How to Post Long Videos on Instagram

Trying to upload a video to Instagram that’s longer than 90 seconds can feel needlessly complicated, but you definitely have options. Instead of cutting down your amazing content, you can use several simple methods to get your full video shared with your audience. This guide walks you through every effective strategy, from the easiest direct upload to more creative workarounds that boost engagement.

Understanding Instagram's Current Video Length Limits

Before jumping into the "how," it's helpful to know the rules you're working with. Instagram has different video formats, and each has its own time limit. These change now and then, but here’s where they stand today:

• Instagram Feed Videos (In-Feed): Up to 60 minutes. After sunsetting the IGTV brand, Instagram merged everything into the main feed. This is the simplest way to post longer content directly to your profile grid.
• Instagram Reels: Up to 90 seconds. Reels are designed for short, attention-grabbing content and are favored by the Instagram algorithm for discovery.
• Instagram Stories: Up to 60 seconds per Story slide. If you upload a video that's longer than this, Instagram will automatically slice it into 60-second segments for you, but doing it yourself gives you more control.
• Instagram Live: Up to 4 hours. Live streams are perfect for real-time engagement, like Q&,As or workshops, and can be saved to your profile grid afterward as a standard feed video.

With these limits in mind, you can choose the right strategy for the video you want to post.

How to Post Long Videos: 5 Simple &, Effective Methods

Here are the five best methods for sharing your longer video content, ranging from a direct upload to more strategic approaches for building audience excitement.

Method 1: Post as an In-Feed Video (The Easiest Way)

For any video between 90 seconds and 60 minutes long, the most straightforward option is to post it directly to your Instagram feed. It will appear on your profile grid alongside your photos and Reels and works perfectly for content like detailed tutorials, interviews, or mini-documentaries.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Open the Instagram app and tap the plus (+) icon at the bottom of the screen.
2. Select Post from the menu.
3. Choose your video file from your phone’s gallery. If your video is longer than 90 seconds, Instagram will automatically handle it as a standard feed video post, not a Reel.
4. Tap Next. Now you can edit your video. You can trim the footage, select a different cover image by sliding through the film strip at the bottom, or upload your own custom cover by tapping Select from camera roll (in some versions). A custom cover is highly recommended for a professional look.
5. Once you're happy with your cover, tap Done then Next.
6. Write a compelling caption, add relevant hashtags, tag any accounts, and add a location if you want.
7. Tap Share, and your video will be published to your feed and profile grid.

When to use this method: This is the best choice when the video is a standalone piece of content that doesn't need to be broken up. It’s simple, direct, and keeps your audience within the Instagram app.

Method 2: Use Reels as a Trailer

The Instagram algorithm loves Reels. They are your best tool for reaching new audiences who don't follow you yet. You can use this to your advantage by creating a short, high-impact trailer or snippet of your longer video and posting it as a Reel.

The goal here isn't to post the full video but to hook people and drive them to where the full content lives - whether that's a longer in-feed video on your profile, a YouTube video, or an article on your website.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Edit a 30-90 second vertical clip from your long video. Pick the most exciting, valuable, or intriguing part. Add text overlays, use trending audio if it fits, and make it fast-paced.
2. Upload it as a Reel.
3. In the caption, create a powerful call-to-action (CTA). Say something like, "This is just a peek at our full tutorial! 🙋 Watch the entire video now on our profile grid," or "Ready for the full conversation? Head to the link in our bio for the complete interview!"
4. You can also add a text overlay in the last few seconds of the video saying "Full Video Link in Bio" or "Watch the full breakdown on my grid!"

When to use this method: This is a powerful strategy for marketing your long-form content. You're using a format built for discovery (Reels) to drive traffic and interested viewers to the place where your deeper, more valuable content is.

Method 3: Split Your Video for Instagram Stories

Stories provide a more intimate, sequential way to share content. While Instagram automatically splits videos up to 60 seconds into segments, for a video that's several minutes long, you get much better results by editing the clips yourself before uploading.

This allows you to create clean breaks, add text context to each clip, and guide your viewers through the story seamlessly.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Plan Your Cuts: Watch your long video and decide where the logical breaking points are. It's better to end a clip on a small cliffhanger or just before a new point starts to encourage viewers to tap to the next Story.
2. Use a Video Editing App: Use an app like InShot, CapCut, or even your phone's built-in photo editor to trim your video into segments of 60 seconds or less. Save each one as a separate file.
3. Upload Sequentially: Open Instagram Stories and upload your first video segment. Add any necessary engagement stickers like polls, GIFs, or captions. Repeat this for all your clips in the correct order.
4. Guide Your Viewers: On each clip after the first, consider adding a sticker or text that says something like "Part 2" or using an arrow GIF to encourage people to keep watching. The more interactive you make it, the higher your completion rate will be.

When to use this method: Ideal for "day in the life" content, step-by-step processes, or storytelling where a chronological format works well. It’s also great for re-sharing horizontal YouTube videos in a mobile-friendly way by formatting them for a vertical screen.

Method 4: Harness the Power of Carousel Posts

A carousel post, which allows for up to 10 slides of photos or videos, is another clever way to "tease" a longer piece of content. This method is similar to the Reels trailer strategy but happens within a single in-feed post.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. The First Slide is the Hook: Make the first slide a short video clip (under 60 seconds) from your main video. Just like the Reel, it should be the most captivating part.
2. The Rest of the Slides Add Context: Use the remaining 2-9 slides to provide more information. These can be infographics, stills from the video with key quotes, or text slides that summarize the main points.
3. The Final Slide is Your CTA: Use the last slide as a dedicated call-to-action image that tells people exactly where to find the full video. For example: "Find the full 20-minute discussion on our YouTube Channel."
4. Write a Supporting Caption: Your caption should also direct people to the full video, reinforcing the message in the carousel.

When to use this method: This works great for educational content where you can break down key points into individual slides. It's very shareable and gives people a ton of value even before they watch the full video.

Method 5: Go Live (and Save the Recording)

If your content works in a live format, Instagram Live is your best friend. You can stream for up to four hours, interact with your audience in real time through comments, and once the broadcast is over, you can share it directly to your profile grid.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Open the Instagram app, swipe right to open the camera, and select Live from the bottom menu.
2. Tap the broadcast button to start your Live video.
3. Engage with viewers as they join and comment.
4. When you're finished, tap End. You'll then be given the option to Share to your profile. This saves the entire Live video as a regular in-feed post for people to watch later.

When to use this method: Perfect for Q&,As, live interviews, product walkthroughs, or virtual workshops. It combines real-time engagement with long-lasting content that lives on your profile.

Final Thoughts

Sharing longer videos on Instagram is absolutely doable once you know the different paths available. You can either post directly to your feed for a simple solution or get strategic by using Reels and Stories as powerful trailers to drive traffic and build hype for your long-form pieces.

Once you start creating different video formats - like Reels for trailers and full-length videos for your feed - staying organized can become a challenge. This is exactly why we built Postbase with a visual content calendar at its core. It helps us see our entire video strategy at a glance, allowing us to schedule both the "teaser" Reels and the full-length videos across different platforms from one clean, simple dashboard.