame. 

Here are a few quick tips to do just that:

• Start your clients’ YouTube Shorts videos with a compelling hook.
• Edit your clients’ YT Shorts to give them that polished, professional look. 
• Create a loop to encourage viewers to watch your clients’ videos again, boosting views. 
• Implement Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best practices to help raise the videos’ chances of getting featured, increasing their searchability and visibility.
• Use trending music and audio to draw more attention to your clients’ YT Shorts and ride the popularity wave.   
• Use YouTube analytics to determine your clients’ best-performing videos. You can also gain insights to see what works best and tweak your content strategy and improve quality. 
• Make YouTube Shorts that your clients’ audiences enjoy and can’t help but share with their friends and followers. 
• Include relevant, branded, and popular hashtags to make your clients’ YT Shorts more discoverable and visible. 

2. How often should I upload videos on YouTube Shorts?

The general consensus is to upload YouTube Shorts videos two or three times daily.

Remember, the ideal posting time and frequency can vary depending on your clients’ goals, content type, target audience, and the day of the week. 

But if you want to grow your client’s YouTube channel rapidly and boost the chances of their YT Shorts going viral, posting twice or thrice daily can be a good start. 

3. Is it a good idea to schedule YouTube Shorts?

Yes. 

Scheduling your clients’ YouTube Shorts to auto-publish on the best day and time helps streamline your workflows while ensuring consistency in your content creation. 

Scheduling YT Shorts helps your team plan and have content ready in advance for your clients. 

This way, your clients get a continuous stream of videos to share with followers. 

Use SMM platforms like Vista Social. 

It has sophisticated content scheduling features to auto-publish your clients’ YouTube Shorts videos easily—along with other modern features. 

[Must read: YouTube Automation Step-by-Step Guide (2024)]

Knowing the best YT Shorts publishing time isn’t enough

Now that you know the best times to post on YouTube Shorts, it’s time to gear up and begin your YouTube Shorts domination journey.

It’s worth pointing out, however, that knowing when to publish isn’t enough.

Aside from publishing at the right times (and creating high-quality YT Shorts), you also need a reliable social media management tool to amplify your marketing initiatives.

That’s where Vista Social comes in.

Whether you plan to market only on YouTube or add Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook down the line, Vista Social has you covered.
Create a Vista Social account today.