How to Share YouTube Videos on TikTok

Repurposing your YouTube videos for TikTok is one of the smartest ways to get more eyes on the content you’ve already worked so hard to create. Instead of letting your long-form videos sit on one platform, you can slice them into engaging, vertical clips to reach a massive new audience. This guide will walk you through exactly how to share YouTube content on TikTok, from the technical steps to the strategies that get your clips noticed.

Why Share YouTube Videos on TikTok?

Diving into another platform might feel like extra work, but the benefits of cross-promoting between YouTube and TikTok are too big to ignore. For creators and brands, this is a powerful strategy to multiply your content's impact without starting from scratch.

Content Repurposing Saves Time and Energy

The single biggest advantage is efficiency. Creating a high-quality YouTube video can take hours, if not days, of planning, filming, and editing. Instead of that effort serving only one audience, you can extract the best moments - the punchlines, the shocking reveals, the "aha!" moments - and give them a new life on TikTok. A single 15-minute YouTube video might contain five to ten amazing TikTok clips, instantly filling your content calendar for a week.

Access a New and Massive Audience

YouTube and TikTok have different user bases and discoverability algorithms. Someone mindlessly scrolling their For You Page on TikTok may have never discovered your YouTube channel otherwise. By putting your best clips on TikTok, you're essentially placing a "movie trailer" for your content in front of millions of potential new viewers who are primed for quick, entertaining video. It's a low-effort way to introduce yourself and your content style to an audience that might just love what you do.

Drive Traffic Back to Your YouTube Channel

While TikTok is excellent for discovery, YouTube is still the king of long-form content and deeper creator-audience relationships (not to mention monetization for many). A well-crafted TikTok clip can act as a powerful hook. Grab a viewer's attention with a compelling moment and end with a strong call-to-action like, "Full breakdown on my YouTube channel, link in bio!" This turns passive browsers into active viewers who are now seeking out your main platform, eager to see the rest of the story.

First, A Quick Word on Copyright and Fair Use

Before you start downloading and uploading, it's important to understand the rules of the road. Content and ownership on the internet can be tricky, so here’s a straightforward breakdown to keep you in the clear.

Use Your Own Content

The simplest and safest rule is this: only repurpose videos that you own the rights to. If you created the YouTube video, filmed it, edited it, and uploaded it to your own channel, you're in the clear. You hold the copyright, and you can chop it up, edit it, and post it wherever you want. This is the recommended path for every creator.

What About Using Other People's Videos?

This is where things get complicated. Taking someone else's video and just re-uploading it to your TikTok is copyright infringement, and it can get your video taken down or your account penalized. However, you often see clips used in commentary, reviews, parodies, or reaction videos. This can sometimes fall under the legal doctrine of "Fair Use."

Fair Use allows for the limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes like criticism, comment, news reporting, and teaching. To lean toward fair use, your clip should be transformative - meaning you’ve added something new, like your own voiceover, commentary, or editing to create a new message. Simply re-posting a cool clip likely won't cut it.

When in doubt:

• Get permission first. It's the safest way.
• Keep clips very short. Use only what's necessary to make your point.
• Always, always give clear credit. Tag the original creator in the video caption and on-screen if possible. This is not only ethical, but it can also prevent angry creators from reporting your content.

Method 1: The Screen Recording Method (Quick & Easy)

This is the fastest, simplest way to get a YouTube clip onto your phone and ready for TikTok. It requires no special apps and can be done in about a minute. The downside is that it usually results in lower video quality, but it's perfect if you just need to grab something quickly.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Find Your Clip: Open the YouTube app and navigate to the video you want to use. Scrub through to find the starting point of the segment you want to capture.
2. Prep for Recording: Tap the video to make it full-screen and horizontal. This helps minimize background UI elements from appearing in your final clip.
3. Start Screen Recording:
   • On an iPhone: Swipe down from the top-right corner to open the Control Center and tap the screen record icon (a circle within a circle). A 3-second countdown will begin.
   • On an Android: Swipe down from the top to open the Quick Settings panel and find the "Screen recorder" button. Tap it to start recording.
4. Capture the Video: Let the portion of the video you want to share play through completely.
5. Stop Recording:
   • On an iPhone: Tap the red clock or bar at the top of your screen and select "Stop."
   • On an Android: Swipe down and tap the "Stop" button in the screen recorder notification.
   The recording will automatically save to your phone’s camera roll or photo gallery.
6. Trim the Clip: Open the new video in your phone's Photos app. Use the built-in trimming tool to cut out the beginning and end, so only the key moment remains. This also helps you trim out the moments where you were starting and stopping the recording.

Now, your trimmed clip is ready to be uploaded directly into TikTok for further editing.

Method 2: The Download and Edit Method (High Quality & Professional)

For the best possible video quality and creative control, this method is the gold standard. It involves getting the original video file and editing it specifically for a vertical, 9:16 format. This is the go-to method for creators repurposing their own long-form videos.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Get the Video File:
   • If it's your video: The best option is to use the original video file from your computer. If you can’t find it, go to YouTube Studio, find the video under "Content," click the three-dot menu, and select "Download."
   • If it's not your video: There are third-party websites and tools that allow you to download YouTube videos. Be cautious when using them, as they may violate YouTube’s terms of service and can sometimes bundle adware. Always respect the original creator's copyright.
2. Transfer File to Your Phone: Get the video file onto the device where you'll be editing. You can use AirDrop (for Apple devices), Google Drive, Dropbox, or a USB cable to move the file.
3. Choose a Video Editing App: While TikTok has built-in editing tools, a third-party app gives you much more control. Excellent free options include:
   • CapCut: Made by the same parent company as TikTok, it integrates perfectly and is packed with features.
   • InShot: Super intuitive for resizing, trimming, and adding text.
   • VN Video Editor: A robust, free editor with advanced features like keyframes and speed ramping.
4. Edit for a TikTok Audience:
   • Set the Aspect Ratio to 9:16: This is the first and most important step. Make sure your project is in the vertical format tailor-made for TikTok.
   • Crop and Reframe: Since the source video is horizontal (16:9), you'll need to crop in. Choose the most important part of the frame to keep in view. If the subject moves, you might need to make cuts and reframe to keep them in the shot.
   • Add Captions: A large percentage of users watch TikToks without sound. Hard-coded, easy-to-read captions (or text overlays that summarize what's being said) can dramatically increase your video's retention rate.
   • Trim for Impact: Be ruthless. Cut out any slow moments, filler words, or long pauses. You need to hook the viewer in the first two seconds, so get straight to the action or the most interesting point.

Best Practices for Turning a YouTube Clip into a Great TikTok

Simply reposting a clip isn't enough. To succeed, you need to adapt your content to TikTok's unique culture and algorithm. Here’s how to give your YouTube footage the best chance of performing well.

Pick the Right Moments

Don't just pick a random 30-second clip. Scour your long-form video for moments with the highest emotional payload. Look for:

• The punchline of a joke.
• A gasp-worthy plot twist or reveal.
• The climax of an emotional story.
• A controversial opinion that sparks debate.
• A super satisfying or visually interesting moment (like an ASMR clip or a cool visual effect).

These are the types of moments that stop the scroll and earn shares.

Edit for Maximum Engagement

A good edit can make or break your video's performance.

• Create a Strong Hook: Start your TikTok in the middle of the action or with on-screen text that creates immediate curiosity. Something like "You won't believe what happened next..." or "The number one mistake people make is..." forces the viewer to stick around to find out.
• Make it Fast-Paced: Audiences on TikTok are used to quick cuts. If your original clip has long, slow pans or just a single shot of someone talking, liven it up. Punch in and out with zooms on key phrases, add graphic overlays, or splice in relevant B-roll to keep things visually interesting.
• Use Native TikTok Elements: When you're done editing, upload the clip into TikTok and add a few native elements. Using a trending TikTok sound (even turned down to volume 1% behind your main audio), adding a popular filter, or using the green screen effect can give your video an extra boost in the algorithm.

Tell Your Audience What to Do Next

Don't let the view go to waste. End your TikTok with a clear, direct call-to-action (CTA) that points people back to your YouTube channel. Some effective CTAs include:

• "For the full story, head to the link in my bio!"
• "To see what happens next, search [My Channel Name] on YouTube!"
• On-screen text pointing to your bio with: "Full video on YT!"

Final Thoughts

Sharing your YouTube videos on TikTok is a no-brainer for getting your content in front of more people and growing your brand. By turning your longer videos into short, shareable clips properly formatted for a vertical feed, you maximize every piece of content you create and build a bridge between two of the world's largest video platforms.

This process of repurposing and scheduling content across multiple channels can get complicated, but it shouldn't be. That's why we built Postbase with today's content formats at its core. Instead of fighting with legacy tools that treat short-form video as an afterthought, you can use our visual calendar to plan, schedule, and publish all of your repurposed video clips across TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Reels from one place, ensuring your content always goes live exactly when you planned it.