YouTube Shorts: what is the ideal posting frequency to go viral?

You decided to start creating YouTube Shorts? So you’re probably wondering the same question as many other content creators before you: “How many Shorts should I post per day to make my channel explode?”

It’s an excellent question! While the recommended number of posts per day theoretically ranges from 1 to 3, there is actually no universal truth. Indeed, the ideal number of videos to post daily will depend on a multitude of factors…

But don’t panic, Debugbar is here to help you figure it all out. Together we’ll see in detail how to determine the ideal number of posts to make each day. Ready to boost your YouTube Shorts channel? Let’s go!

How many Shorts to post per day? In theory…

The short answer is: between 1 and 3 per day. Some even suggest posting up to 5 videos per day.

So once we’ve said that, we’ll grant you, it doesn’t get us very far because it’s a very wide range… And we can’t really rely on YouTube on this point because the platform does not provide any specific recommendation on the optimal number of shorts to post daily.

So that doesn’t really help us… We could therefore say “no matter, I’ll publish as many videos as possible to be sure to get views and boost my channel”. Well sorry, young padawan, but it’s a little more complicated than that. This technique could therefore be totally ineffective, even detrimental.

What are the risks of posting too many YouTube Shorts per day?

Posting too many shorts per day (more than 5/day) carries certain risks:

1. You overload your subscribers

By publishing an excessive number of shorts every day, you’ll end up overloading your subscribers with content. They may feel overwhelmed by the notifications and no longer watch them all. Worse, this saturation can lead them to completely unsubscribe to take a “break” from your content.

That’s why it’s important to keep a digestible posting frequency, so as not to smother your subscribers under a continuous stream of new shorts.

2. Your shorts have less time to take off

With 5 or more shorts published every day, each one has less time in “Trending” before being replaced by the next. So they have fewer opportunities to be discovered by new viewers and go viral.

By posting less, you maximize the chances of each video being promoted by the algorithm for a longer period of time.

3. You exhaust your creative team

Producing more than 5 videos a day, even short ones, requires considerable energy for your creative teams and yourself. This can quickly lead to burnout and lower quality content, edited quickly to meet deadlines. So, pace your talents to avoid creative burnout!

4. You give a “spammer” image

A channel that posts excessively without adding value will quickly give a spammy impression to viewers and YouTube’s algorithm. This could therefore completely hurt you and tarnish your image as well as your credibility in the long run.

As you can see, overproducing content is clearly not the best option to hope to break through. So from a theoretical point of view, posting up to 5 shorts per day seems to be a good strategy to maintain a certain pace and regularly reach your audience, but it’s much more complicated in practice…

You’ll therefore need to ask yourself the right questions to determine an ideal number of videos you should post per day.

The 4 criteria to consider before determining how many videos to post per day on YouTube Shorts

We saw that the posting frequency on YouTube Shorts is extremely important. It is therefore better to avoid making mistakes. That’s why you’ll absolutely have to take into account several criteria before getting started to identify the desirable and achievable number of videos to post.

1. Your available time and resources

The first thing to consider is the available time you have to create shorts, as well as your human and financial resources.

If you are alone, it will be difficult to produce more than 2-3 quality shorts per day. But if you have a team dedicated to content creation, you can go up to 5 daily videos.

Also consider your production budget. Shooting outside, hiring actors or using special effects costs more and limits the number of achievable shorts.

You must therefore honestly assess your capabilities before setting yourself an unrealistic goal!

2. Your content niche

Not all niches lend themselves to the same posting cadence. Gaming, humor, tutorials lend themselves well to daily shorts or even several times a day.

On the other hand, film criticism, science vulgarization or personal development channels require in-depth work hardly compatible with 5 videos per day.

You’ll therefore need to adapt your posting frequency to what best matches your niche and what your subscribers expect.

3. Your goals with shorts

Your goals also influence the optimal number of shorts to post daily.

• If your goal is to quickly maximize your views and reach, posting up to 5 shorts per day can provide a good initial “boost”.
• But if you’re looking to build a loyal audience over the long term, you should instead focus on consistency, with a maximum of 1-2 engaging shorts per day.

The goal is to strike a balance between immediate views and long-term subscriber engagement.

4. Your audience’s behavior

It is essential to know the viewing habits of your current subscribers on the platform. Are they more of the “binge-watching” type who chain videos quickly? Or, on the contrary, selective and unlikely to watch everything? Are they constantly glued to their screens during the day, or do they mostly have one morning or evening session?

Analyze their behavior to determine if a sustained frequency suits them or if they prefer more spaced-out content, and adjust your strategy accordingly!

In short, various parameters must be taken into account to find the perfect pace tailored to your channel. And you may not be able to get all the answers to your questions before getting started… So it can be difficult to figure it out. That’s why you’ll need to adopt a step-by-step strategy to find your own rhythm.

How to find the right posting cadence for your channel?

Finding the optimal number of YouTube shorts to post daily requires a methodical approach. Here are our 4 tips to determine your ideal number of videos to post per day:

1. Start slowly (1 video at a time)

The best approach is to start gradually. Post 1 quality video per day for 2 weeks to begin with.

This will allow you to:

• Get used to the short format.
• Implement efficient production processes.
• Gauge the reaction of your existing audience.

Don’t jump the gun by wanting to post 5 videos on day one! Take the time to refine your strategy.

2. Analyze engagement

After these 2 weeks of testing, carefully study the engagement data of your shorts:

• Average retention rate.
• Number of views.
• Likes, comments, shares.
• New subscribers acquired.
• Etc.

These metrics will show you if your first shorts resonated well with your audience. Allowing you to adjust your approach accordingly.

3. Gradually increase the pace

If the results are promising, move up to 2 shorts per day on week 3. Then 3 shorts on week 4, and so on, until you find the optimal pace where engagement starts leveling off or decreasing.

This gradual ramp up will help you determine the “sweet spot” for your channel.

4. Test different posting times

In addition to the posting frequency, it is essential to identify when most people are in front of their screens during the day to know when to post your shorts.

To do this, closely analyze the video analytics data and identify:

• Which days of the week engagement is strongest.
• Which time slots you get the most views.

This will indicate which times to prioritize for posting your shorts in order to maximize their impact. Test different times over a given period and compare results.

Having trouble determining the ideal time to post your Shorts? Then check out our article: What is the Best Time to Post a YouTube Short?

5. Stay flexible!

Finally, once you’ve determined your optimal pace, keep some flexibility. You can occasionally post more when current events or trends call for it.

Conversely, slow down if you feel creative fatigue setting in. The key is staying tuned in to your team and audience.

Also stay flexible because your best time slots can shift over time. Regularly analyze the data to adjust your approach accordingly.

How many YouTube Shorts should you post per day: let’s summarize

As you can see, there is no one-size-fits-all answer regarding the ideal number of daily posts on YouTube Shorts. For some people, 1 short video per day will be plenty, while other creators can easily publish 3. You’ll need to consider several parameters and run tests to find the frequency that works best for you and resonates most with your audience.

• In theory, between 1 and 5 YouTube shorts per day seems like a good range.
• But in practice, several factors come into play.
• Quality over quantity.
• Find the right balance of consistency/quality tailored to your YouTube channel.
• Start slowly (1 short video at a time) and gradually adjust based on engagement data.

There you have it, you now know how many YouTube shorts to post per day to boost your channel! Feel free to test different cadences. The key is finding the ideal pace for your content and audience.