Hey there! Have you ever wanted to natively share your YouTube videos through Instagram stories to tap into that explosive growth? With over 500 million daily active users on Instagram stories, there‘s an incredible opportunity to expose your videos to new audiences.
But with no direct way to cross-post YouTube videos to Instagram, it can get confusing. Not to worry – in this step-by-step guide, I‘ll show you two proven methods to seamlessly share YouTube videos on Instagram stories. I‘ll also provide some pro tips to optimize your video sharing strategy.
Why Instagram Stories Are A Gamechanger
Let‘s first talk about why you should be actively sharing your YouTube videos on Instagram stories.
Instagram stories have seen incredible growth over the past years. Daily active user numbers tell the story:
| Year | Daily Active Users |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 500 million |
| 2021 | 680 million |
| 2022 | 1 billion |
Whether you‘re a social media manager, content creator, influencer or brand – you need to be sharing content natively into the Instagram stories feed.
Benefits include:
- Increased reach and discovery – from tapping into Instagram‘s 1 billion-strong daily story viewership
- Higher visibility – stories appear front and center at the top rather than getting buried in main feeds
- Easy engagement – viewers can react, reply and share story content seamlessly
Plus you can drive viewers from Instagram stories back to your YouTube channel for more in-depth video content. It‘s a win-win!
Next up, I‘ll detail two proven ways to get your YouTube videos into Instagram stories pronto.
Method 1 – Reformat YouTube Videos for Instagram Stories
The most direct option is to reformat and crop your YouTube videos specifically for Instagram stories. Here‘s how:
Step 1 – Copy YouTube Video Link
First, open the YouTube video you want to share and tap the Share icon:
Select Copy link to grab the URL – we‘ll need this shortly.
Step 2 – Download The Video with YT5s.com
There are a few different tools you can use to download YouTube videos. I recommend YT5s.com – it works seamlessly across mobile and desktop.
Simply paste your video‘s URL into the search bar:
You can choose the video quality and format. 1080p MP4 is best for Instagram. Finally click Get Link and the file will download to your device camera roll.
💡Pro Tip: For iOS I also recommend the Documents app for downloading and managing YouTube video files.
Step 3 – Crop Video to 9:16 Aspect Ratio
Once the YouTube video is downloaded, open it in your device‘s Photos app. Tap Edit and use the Crop tool to resize the video vertically to a 9:16 aspect ratio.
This matches the native dimensions for vertical Instagram stories. 16:9 YouTube videos will have black bars if you don‘t crop and resize.
It takes just a few seconds to adjusting the cropping:
Tap Done once resized and squared away.
Step 4 – Upload Cropped Video to Instagram
Almost there! Now open the Instagram app and tap the + icon in the top left and select the cropped YouTube video from your camera roll.
Feel free to add text, stickers or drawings as you normally would when creating Instagram stories.
Once posted, your cleanly formatted YouTube video will now play natively in the Instagram stories feed! 🎉
Method 2 – Share YouTube Link in Stories
If you don‘t want the hassle of downloading and reformatting, you can also directly share a link to your YouTube video in Instagram stories.
Here‘s how:
Step 1 – Copy YouTube Video Link
Just like with Method 1, tap the Share icon under any YouTube video and select Copy link. This grabs the URL to share in the next step.
Step 2 – Create Instagram Story
Open the Instagram app and tap on your profile pic or the + icon to begin creating a story. Capture or upload a photo/video from your camera roll per usual. This will be the supporting backdrop for the YouTube link sticker.
💡Pro Tip: For best results, I suggest uploading the YouTube video‘s thumbnail image or a related graphic.
Step 3 – Add Link Sticker & Paste URL
With your Instagram story open, swipe up and select the link sticker option:
Tap on the sticker to paste the YouTube link in the URL field:
Position and resize the sticker as needed. You can even customize the sticker‘s appearance and accent text.
💡Pro Tip: Adding descriptive accent text ("Click to watch video →") lets viewers clearly understand it‘s a swipe up link.
Post Story with YouTube Link
When fans view this Instagram story with your YouTube link sticker, they can swipe up to open the full video directly on YouTube!
It‘s an easy way to tease your YouTube content and drive viewers between both platforms.
Key Takeaways & Best Practices
Hopefully by now you have all the tools needed to seamlessly integrate your YouTube presence with Instagram stories for wider reach.
Here are some top pro tips to optimize your cross-channel video sharing efforts even more:
Engaging First 5 Seconds – Remember that Instagram counts a video view after 3 seconds. Use the opening frames to hook viewers with eye catching titles and graphics teasing what‘s to come.
Include Links in Bio – Make sure to link to your YouTube channel & videos from your IG profile too. Add the YouTube icon sticker in Stories and encourage followers to subscribe.
Check Story Insights – Dive into your story viewer metrics to analyze performance. Compare various video types and sharing methods to see what content resonates most.
Save Your Best To Highlights – Rotate through ephemeral daily stories, but also save viral videos and timeless evergreen content to Highlights for longevity.
Post Videos To Reels Too – With Instagram‘s push towards short form video, be sure to also natively share your best YouTube shorts as Reels.
I hope this guide serves you well for all your YouTube + Instagram cross-sharing needs. Let me know if any other questions come up!
