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Last changed 2026-09-15
Best times to post on YouTube Shorts — lunch and evening, not a guess.
Times convert from Eastern Time planning windows. Your own analytics win once they exist. Friday is the flagship day. Views-led campaigns prefer the first-push slot.
| Day | ET (EST/EDT) | CT | PT (PST/PDT) | GMT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 12 PM ET | 11 AM CT | 9 AM PT | 5 PM GMT |
| Tuesday | 2 PM ET | 1 PM CT | 11 AM PT | 7 PM GMT |
| Wednesday | 12 PM ET | 11 AM CT | 9 AM PT | 5 PM GMT |
| Thursday | 3 PM ET | 2 PM CT | 12 PM PT | 8 PM GMT |
| Friday · flagship | 12 PM ET | 11 AM CT | 9 AM PT | 5 PM GMT |
| Saturday | 10 AM ET | 9 AM CT | 7 AM PT | 3 PM GMT |
| Sunday | 10 AM ET | 9 AM CT | 7 AM PT | 3 PM GMT |
Monday
Monday Shorts land at lunch. 12 PM ET is the first push; 8 PM is the second session.
Public 2026 planning ranges. Your channel analytics win once they exist.
| Slot | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | 12 PM ET | Weekday lunch Shorts session. |
| Evening | 8 PM ET | After-work watch. |
Tuesday
Tuesday’s published peaks sit at 2 PM ET and 8 PM. Brief the stronger hook for the evening.
Afternoon is a first-push experiment; evening is the longer watch.
| Slot | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | 2 PM ET | Tuesday afternoon lift. |
| Evening | 8 PM ET | Prime evening session. |
Wednesday
Wednesday clusters at 12 PM ET, then 7 PM. Midweek is lunch and after-work, not late night.
Keep three hours between Shorts so they do not compete.
| Slot | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | 12 PM ET | Midweek lunch. |
| Evening | 7 PM ET | After-work browse. |
Thursday
Thursday afternoon at 3 PM ET is the views window; 8 PM is follows.
If the campaign goal is subscribers, prefer the evening slot.
| Slot | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | 3 PM ET | Thursday afternoon. |
| Evening | 8 PM ET | Evening Shorts. |
Friday · flagship
Friday lunch at 12 PM ET is the strongest published first-push slot in this Shorts set.
Put the campaign’s best brief on Friday at noon. 3 PM is support, not an equal.
| Slot | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | 12 PM ET | Friday lunch, the week's strongest published first push. |
| Afternoon | 3 PM ET | Friday afternoon lift. |
Saturday
Saturday starts at 10 AM ET. 7 PM is the weekend watch-time peak.
Weekend sessions run longer. A 15-second hook still wins the first push.
| Slot | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | 10 AM ET | Weekend late morning. |
| Evening | 7 PM ET | Saturday evening. |
Sunday
Sunday morning is catch-up at 10 AM ET. 4 PM is when people plan the week.
Use Sunday afternoon for the follow-led Short. Keep morning for views.
| Slot | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | 10 AM ET | Sunday morning catch-up. |
| Afternoon | 4 PM ET | Sunday afternoon planning. |
Counted
Published peak windows, Eastern Time
Window
One week of planning slots
Age
Refreshed quarterly; your analytics win once they exist
Method
Windows are Eastern Time planning slots from published creator studies, refreshed quarterly.
A missing or zero denominator is an em dash, never a fabricated zero.
FAQ
Also
One 1080 × 1920, 9:16 frame, plus the 1280 × 720 thumbnail.
Best times for Reels, feed, and Stories — a first-push tie-breaker.
Timing is a first-push tie-breaker. The hook still decides.
Platform, spend, views and a benchmark — then paid ads, human UGC, and this plan.
TrueWave operates human creator campaigns: scripts, measured views, spend and CPM. Write if you want that run for a brand.