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Does the time you upload your YouTube videos make a difference to how many views you get? The answer is yes.
Read on to understand how to amp up your video views, get recommended to more viewers, and engage with your community better by choosing the right time to post.
What does success on YouTube require?
Success on YouTube is more than simply uploading videos consistently to your personal or company's YouTube channel. YouTube, like any other social media, is about interaction along with brand building. That's why you need to know what to put in your videos and when's the best time to post your YouTube video to reach your audience.
Unlike several other social media platforms, YouTube does not have a specific optimal posting time. This could be due to YouTube's lack of a "feed" compared to most other social media platforms.
There are still ways to upload your video content at the time that will get you more clicks and bring your viewership graph up though! Read below for insights on the best time to post.
When is the best time to upload to YouTube?
Honestly, there can be an endless debate on what is the best time to upload videos on YouTube. However, the best time to post is literally up to your subscribers and where they are from. Depending on what country your subscribers are in and their local time will determine the best time to post the videos. For example, if you are located in Australia and all your subscribers are in the US, you don’t want to post when they’re asleep.
YouTubers also create a YouTube poll to ask their subscribers what time or day they'd like the upload, to inform them when the next video goes live and so much more. This approach suits content creators better than business though, as it builds hype for the next upload and fans tend to comment about how keen they are to watch it. Creating a poll and giving subscribers a share of voice about when the video should go live is a nice way to interact with them and build your community, too.
Check YouTube watch time and audience retention
Watch time is always considered the most important metric to track on YouTube. YouTube uses it to assess the quality of your videos and channel.
If someone spends 10 minutes watching your video on 'How to Ensure the Success of a Small Business,' but just 3 minutes watching another video on the same topic, this information tells the YouTube algorithm that the your video should be lifted higher in the search results and recommended to more people. Longer viewing times indicate higher quality material to YouTube.
Also, if someone views another one of your videos right away, this will increase the total time a viewer spends on your channel. All of this helps the algorithm understand that your content is great quality. That's why it's important to use YouTube end cards.
Note: although longer watch durations indicate good quality to the algorithm, shorter videos may lead to higher audience retention. The percentage of a video that's watched is known as audience retention. If on average, individuals watch 20% of a 19-minute video but 90% of a shorter 3-minute film, it's a hint that the shorter one provided a superior viewing experience.
YouTube employs audience retention to make sure that a low-quality long video isn't promoted over a higher-quality short video because it has a longer watch duration. Just a handy tip to grow your YouTube channel!
Key takeaway? YouTube considers both watch time and audience retention when deciding what to promote, so posting at a time when your audience is online will amp up your results.
What role does video click-through rate or CTR play?
You can see why YouTube watch time and audience retention are so important.
However, no matter how great your video content is, you won't be able to increase watch time or audience retention unless people want to click on it. This means your content must stand out on the site for people to click on it. Then there'll be viewing time and audience retention to consider. (Hot tip: make a YouTube thumbnail that stands out!).
Even though YouTube states that "Half of all YouTube channels and videos have an imprint CTR that can swing between 2% and 10%,". It's really not useful, is it? A specific percentage doesn't define a good CTR. It's best to keep an eye on your average channel CTR and strive to outperform it.
When your most ardent followers and subscribers rush in to see the new video, your CTR is usually at its peak shortly after upload. As a result, this image displays a considerably better CTR on the first day of distribution. When YouTube detects such signals in your analytics, it'll begin to push your videos up the rankings.
If your video is engaging and has a high view time, audience retention, and click-through rate (CTR), YouTube will expose it to a larger audience, resulting in more impressions. What's more? You can always increase your viewership using various video marketing tools.
If your video goes viral, it'll be sent to many individuals across the platform. However, this new, larger audience may not be as interested in your specialty as you are, so while you may receive more impressions and views, your CTR is likely to drop. As a result, lower CTRs on popular videos are unimportant. Your traffic, click-through rates, and audience retention are all functioning correctly if they bring it in.
Key takeaway: Publishing your video at a time when more subscribers are online will help you reach more viewers and get a higher CTR.
More ways to increase YouTube views
Consider email marketing to create buzz about your video
YouTube, the second-largest search engine on the planet, provides a significant opportunity for businesses to create more leads. An email blast before your video goes live could be an awesome way to build anticipation if you're posting for a business.
Once the video goes live on YouTube, shoot another email with a CTA that redirects people directly to your YouTube channel.
Going live? Keep an eye on your real-time subscriber numbers
Checking your live follower count is especially useful for YouTube content creators who stream live videos. It allows them to observe when they earn or lose followers in real-time. If you're posting for a business, you can immediately determine what causes them to earn or lose subscribers and how well they perform in general.
Several internet tools make it simple to check your live subscriber count. YouTube Subscriber Counter, YouTube Realtime, and Social Blade are a few of these tools. Choose one, and you're ready to rock!
Google Ads could be your friend
Ads can help you boost the number of people who watch your channel and the amount of time they spend watching it. When targeting viewers, it's a good idea to start broad and gradually narrow your focus.
According to AdEspresso, the average CPC costs for Google Ads are totally dependent on different business types and their target keywords. These can range somewhere between $1 and $2 on the search network. It is under $1 on the display network. However, when we talk about highly competitive industry keywords, the clicks can cost roughly between $30 to $50 and more.
To target potential fans, try subjects and affinity audiences, and then shift your focus to targeting alternative ad designs like popups that produce the best results.
Make a statement with your YouTube thumbnails
The thumbnail of your movie is crucial to raising CTR. It's your chance to connect with people on an emotional and visual level that the YouTube algorithm will never comprehend. It's the hero poster for your video. 90% of the top-performing videos on YouTube use custom thumbnails. YouTube has a guide for creating clickable thumbnails. They recommend including a human (typically the presenter), some text, and an emotional expression in your video.
Now you know when's the best time to post a YouTube video!
Hope some of these insights help your YouTube channel grow and help you reach your creative goals!
