When’s the Best Time to Host a Webinar? Here’s What Actually Works

Let’s be honest—hosting a webinar isn’t just about the topic or the slides. Timing plays a huge role. You can use the best webinar platform out there, but if you go live when your audience is busy, distracted, or offline… it’s just crickets.

I’ve been there. After trying different days and times, here’s what actually works—not from theory, but from trial and error.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays = Gold

Skip Mondays. People are slammed. Skip Fridays too—everyone’s winding down. I’ve had the best turnout when I stick to the middle of the week. Tuesday through Thursday is when people are in work mode, focused, and more likely to join something live.

It’s simple, but it makes a big difference.

Late Morning or Early Afternoon Hits the Sweet Spot

If you’re trying to catch people when they’re most alert, shoot for 10 AM to 2 PM in their local time zone. Mornings are usually calm, and after lunch, people still have some energy to engage before hitting that afternoon slump.

Avoid anything before 9 AM (they’re still waking up) or after 4 PM (they’ve already mentally clocked out).

Don’t Ignore Time Zones

One of the first mistakes I made? Forgetting time zones. If you’re in New York but your audience is on the West Coast, launching at 9 AM your time means it’s 6 AM for them. Not ideal.

I’ve found that 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT tends to work great if you’re covering U.S. time zones. And if you’re running something global, many webinar platforms let you offer replays or even host the same webinar at multiple times.

B2B and B2C Are Not the Same

Who you’re speaking to changes everything. If your audience is in the business world, they’ll probably tune in during work hours. But if your webinar is more consumer-focused—like a personal finance or wellness topic—you might have better luck in the evenings or even on a Saturday morning.

It really comes down to their daily routine and when they have the mental space to engage.

The Best Time Is the One That Works for Your Audience

At the end of the day, it’s not about what’s “supposed” to work—it’s what actually does. I’ve tested different days, times, and formats. The key is to look at your analytics (almost all webinar platforms have them now), see what performs, and double down on that.

And remember: don’t stress if the first one doesn’t blow up. It’s all part of the learning curve.