You’ve certainly observed that your Instagram feed is reasonably brief nowadays on the put up sort that initially popularized the platform: pictures. Instagram video is the place it’s at now, from Tales to Reels to Instagram Reside.
On this put up, we’ll clarify all of your completely different choices for posting movies on Instagram, in addition to learn how to be sure you get essentially the most eyeballs on the movies you set a lot effort into creating.
Bonus: Claim your pack of free animated Instagram Reels templates created by Hootsuite’s professional designers. Easily customize them in Canva, and take your Reels game to the next level today.
Types of Instagram video
Instagram feed video
Back in the old days (that is, until 2022), Instagram feed videos were all horizontal or square.
Any videos that you posted pre-2022 still live on in their original format — but you’ll notice they are now found under your Reels tab. That’s because, as of 2022, all new video posts are shared as Reels.
The exception is when movies are included in Instagram carousels. An Instagram carousel can include as much as 10 pictures and movies, they usually seem in Instagram feed. All pictures and movies inside a carousel use the identical orientation, so in case your pictures are horizontal or sq., your movies might be too.
Apart from that, Instagram feed video has joined its cousin IGTV as a factor of the previous. Nonetheless, your Instagram feed possible comprises fairly a couple of Reels. On that word…
Reels
Reels have been first launched as Instagram’s reply to TikTok, they usually have been initially capped at 15 seconds. However because the platform phased out conventional feed movies and IGTV, the utmost size of Reels prolonged first to 60 after which to 90 seconds. That’s the present time restrict when you create the Reel natively inside Instagram.
(Nonetheless, when you add Instagram Reels movies by way of a third-party scheduling software like Hootsuite, your Reel will be wherever from 3 seconds to 15 minutes long.)
Instagram’s native Reels recording instruments embrace filters, templates, inexperienced display mode, timer and velocity controls, and entry to an audio library.
Supply: Instagram
Reels report in vertical portrait mode (9:16) and are displayed in customers’ feeds, on the Discover web page, and in a devoted Reels tab. They’ll embrace captions, hashtags, and product tags.
Folks can interact with Reels by liking, commenting, or sharing them in Instagram Tales movies and direct messages. They’ll additionally remix your Reels to create new content material.
Useful resource: Everything you need to know about Instagram Reels
Tales
Instagram Tales are brief movies that disappear after 24 hours. Although they initially maxed out at 15 seconds, every clip in your Instagram Story can now be up to 60 seconds long. If you happen to put up an extended video, will probably be damaged up into a number of clips.
Supply: Instagram
Reasonably than showing throughout the Instagram feed, Tales seem in a devoted part on the prime of the display once you open the app.
Right here’s learn how to make Instagram movies of this sort. You possibly can create a Story by swiping proper from the house display, or by tapping the plus icon and choosing Tales. You possibly can select to report natively throughout the app or to add a video out of your photograph library.
Tales mechanically disappear after 24 hours. In order for you them to stay round longer, you possibly can create Instagram Stories highlights that reside on endlessly in your Instagram profile.
Tales can embrace interactive parts similar to filters, emojis, tags, and stickers. Stickers offer lots of opportunities to work together together with your viewers by way of polls, questions, and quizzes.
If you happen to tag somebody in your Story, they will share it to their Story, too.
Instagram Tales are one of many uncommon locations on Instagram the place accounts can put up direct hyperlinks. For manufacturers, hyperlinks provide a major technique to drive natural leads and conversions.
Useful resource: Learn how to use Instagram Stories to build your audience.
Reside
Instagram Reside lets customers video stream on to their viewers’s feeds. Manufacturers and creators alike have used Instagram Reside to host workshops, interviews, and extra.
Begin a Reside broadcast by swiping proper or tapping the plus icon and toggling to Reside. Reside streams can last as long as 4 hours and might embrace as much as three friends (co-hosts) by way of a digital Reside Room.
When an account goes Reside, they seem on the entrance of its followers’ Tales bar with a Reside icon. As soon as completed, Instagram Reside movies are mechanically saved to the broadcasting account’s Reside archive for 30 days. From there, you possibly can share a replay. Although it was not created with Reels, the replay will reside in your Reels tab.
Once you go Reside, you’ll be capable of see how many individuals are watching your stream on the prime of the display. You need to use Instagram Live analytics to raised perceive your broadcast’s attain and engagement.
Supply: Instagram
Your Reside viewers can interact with you by including feedback or emoji reactions. Or, they will purchase badges to point out assist on your content material. It is a type of follower funding for creators.
Nonprofits can use Instagram Reside for reside fundraisers in partnership with PayPal Giving Fund.
Useful resource: How to use Instagram Live to grow and engage your followers.

Specs: Instagram video lengths and sizes
Right here’s a fast overview of a very powerful Instagram video size and measurement specs to get you began. For a extra detailed breakdown, try our full put up on Instagram video size and format specifications.
Instagram Feed video specs (for carousels)
- Minimal width: 320 pixels
- Most width: 1080 pixels
- Facet ratio: Between 1.91:1 and 4:5
Instagram Reels specs
- Size: 3 seconds to 90 seconds when created and revealed by way of Instagram; as much as quarter-hour when revealed by way of a third-party scheduler like Hootsuite
- Minimal decision: 720 pixels
- Facet ratio: 9:16
- Minimal body price: 30 fps
- Cowl photograph measurement: 420 by 654 pixels (or 1:1.55 ratio)
Instagram Tales specs
- Size: As much as 60 seconds (longer movies might be divided into a number of clips)
- Facet ratio: Between 9:16 and 1.91:1
Instagram Reside specs
Instagram Reside broadcasts can solely be recorded from the digital camera app, so that you don’t have to fret in regards to the dimensions. Instagram Reside broadcasts can last as long as 4 hours.
Learn how to get your Instagram movies seen: 5 finest practices
1. Hook your viewers
As a normal rule, you’ve gotten three seconds to cease thumbs from scrolling previous your Instagram Reel or skipping your Instagram Story.
Make sure to give individuals a cause to maintain watching. Whether or not it’s trending audio, arresting visuals or a teaser of what’s to come back, discover a technique to provide instantaneous attraction.
Pair Eyewear rapidly grabs the viewer’s consideration with this uncommon tackle glasses. It’s a peculiar sufficient concept that it makes you wish to see extra, whereas additionally exhibiting off simply how the Pair frames work.
Don’t underestimate the importance of a caption both. If the video doesn’t seize somebody’s consideration, the caption is your second likelihood. If captions aren’t your robust swimsuit, try Owly Writer, Hootsuite’s AI content material creation software.

Craft perfect posts in seconds
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2. Present worth
When you’ve acquired a viewer’s consideration, it is advisable maintain it. Strive entertaining your viewers by way of comedian reduction, charming dialog, or your magnetic persona. Or, you would impart suggestions and tips, how-to’s and workshops, or thought-provoking info.
In every Instagram video, your worth proposition needs to be clear and easy. Earlier than getting down to create a video, fill within the clean: When somebody watches this video, they’ll _______.
The reply could vary from “snigger out loud” to “wish to make breakfast cereal ice cream sandwiches.” No matter you land on, it needs to be clear to viewers upfront.
On this Reel, it’s fairly clear the reply is “make paper luminaries.” It’s a fast, easy-to-follow and visually interesting video, so it’s not shocking it has 26,000 likes.
Additionally flip this query to be sure you know what worth the video has for your corporation. You need to use the identical fill-in-the-blank query, however on this case the solutions is perhaps “go to our weblog” or “really feel stronger model loyalty.”
On this case, the official account for Zion Nationwide Park amuses viewers whereas elevating consciousness of the park.
If you happen to ship in your promise, you’ll possible see extra views, engagement, and shares. And figuring out what enterprise worth you get in return helps you set realistic goals and measure ROI.
In fact, worth is subjective. To grasp whether or not you’re residing as much as your worth proposition, check out your analytics. Hootsuite Analytics permits you to see past the likes to know the actual affect of your Instagram video technique whereas additionally benchmarking your self towards your opponents.
3. Use audio (properly)
Individuals are more likely to look at Tales and Reels with sound on than they have been for Instagram feed movies. However there are numerous causes individuals could watch video with hold forth, together with context and listening to impairments.
Use sound to reinforce your video, and embrace captions to make your video extra accessible.
For Reels particularly, your audio selection can affect how many individuals see your video. Utilizing a trending audio observe will help boost your Reel in the Instagram algorithm. Discover distinctive methods to play with trending audio or share your distinctive perspective on a pattern.
4. Be energetic on the platform
Getting your movies seen isn’t all in regards to the video content material. The Instagram algorithms interpret connections between accounts to floor advisable content material.
Which means it is advisable be an energetic participant within the Instagram dialog. Reply to feedback and DMs, interact with different content material in your area of interest, and like and/or share Tales that point out you.
Warby Parker is fast to answer to feedback on their movies, as you possibly can see on this Reel:
Supply: @warbyparker
Certain, this tip shouldn’t be in regards to the means of video creation, however it’s nonetheless essential in getting your Instagram video content material in entrance of a bigger viewers!
5. Schedule your movies upfront
Scheduling content in advance will help you put up Instagram movies when your viewers is most energetic. It could actually additionally assist enhance the standard of your content material by supplying you with extra time to plan strategically. Each of those components ship good indicators to the Instagram algorithms.
To schedule an Instagram video with Hootsuite, merely add your video by way of Hootsuite Composer, add your captions and tags, after which click on Schedule for later.
Hootsuite will suggest the perfect instances to put up your video based mostly in your particular viewers and engagement targets.
Tip: You (clearly) can’t report an Instagram Reside upfront. However you should use a countdown sticker in an Instagram Story to construct anticipation on your Reside video occasion.
Instagram video FAQs
Are you able to obtain video from Instagram?
You possibly can obtain your individual Instagram video content material by tapping the three dots icon on any Reel after which tapping Obtain.
However possibly you truly wish to know learn how to obtain movies from Instagram that another person created? There’s no technique to natively obtain movies posted by anybody else. That stated, it’s attainable to obtain Instagram movies utilizing third-party instruments.
We’ve accomplished all of the work and ranked the best apps for downloading Instagram videos.
Are you able to share Instagram video to Fb?
Sure! It’s very simple to share your individual Instagram video to your Fb Web page, so long as you hyperlink your Fb and Instagram accounts.
As soon as the accounts are linked, you possibly can select to share your Reels and Tales to Fb mechanically or on a per-video foundation.
You too can share different individuals’s Instagram Reels and feed movies (in carousel posts) to Fb. Simply faucet the Share button and select Fb as your vacation spot.
Are you able to see who views your Instagram movies?
You will get viewer counts and general viewers demographics in Instagram Insights. The one video format for which you’ll be able to see precisely who considered your video is Instagram Tales.
If it’s inside 24 hours and the Story nonetheless seems in your profile, simply open your Story and swipe up on the display to see a listing of accounts that noticed your Story on each Instagram and Fb (when you shared it there too).
If it’s been greater than 24 hours however lower than 48, you possibly can see a listing of viewers in your Tales archive:
- Out of your profile, faucet the hamburger (three strains) icon within the prime proper.
- Faucet Archive.
- Scroll to the story you wish to see viewers for.
- Faucet the story and swipe up.
Learn how to put up a protracted video on Instagram
So, simply how lengthy can Instagram movies be, anyway?
As famous above, you possibly can put up a video as much as quarter-hour lengthy to Instagram Reels when you use a third-party software like Hootsuite. All you must do is drag your video file into the put up composer for Instagram Reels in Hootsuite Planner.
Learn how to put up a YouTube video on Instagram
There’s no direct technique to share a YouTube video on Instagram, however that doesn’t imply it will possibly’t be accomplished. The simplest technique is to create a teaser clip of your YouTube video to share to Instagram Tales with a hyperlink to look at the total video on YouTube:
- Open your Youtube video in your telephone and make a display recording as much as 60 seconds lengthy.
- Crop the video as wanted utilizing the picture and video editor in your telephone.
- Swipe on the Instagram app to create a Story, then add your display report video
- Add a hyperlink sticker and a YouTube GIF to direct viewers to the video on YouTube.
Construct a sensible Instagram presence with Hootsuite. Schedule and publish posts and movies on to Instagram, interact your viewers, measure efficiency, and run all of your different social media profiles — all from one easy dashboard. Strive it free at present.
Develop on Instagram
Simply create, analyze, and schedule Instagram posts, Tales, and Reels with Hootsuite. Save time and get outcomes.
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