How to Post YouTube Videos on Instagram: A Beginner’s Guide

Here are the must-know steps, tricks and tips for posting a YouTube video to Instagram.

So, you’re wondering if you can post a YouTube video on Instagram. Well, you’re in the right place! As Instagram moves further and further away from photos and supports the use of videos, creators are left wondering if their job is getting easier or harder.

In this article, we’ll be uncovering all of the must-know steps, tricks and tips for posting a YouTube video to Instagram.

Sure, Instagram was once a photo-sharing platform, but the soaring popularity and focus on Reels have turned the platform into a video-centric hub for short, engaging, and highly shareable content. 

That’s right, it’s time to dust off the camcorder and get filming. With more than 2 billion monthly active users,  you’ll need to keep up with the latest know-how to keep ahead of the Instagram game.

Ready to harness the power of repurposing content and get extra mileage out of your edited video content on YouTube? Let’s show you how to post a YouTube video on Instagram.

The rise of video content on Instagram

Ever since Instagram pivoted to video and launched IGTV, the app has grown exponentially. But after IGTV was phased out in late 2021, Instagram created a new consolidated video offering for creators and brands. Instagram’s answer to TikTok (Reels) stepped in and skyrocketed with mind-blowing popularity.

Instagram Reels continue to outperform other kinds of content on the platform, receiving 22% more engagement than other types of Instagram posts. While TikTok may be getting a lot of attention as of late, perhaps surprisingly, Gen Z users spend more time on both Instagram and YouTube.

Short, engaging videos paired with a hyper-effective algorithm have proven to keep the audience hooked. With continual app developments, Instagram now includes a full-screen experience for users, with an emphasis on creators and brands prioritizing immersive video content.

There’s no denying that video content will continue as an integral part of the Instagram feed experience in 2024  (and beyond).

Okay, but what about YouTube – is it still popular?

That’s right, YouTube is more popular than ever. Even after 19 years, YouTube reached 2.7 billion monthly active users in 2023, which is enormous! YouTube was the first platform to bring videos into the lives of millions, and YouTube offers viewers a massive range of content from how-tos, comedy, beauty, lifestyle and more.

While it was historically longer-form content, YouTube jumped about the short-form video train with the launch of ‘the shorter side to YouTube with YouTube shorts in 2020.

In this short-form feature, creators can upload snippets of their original content or short-form videos up to 60 seconds long. YouTube shorts have seen massive success since launching in 2020 and generated over 50 billion views daily in 2023. 

Bringing rapid-fire videos to the world of YouTube has allowed creators to tap into new engagement from subscribers. With the rise in TikTok and Instagram Reels, YouTube shorts provide the same vertical video format that is trending across all major platforms (making it easier than ever before to repurpose these videos).

Why would you post YouTube videos on Instagram?

If you’re ready to harness the updated, video-focused version of Instagram, you’re most likely thinking about sharing content across multiple different platforms.

But if you’ve just spent days filming, hours editing and just clicked publish you’re probably left wondering if you’ll need to painstakingly make another batch of content for Instagram or if you can kill two birds with one stone, and leverage your YouTube videos on Instagram.

Let’s take a look at why posting your YouTube videos to Instagram will increase your engagement and boost your brand reach.

1. Increase your subscribers and followers – Blending the use of your YouTube channel and your Instagram account with cohesive content keeps your audience engaged, aware and informed. By repurposing content and cross-posting these videos, you can increase subscribers and boost your following across the two platforms.
2. Extends the life of your content – By sharing your content across multiple channels, you can ensure every piece of content you create works as hard as you do. This ensures that once you upload videos, two sets of audiences will get to see your brand’s posts.
3. Keeps your social media platforms coordinated and up to date – Your audience loves being kept up to date, and there’s no better way to do this than sharing similar content to your social media channels. They maintain the same look and feel and your audience stays up to date.
4. Delight your audience – Social media is all about being delighted, and your audience thrives off regular, engaging content. After hours of hard work in creating a YouTube video, you can delight your audience by creating fun video content for your Instagram followers as well.

How to post YouTube videos on Instagram

Now you’re wondering how you’ll get your content from one platform to the other seamlessly. Posting YouTube videos to Instagram may seem like a near-impossible task without knowing where to start. But thanks to this clever step-by-step tutorial, it’s easier than you might think.

Let’s share everything you need to know about posting from YouTube to Instagram.

Step 1. Download Videos from YouTube

To post a YouTube video to Instagram, you have to download the video you’d like to share, adjust to Instagram’s requirements and then upload it.

You can download YouTube videos through a few different methods. Websites such as 4K VideoDownloader, ClipConverter, Zamzar, or OnlineVideoConverter are types of YouTube video downloaders that will help you quickly download and convert files onto your desktop.

Or, if you want to download a YouTube video to your mobile device, you can go through a couple more steps to download it onto your iPhone or Android.

For iPhones (iOS):

1. Find the YouTube video you want to download.
2. Tap the Share button and copy the YouTube video URL.
3. Go to YT5s.com
4. Paste the YouTube video URL into the search box and tap Search.
5. Select the quality and click Get link > Download.

For Android:

Google, like Apple, isn’t too keen on apps that let you download YouTube videos freely, which is why you’ll have to spend some time looking for the right app.

If you have trouble finding the right app on Google Play, you can try getting TubeMate from the app’s official website. You can go through a similar process to the iPhone and take the YouTube video link to download directly onto your phone.

Discover these tricks for downloading YouTube videos on Android phones.

Step 2. Edit and convert the files to meet Instagram’s video requirements 

Instagram has strict requirements for uploading videos. Make sure that optimise a high-quality video editor to make sure you don’t lose any quality from your video. You can use an editing app like FilmoraGo or Instasize. Take a look at Instagram’s video specifications below.

Video resolution and size:

• You can upload a video with an aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 9:16.
• Videos should have a minimum frame rate of 30 FPS (frames per second) and a minimum resolution of 720 pixels.
• The maximum file size for videos that are 10 minutes or less is 650 MB. The maximum file size for videos up to 60 minutes is 3.6 GB, so you’ll need to do some video editing to meet the requirements.

Step 3. Upload your resized video to Instagram

1. Go to Instagram.
2. On the bottom bar, click the + sign.
3. Select the video you want to share on Instagram from your media library, select whether you want to post it as a Reel or in-feed, and click Next.
4. If you’ve already cropped and edited your video, you only need to apply filters (if you want to) and choose a cover photo. Click Next.
5. If the video file is longer than one minute, you can share it as a short video or a long video.
6. Select the long video to share with the Instagram video to post the full-length video. You can give your video a title and a fully optimized description with hashtags.
7. Otherwise, select a short video and crop the sections you want to share (you can share a teaser video to your Instagram through Reels, a feed post or onto your story)

And there you have it! You’ve just learnt how to download, adjust and upload your YouTube video to Instagram. Now that you have the know-how, you can repurpose your content whenever you need!

How to share a YouTube link to your Instagram account

But what happens when you’ve just uploaded your YouTube video, and you’d love to let your followers on Instagram know? Well, gone are the days of needing over 10k followers to create a ‘swipe up‘ link on Instagram Stories.

You can now share your YouTube link directly to your story using the Instagram Stories Link sticker.

All you need to do is upload a picture or background to your Instagram story. Then click on the image icon in the top right corner to open gifs, locations, stickers etc. You’ll see ‘Link’, add your link, customize the link name and click post!

Content ideas for YouTube videos that will work well on Insta

Not sure what kinds of videos work well on YouTube and Instagram? Here is a quick guide to content themes and video ideas you can create and repurpose today!

• Review a product or give your audience a sneak peek of your latest release
• Film a tutorial showing your audience how to do something you specialise in
• Take your audience behind the scenes of your day
• Participate in a 30-day challenge
• Discuss trending updates or new stories in your niche to build thought leadership
• Do a live Q&A that shares knowledge with your audience
• Talk about your business story

‍Repurposing ideas for video content: from YouTube to Instagram 

Suppose you’re wondering how to keep your social media platforms fun, inspiring, and engaging. In that case, there are some great ways you can repurpose your content from YouTube to Instagram that keep your strategy overflowing with endless content.

1. Create short-form videos from your YouTube video (take snippets from your video, add a trending sound and upload to Instagram Reels.)
2. Turn your YouTube video into a blog post that you can share with your audience via an Instagram post.
3. Grab quotes from your latest YouTube video and share these on Instagram as saveable quote tiles.
4. Take slices from your video and turn key points into an Instagram carousel post with branded graphics.

Top 5 video metrics to measure success on Instagram

Now you’ve added your videos to Instagram, it’s time to make sure they’re driving tangible results for your business. Here are five metrics to be tracked on Instagram.

1. Reach: how many users saw your video over a certain period?
2. Engagement: how do your users interact with your video?
3. Average video watch time: on Instagram Video views count after 3 seconds, while Live video views count the second someone joins the broadcast.
4. Audience: Viewer demographics include top location, top audience, and people reached.
5. Click-through rate (CTRs): If you’re running a video ad campaign, you can track a key performance indicator known as CTRs. You can measure your click-through rate by dividing your ad’s number of clicks by the number of times your ad is seen.

Conclusion

We’ve covered the best way to download your YouTube videos and repost them on Instagram, plus the best practice tips and content ideas you can use today!

If you’re ready to take your social media strategy to the next level, all you need is a few clever ideas, some engaging content and a scheduling tool that takes away the hassle of manual posting.

By following these methods and tips, you can effectively share your YouTube content on Instagram and attract more viewers to your channel.