When is the Best Time to Post on YouTube? Check Hot Hours

YouTube is a powerful platform for creators and brands. Around 3.7 million videos are published there every day. With so much content, finding the best time to post on YouTube can significantly impact your performance. When is the best time? When your audience is the most active! Top brands like GoPro know this – the most mentions of this brand and the greatest reach are generated on Mondays at 4 PM, and the highest interactions are on Fridays at 11 AM.

The best time to post on YouTube is different for every brand, as it depends on when their specific audience is most active. Posting at peak hours is important – only that way you will get a lot of views and comments. It’s hard to figure it out by yourself, but there are tools that show you when YouTube users are the most active.

In this article, I’ll show you how to find the best times to post on YouTube.

Also, I will explain what factors influence it, when it’s the best to publish regular YouTube videos, and when Shorts.

What is the best time to post on YouTube?

It depends on your brand and audience!

For example, GoPro has an impressive YouTube performance – 11.2 million subscribers, 2.8k videos, and many views under each of them.

GoPro’s Shorts also attract considerable attention!

Since this brand is doing so well on YouTube, let’s check out its best times to post.

This is possible thanks to Brand24’s Hot Hours feature.

Based on its YouTube mentions, it shows when GoPro’s target audience is most active.

It helps pinpoint the optimal times for posting by showing:

• When people mention you the most

• When mentions generate the highest reach

• When people are most likely to interact with you

All data shown above are for the GoPro YouTube channel. Based on these insights, it can be said that:

1. People talk about GoPro the most on Mondays between 4 and 5 PM – that’s the prime time for engaging in discussions.
2. GoPro content generates the highest reach on Mondays between 4 and 5 PM – that’s the best time to post for maximum views.
3. People interact the most on Fridays between 11 AM and 12 PM – that’s the perfect time to post to get a lot of comments, shares, and likes.

So the final conclusion is:

GoPro should post on YouTube on Mondays from 4 PM to 5 PM and Fridays from 11 AM to 12 PM (GTM+0).

As you can see, thanks to Brand24, you will know your audience’s behavior.

The best approach is to experiment with the Hot Hours suggested by this tool to see what works best for you!

When you check Hot Hours for your brand, it’s important to set filters that match your needs:

• Source: choose “Videos” so Brand24 analyzes only YouTube mentions

• Geolocation: Filter by your specific market to get the most accurate results

• Time zone: Set it to your local time (I’ve set all hours to GMT+0) to view results in hours that align with your region

What is the best time of each day to post on YouTube?

Now, let’s move on to a deeper analysis of each day.

Using Hot Hours, I’ll show you what hours are the best to publish on each day of the week:

Best time to post on YouTube on Monday

For GoPro, the best time to post on YouTube on Monday is:

• between 10 AM and 11 AM
• between 1 PM and 2 PM
• between 4 PM and 5 PM

Best time to post on YouTube on Tuesday

For GoPro, the best time to post on YouTube on Tuesday is:

• between 11 AM and 12 PM
• between 8 PM and 9 PM

Best time to post on YouTube on Wednesday

For GoPro, the best time to post on YouTube on Wednesday is:

• between 12 PM and 1 PM

Best time to post on YouTube on Thursday

For GoPro, the best time to post on YouTube on Thursday is:

• between 2 PM and 3 PM

Best time to post on YouTube on Friday

For GoPro, the best time to post on YouTube on Friday is:

• between 11 AM and 12 PM
• between 2 PM and 3 PM

Best time to post on YouTube on Saturday

For GoPro, the best time to post on YouTube on Saturday is:

• between 1 PM and 2 PM
• between 3 PM and 4 PM

Best time to post on YouTube on Sunday

For GoPro, the best time to post on YouTube on Sunday is:

• between 12 PM and 1 PM

Ideal YouTube posting schedule for GoPro:

• Monday: 10-11 AM, 1-2 PM, 4-5 PM
• Tuesday: 11 AM-12 PM, 8-9 PM
• Wednesday: 12-1 PM
• Thursday: 2-3 PM
• Friday: 11 AM-12 PM, 2-3 PM
• Saturday: 1-2 PM, 3-4 PM
• Sunday: 12-1 PM

Why do these times work

These times work because they are aligned with both users’ habits and the algorithm:

Audience behavior

Users of each social media platform have unique behaviors and habits.

YouTube users tend to be more active during longer gaps of free time. Why?

People watch videos on this platform like TV, meaning they watch longer videos. They do it mainly at home to feel relaxed and entertained (source: Think with Google).

In contrast, TikTok users scroll through content during short breaks, when they commute, or even while doing something else.

The top content categories people watch on YouTube are comedy, music, entertainment, and “how to” (source: Think with Google).

However, remember that there are around 2.5 billion users on YouTube; to know exactly when to post, you must consider your audience and its specific behavior.

YouTube algorithm

The YouTube algorithm favors videos that quickly engage a core audience – the more subscribers see your video early on, the more likely it is to be recommended to a broader audience.

Therefore, post YouTube videos when your target audience is most active to maximize reach.

When you upload a video at the right time that aligns with their schedule, they are more willing to watch and engage.

Create your posting schedule based on that!

On YouTube, you need a consistent posting schedule so subscribers know when to expect your next video and will look forward to it.

Best time to post YouTube Shorts

The best time to add YouTube Short is when it has the highest potential to reach a large audience

High reach gives your Shorts a bigger chance to get more views, likes, and comments.

To get this, you should analyze the Hot Hours in Brand24, precisely the Reach tab:

Let’s do it together day by day:

Best time to post YouTube Shorts on Monday

For GoPro, the best times to post on YouTube Shorts on Monday are 10-11 AM, 1-2 PM, and 4-5 PM.

Best time to post YouTube Shorts on Tuesday

For GoPro, the best time to post on YouTube Shorts on Tuesday is 11 AM – 12 PM.

Best time to post YouTube Shorts on Wednesday

For GoPro, the best time to post on YouTube Shorts on Wednesday is 12-1 PM.

Best time to post YouTube Shorts on Thursday

For GoPro, the best time to post on YouTube Shorts on Thursday is 2-3 PM.

Best time to post YouTube Shorts on Friday

For GoPro, the best time to post on YouTube Shorts on Friday is 11 AM – 12 PM.

Best time to post YouTube Shorts on Saturday

For GoPro, the best times to post on YouTube Shorts on Saturday are 1-2 PM and 3-4 PM.

Best time to post YouTube Shorts on Sunday

For GoPro, the best time to post on YouTube Shorts on Sunday is not proven.

Best time to go live on YouTube

The best time to go live on YouTube? Simple – it’s when your audience is most eager to interact with you!

Only then you will get views and comments in live chat.

So, identify the hours with peak activity – check the Interactions tab in the Hot Hours:

Let’s analyze what time frames on each day are the best to go live for GoPro:

Best time to live stream on YouTube on Monday

For GoPro, the best times to live stream on Monday are 10-11 AM, 1-2 PM, and 4-5 PM.

Best time to live stream on YouTube on Tuesday

For GoPro, the best time to live stream on Tuesday is 8-9 PM.

Best time to live stream on YouTube on Wednesday

For GoPro, the best time to live stream on Wednesday is not proven.

Best time to live stream on YouTube on Thursday

For GoPro, the best time to live stream on Thursday is not proven.

Best time to live stream on YouTube on Friday

For GoPro, the best times to live stream on Friday are 11 AM – 12 PM and 2-3 PM.

Best time to live stream on YouTube on Saturday

For GoPro, the best times to live stream on Saturday are 1-2 PM and 3-4 PM.

Best time to live stream on YouTube on Sunday

For GoPro, the best time to live stream on Sunday is 12 AM – 1 PM.

Best time to post on YouTube by industry

Using Brand24, I analyzed audience behavior across different industries.

Remember: the best way to find the most accurate ideal posting times is to analyze your brand, not your industry in general.

Here’s a list of the best times to post on YouTube based on industry. All posting times are given in UTC (GMT+0):

Best time to post on YouTube for fashion

• Monday: 1-2 PM
• Tuesday: 6-7 AM, 1-2 PM and 9-10 PM
• Wednesday: 10-11 AM
• Thursday: 2-4 PM
• Friday: 2-3 PM
• Saturday: the exact best time is not proven
• Sunday: 2-3 PM

Best time to post on YouTube for beauty

• Monday: 3-4 PM
• Tuesday: the exact best time is not proven
• Wednesday: 12-1 PM and 3-4 PM
• Thursday: 2-3 PM
• Friday: 11 AM – 12 PM
• Saturday: 11 AM – 12 PM and 3-4 PM
• Sunday: 7-8 AM and 3-4 PM

Best time to post on YouTube for travel

• Monday: the exact best time is not proven
• Tuesday: 1-2 PM and 6-7 PM
• Wednesday: 12-1 PM and 11 PM – 12 AM
• Thursday: 1 PM – 3 PM
• Friday: the exact best time is not proven
• Saturday: the exact best time is not proven
• Sunday: 11 AM – 12 PM and 3-4 PM

Best time to post on YouTube for fitness

• Monday: 4-5 PM and 10-11 PM
• Tuesday: the exact best time is not proven
• Wednesday: 10-11 AM, 2-3 PM and 5-6 PM
• Thursday: 2-3 PM
• Friday: 9-10 AM
• Saturday: 3-4 PM
• Sunday: the exact best time is not proven

Best time to post on YouTube for sport

• Monday: 5-6 PM and 9-10 PM
• Tuesday: 1-2 PM
• Wednesday: 2-3 PM
• Thursday: 12-1 PM
• Friday: 9-10 AM
• Saturday: 3-4 PM and 9-10 PM
• Sunday: the exact best time is not proven

Best time to post on YouTube for technology

• Monday: the exact best time is not proven
• Tuesday: 9-10 AM and 2-3 PM
• Wednesday: the exact best time is not proven
• Thursday: 2-3 AM and 2-3 PM
• Friday: 11 AM – 12 PM and 2-3 PM
• Saturday: 3-4 AM
• Sunday: 10-11 AM

Best time to post on YouTube for gaming

• Monday: 9-10 AM, 11 AM – 1 PM and 2-3 PM
• Tuesday: the exact best time is not proven
• Wednesday: 1-4 PM
• Thursday: the exact best time is not proven
• Friday: 11 PM – 12 AM
• Saturday: 12-2 AM
• Sunday: 1-2 PM

Best time to post on YouTube for restaurants

• Monday: 7-8 AM, 1-2 PM and 6-7 PM
• Tuesday: 2-3 PM and 4-5 PM
• Wednesday: the exact best time is not proven
• Thursday: 1-3 AM and 7-8 AM
• Friday: the exact best time is not proven
• Saturday: the exact best time is not proven
• Sunday: 2-3 PM

Best time to post on YouTube for hotels

• Monday: 12-1 PM
• Tuesday: 10-11 AM and 7-8 PM
• Wednesday: 1-2 PM
• Thursday: the exact best time is not proven
• Friday: 12-2 PM, 3-4 PM and 6-7 PM
• Saturday: 12-1 PM
• Sunday: the exact best time is not proven

Is there a best time to post on YouTube? 

Yes, there is!

The key is to post when your target audience is most active. Your YouTube video will have a much better chance of gaining traction when published at times that align with your subscribers’ habits.

Many sources provide general stats for all YouTube users, which can be helpful.

But why rely on generic data when you can have the most accurate insights explicitly tailored to your audience?

I’ll show you some tools that provide detailed data on when to publish long-form videos:

• YouTube Studio
• Other tools that tell you the best time to post on YouTube

YouTube Studio

YouTube Studio tracks key YouTube metrics, offering excellent insights into your channel’s performance.

To see what is the best time to upload videos, follow these steps:

1. Open YouTube Studio and go to YouTube Analytics (on the left-hand side):

2. Click on the Audience tab (at the top):

3. Scroll below the graph presenting viewers’ data. You’ll see a graph called When your viewers are on YouTube:

This heatmap shows the specific times (in your local time) your audience is most active, which can help you optimize your posting schedule.

Since the data only covers this period, it’s important to monitor it regularly – peak hours may change.

This feature analyzes the last 28 days of data, so if you just start and don’t post anything, the data will not be available:

Tools that analyze the best time to post on YouTube

Besides what YouTube Studio offers, there are other tools that show you the best time to publish on YouTube and other social media platforms.

Plus, they provide many additional features that can help grow your channel.

Here are my top ones:

01 Brand24

Brand24 is an AI social listening tool that shows the best time to post on YouTube (and other social media) based on your brand mentions and users’ behaviors.

The Hot Hours feature pinpoints when YouTube users are most active, meaning:

• When they mention you the most
• When these mentions get the highest reach
• When other users are most likely to interact with the mentions

This helps you create the perfect posting schedule for maximum reach and interactions.

02 TubeBudyy

TubeBuddy is the ultimate YouTube tool, providing a Chrome plugin. Its “best time to publish” feature integrates directly into YouTube Studio.

If you have it installed in your Chrome browser, you’ll see this information under the heatmap that shows when your viewers are most active on YouTube:

03 Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a YouTube management tool. You can schedule and publish content directly from this tool at times when your audience is most likely to interact.

Sprout Social’s ViralPost® algorithm determines the best times to post based on the audience’s engagement patterns, content velocity, and other factors.

Final thoughts

Does posting time matter on YouTube? Absolutely, yes – you should publish YouTube videos at the best possible times.

This is one of the factors that will help you increase the reach of your YouTube channel.

Posting videos when your audience is most active increases the chances of immediate engagement.

This can positively influence YouTube’s algorithm to recommend your YouTube content to more people.

To sum it up:

• Post YouTube videos when your audience is the most active.
• Experiment with the times recommended for your brand by built-in YouTube Studio analytics and other tools like Brand24.
• Once you find the best times, stick to a regular schedule. This will help build a habit for your audience.

Leading brands know the power of niche-specific content and strategic timing on YouTube.

Be like them – try Brand24 for free to see when you should post videos on your YouTube channel!