How to Post Instagram Reels on YouTube

Published on 06.05.2024 by TF

Creating videos takes time and energy, from script writing to shooting, editing, and promoting them. If you are on different social media sites, it can be hard to create videos for each one of these platforms. 

However, you don’t have to worry as we have a solution for you. Instead of creating one Instagram reel and another YouTube short, you can post the same video on both platforms. This article will guide you on how to post Instagram reels as YouTube shorts.

Why Share Instagram Reels on YouTube?

As a modern creator, you can quickly grow your viewership by posting videos on different platforms. In the recent past, YouTube has been popularizing short videos that are similar to Instagram reels. The YouTube shorts are usually shorter than 60 seconds and are often created for a better mobile experience rather than a desktop experience.

However, unlike Instagram or Tiktok reels, which have many tools to enhance your videos, YouTube shorts don't have a lot of video enhancing and editing capabilities. To improve the look of your YouTube short, you can simply repurpose your Instagram reel. This will save you time and help you post high-quality YouTube shorts.

YouTube Shorts vs. Instagram Reels: Similarities

There are several similarities between Instagram reels and YouTube shorts. These include:

  • Reels and short videos have a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels.
  • Both reels and shorts have a maximum length of 60 seconds.
  • Both platforms have MP4 and MOV file formats.
  • The YouTube and Instagram algorithms determine the videos a viewer is shown by their interactions.
  • Users can leave views or comments when watching shorts or reels.
  • Creators of reels and shorts can add tag accounts or hashtags.
  • Both shorts and reels have a landscape or portrait format.
  • Creators of both reels and short videos can add filters, texts, or music.
  • Both Instagram reels and YouTube shorts have an aspect ratio of 9:16.

Differences Between YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels

Here are the main differences between Instagram reels and YouTube shorts:

Product Links

If you use Instagram reel shopping to promote your products or services, the platform also allows you to include shopping links to the products. This means users can browse products on the platform without leaving the app. When they click the View Product button, they can shop, save, or find more information about the highlighted product.

Video Length

Since its introduction, the Instagram reel feature has been updated several times. Initially, creators could only post up to 15 seconds for both recordings and uploads. However, this was also lengthened to 60 seconds for both. YouTube, too, allows you to post shorts for up to 60 seconds. However, you can only record up to 15 seconds using the built-in YouTube recording function.

Editing Capabilities

Instagram reels offer creators great editing capabilities, with special features that allow them to add special effects to their videos. You can make your Instagram reels more appealing with many effects, such as stickers on your videos. The Instagram editing capabilities also allows you to tag people, conduct polls and mentions, and include hashtags. On the other hand, none of these features are available on YouTube shorts.

How to Post Instagram Reels on YouTube

If you have created an Instagram reel that is so good that you feel you need to reshare it as a YouTube short, we will guide you. Here are the steps to follow when doing that:

Consider Copyright Laws

If you are downloading your original Instagram reels for reposting on YouTube shorts, this may not be a problem. However, if you download another creator's reels, you might be struck with copyright claims. This is especially the case if you are uploading music or TV shows. Therefore, you should consider contacting the video's original creator to request permission to repost it.

Back Up Your Videos 

Regardless of the content you create, backing up the content is always advisable. Before repurposing your IG reels, ensure you have saved your backups offline. Remember that some of your videos may receive copyright strikes and be removed by YouTube. Therefore, if you haven't saved the video, you might end up losing it.

Determine the Reposting Opportunity

Before reposting your Instagram videos, you can start by categorizing the reels as either video-worthy or audio-worthy. If it's a dancing video, it's more video-worthy. But if it's a singing video, it can be considered audio-worthy. Remember that most YouTube short users are often interested in audio. Therefore, you may want to repost more audio-worthy reels.

Modify the Video

One way to increase the discoverability of your Instagram reels shared on YouTube shorts is by modifying the videos to meet YouTube's requirements. As noted earlier, YouTube will promote content created on the app. You can use the built-in YouTube editor app to improve the discoverability of a YouTube short created on Instagram. For instance, you can set your sound using the YouTube video library.

Remember that each platform has its requirements, specifications, and best practices. Therefore, resizing the video to meet the YouTube short video size and text format is advisable. You can use different video editors such as Kapwing that make it possible to  change your videos in terms of:

  • Resizing
  • Trimming
  • Adding music
  • Adding subtitles

When editing your Instagram reels, ensure that you maintain the reel size of 9:16 and 1920 by 1080 pixels. These recommended YouTube short sizes will ensure optimal file size while avoiding excessive file sizes that may impact the short video viewing experience. Ensure that you add the necessary shorts hashtag before uploading.

Create a Posting Schedule

After getting a library of reels to post and understanding how to edit them, it's time to execute your idea. However, you should avoid posting all your Instagram reels on YouTube on the same day, as this may trigger the YouTube spam detector. Instead, create a schedule allowing you to post the shorts consistently over a long time.

When you post consistently, you will satisfy your audience's needs and cultivate regular engagement to enhance your channel's growth. Here are a few tips to enable you to post consistently:

  • Find a sustainable posting schedule. It doesn't matter whether you will post daily, weekly, or biweekly. The most important thing is to maintain a consistent schedule. 
  • Have a transparent posting schedule. Ensure that your audience understands your posting schedule. This way, they can know when they should expect new content. You can pin this information in the description. Use the community tab well to provide consistent updates on new content or if there are delays.
  • Create room for trending content. Even as you maintain a consistent schedule, ensure you have room for trending topics that align with your niche. This can help keep your content engaging.
  • Use a scheduling tool. Posting when your audience is most active can help you increase the visibility of your YouTube shorts. According to SocialPilot, you should post your videos 2 to 3 hours before your peak watch hours, usually between 12 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.

Post Your Instagram Reels as YouTube Shorts

A good idea would be to post at least one reel per day. Therefore, if you have a library of 30 reels, you can finish uploading the YouTube shorts in 30 days. If you are posting someone else's video on YouTube, you can follow these steps:

  1. Ask for permission from the owner of the video. 
  2. Once you are given permission, go to Instagram and find the video you want to download.
  3. Tap the three dots at the corner of the video and choose Copy Link.
  4. Open a web browser and visit a video downloader like Savefromnet or any other option.
  5. Paste the link to the video in the downloader and click on Download. The video will be downloaded to your device.
  6. Open the YouTube site or app and sign in to your account.
  7. At the top right corner, tap the camera icon. Alternatively, you can click on the Create button on the website.
  8. Select the Instagram video you downloaded and follow the prompts to upload it.
  9. As noted earlier, you may need to edit the video or add additional information before uploading it.

However, even as you repurpose the Instagram reels, do not forget to continue creating fresh content. Remember that there is no direct way to post Instagram reels on YouTube shorts. Instead, you need to follow the steps outlined above.

Tips to Post Instagram Reels to YouTube Shorts for the Best Results

When repurposing Instagram reels for YouTube shorts, you can use a few tips to increase the video's quality and shareability. These are:

Hook Viewers from the Start

Hooking viewers is the best way to make your YouTube shorts go viral. Therefore, you must experiment with different hooks to see which will attract more viewers. Keep your videos snappy and engaging while maintaining the suspense until the end. Here are a few more  tips for hooking viewers in both YouTube shorts and long-form videos:

  • Make the hook attention-grabbing. This could be a surprising fact, a common problem, or an interesting question.
  • Use great visuals. These include beautiful images, rending sounds, and subtitle captions to attract viewers.
  • Build toward the climax. Ensure that you provide a resolution or valuable insight.
  • Tie the end with the beginning. Use a circular narrative approach to emphasize the transformation.
  • Call to action. Include a strong call-to-action, reminding the readers to like and subscribe to your videos.

Keep It Short

As the words suggest, a YouTube short should be made to be short. Since users have a short attention span, creating long videos may bore them. Remember that one of the factors that YouTube considers in its organic ranking of videos is the video completion rate. 

A longer video often causes viewers to drop out, which may affect its ranking on YouTube's homepage. Therefore, keep things short but still interesting. The best part is that shorter videos are usually easier to recreate.

Create a Continuous Loop

Just like Instagram reels, YouTube videos play on a loop. This means that the videos will keep playing unless the viewer stops them. You can leverage this feature to get more than one view from the same viewer. 

To do that, you should avoid having an introduction or conclusion for your video. Instead, you can make it hard for the viewers to know that they are either at the beginning or end of the video. Using the loop feature, you can easily make your videos go viral.

Add a Video Teaser

A teaser is a small piece of a video at the end that is shown in the beginning as a way of encouraging people to watch the video. When using a video teaser in a short video, you will show the last part of your video at the beginning.

 

The goal is to give your viewers a reason to stick until the end because they expect something of value. This is a good strategy for capturing the viewers, especially if you will be posting one-minute long shorts.

Use Popular Music

One of the features that makes a lot of difference in short videos is the music used. Remember that even if the quality of the video isn't so great, good music has the capability to grab the viewer's attention and make them view the YouTube short until the end. Again, Instagram, Tiktok, and YouTube push trending content more than other kinds of content. Therefore, the use of trending music can make your shorts go viral.

Create Shareable Shorts

If you want your viewers to share your short videos, you should do so by creating videos that add value to the viewer. To do that, ask yourself the following questions:

  • Is there a fascinating piece of information the video shares?
  • Does the video entertain enough to make viewers laugh and smile, cure boredom, or remind them of their families and friends?
  • How inspiring is the video to make people share it with their friends?

If your answer to these questions is yes, your YouTube shorts are shareable and can easily go viral.

Use Hashtags Well

Despite its importance, one of the critical factors that creators of short videos don't pay attention to is the hashtag. Using hashtags help YouTube and Instagram sort your videos in the correct niche and recommend them to the right people. Here are a few tips for choosing the right hashtags for your YouTube short videos:

  • Do keyword research for your videos. Keywords are the terms and phrases people use to find videos in your niche. By including these words in your video tags, YouTube will recommend your videos to people searching for these keywords. Use a tool such as VideoIQ or TubeBuddy to find such keywords. You can read our guide on effective YouTube keyword research.
  • Do competitor research. You can also get ideas for video tags by looking at your competitor's keywords. This can also help your business generate more keyword ideas.
  • Use singular and plural forms of tags. While some users will search for the singular form of your keyword, others will search for its plural form. To cater to both groups, you should use the singular and plural forms of the keyword in your tags.
  • Use keyword variations. Again, your audience will not use the same term for their search. Instead, they will have variations of the exact keywords. While one person may search for a hotel in Michigan, another one may search for Michigan hotels. Therefore, different variations of the keywords should be used to attract bigger traffic.
  • Use tags related to the title and description. Tags closely related to the title and description usually have the biggest impact. This will make it easier for YouTube to understand the category and rank your videos. Again, when the tags are closely related to your videos, they will drive the most qualified leads to your videos.

Build a Community

Ensure that you engage with your audience for a community-building experience. When people comment on your YouTube shorts, respond to them. Use Q&A sessions and live sessions for real-time interaction with your viewers. With the community tab, you can create polls, post updates, or share content showing behind-the-scenes images. You can also use it to provide teasers for your upcoming content. This is one of the best strategies to improve organic reach on YouTube.

Master How to Use a Thumbnail

Most YouTube viewers judge the quality of a video by the thumbnail. Thumbnails are the first thing YouTube users see when they come across your YouTube short. It helps them decide if to watch the video or to swipe away. With a well-designed thumbnail, you can increase your clicks.

While thumbnails don’t appear on YouTube shorts, they still appear in several places, such as:

  • The Shorts section of YouTube videos.
  • Subscription tab videos.
  • YouTube search results.
  • Homepage's recommended videos.

Here are a few tips on creating thumbnails for YouTube shorts that  get clicked on:

  • Have texts in your short videos explaining what your video is about.
  • A/B tests with different kinds of thumbnails to determine the one that gets the most views.

Use YouTube Short Analytics

You should also keep checking the metrics tabs to see metrics such as the average view duration, engagement rate, and watch time. When you constantly check your analysis, you can easily identify where spikes, trends, or engagement drops are. You can then use the data to determine YouTube algorithm ranking factors and refine your content strategy.

When considering the data, remember that the YouTube search algorithm prioritizes the average view duration instead of comments and likes. The longer the viewers stay, the longer the algorithm will push your videos. Therefore, consider the audience retention data more, as it shows how captivating your data is. You can easily push your content into the algorithm by improving these metrics.

YouTube Shorts vs. Instagram Reels: Which is Better for Marketing?

Now that you have Instagram reels and YouTube shorts, which should you use for your content marketing strategy? The choice you make will depend on your content goal. Some of the factors to consider are:

  • Audience demographic: What audience are you trying to reach with your videos? YouTube shorts cater to a large demographic, while Instagram reels are a better option for influencer marketing. Advertisers looking to reach Gen Z and millennials should focus more on Instagram reels than YouTube advertising.
  • Engagement metrics. You should analyze both platforms' metrics to determine which is best suited for your content strategy.
  • Monetization strategy. If you want to monetize shorts or reels, YouTube shorts are a better option as they have a monetization program.
  • Type of content. YouTube shorts are excellent for educational content, while  Instagram reels are great for lifestyle content.

Final Thoughts

Instagram reels and YouTube shorts are powerful tools for marketing and building your brand. If you are using both to market your brand, you might save time by repurposing content from one platform to another. However, just like Tiktok, YouTube prioritizes content created on the platform over other content created on platforms like Tiktok. While you can remove the watermark on your videos to repost, mixing repurposed and unique content for both Instagram and YouTube is advisable.

With the powerful video-enhancing features on Instagram, you may need to make Instagram reels and share them as YouTube shorts. However, with the different content guidelines on YouTube, you need to know how to do that. With our detailed guide, you can post Instagram reels on YouTube and easily make your videos go viral.