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Are you an aspiring YouTube content creator or marketer? Then finding the best time to post your videos is crucial because you’re competing with more than 38 million channels for views!
Well, maybe not exactly 38 million as it depends on your niche, but the fact that YouTube is the second most popular search engine after Google, you have to make the most of every advantage if you want to succeed in this video platform giant.
However, YouTube works a bit differently from most other social media websites like Facebook or Instagram. In this article, we will explain how YouTube works, the best time to post a video (according to studies), and which YouTube features help you figure out the best times to post.
Stick around to the end to find out the best way to create amazing YouTube videos that can help you get more views and increase your engagement!
Without further ado, let us dig in.
Before you dive in and create that video that you’re sure will get you views because you posted it at the right time, you first need to get a better idea of how massive YouTube is. Here are a few basic facts to give you a better picture:
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Those are some big numbers, aren’t they? But, don’t worry because, unlike most social media platforms that have more dead periods, YouTube generally has a much broader window for videos, which could help increase your reach.
Now that you’ve got a better idea about YouTube and how big it is, it’s time you figure out when you should post your video.
At this point, you might be wondering what effect correctly timing your posts could be on the views you will potentially get. The answer is that it could bring you more viewers and potentially even more subscribers.
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How is that possible? Well, think of the term “prime time” on TV, which is the period when the audience is at its largest. The same applies to your channel and YouTube overall. But, how do you find the best time to post on YouTube in 2022? There are three ways to achieve this:
Do you need a bit more information on those methods? We’ve got you covered. Keep scrolling to read our in-depth explanations on the three of them.
If your channel hasn’t had enough traffic during a specific time, it’s more than likely that you won’t be able to access the ‘when your viewers are on YouTube’ report. This means you will have to look up several studies and reports from external sources.
According to data compiled by Frederator Networks throughout their 1,300 channels with over 120 million monthly views, and with a male-dominant demographic ranging from 13 to 34 years old, they found that the best times to post on YouTube are:
The best time to post YouTube videos in 2022 then, according to Frederator Networks, are on Thursdays and Fridays.
However, you cannot just use this data by Frederator Networks to your channel straight away. This is due to the 40% of the samples provided by Frederator Network are U.S.-based, more than double YouTube has as a whole.
So, if your customer base isn't located in the U.S.A, it’s better to find another source of information. Furthermore, the timing of your post also still relies heavily on your niche and what kind of channel you are.
By the time your channel has gained enough traffic, you should be able to see ‘When your viewers are on YouTube report, which should look a little something like this:
This report gives you a much more complete overview of your YouTube channel’s traffic. Where before, the real-time analytics report showed the number of views your video got, this report, in particular, lets you know when your viewers are active on YouTube.
The darkest purple bars represent the prime time of your channel, which means the majority of your viewers are active on YouTube, browsing and watching videos.
These dark bars should be the ones you focus on and plan your posting schedule around to generate the best results, as the majority of your audience will be able to see your new videos.
Other than time, this report also showcases the best days to post your videos. Similar to how it is with time, focus on the days with the darkest purple bars. However, you shouldn’t just post on that day. You should publish them a day earlier to get maximum views.
For example, if your channel’s highest traffic is on Wednesdays. If Thursday gets more traffic than Tuesday, then posting on a Wednesday is O.K. However, if Tuesday produces more traffic, then you should publish your video on Monday to maximize the view count.
If your channel’s traffic is relatively small during a specific time period, chances are you won’t have access to the When your viewers are on YouTube report.
If that turns out to be the case, you will have to refer to some studies and reports like the one we mentioned earlier and data in your YouTube Studio Analytics for channels yet to gain traction. As a reminder, below are the best times to post on YouTube according to Frederator Networks.
The main issue of using this data is that there may be a relatively high chance of it becoming ineffective for your channel. That’s because the best times to post on YouTube significantly depend on your niche and your audience’s location.
Not only that, but this data could also be misleading for your channel because of the differing types of channels.
For example, videos from business channels generally perform better when posting between Tuesday and Thursday. Meanwhile, Posting from Fridays through Mondays is where entertainment channels prosper.
If you can access YouTube’s real-time analytics report, then you have to utilize it immediately. This is because one of the main advantages of YouTube’s real-time analytics report is that it gives information about your videos views during the last 60 minutes or the last 48 hours.
This internal information about your subscribers and when they view your content could give you a better idea of when to post.
If you're not an active enough YouTube user yet or your viewer numbers have not increased to meet YouTube’s requirements, then how can you find the right time to post? By manually calculating them.
On your right side, you can see a new section on YouTube Analytics called Realtime. It displays how many views you've gotten within a given 48-hour period.
We recommend recording these data every month in a spreadsheet so you can spot any changes in your view pattern — resulting in you getting the data of when your audience stays most active.
After figuring out the best times to post on your YouTube channel, you next need to understand some of the best practices when it comes to actually creating your YouTube content and when to upload your videos.
By implementing some of the steps we’ll be mentioning below, you’re one step closer to getting the most out of your YouTube video to get plenty of views, increase engagement, and even grow in sales!
Sounds enticing, right? Scroll down to get the lowdown!
While analyzing data from YouTube analytics can provide insightful results, keeping track of some of the top-performing channels in your industry can be hugely beneficial when it comes to determining your YouTube strategy.
By doing an in-depth analysis of these top channels, you can slowly but surely piece together their content creation strategy. You’ll find various things such as their trending topics to even their thumbnail designs.
When you have a good grasp of what your competitors are doing, you’ll be able to decide which of these strategies will work best for your channel.
While there are various ways to do competitive research, below are some general steps to do it.
If you manage to do it correctly, you’ll get a better picture of how you can improve your channel and create content that’s much more engaging and relevant for your subscribers.
Having a complete understanding of your audience’s needs (and wants) can help your YouTube channel’s growth skyrocket. Refrain from doing guesswork as this will inevitably lead to you making uninformed decisions that ultimately make you lose money in the process.
Instead, try to actually talk with your audience. While spreading surveys can get you some idea of what your audience may want, it’s better to spend some time having a conversation to get some context.
If you own a business YouTube channel, we’re not recommending that you should talk to every single person that buys your product. You’ll only need to talk to some of your most loyal ones, or even some of the ones that have various complaints.
This way, you’ll find out both the pros and cons of what your audience is experiencing so you can craft your content that caters to both of them exceptionally well.
What’s more, if you keep the interaction between you and your customers going, you’re only ever going to keep getting more and more ideas for your videos! This will, in turn, help you gain an additional channel to get video ideas, rather than just relying on inspiration.
After viewing your ‘When your viewers are on YouTube’ report, you might think that it’s best to post your videos at peak time. However, this isn’t considered to be best practice because:
Not only that, with two hours before your prime time, you can create the proper build-up for your content by promoting them on social media or even posting them to your community.
This is why it's better to post your videos two hours before your peak time. You may not see the results straight away, but it can only benefit your channel in the long run.
If you’re thinking of publishing more than one video every week, it’s best to post the one you deem to be the most engaging on your peak day and schedule the others down the line.
For example, if you intend to post 2-4 videos per week, avoid posting them with only a day between them. Suppose your peak day is Monday and your second best day is Tuesday, upload the video you think is best on Monday and post the next one on, say, Wednesday.
We recommend doing this as to not hinder your best video’s chances of getting more traffic and negatively impacting its performance.
Unlike most other social media networks, the calculations behind the best time to post on YouTube works differently.
Your followers can instantly see your video in their feed on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Whereas YouTube takes the time to index, understand, process your video before showing it to your followers (and beyond).
Yes! Because according to Misfit Hustler, if you publish a video on YouTube near your peak time, you can get up to 2 to 5 times more views. This is why it’s important to pay attention to your channel’s best posting times and plan accordingly instead of uploading randomly.
Because it varies from channel to channel, it’s best to take a closer look at your target audience, where they’re located, and your industry as a whole. It’s best to look at your YouTube analytics or your Advanced reports.
According to Boosted, The highest engagement levels are on Friday to Saturday and on Wednesdays at 5 pm to reach West Coasters. You can post on weekday mornings at 8 am EST to reach East Coasters.
A report by Edgy suggests that you should schedule your YouTube videos at 10 - 11 a.m. EST or CST (depending on your audience’s location).
Generally, YouTubers should try to upload videos daily, but never over their capacity or risk burning out. If you’re just starting, uploading every day for a whole month may just make your channel reap massive benefits in the long run.
Running a YouTube channel can be difficult. You need to pour everything into creating a solid video marketing strategy which usually takes a massive amount of time and energy.
And even then, your video still might not get many viewers. This is why you need to capitalize on every opportunity, including posting your YouTube videos at the best time.
Hopefully, by implementing the various methods we talked about above, such as looking from studies and reports and looking at your YouTube Analytics, you’ll be one step closer to getting plenty of views on your videos that makes your channel grow like never before.
However, if you need a tool to help you speed up your YouTube video creation process, you can always use OFFEO’s video templates. Ranging from YouTube intro makers, outro makers, to even product promo makers, OFFEO has got you covered.
The best part? You can do it all in just 3 minutes! Sign up today and experience creating engaging videos with minimum effort!
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