YouTube videos and Shorts
Schedule YouTube videos and Shorts with the thumbnail you designed
Finish the edit, then hand the upload to Postocial. The title, description and custom thumbnail travel with the video, and it goes live on the day and hour on your calendar. On Premium and higher plans, comments come back to your inbox.
Free for 7 days. Card required; cancel before the trial ends and you will not be charged.
- YouTube
YouTube in Postocial
Upload when it is ready, publish when it is right
Postocial publishes long-form videos and Shorts to your channel and keeps them on the same calendar as your other networks.
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Videos and Shorts in one place
Schedule full-length uploads and vertical Shorts from the same composer and see both on your calendar.
Scheduling and calendar -
Custom thumbnails
Upload your own thumbnail with each video, so it goes live with the cover you designed.
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Pre-recorded livestreams
Schedule a pre-recorded video as a YouTube livestream, so premieres and replays air on time without a live crew.
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Comments in the unified inbox
Reply to YouTube comments next to your other channels and use saved replies for the questions you hear every week. Included on Premium and higher plans.
Unified inbox -
Cut once, share everywhere
Send the same vertical clip to Shorts, TikTok and Instagram from one composer, each with its own caption.
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Results and best times
Compare your channel with your other networks and see which hours work best for new uploads.
Analytics
Example
A sample week on YouTube
How a tech review channel might schedule a week of uploads in one afternoon.
| Day | Post | Set up in Postocial |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Long-form review edited over the weekend | Custom 16:9 thumbnail, scheduled for 5 p.m. |
| Wednesday | Short with the best moment from the review | Same clip also scheduled for TikTok and Instagram |
| Friday | Recorded Q&A with viewers | Airs as a pre-recorded livestream at 6 p.m. |
| Every day | New comments | Answered from the unified inbox with saved replies (Premium and higher plans) |
Best practices
YouTube best practices
What to get right before a scheduled upload goes live.
- Put the keyword first. Titles can run to 100 characters, but the start does the work in search and suggestions.
- Go easy on hashtags. Up to three description hashtags can show near the title, and more than 60 makes YouTube ignore all of them.
- Design thumbnails at 16:9. Upload at least 640 pixels wide. YouTube recommends going up to 3840 × 2160.
- Verify before long uploads. Unverified channels can only upload videos of up to 15 minutes.
- Use Shorts as trailers. Shorts run up to three minutes, which is plenty to tease the full video.
- Title characters
- 100
- Description limit
- 5,000
- Thumbnail ratio
- 16:9
- Longest Short
- 3 min
Platform limits
YouTube limits and media specs
The limits and sizes YouTube sets for text, images and video, with a source for each. Platforms change them often, so check before a big campaign.
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YouTube character limits
Field Maximum Video description 5,000 characters Video title 100 characters Comment 10,000 characters Channel description 1,000 characters Handle 30 characters About the text limit. This is the video description limit: 5,000 characters, which the Data API counts as 5,000 bytes, with no < or >. For URLs in descriptions to be clickable, the channel must meet platform requirements such as verification or advanced features. Tags can total 500 characters, and the commas between tags count.
Hashtags. Hashtags can go in the title or the description. Up to three of the most engaging description hashtags show near the title. If a video has more than 60 hashtags, YouTube ignores all of them.
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YouTube image sizes
Placement Size Aspect ratio Video thumbnailRecommended size. Minimum width 640 px. JPG or PNG, up to 50 MB from desktop or 2 MB from mobile. 3840 × 2160 px 16:9 Shorts thumbnailMinimum height 640 px. Vertical videos with 16:9 custom thumbnails get an auto-generated 4:5 thumbnail on some surfaces. 2160 × 3840 px 9:16 Channel bannerRecommended size, especially for TV. Minimum upload 2048x1152, where the safe area for text and logos is 1235x338. 6 MB or smaller. 2560 × 1440 px 16:9 Profile pictureOfficially it renders at 98x98, and can be JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG (no animated GIFs) up to 15 MB. The 800x800 size is Hootsuite's recommendation. 800 × 800 px 1:1 -
YouTube video specs
Placement Max length Max file size Aspect ratio Long-form videoThe limit is 256 GB or 12 hours, whichever comes first. Unverified accounts can upload only up to 15 minutes. The player frames each video automatically. 12 hours 256 GB Native ratio (16:9 typical), with no letterboxing or pillarboxing ShortUp to 3 minutes, square or vertical. Up to 15 Shorts can be selected per upload from YouTube Studio. 3 minutes Not stated 9:16 or 1:1 -
Sources
Checked on . Where YouTube publishes no number, the notes in the tables say where a figure comes from.
- YouTube Help: edit video settings
- YouTube Help: find videos using hashtags
- YouTube Help: upload videos longer than 15 minutes
- YouTube Help: get started creating YouTube Shorts
- YouTube Help: upload YouTube Shorts
- YouTube Help: add custom thumbnails
- YouTube Help: manage your channel branding
- YouTube Help: learn about YouTube handles
- YouTube Help: video and audio formatting specifications
- YouTube Data API: channels
- YouTube Data API: videos
- Influencer Marketing Hub: YouTube character limits
- Hootsuite: social media image sizes guide
Get connected
How to connect YouTube
You need the Google account that owns or manages the channel. The connect accounts guide covers each step. Managing an account for a client? Send a client invite link so they can connect it themselves, without sharing a password.
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Sign in with Google
Connect the Google account that owns or manages your YouTube channel.
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Verify for long videos
Unverified channels are limited to 15-minute uploads. Verification happens in YouTube itself.
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Set your time slots
Choose the weekly times new videos should go live, so the queue can fill them. See the posting schedule guide.
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Schedule your first upload
Add the video, title, description and thumbnail, then schedule it or set it as a pre-recorded livestream.
Free tools
Free YouTube tools
Free browser tools for getting posts ready before you schedule them.
YouTube character counter
Check titles against the 100-character limit and descriptions against 5,000.
YouTube image resizer
Crop thumbnails to 16:9 and channel banners to 2560 × 1440 in your browser.
YouTube font generator
Try Unicode bold or script letters for your channel description.
FAQ
Questions about YouTube scheduling
Something else on your mind? Email us at hello@postocial.com.
Can I schedule YouTube Shorts as well as regular videos?
Yes. Postocial publishes both long-form videos and Shorts. Shorts can be up to three minutes long, in vertical or square format.
Can I upload my own YouTube thumbnail?
Yes. Add a custom thumbnail to the video in the composer. YouTube accepts JPG or PNG thumbnails at least 640 pixels wide, ideally 16:9.
Can I upload a YouTube video as unlisted or private?
Yes. Choose public, unlisted or private for each video, mark it as made for kids when it is, and add tags to help people find it.
How long can a YouTube title and description be?
Titles can be up to 100 characters and descriptions up to 5,000. YouTube counts the description in bytes, so emoji and accented letters use more of it, and the < and > characters are not allowed.
Why can't I upload a video longer than 15 minutes?
YouTube limits unverified channels to 15-minute videos. Verify your channel in YouTube to lift that cap; YouTube itself accepts videos of up to 12 hours or 256 GB. Videos you upload through Postocial also count toward your plan's storage: 10 GB on Starter, 25 GB on Premium, 50 GB on Agency and 50 GB on Unlimited.
Can I schedule a YouTube livestream?
Yes, with a pre-recorded video. Schedule it as a livestream and it streams on your channel at the time you set. The same option exists for Facebook Pages.
How do I disconnect YouTube from Postocial?
Remove the channel from your Postocial workspace, and revoke Postocial's access at any time in your Google Account permissions. Postocial uses YouTube API Services, so the YouTube Terms of Service and the Google Privacy Policy apply.
Line up your next uploads today
Connect your channel, schedule your next video with its thumbnail and get back to making the one after it.
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