What is The Best Time to Hit “Publish” on Substack?

Here’s what actually matters when you’re deciding on when to send your next post out into the world.

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Let’s get this out of the way first:

Yes, there’s data out there but no, it’s not magical and definitive. You are not missing out on massive success because you published at 2:17 PM instead of 8:03 AM.

That said…there is some helpful data floating around, and it gives us a solid starting point for experimentation rather than throwing darts at the calendar.

Across blogs, newsletters, and content platforms, the same pattern shows up again and again: midweek mornings win. Think Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday…ideally sometime before lunch.

Why? Because humans are predictable creatures.

By Tuesday morning, people have shaken off Monday energy and they’re back in productivity mode. They’re checking emails, reading things they “should” read, and pretending to work while actually consuming content. It’s a beautiful window of opportunity.

Most email data backs this up too. Open rates tend to peak mid-morning, especially between 9 AM and 11 AM, and especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Now let’s talk about what doesn’t work as well.

Weekends feel like a bit of a graveyard in my experience. Ask me how I know—this newsletter is published on Saturdays.

Engagement drops, attention is scattered, and people are generally out living their lives with less intention of reading your beautifully crafted Substack.

Friday is also questionable. Not terrible, but people are mentally checking out by midday. If your post lands too late, it gets buried in the “later” file in their brain, which is basically the content equivalent of being ghosted.

If I consider my own reading habits, I 100% sip coffee and scroll for an hour before I start my workdays. But on the weekends? I have the luxury of TIME. I don’t need to stuff it all into a morning coffee sesh. I walk my dog longer, dip into mindless Facebook reels, etc.

So if you want a clean, ‘no-overthinking it’ starting point?

Aim for Tuesday morning. Somewhere between 9 and 11. It’s the most boring, data-backed, reliable answer on the internet. I have been publishing my other newsletter on Tuesdays for YEARS.

Having said all this….

The real best time to publish is when your people expect you.

Consistency beats timing.

If you show up every Sunday morning with something people love, guess what? Sunday morning becomes your “best time.” If you train your audience to look for you on Saturday nights, congratulations, you’ve just broken the rules of convention and it still works.

I believe habits beat algorithms. What you tell your subscribers in your welcome email becomes what they expect.

Also, your audience is not a generic blob of internet users; they are your people. Their routines, time zones, and attention spans matter more than any global study ever will.

Which brings me to the least sexy but most accurate advice in this entire post:

Use these data suggestions as a starting point, not a finish line.

Start midweek, mid-morning and see what happens. Then adjust accordingly. Your open rates, your comments, and your vibe will tell you more than any study ever could.

And one last thing, because I know someone needs to hear this:

A mediocre post sent at the “perfect” time is still a mediocre post. A great post sent at a random time? Still great.

Timing helps, BUT content is king. 😉

When are you most likely to read newsletters?

Have you experimented with different days and times to find out what works for you?

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And since we touched on your welcome email and what it tells readers, here’s a post you may have missed:

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