How to Post a Video on Instagram

Jan 16, 2019

Images may be the most common post type on Instagram but, according to a recent study from social media analytics tool quintly, videos get up to 21% more interactions.

If you’re interested in learning how to post a video on Instagram, go no further! In this guide, we’ll show you:

How to post your own Instagram video
How to repost a video on Instagram
How to post a video to Instagram Stories
How to post a video on IGTV
Instagram video length, size, and other specs

If you're looking to learn more about using video on Instagram Stories, check out these posts about how to create marketing videos and ads for IG stories.

Let’s dive in!

How to post a video on your Instagram feed

We’ll start with on overview of how to share a video on your own Instagram feed. If you’re interested in learning more about Instagram Stories, we’ll dive into that later on in this post.

We'll be showing you how to upload a video to Instagram from your phone. You can also check out our guide on how to post to Instagram from your computer. In that post, we'll show you how to link your Facebook and Instagram Business accounts so you can share to Instagram from your desktop.

Step 1: Create your video

First things first, you’ll need to make your video. Instagram feed videos should be under 1 minute and square is usually the preferred format. You can upload a raw video clip or use an Instagram video editor to create something. Just keep Instagram’s video specs in mind, which you can find detailed at the end of this post.

You’ll want to make sure your video is saved on your phone so you can access it from the Instagram app.

Step 2: Upload your video to Instagram

Once your video is created, it’s time to upload it to Instagram. To do so, simply tap the plus sign at the bottom of the screen in the Instagram app. This’ll open up a new window displaying all the videos and photos saved on your phone. Tap to select the one you want.

Step 3: Make adjustments

Once you’re video’s uploaded you can make adjustments to it before you post, including adding a filter, in the same way you can add filters to your Instagram photos. You can also mute the audio of your video, if you’d like, by tapping the audio icon at the top of the screen, or trim your video clip by tapping “Trim” and dragging the handles to trim the beginning or end of your video.

Step 4: Select a cover thumbnail

You’ll find the option to select a cover in the same place as adding a filter or trimming your video, but we wanted to highlight this as its own step because once you share your video you can’t go back and change the cover.

The cover is the thumbnail image that will appear for the video on your Instagram profile, and it can be any frame of your video. To change it, tap "Cover" and then slide around to select the frame you want to use. When you’re done, tap "Next."

Step 5: Share your video to Instagram!

Add a caption, tag people, add a location, and you’re good to go. Just tap "Share" and your video will be added to your Instagram feed.

How to repost a video on Instagram

Instead of sharing your own video to Instagram, you may be looking to repost a video created by someone else on Instagram. This can be done using a third-party app like Regrammer or Repost.

We’ll show you how to repost a video on Instagram using Regrammer, though most Instagram repost apps work in a similar way.

Step 1: Get permission

This is important! Before you start reposting videos, be sure to get permission from the creator. This is noted in Instagram’s Terms of Use. You can reach out to the creator in a comment on the original post or through a direct message. Only repost once they’ve given you written permission to do so.

Step 2: Copy the original Instagram post link

Copy the URL of the original Instagram post. You’ll find this by clicking on the three dots in the upper right hand corner of the post and then tapping "Copy Link." The URL will be added to your clipboard.

Step 3: Add the link into Regrammer

Paste the link into Regrammer, or whichever app you’re using, preview to make sure you’ve got the right link, and tap to repost. Don’t worry, it won’t automatically post the video. It’ll simply download the source file and open it up in Instagram.

Step 4: Repost!

Now all that’s left to do is set up your post. You can simply follow the steps from the previous section of this guide to make any adjustments, set a cover image, and write a description. Don’t forget to tag the original poster for credit!

How to post a video on Instagram Stories

When it comes to posting videos to Instagram Stories, you’ve got a couple options. You can upload your own video or you can record a video clip directly in Instagram. We’ll show you how to do both of those.

Uploading a video to Instagram Stories

To upload a video to an Instagram Story, the file will need to be saved to the camera roll on your device.Once it’s there, simply create a new Story by tapping on "Your Story" in the top left corner of the app and then clicking on the + to add a new story.

Tap on your camera roll, select the video and it’ll be added to your story. You can spruce it up with a poll, music, or other stickers if you’d like, and when you’re ready, tap to send to your Story.

Note that each Instagram Story can be up to 15 seconds. If your video is longer than 15 seconds, it’ll break it into 15-second clips, which you can see in the image on the right side above. Because you won’t have control over where the breaks occur, we recommend keeping clips to 15 seconds or less so you can decide what makes it into each section.

If you're looking for help making your Instagram Stories, Animoto has you covered. Animoto makes it easy to create a vertical video for Instagram Stories using one of our templates. Learn more in our post on how to make vertical videos using Animoto.

If you have an iPhone 6s or above, check out our free iOS app. Animoto: Social Video Editor is designed to make it easy to create videos that stand out on IG Stories.

Shooting a video with Instagram Stories

You can also shoot a video straight from your Instagram Stories, instead of uploading one. To do this, create a new Story and then simply hold your thumb down on the record button in "Normal" mode. When you let go, the captured video will be ready for you to send to your Story.

You can learn more about how to use Instagram Stories in our full guide to getting started with Instagram Stories.

How to upload a video to IGTV

If you're interested in uploading a video to IGTV, you'll get there by tapping the IGTV icon at the top right corner of your screen when you're in the Instagram app.

Then, take the following steps:

Step 1: Upload your video. Click on the + sign and select your video from your device. Your video will need to be at least 15 seconds.
Step 2: Add a title and description. The title and description will show up at the top of your IGTV post.
Step 3: Set up your sharing settings. Indicate whether you'd like your post to show up in the Instagram Feed, as well as on IGTV.
Step 4: Post! When you're ready, simply tap "Post" to share your video on IGTV.

To learn more, check out our full guide to IGTV video.

Instagram video specs

Before you dive into sharing videos on Instagram, it’s important to know what the specs are, including Instagram video length and Instagram video size. We’ll break it down by feed and Stories.

Instagram feed video specs

In your Instagram feed you can share videos up to 1 minute or 60 seconds in length in a variety of formats and sizes, including the following:

File Size: 4GB max
File Type: .MP4 and .MOV are recommended though most types are supported
Minimum video width: 500 pixels
Square video ratio: 1:1, recommended size 600 x 600 pixels
Horizontal video ratio: 1.9:1, recommended size 600 x 315 pixels
In-feed vertical video ratio: 4:5, recommended size 600 x 750 pixels
Length: 1 minute maximum

Instagram Story video specs

Instagram Stories are a different aspect ratio than feed videos, so the specs are a bit different:

Recommended size: 1080 x 1920 pixels
Minimum size: 600 x 1067 pixels
File Type: .MP4 and .MOV are recommended
Length: Instagram Stories have a maximum length of 15 seconds

For Instagram video inspiration, follow Animoto on Instagram and join our Social Video Marketing Community on Facebook to get feedback and ideas from the Animoto team and your fellow video marketers. Happy video making!

Tags:

Guide, How To, instagram, Instagram Stories, instagram video