Best time to post on YouTube: long-form videos vs Shorts
The Kairoset team · Updated · 2 min read
The short answer
For long-form videos, timing matters less than on any other platform: YouTube's own help center says publish time isn't known to affect a video's long-term performance. It matters for Premieres and Live streams, and for first-day views. Buffer's 2026 data suggests Sunday 10am for long-form and Friday 4pm for Shorts as starting points.
YouTube is the one platform that tells you, in its own help center, not to obsess over upload time. Here's what that means in practice, and where timing still matters.
What YouTube says about upload time#
YouTube's creator help page puts it plainly: "Publish time is not known to impact a video's long-term performance." Videos keep being recommended for weeks or months based on how viewers respond, so a video that's good at 3am is still good at 3pm.
YouTube's creator liaison has made the same point about the "wait 24–48 hours before publishing" myth: what counts is how the audience behaves once the video is public, and "Waiting 24 to 48 hours is no different than waiting 24 to 48 seconds or weeks or months."
When timing does matter#
- Premieres and Live streams. People need to be around to watch together, so schedule them when your viewers are online.
- First-day momentum. If your subscribers get a notification and are awake to watch, early views and comments come in faster. That's nice, but YouTube says it doesn't decide long-term performance.
- Timely topics. News, trends and launches lose value by the hour. Publish them when people are looking.
What the data suggests#
Buffer's 2026 analysis of 1.8 million videos gives these starting points, in the viewer's local time:
| Format | Best times in Buffer's data |
|---|---|
| Long-form videos | Sunday 10am |
| Shorts | Friday 4pm |
Sprout Social's 2026 study didn't include YouTube, and most other studies don't separate Shorts from long-form, so there's less data here than for Instagram or TikTok.
How to find your own best time#
- In YouTube Studio, open Analytics, then the Audience tab.
- Find "When your viewers are on YouTube", a heatmap of the days and hours your audience is watching.
- Schedule Premieres and Lives for the darkest blocks, and publish regular videos an hour or two before them so they're ready when viewers arrive.
How often should you upload?#
YouTube says "growth in views across uploads is not correlated with time between uploads" and advises prioritizing consistent quality over a high upload frequency. Taking a break won't hurt you either: per YouTube, "the algorithm doesn't penalize creators for doing so!" There's more in our posting frequency cheat sheet.
Shorts in a multi-platform workflow#
Shorts can now be up to three minutes long, the same as Instagram Reels, which makes it easier to publish one video to Shorts, Reels and TikTok. Kairoset uploads to YouTube with your title, visibility, "made for kids" setting and custom thumbnail, on the same calendar as your other platforms.
FAQ
Does upload time matter on YouTube?
Not for long-term performance, according to YouTube's own help center. It matters for Premieres, Live streams, time-sensitive topics and first-day views.
What is the best time to post YouTube Shorts?
Buffer's 2026 data points to Friday at 4pm (viewer's local time) as a starting point. Check the 'When your viewers are on YouTube' report in YouTube Studio for your own audience.
Should I wait 24 to 48 hours before publishing a video?
No. YouTube's creator liaison has said waiting makes no difference: recommendations depend on how the audience responds once the video is public.