Last updated on 24th November 2023
Sharing videos on Instagram is a great way to drive engagement with your followers.
In fact, Instagram video posts receive twice the engagement of other types of posts.
The only problem is that sharing YouTube videos on Instagram isn’t exactly straightforward! But despite being a slightly convoluted process, it’s certainly possible.
We’re here to walk you through the whole process with a handy step-by-step guide that gives you everything you need to know.
How to resize YouTube videos for Instagram
In order to upload new video to YouTube, you first need to have the raw video file on your mobile device. There are tools available that will help you download YouTube videos, but this is very much a grey area: tread carefully and make sure you have permission to download the YouTube video onto your device.
Once the video’s in your camera roll, it needs resizing and optimising for Instagram.
Video editing tools like InShot, Splice or Instasize, let you trim and edit the length of your video, but also the canvas size. In fact, we’ve written a whole different blog about the best video editing apps if you need any more inspiration.
Not only can you trim and crop your videos down to size, but InShot, and other similar photo editing apps, also let you add filters and effects to make your video Instagram-worthy.
Once you’re happy with your masterpiece, you’re ready for the final piece of the jigsaw.
How to post YouTube video to Instagram as a video post or Reel
The final stage is to upload your awesome new video directly to Instagram.
1. Hit the “plus” (+) button, find your video on your camera roll, and press “next”. You’ll be able to choose whether your video is uploaded as a Post, Story or Reel.
2. Add any final filters and edits, then hit “next” again.
4. For posts and Reels, add your caption and any relevant hashtags to make sure your video gets seen. Remember, Stories disappear from your page after 24 hours – and individual videos are limited to just 15 seconds.
5. Press “share” and there you have it; your fabulous new video is now on Instagram and ready to be released into the wild.
Summary
To sum up this whole process… Can you upload YouTube videos to Instagram? Yes, you can. Is it a quick and easy process? Not entirely! It will take some legwork and it might take time to find the right apps to get it done.
But, in actual fact, once you’ve got everything set up, and have gone through the process several times, it will get quicker and easier every time. It’s just like anything: the more you practice, the simpler it becomes.
Let’s recap those steps again quickly:
- Download your chosen video to your mobile device if you don’t have it already.
- Use video editing software to crop it to your preferred aspect ratio (generally either square or vertical), crop the length and add filters.
- Post it to Instagram! You can post video as a Post, Reel or Story although each have their own limitations and specs.
And, voila, you’ve just created some fantastic new content for Instagram!
Why post videos from YouTube to Instagram?
There are a few potential reasons someone might want to post YouTube videos to Instagram:
- Cross-promote content and reach a wider audience. Posting YouTube videos on Instagram exposes the content to new audiences who may not have seen it on YouTube. This can help content creators grow their overall follower count and viewership.
- Tap into Instagram’s primarily mobile userbase. The Instagram audience tends to favor mobile while YouTube has more desktop viewership. Posting YouTube videos on Instagram allows tapping into an audience focused on mobile devices.
- Take advantage of different algorithms. The way Instagram and YouTube display content to users can differ. Posting videos on both platforms allows creators to maximize the chances of their content being seen.
- Showcase video snippets to drive YouTube traffic. Posting short interesting clips from longer YouTube videos can entice Instagram users to then go watch the full video on YouTube. It helps drive traffic between the platforms.
- Simplify video consumption for Instagram users. Instagram’s quick, visual format makes it easy for users to consume video content quickly. It allows showcasing the most shareable or eye-catching parts of a YouTube video to the Instagram audience.
The key overall benefits are increased viewership, tapping into multiple audiences on different platforms, and using each platform’s strengths to best showcase video content. But it does require a cross-promotion strategy and purposeful content tailoring for each platform.
Good luck!
While you’re here, why not browse some of our other YouTube pages:
YouTube channel banner size – 2024 guide
Best YouTube thumbnail fonts – our top 7 picks
YouTube Video Creation Service – our YouTube video homepage
