How to Embed a Video in Email in 5 Easy Steps

‍TLDR;

YouTube is the OG (that’s Original Gangster for those not in the know) of video content. So, it’s understandable that you might want to post content from YouTube to Instagram.

After all, 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute! We also watch approximately one billion hours of content on YouTube every day.

That’s A LOT of content to choose from. With a pretty high chance that some of that video content will be perfect for your Instagram audience.

But, why would you want to share YouTube videos on Instagram?

We can think of a few reasons, including:

• To create a teaser trailer for one of your longer YouTube videos.
• To make a mash-up of some of your older videos that you don’t have backups of, creating a fun new video to share.
• To use video footage in a transformative and educational way (make sure to follow the Fair Use Act when doing this).

Unfortunately, there’s no direct way of sharing YouTube videos to Instagram. It requires a sneaky workaround first, with a few technical steps involved.

If this already seems a bit complicated, then you can always create videos specifically for Instagram using our Instagram Intro Maker. It’s a quick and easy way to make powerful Instagram videos that specifically fit Instagram’s required dimensions.

Okay, now onto the more technical part of posting content from YouTube to Instagram.

Let’s jump in!

How to post videos from YouTube to Instagram

You can only share YouTube videos to other platforms that allow link sharing. Instagram is not one of them.

So, to share a YouTube video on Instagram, you have to first download the video and then upload it to Instagram as you would any other video.

There are a few ways to download videos from YouTube.

Steps for downloading a YouTube video

There are quite a few free tools available, like YTMp3, that you can use to download YouTube videos. All you need to do is search ‘YouTube video downloader’ on Google and a bunch of options will come up.

Or, if you want to download a video from your phone. Simply go to the App store on your iPhone or Play Store on your Android device and search for a ‘YouTube video downloader’ app.

Almost any app that says it can download videos from YouTube will do.

Downloading YouTube videos with a tool like YTMp3

If you’re using a tool like YTMp3 from your desktop, then follow the below steps:

1. Copy the YouTube URL.
2. Paste it into the downloader tool.
3. Select the mp4 format.
4. Click covert.
5. In a few seconds, the video will be ready to download.

See below:

It’s a bit different if you’re on your phone, as you’ll have to get the URL of the video from the YouTube app.

Which you can do with the below steps:

1. Open the YouTube app on your phone.
   
   
2. Click the ‘Share’ icon then select ‘Copy Link’.
   
   

3. Go to your browser and type in YTMP3. Once on the webpage, insert the YouTube video URL.

4. Click Download and wait until it’s finished downloading.

Downloading YouTube videos with an app

Each app might be a bit different. But they should all walk you through the exact process of downloading a video from YouTube.

There normally aren’t too many steps in the process.

Here’s how to do it with the All Social Video Downloader free video downloader app available for Android devices:

1. Open the app and click on ‘Download YouTube’ in the menu.

2. Search for the YouTube video that you want to download.
   
   
3. Open the video then click the orange download button.
   
   

4. Select ‘Download normal quality video’.

5. You can then change the file name. Make sure to keep ‘Video’ selected otherwise you will just download the audio.

6. Click OK.
   
   
7. Congratulations, your video has been downloaded!
   
   

If you’re using an Android device, you can find your downloaded video in your download folder. For iOS users, go to files and find the downloaded video on the download folder. From there, you can move the downloaded video to your gallery.

When in Instagram, you can only upload videos from your gallery. So make sure to move it there.

Note:

Some apps may encounter problems with downloading very large videos. So to make sure that you don’t come across any issues, stick to downloading shorter videos.

Now that your video is downloaded - you’re ready to post it on Instagram.

But first, a few things to consider:

Get your YouTube video ready for Instagram

Not all YouTube content will be ready to post to Instagram straight away. It may need a few small tweaks to make it ready for a different platform.

Instagram has a few requirements when posting video content:

Firstly, no explicit content is allowed.

Secondly, you need to follow their video specifications when uploading videos to your Instagram feed:

• The best Instagram video format is MP4.
• Maximum file size of 15 MB.
• The video must be a maximum of 60 seconds.
• Maximum video width is 1080 px (pixels) wide.

The best Instagram video dimensions you should use are 864 pixels (width) by 1080 pixels (height) amount with an aspect ratio of 4:5.

It’s the best aspect ratio to maximize your screen real estate on this particular platform.

While widescreen videos look great on YouTube and Facebook, Instagram users are mainly on mobile. So it just makes sense to maximize the vertical dimensions of a phone.

You can use tools such as FilmoraGo (which is free) or Veed.io for any editing that you’ll likely need to do. This includes changing the size, specs or adding text and subtitles. You can even add a filter to make it more ‘Instagram-worthy’.

And lastly, you need to take note of any copyright on the video that you’re downloading. For example, you can’t share a video that has a song that you don’t own the rights to. Instagram may remove the video due to the right of the copy.

After considering all the above, you should be ready to upload to Instagram.

How to share your YouTube video on Instagram

For this example, we’re presuming that you’re posting the video onto Instagram from your mobile phone.

If you’re using another device to upload your video, then read our blog post that takes you through How to Post a Video on Instagram From Any Device. Including your smartphone, tablet, PC or Mac.

When on your smartphone, the steps are as simple as:

1. Launch the Instagram app.
2. Click the + at the middle of the bottom menu.
3. Look for your video in the Library (iPhone) or Gallery (Android).
4. Depending on the aspect ratio of your video, select the crop button to ensure your video is being displayed correctly before posting.
5. Make adjustments to your video like adding a filter, trim the video and choose a cover.
6. Add a caption, hashtags, location, and tag any people in the video.
7. Publish the video.

If the video isn’t yours, make sure that you attribute the original source. Even if you’re only using a few parts of an original video, always attribute where necessary. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

That’s it! You’ve now shared a YouTube video to Instagram in a few (relatively) quick steps!

Now all you have to do is sit back and watch the engagement on your video roll in!

Increase your video engagement

If you’ve got a YouTube channel, you’ve probably also got an Instagram account. So why not share your content across both channels?

That way, you’re increasing your audience. Meaning more engagement and more views on your video! Videos posted on Instagram receive 21.2% higher engagement than single photos - so it’s also a great strategy to get more activity on your Instagram account.

While you’re at it, make sure that your YouTube videos are creating an impact by including intros. Our YouTube Intro Maker makes it super easy to create powerful intros for your YouTube content.