How to Make a Video Longer on Instagram

You've shot the perfect tutorial, filmed an in-depth interview, or captured a compelling story, only to be stopped by Instagram’s video time limits. It’s a frustrating moment every creator knows well. The good news is that you don’t have to chop your best content down to nothing. This guide covers every reliable strategy for posting longer videos on Instagram, helping you share your full story without compromising on quality.

Understanding Instagram's Current Video Length Limits

Before finding workarounds, it’s helpful to know exactly what rules you’re working with. Instagram has several places to post video, and each has its own unique time constraint. These limits can change, but here’s where they stand right now.

• Instagram Reels: Reels started as short, snappy clips, but their maximum length has expanded. Currently, you can upload Reels that are up to 90 seconds long when recorded directly in the app or uploaded from your camera roll.
• Instagram Stories: Each individual Story slide can be up to 60 seconds long. If you upload a video that's longer than 60 seconds, Instagram will automatically split it into multiple 60-second segments for you.
• Instagram Feed Videos: This is where things get interesting. After Instagram phased out its dedicated IGTV brand, it combined everything into one video format. Any video you share that is longer than 90 seconds will automatically be shared as a Feed Video, which can be up to 15 minutes long for most accounts (and even longer, up to 60 minutes, for some larger, verified accounts). These videos appear in the main feed and live permanently in your profile's video tab.
• Instagram Live: For truly long-form content, Instagram Live is your best option. You can broadcast continuously for up to four hours. After your stream ends, you can share the full replay to your video tab, where it will live like any other feed video.

Strategy 1: Use Instagram Carousels to Tell a Longer Story

One of the simplest and most effective ways to post a longer video on Instagram is to not post one long video. Instead, chop it up into smaller clips and post them as a multi-slide carousel post. This method works perfectly for content that can be broken into logical steps, tips, or scenes.

Viewers can easily swipe through at their own pace, and it has the added benefit of boosting engagement, as each swipe signals interest to the algorithm. A video that’s three minutes long can become three 60-second clips in a carousel, letting you tell the full story without losing any detail.

How to Create a Video Carousel: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Plan Your Segments

Before you start cutting, watch your long video and decide where the natural breaks are. Think of it like chapters in a book. For a recipe video, you could split it into:

• Slide 1: Gathering the ingredients (30 seconds)
• Slide 2: The main preparation steps (60 seconds)
• Slide 3: Cooking or baking process (60 seconds)
• Slide 4: The final plated result (15 seconds)

This structure keeps the narrative flowing smoothly from one slide to the next and makes the information easier for your audience to digest.

2. Edit Your Clips

You don't need fancy software for this. Most standard video editing apps on your phone, like InShot or CapCut (both are free and very popular with creators), make this process easy. You can also use your phone’s built-in photo app editor.

Simply import your full-length video and trim it into separate clips based on the segments you planned. Save each clip to your camera roll as a separate file.

3. Upload to Instagram

Now, open Instagram and start creating a new post.

• Tap the multi-post icon (it looks like stacked squares) in your photo library.
• Select your video clips in the correct order. This is the most important step! Instagram numbers your selections so you can keep track.
• Write a compelling caption. You can even encourage users to swipe through by saying something like, "Swipe to see the final step!" or "Part two is on the next slide."
• Share your post. Your video will now appear as a seamless carousel that your followers can swipe through.

Strategy 2: Create a Multi-Part Series for Reels or Stories

Instead of cramming a big idea into one post, turn it into an event. By creating a multi-part series, you can build anticipation and keep your audience coming back for more. This is an incredible strategy for retention and community building.

Think about a topic that has too much value for just 90 seconds. Maybe it’s a detailed tutorial, a behind-the-scenes look at a big project, or a countdown to a launch. You can frame it as a series in Reels or Stories that you post over several days.

Execution Tips for a Video Series:

• Make It Obvious It’s a Series: Use text overlays like "Part 1," "Day 2/5," or "Tip #3." This lets viewers know right away there’s more to the story and gives them a reason to follow you so they don't miss the rest.
• End Each Part with a Hook: Finish each video with an open loop or a teaser for what’s coming next. For example, "Tomorrow, I’ll show you the biggest mistake most people make when doing this…" This creates suspense and makes your next post a must-watch.
• Recap Briefly: At the start of a later part, you can do a quick 2-second reminder of what you covered previously. This helps new viewers who might have stumbled upon your series out of order.

A multi-part Reel series, for example, lets you go incredibly in-depth on a topic while still creating content that’s perfectly optimized for the algorithm. It splits up what would have been one 10-minute video into ten 60-second, high-impact Reels.

Strategy 3: Post Directly to Your Feed for Up to 15 Minutes

Sometimes, your video just needs to be one, uninterrupted piece. If you have a sit-down interview, a performance, or a tutorial that doesn’t lend itself to being chopped up, posting it as a standard Feed Video is the way to go.

This is the spiritual successor to IGTV. While the name is gone, the functionality remains.

How It Works:

It's surprisingly straightforward. You just upload the video as you would any other post.

1. Navigate to create a new post.
2. Select a video from your camera roll that is longer than 90 seconds.
3. Instagram will automatically treat it as a long-form Feed Video. It won't prompt you to trim it down to a Reel.
4. You'll be prompted to select a cover image for the video and write your caption, just like any other post.
5. When you share it, a preview (usually the first 60-90 seconds) will play in your followers' feeds. If they want to continue watching, they can tap to open the full-length video.

The entire video will be available to watch, and it will be permanently housed in your profile’s video tab, creating a library of valuable, long-form content for your audience to discover over time.

Strategy 4: Go Live on Instagram for a 4-Hour Stream

When you need to deliver a lot of information in real-time, nothing beats Instagram Live. This format is perfect for webinars, Q&A sessions with your audience, live workshops, or event coverage.

With a maximum duration of four hours, you have more than enough time to dive deep into your topic without worrying about any time limits. Plus, the interactive nature of Live - where you can respond to comments and questions as they come in - creates a powerful sense of community and direct engagement.

Best Practices for Instagram Live:

• Promote It in Advance: Let your followers know when you’ll be going live. Use the countdown sticker in Stories to build hype and give people a chance to set a reminder.
• Have a Plan: Don't just hit "Go Live" with no agenda. Have an outline of what you want to talk about, even if it's just a few bullet points, to keep the broadcast focused.
• Engage with Your Audience: Acknowledge viewers as they join, answer their questions, and give shout-outs. The more you interact, the longer people will stick around.
• Save and Share the Replay: After your live stream ends, Instagram gives you the option to share the replay. Do it! This turns your live session into a permanent, long-form video that lives in your video library, allowing people who missed it to catch up later.

Bonus: Tips for Keeping Viewers Engaged in Any Longer Video

Getting your long video onto Instagram is only half the battle. Now, you have to convince people to stick around and watch it. Here are a few tips to hold your audience's attention, regardless of the format you choose:

• Your First 3 Seconds Matter Most: Start with a strong hook. Ask a question, present a bold statement, or show an intriguing result right away. Make them curious about what will happen next.
• Use Captions: A massive percentage of users watch videos with the sound off. Adding on-screen text or using Instagram’s auto-captioning feature makes your content accessible and ensures your message gets across, silent or not.
• Add Pattern Interrupts: To break up the monotony of a longer clip, especially a talking-head video, use pattern interrupts. These can be zooms, cuts to B-roll (supplemental footage), text overlays that pop up on screen, or subtle sound effects. These small changes reset the viewer's attention span.
• Tell a Good Story: Humans are wired for stories. Even if your video is a tutorial, frame it with a beginning (the problem), a middle (the process), and an end (the solution/result). A clear narrative arc makes any content more watchable.

Final Thoughts

While Instagram's time limits can seem restrictive, they're really just guidelines. By using clever workarounds like carousels, turning one idea into a series, posting directly to your feed, or going live, you can share rich, detailed stories without cutting out the best parts. The key is to match your content idea with the format that serves it best.

Planning out a carousel series or scheduling a week's worth of multi-part Reels can get overwhelming with just your phone's calendar. When we designed Postbase, we obsessed over this exact problem. Our platform makes it simple to plan your entire content strategy on a visual calendar, preview how everything will look, and schedule it reliably. Because we built it for video-first creators, you can seamlessly organize your longer narratives without losing your mind in spreadsheets and reminders.