Do posting time matters? If so, when?

[LuoirM]

Hello guys, I'm an author and have been posting a story on ScribbleHub, which I thinks is pretty good. But I've noticed something.
I live in a GMT+7 timezone, about 12 hours ahead of the USA (which I believe a lot of you are in question mark?) so when this thread is posted, it's around 5:05PM here, while I believe it's early morning to noon for you guys.

When I posted some of my first chapters in the weekend when I can stay up late, they got quite an attention, while some of the few laters one get barely views. So I've done a bit of testing.

I posted a chapter when I go to sleep (9PM GMT+7) and as I expected, my total viewers went from 1,1k to 1,4k (much for me).

So I concludes that posting time matters, have anyone done any long testing? Which timezone/time is best when posting new chapters? Because when you post a new chapter, it ends up in Latest Update where people can see.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Spica66]

I'm +7 and I would like to know too, although I don't think I'll care much about posting time.

 

[LinMeili]

Hello guys, I'm an author and have been posting a story on ScribbleHub, which I thinks is pretty good. But I've noticed something.
I live in a GMT+7 timezone, about 12 hours ahead of the USA (which I believe a lot of you are in question mark?) so when this thread is posted, it's around 5:05PM here, while I believe it's early morning to noon for you guys.

When I posted some of my first chapters in the weekend when I can stay up late, they got quite an attention, while some of the few laters one get barely views. So I've done a bit of testing.

I posted a chapter when I go to sleep (9PM GMT+7) and as I expected, my total viewers went from 1,1k to 1,4k (much for me).

So I concludes that posting time matters, have anyone done any long testing? Which timezone/time is best when posting new chapters? Because when you post a new chapter, it ends up in Latest Update where people can see.

Thanks in advance.

Since this is a global website, the common wisdom about posting seems to be to post at different times to hit the different timezones. That way more people will see your novel on the front page. If you stick to one time, only people who are online at that specific time will ever see it.

 

[Jemini]

I am starting to feel like I ought to write this up somewhere and just link every time this question comes up.

Well, I've explained it a few times, so I will try to sum it up in a nutshell this time.

It depends on your intention and the number of readers you have. If you don't have a whole lot of readers and want to get more, it's more effective to post at a time that not many other people are posting. The only way to find this is to watch the latest updates list and keep refreshing it. Look for a time when the top item on the list is 30+ minutes ago, and remember whenever that time happens to be. Post at that time next time it comes around. Keep in mind, day of the week can also matter.

If you already have a lot of readers and want to try to make a bid to get on the trending list, your best bet is to set a regular posting schedule or just tell your readers exactly what day of the week you will post your next chapter. Then, when that day comes, post it as soon after server reset at midnight UTC (GMT zero. Remember to adjust the time to your own timezone.) This will allow for maximum influence from your own reader base to hopefully bump you up the trending list.

I have also seen some very considerate authors of much bigger name series (usually the types who have 10K/month patreons) who will deliberately post at 22:00 UTC. That's the single worst time to post in terms of whether or not it will get you onto trending as it is almost the exact perfect time to divide your views and engagement between 2 separate days. (You do get roughly 40-60% of your engagement in the first 2 hours after posting, especially if you keep a regular schedule.)

 

[Reisinling]

I was going to write a smart reply... but then I just decided to leave it for now. I will try my best to gather data and release info within the month

 

[Necariin]

I'm sure there are strategies to choosing the best time, but I simply picked a time and repeatedly posted there, consistently. I never change it and I update 3x a week. Seems to work so far.

 

[Deleted member 45782]

I hear 2pm is good time to post. This question gets posted a lot XD.

 

[CadmarLegend]

I hear 2pm is good time to post. This question gets posted a lot XD.

At 2pm...

 

[Businesssn]

Pretty much. I can gig 6pm for my time

 

[Saileri]

Just so you know, posting right after daily server reset doesn't guarantee much more views due to more time before the next wipe. From all the experience I've gathered in the past, posting at different times will allow you to aim at different moments of people's day in various places around the world, but it has the most impact in the beginning. After you gain some following, it's actually better to stay with a similar hour all the time as you make your readers used to when you post, rising your views even more than just posting at random times. I did conduct some testing with that.

So, pretty much stick to what you are comfortable with. Or not. Your choice. Both work similarly. There are certain hours of the day that will allow your story to remain in Latest Updated for longer, but I won't share that secret ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 

[Businesssn]

Just so you know, posting right after daily server reset doesn't guarantee much more views due to more time before the next wipe. From all the experience I've gathered in the past, posting at different times will allow you to aim at different moments of people's day in various places around the world, but it has the most impact in the beginning. After you gain some following, it's actually better to stay with a similar hour all the time as you make your readers used to when you post, rising your views even more than just posting at random times. I did conduct some testing with that.

So, pretty much stick to what you are comfortable with. Or not. Your choice. Both work similarly. There are certain hours of the day that will allow your story to remain in Latest Updated for longer, but I won't share that secret ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Post at 10pm-12pm

 

[Razmatazz]

Honestly, I don't think it matters too much. Maybe you could argue that certain populations from certain time-zones lean towards certain genres, but I'm skeptical if there are any numbers on any such thing. Even if you min-maxed it, found the perfect time window etc, I don't think it will make a noticeable difference. And any time windows that let your story stay on 'Latest Updated' for longer will likely have less readers as well, so there's no real benefit.

Just find a time that feels right and stick to it. I think being consistent is more important than anything else.

 

[Deleted member 29316]

Just post in various times and days so that your work can be exposed to many potential readers.