In the world of online short-form video content creation, YouTube Shorts have become a significant trend and a valuable avenue for marketing to your target audience.

These short YouTube videos, similar to social media platforms TikTok and Instagram Reels, are gaining a loyal following among YouTube users. A few reasons that YouTube Shorts are gaining popularity over regular YouTube videos is they require less time and attention commitment from your audience.

What is the Best Time to Post YouTube Shorts?

The vertical format of YouTube Shorts caters to the fast-paced, mobile-centric content consumption trends of today’s audience.

To ensure your Shorts reach the widest possible target audience, posting time is crucial. For optimal results, prime windows for posting YouTube Shorts include Monday-Friday between 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM and peak hours on Saturday-Sunday from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

Taking advantage of these well-timed slots to upload YouTube Shorts will help them gain more traction on the social media platform. But timing isn’t everything when it comes to publishing YouTube videos.

Timing and Strategy are Essential

Understanding the YouTube algorithm, creating high-quality content, and researching audience demographics via the YouTube Analytics section are also essential pieces of your YouTube Shorts strategy.

In this article, we’ll explore the best time to post YouTube Shorts in 2023 to create the largest impact and reach your target audience, as well as some other important factors that affect the success of your short-form content on the YouTube platform.

How Does the YouTube Algorithm Work?

At its core, YouTube’s search and discovery system, their indexing algorithm, holds the keys to your videos’ destiny, dictating which ones grace the coveted “recommended” list of your target audience. It’s like a digital soothsayer, striving to predict what informative and educational content YouTube’s diverse users crave based on their viewing habits and search history to their likes and dislikes.

The YouTube algorithm doesn’t stop there. While many creators seek to ‘hack’ the algorithm, in order to publish YouTube videos and post YouTube Shorts effectively, its inner workings remain cryptic.

One thing that is known is that YouTube doesn’t follow the crowd in how they display newly uploaded content. It doesn’t just push out content in chronological order. Instead, it meticulously processes and indexes your video before ushering it onto the hallowed home pages and search results of your target audience.

How do you ensure your YouTube Shorts get the attention they deserve in 2023?

This is where the dynamic duo of strategy and timing combine to push your content to your target audience and get new eyes on your content. While the algorithm can be hard to predict, investing in a solid strategy will ensure your YouTube Shorts are reaching as many viewers as possible.

Does the Algorithm Affect the Best Posting Time?

Is the posting time of your YouTube Shorts a game-changer? The answer, like many things in life, is a bit of a mixed bag.

Certainly, it’s wise to synchronize when you post YouTube Shorts with the moments when your YouTube audience is at its most engaged. This entails a degree of detective work to pinpoint the optimal posting time to upload YouTube videos and YouTube Shorts.

By investing in researching your target audience, your YouTube Shorts can gain a level of engagement and reach that they may not have otherwise. The good news? YouTube makes doing this research easy, with analytics you can implement right away to get eyes on your content.

“When” Isn’t as Pivotal as “What” and “How”

YouTube Shorts and their long-form counterparts aren’t cut from the same cloth. It’s crucial to acknowledge that most advice floating around the internet regarding the ideal time to post videos is tailored for long-form content, not Shorts.

Why is this worth noting? Because YouTube deploys distinct algorithms for these two video formats. When you’re armed with this information, you can create a stronger strategy for your content without wasting time on unnecessary legwork.

In a revealing interview with Creator Support, YouTube insider Todd Sherman disclosed that shortly after the introduction of Shorts, YouTube made a conscious decision to maintain separate algorithms for them. The reasoning behind this? YouTube aimed to prevent Shorts from overpowering users’ recommended content feeds. With this in mind, you are better equipped to work with the algorithm, rather than against it.

Researching the Ideal Time for Posting YouTube Shorts

In the realm of YouTube Shorts, pinpointing the best time to post can feel challenging, given the relative novelty of this short-form video format. The conventional wisdom on optimal posting times is still taking shape. But we wouldn’t leave you hanging, there is a free tool that can guide you toward discovering your perfect posting schedule without having to spend time scrolling endless search engine results.

The key to unlocking your ideal posting time lies in your YouTube Studio, where a treasure trove of YouTube analytics and audience insights await. Utilizing this tool, rather than relying on generic advice from marketers or other sources, is the most valuable data you can harness is derived directly from your unique audience. Armed with this information, you can create and post your content in a more strategic way that aligns with your audience demographics.

Your step-by-step guide to uncovering the peak viewing times for your channel

• 1. Open YouTube Studio
• Begin your journey by accessing YouTube Studio, which can provide you a wealth of insights for your Youtube channel, including audience demographics that are essential for your platform growth.
• 2. Navigate to Analytics
• Within YouTube Studio, navigate to the Analytics section, tucked neatly in the left-hand menu. This is where you’ll find everything from target audience’s age, location, and time zone to peak hours to upload videos. Think of this as your one-stop shop to accelerate the growth of your channel.3. Explore the Audience Tab
• Your destination within Analytics is the Audience tab. Here, you’ll unearth a comprehensive report that offers a deep dive into your viewers’ habits on the platform.In this report, you’ll find insights about when your audience is most active on YouTube, and therefore most likely to engage with your content. These insights are your compass, guiding you toward the best time to post your YouTube Shorts to make the greatest impact.The Best Time to Post is as Unique as Your AudienceWhile one YouTuber’s prime posting hour may differ drastically from another’s, the key is to align your Shorts within the peak hours that your specific audience is most engaged on the platform.This approach ensures that your content reaches its intended destination: the eyes of your target audience. Use this data to craft a posting schedule that caters to your audience’s online rhythms, and watch your YouTube Shorts shine in the spotlight.

Key Benefits of Strategic Timing 

When you should post a new video on YouTube, or update it for a particular purpose is a key piece of information you’ll want to have a handle on. On many social networking sites, it’s possible to increase your reach by synchronizing your post timing with insights into your target audience from YouTube analytics. Meaning you can take advantage of this free tool to benefit your other platforms. A bit of strategic timing and investment can have measurable impacts such as:

• Maximized Engagement

By posting your videos during the peak hours of social media usage, you can increase views, comments, likes, and shares. This surge in engagement not only boosts your content’s visibility but also enhances its credibility and appeal, reaching more users to watch videos on your channel. More engagement means new viewers enjoying your content and broadening your reach.

• Better Visibility

The internet is noisy, and it can be a challenge to ensure your content stands out from the crowd. To increase the odds of your content being pushed to new viewers, consider posting during periods of lower competition. Doing this can propel your video to the top of search results and video suggestions to users, amplifying the reach of your YouTube channel.

• Wider Audience Research

Remember, it’s important to continue to post according to your audience’s rhythms too. Choosing the high-traffic peak hours for posting content ensures more views, increasing your content’s visibility and improving its search result rankings.

• Enhanced Performance on Recommendation Algorithms

YouTube’s algorithms consider video performance when making recommendations to users. Posting at the right time can significantly increase your chances of being recommended to a broader audience.

Times to Optimize Target Audience Reach

The YouTube algorithm considers several factors when determining video visibility, and one of the most significant is watch time in the first 24 hours. Posting at the right times can increase your video’s chances of being seen, liked, and shared, boosting your channel’s growth.

Let’s check out the timeframes that are most likely to get your YouTube Shorts noticed by both your audience and new viewers.

Early Birds, Catch the Views (6 AM – 9 AM)

• Early mornings are often prime time for YouTube Shorts. As people wake up and grab their smartphones, they frequently turn to quick, entertaining videos. When you post Shorts between 6 AM and 9 AM can help your content land in their feeds just in time for their morning scroll.

Lunchtime Scrolling (12 PM – 1 PM)

• Lunchtime is another great time for Shorts. Many people take a break from work or school during this time, making it an ideal opportunity to capture their attention with bite-sized, engaging content.

Afternoon Break (3 PM – 5 PM)

• The post-lunch slump usually kicks in around 2 p.m. Posting videos between 3 PM and 5 PM can capitalize on the afternoon’s energy dip, as viewers seek distractions and entertainment to recharge.

Evening Relaxation (7 PM – 9 PM)

• The evening is a great opportunity for YouTube Shorts. After a day’s work, people often wind down by scrolling through their favorite social media platforms. Posting between 7 PM and 9 PM can ensure your content is part of their relaxation ritual.

Late-Night Browsing (10 PM – 12 AM)

• Believe it or not, the late-night hours can also be a great time to post YouTube Shorts. Some users habitually scroll through YouTube before bedtime, so consider sharing your content between 10 PM and 12 AM for those night owls.

Weekends: A Unique Opportunity

• Weekends offer unique posting opportunities. On Saturdays and Sundays, people tend to have more leisure time, so consider scheduling your YouTube Shorts during these days. Additionally, the exact timing may vary, so conducting experiments to find the best posting time for your audience is recommended.

Customize Your Posting Times for Maximum Impact

While the suggested timeframes above provide a solid starting point for YouTube analytics, it’s imperative to recognize that your unique audience may follow different rhythms.

Leverage YouTube’s robust analytics tools to dive deep into your audience’s behavior, in order to find the best time to post YouTube Shorts. Dive into metrics such as watch time, time zone, engagement, and click-through rates to precisely pinpoint the moments when your audience is most active.

Thinking Globally

If your viewers span the globe, then time zone zones take center stage. Harness the power of tools like YouTube Studio to schedule posts in alignment with different time zones. This ensures your Shorts reach viewers worldwide precisely when it’s most convenient for them.

Staying Ahead of Trends

In the dynamic world of YouTube Shorts, trends can morph swiftly, swayed by pop culture, events, and viral phenomena. Keep a vigilant eye on the platform’s trending page and the leading creators in your niche. This way, you can seize the opportune moments to post on YouTube Shorts and ride the wave of a trending topic, boosting your content’s visibility.

Consistency: Your Secret Weapon

Irrespective of the specific posting times you select to post content, one rule is essential to maintain: stay consistent. A consistent posting schedule acts as your beacon in the digital landscape. It helps your audience anticipate when to expect fresh content from you, significantly enhancing the likelihood of repeat viewership and steady subscriber growth.

The TL;DR

The best times to post and watch YouTube and Shorts in 2023 will evolve as your target audience behaviors change. Utilize YouTube Studio to monitor trends and adapt your posting schedule accordingly.

In the realm of creating YouTube Shorts, timing and strategy work together to transform your content into a magnet for viewers across the globe.

By strategically scheduling your YouTube Shorts, you can increase visibility, engagement, and ultimately, your channel’s success.

How Dia Creative Can Support Your YouTube Strategy

Are you ready to maximize your YouTube Shorts’ potential in 2023? Start by experimenting with these posting times, analyze your audience data, and stay in tune with trends.

With dedication and a well-timed strategy, you can capture the attention of viewers around the world and take your YouTube Shorts to the next level.

To learn more about how Dia Creative can help you leverage your social media marketing to accelerate your business growth click here.