If you are a content creator, or run social media for a brand, sharing YouTube videos on Instagram stories, is almost essential to growing your audience. But unfortunately, there is no way to share a YouTube video with Instagram stories directly. Luckily we have put together this guide together to help you learn how to reformat your video for Instagram stories and how to include links to the full YouTube videos in your stories.
Before going forward, make sure you have permission to use any YouTube videos you share on Instagram. It is a good idea to credit the original creator if it is not yours. Technically you do not have to credit these creators, but because social media is still kind of a lawless land, it is nice to follow the golden rule with other creators.
Well, let’s dive into the fun stuff and probably the reason you came here. Now follow this guide to learn how to share a YouTube video on Instagram.
Method One: Reformat a YouTube video for Instagram Stories
This is the most direct way to share a YouTube video on your Instagram story. Note you can only share 60 seconds at a time, so unless the video is relatively short, you will not be able to share the whole video on Instagram stories exclusively.
1. Find the Video You want to Share
2. Tap Share and Copy the Link
Underneath the video, you will see an option called Share, then select Copy Link.
3. Go to YT5s.com
On a browser of your choice, navigate to YT5s.com.
4. Paste the URL into the search box
In the search bar on YT5s.com, paste the link we just copied from YouTube and tap on Start.
5. Select the quality and click Get link
After the website finds that video, you will see a drop-down menu that allows you to choose the download quality. For Instagram videos, we recommend selecting 1080p for the best results.
On an iPhone, this will automatically download to your Files app, and on Android, this file will download to whatever default folder you have set for your downloads.
6. Find the video on your phone and open it
7. Tap Edit and select the crop icon
Now that the video is open in the Photos app, click on Edit and select Crop. Most videos on YouTube are 16:9, and the best format for Instagram stories is 9:16.
If you would instead rather upload the 16:9 video to Instagram stories, note that it will not take up the entire screen. Alternatively, you can rotate the video to show all the content, but your viewers will have to turn their phones sideways to view it properly.
8. Tap Done
After cropping the video to the point you like, tap Done in the top-right corner.
9. Open Instagram and tap the Plus icon
Open Instagram, and in the top-left corner, tap on the plus icon where it says Your Story.
10. Select your video and tap Next
Select the newly cropped video we just created and tap on Next.
11. Type in Your Caption and then tap Share
Type in the caption you want to add and anything else, then tap the arrow in the bottom right corner. This will bring one more menu, and tap on Share to complete the process.
Method Two: Share A YouTube Link On Instagram Stories
This is a more indirect way to share your YouTube videos on Instagram stories, but if you do not want to go through that first process, this is quicker. Here’s what to do:
1. Find the Video You want to Share
2. Tap Share and Copy the Link
Underneath the video, you will see an option called Share, then select Copy Link.
3. Open Instagram and tap the Plus icon
4. Create a Story
5. Swipe up on the story
6. Paste the YouTube link
In this box, tap and hold where it says URL. Then below, you can tap on Customize sticker text to change the text that will display in your story. Once you have that set to your liking, tap on Done.
7. Share the story
Congratulations, you have shared a YouTube link on your Instagram story!
To see this method in action check out the video below.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©monticello/Shutterstock.com.
