Chapter 1: Understanding Traffic Patterns

When considering the ideal times to publish your content, it's clear that opinions vary widely. However, there are three crucial hours that you should certainly take into account.

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Do you believe that the timing of your posts affects their visibility? The answer is a definitive yes, and we will delve into the reasons why. We’ll start by examining traffic trends segmented by time zone and country. For our analysis, we'll primarily focus on the United States, which generates over 25% of Medium’s traffic.

Most of the traffic spikes occur between 6:30 AM and 9:30 AM. This might lead many to conclude that this is the prime time for publishing. While this is somewhat accurate, I’ve had the opportunity to experiment with my posting schedule. In December and January, I frequently published articles after midnight and before 3 AM, and to my surprise, they performed quite well.

Findings from this period showed that competing for attention during peak hours may dilute your content's visibility, as your post would be vying against numerous other articles.

Section 1.1: Reasons for Off-Peak Publishing

Reason #1 — The Night Owl Phenomenon With the prevalence of mobile devices, many of us find ourselves scrolling through apps late into the night. Even those who attempt to break this habit often revert back, losing track of time until it’s well past midnight.

Reason #2 — The Importance of "Hours Ago" The time displayed since publication can significantly impact engagement. Readers often assess how long ago an article was posted before deciding to read.

This perception can vary by time zone, as readers see different "hours ago" metrics based on their location.

Reason #3 — Quality Over Quantity Although traffic may be lower at midnight, the audience that is active tends to engage more deeply with content, as they are less rushed. If your article resonates well during these hours, it can continue to gain traction throughout the day.

If you haven't experimented with publishing around these times, I encourage you to do so and share your findings.

Chapter 2: Further Exploration

The first video titled "Thanks for Reading" explores the significance of timing in publishing and how it affects reader engagement.

The second video, "READ A LOUD. AN AWESOME BOOK OF THANKS. THE BEST READING BOOKS FOR KIDS," discusses effective storytelling methods that can enhance your writing.

As you contemplate these insights, remember that while many factors remain outside our control, we can leverage our understanding of peak traffic times to improve our publishing strategy.