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How long is one instagram story video


Instagram Story Video Length: How Long Your Videos Should Be

The maximum length for an Instagram Story video is 15 seconds. 

But if you're wondering how to get around the time constraint, here’s a simple trick: You can string multiple 15-second clips together to make a longer video sequence. 

IG Stories are short video clips that disappear after 24 hours. Stories are only visible to your followers. 

Instagram Story videos are shorter than the average “story” format of other social media platforms:

  • ‍Facebook Stories: Up to 20 seconds‍
  • Snapchat Stories: Up to 60 seconds‍
  • WhatsApp Status: Up to 30 seconds

Story content isn't just limited to video. You can intersperse images and videos to create a more textured Story experience for your followers. Like a carousel post, viewers can tap through a mix of images and videos in your Story sequence.

How do Stories compare to other types of Instagram videos?

  • Instagram Story videos: The maximum length for an IG Story video is 15 seconds. Photos in Instagram Stories appear for 7 seconds.
  • Instagram Reels: Reels are Instagram's response to TikTok. A Reel video can last up to 60 seconds.
  • Instagram Live videos: Livestream videos shot from the Instagram app can be up to 4 hours long. They can also be uploaded in their entirety to your Story or Feed after they've ended.
  • Instagram Video: As of October 2021, IGTV video and Instagram Feed videos are now one format—Instagram Video. Video previews on the feed last up to 60 seconds. Regular accounts can upload video clips between 15 seconds and 10 minutes in length. Verified accounts or accounts with large followings can upload up to 60-minute videos.
  • Instagram Video ads: Story ads can last between 5-15 seconds. Reels ads, up to 30 seconds. And Feed video ads can last up to 60 seconds.

How to edit the length of an Instagram Story video

If you're starting with a video that's longer than 15 seconds, and you want to post it to your Stories, you have two options:

Option 1

If you want to post longer videos from your camera roll to Stories, but they exceed the 15 second limit, Instagram automatically splits the first minute of your video into 4 x 15-second story cards.

As long as the video is less than a minute, you're fine. And since you're starting with a single video, your sequence will still maintain a sense of continuity, even though it's broken into separate parts.

Option 2

If your video is longer than a minute, Instagram will turn the first minute into 4 x 15-second cards like in Option 1, but will discard anything past the 60-second mark.

To upload the full video you’ll need to trim your content manually using Instagram's native video editing feature. Or, you can use a quality third-party video editor tool like CutStory to trim and edit your footage before posting.

Instagram has a new native editing feature that lets you trim videos to the desired length. 
Credit: Instagram

Is it better to use long videos or short videos?

Long and short Stories can both work well. 

It ultimately depends on the type of content you're looking to post and how well you can capture and hold the viewer's interest. 

→ Pro tip: As a rule of thumb, the longer the story sequence, the more you'll need to incentivize users to continue watching. Keep reading for a few tips on how to do this.

But first, let’s take a look at how to make either format work for you. You’ll also learn how to make an Instagram Story video that gets people to engage.

Longer videos

Stringing several Instagram Story videos together gives you more space to share your message. 

The challenge? 

If your first video doesn't hook a user in the sequence, they will likely ignore it and tap to the next Story in their feed.

That first video has to grab their attention. Let’s take a look at how this works in practice.

Example
: Everlane
Length: 90 seconds+ across multiple Story cards

Everlane sells ethical activewear, including a variety of quality denim goods. 

To communicate one of their central themes—transparency—they published a sequence of stories to educate followers on the truth about modern denim manufacturing.

But education alone isn't enough to hold people's attention. You need to incentivize them to watch your content.

Everlane accomplishes this with interactive polls and quizzes to increase engagement and therefore, Watch Time. This makes it easy for viewers to tap through to the end of the Story sequence.

  • Engage your audience by asking questions: Use binary yes-no engagement poll stickers (just tap a button to weigh in).
  • Use micro commitments: A small form of engagement at the start, or micro commitment, increases the odds you’ll stick through to see the end.
  • Combine education with interaction: Multiple polls interspersed with facts and insights for more engagement opportunities.
Why it works:

Everlane's first Instagram Story card opens with a simple question that immediately grabs your attention: "Denim is notoriously dirty… Do you know why?" 

The hook in the first second of the video determines whether or not a user is sticking around to watch the rest of the Story. 

Everlane interspersed "question" cards with "education" cards, which makes the educational experience fun and interactive, and makes it easy for people to tap through the full Story sequence.

Shorter videos

Once upon a time, there was an app called Vine. Vine videos were 6 seconds long and could tell entire stories with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Shorter instagram Story videos—under 15 seconds using a single Story card—can be highly effective and addictive too.

The key is remembering they need to stop a user in their casual Story swiping. You have to grab their attention, just like longer videos. 

Let’s look at an example from a company that sells custom couches DTC and see why it works.

Example: CouchHaus
Length
: 14 seconds

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Couch Haus (@couch_haus)

  • Design for sound-off: Most people don’t watch Instagram with sound on. This is true of Stories and most other IG video placements. Be sure that your content doesn’t require sound to understand. Use captions to communicate the key points.
  • Quick video cuts: Within this single 15-second Story card, there are at least six different video clips strung together to tell a simple coherent story. This adds motion and visual variety, which keeps you watching. In just 14 seconds, you've learned exactly how the product works and what makes it interesting.
Why it works

While not necessarily the norm for Stories content (most are filmed spontaneously), this short video is heavily-edited to make the content shorter and easier to consume.

In a single Story card, CouchHaus walks you through the entire process of ordering a custom couch online. They use captions to communicate value props, and visuals to show off the product and simple order process.

If you strip away the video, you're left with a clear testimonial that explains the product and speaks to its value props:

  • Custom couches online: I designed a custom couch on CouchHaus.
  • Easy process: The process was so easy.
  • Wide selection: I picked the color, fabric, and size.
  • Pet-friendly: I chose the performance fabric, which is perfect for pets.
  • Easy to clean: It's easy to keep clean, and it looks amazing in my house.
  • Positive experience: I never knew it would be that easy.
Pro tip

If you're going to invest the amount of time and energy to create a video like this, make sure to repurpose it in as many places as you can.

For instance, this example is clearly a repurposed social ad, but it still works as an organic Story post. The same principles that make this CouchHaus video effective apply to all social ads and social media platforms.

How to make an IG Story video

There are several ways to do it. Here’s an easy tutorial:

Step 1

Log in to your Instagram account. Tap the “Your Story” icon in the top left of the Instagram app on iPhone, iOS device, or Android. You’ll jump straight into the camera.

Step 2

Shoot a video in the default “Normal” mode or drag the side menu to any of the following video modes:

Create

Use text, music, stickers and GIFs to bring your Story videos to life. You can also use a number of interactive features to increase engagement with your Stories posts, including: 

  • Shoutouts: @ another account in your Story.
  • Polls, Questions, and Quizzes: Let your audience engage with your Stories. 
  • Donations: Build goodwill by asking for donations to a good cause.
  • Countdown timers: Drive urgency for product launches and special events.
  • Gifs, stickers, templates: Use visual overlays to enhance your content. 
Boomerang

Videos that play forward. Then play backward. Then forward again.

Layout

Divide your Story video into various grid patterns. 

Hands-free

Record without holding the button down. Or, select a video from your camera roll, simply by swiping up.

Multi-capture

Take up to 8 photos at a time, in quick succession.

Dual

Record video using both camera lenses simultaneously.

Level

Displays an on-screen level to help orient your shot.

Step 3

Your video preview should now be looping. Tap the arrow icon in the bottom right of the video to instantly post the video to your Instagram Story.

Tap "Your Story" to post your video.

Tip: To upload multiple videos to your Stories sequence, consider using a tool like Sked Social to upload assets in bulk rather than one-by-one.

Instagram Stories tips

There’s no right way to make an Instagram Story video. But here are some tips to help you get started:

Optimize for the format

Instagram Story videos are always vertical. They’re designed to be watched on your phone. So when you’re creating content, be sure that it’s also natively vertical. If it isn’t, Instagram automatically adapts it to the Story format. But vertical videos that are designed for the platform tend to have higher engagement than non-native videos.

Keep it casual

You don’t need to spend tens of thousands of dollars on expensive video equipment. Video recorded from a smartphone works just fine. In fact, many times phone footage outperforms high-production video because it feels more natural and less like marketing.

Use Instagram add-ons

There are infinite ways you can deck out your Instagram Story videos. Draw all over them. Use hashtags, emojis, polls, and text to spice them up. These make your videos pop and make them more engaging. And they fit how Instagram users use the Stories placement.

Turn your top Story videos into highlights

Instagram Story videos last for 24 hours. Then they’re gone. But you can turn your Story videos into highlights that stick around on your profile forever. This is a great way to feature your best Story content.

Reshare Story video posts you’re tagged in

If you’re tagged in another user’s Instagram post, you can re-share their post to your Story. This is a great way to feature happy customers shouting out your brand. And sharing that enthusiasm with the rest of your audience.

Instagram Video Length Guide (2022): Posts, Stories, IGTV

Adam is Head of Content at Wyzowl. Leading a talented, fearless team of writers, Adam's passions include video, growth marketing, brand storytelling and referring to himself in the third person.

In this article we’re going to break down the ideal Instagram video lengths for posts, Stories, Reels and Live video.

Video performs incredibly well on Instagram, with the platform seeing an 80% increase (since 2017) in the time that users spend watching video on the platform. 

And marketers are taking note. According to our State of Video Marketing survey, 58% of video marketers plan to include Instagram in their video marketing strategy. 

But simply posting videos to Instagram isn’t enough to guarantee success. You need to make sure that your content fits and is engaging for users – and that includes ensuring the video length is just right. 

So, with that said, let’s take a look at the video lengths for each different type of Instagram video.  

Article Contents

Instagram video length limit

First of all, let’s take a look at the length limits. This is the maximum amount of time each type of Instagram video can run for. 

It’s important to note here that, as of October 2021, IGTV no longer exists. Instead, in-feed video posts and IGTV have been combined into Instagram Video. 

This means it will be easier to upload and find long-form videos on the platform. In a public statement about the update Instagram stated: 

“We love that our creator community has embraced video as a key format to tell their stories, entertain and connect with their audiences, and that’s why we want to make it even simpler to create and discover videos on Instagram.”

Instagram Video posts have a maximum length limit of 10 minutes (although some verified accounts have an extended length of 60 minutes). 

All of these videos can be found under the video tab on a user’s profile: 

When users scroll through their feed and see an Instagram Video post, they can watch a 60 second preview within their feed and then decide if they want to watch the full thing.

As for the length limits of other types of Instagram videos:

If you have videos that exceed these length limits then there are some ways to get around this. 

Instagram Length Hacks

If you have an existing video that exceeds the length limit on Instagram but you really want to post it, then you have the opportunity to trim the video to fit the limit. 

This functionality is built right into Instagram so you are given the easy option to do this when you upload: 

If you’re happy with your trimmed video then you can stop there. However, if you want to include the whole thing (length limit be damned!) then you can create a carousel post. 

A carousel post allows you to share up to 10 photos or videos in one post, which your users can simply swipe through.

So if you want to share a long video then you can just cut this up into separate clips and upload as a carousel post: 

You can do the same with Instagram Stories. Each story is only 15 seconds, but you can upload 4. These will play one after the other to a maximum limit of 60 seconds (each story is represented by a bar at the top of the screen): 

Instagram Video post length

An Instagram Video post is exactly what it sounds like! It’s a video post to Instagram. These videos appear in-feed, alongside image posts. Here’s an example: 

Instagram Video posts can be between 3 seconds and 10 minutes in length (60 minutes for selected accounts). 

If your video post is longer than 60 seconds then a preview will be played in the feed and users can choose to watch the remainder of the video on your profile.

As mentioned above, if you have a video that exceeds the 10 minute mark that you’d really love to post to Instagram then you can get around this by using the in-platform editor to trim the video, or you can upload the video in segments as a carousel post.

Instagram Stories video length

Instagram Stories are short videos that are posted to your profile and automatically disappear after 24 hours. Here’s an example: 

Each Story can be up to 15 seconds in length. However, you can share up to 4 Stories at a time, to a maximum length of 60 seconds. 

Instagram Stories last for 24 hours, or you can save them to a highlight reel so that people who visit your profile can view them any time: 

Instagram Reel video length

Reels is Instagram’s answer to TikTok. They’re short, vertical clips, usually set to music that can be anywhere from 15-60 seconds long. Here’s an example: 

Reels have their own dedicated section in Instagram. Here, like TikTok, you can scroll through trending videos. 

Reels can also be found on user’s profiles and on the explore feed: 

Instagram Live time limit

When you go live on Instagram you can stream for up to 4 hours. This has been extended from the original limit of 1 hour. 

You can also save your live stream to your profile for up to 30 days so that people who weren’t able to watch in real time can catch up.  

Instagram video ad length

The rules for Instagram video ads differ to those of regular videos. In-feed video ads can be between 3-120 seconds long, like this one: 

Instagram Story ads are a little bit different. Typically, users can share up to 4 Story cards (to a total of 60 seconds). With Story ads, this is extended to 10 cards (to a total of 150 seconds).

However, only the first 3 cards will be displayed within the normal Instagram Story feed. After that viewers are asked to opt in to watching more with a tap. 

Final thoughts

Currently, almost 15% of all posts on Instagram are videos. Video is only growing in popularity on Instagram, so there’s never been a better time to start upping your video marketing game on the platform. 
Looking for somewhere to start? Check out our Social Media Videos page.

How long is Instagram story in seconds for video and photo

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Home / Blog / Instagram Stories Duration – How to Post Everything You Want

27. Jan.2022

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Content of the article

  2. How many seconds a photo is shown in an Instagram story
  3. How to increase the length of the video and bypass the restriction
    • Make multiple stories from one big video
    • Add video to IGTV
  4. How long history is shown
  5. The maximum number of stories that can be uploaded per day

How many seconds does an Instagram story video last

To experimentally understand how many seconds an Instagram story lasts, it is enough to try to upload a video clip longer than one minute into the editor.

Having done this experiment, we can conclude that the maximum duration for a video will be one minute. In this case, the file will be split into short fragments of 15 (fifteen) seconds, everything that is more than a minute will be deleted.

How many seconds does an Instagram story video last

Conclusion: the maximum length of an Instagram story is 1 (one) minute.

When publishing a story in a story, try to keep within one minute so that the editor does not throw out the “tail”. The following will provide instructions on how to bypass this limitation.

How many seconds a photo is shown in Instagram stories

When photos are placed in a story, the situation is not as clear as with a video, and depending on the content of the story, the duration can vary from 5 to 15 seconds.

Thus, uploading a photo to a story, you can adjust its duration in time:

  1. You can upload one photo and it will be displayed for 5 seconds;
  2. If you add printed text to the photo, you can increase its duration by the time that the animation continues;
  3. By adding music to a photo in a story, you can adjust the size up to a second, i.e. while the melody is playing, but no more than 15 seconds.
How many seconds a photo is shown in Instagram stories

How to increase the length of the video and bypass the restriction

As it was written earlier, the duration of Instagram stories cannot be more than 15 seconds for one fragment and no more than one minute for the entire video. There are several ways to get around this limitation.

Make multiple stories from one big video

In order to be able to upload a video to the story for more than one minute, for this you need to upload the finished video file in parts.

In other words, the video file must be divided into parts equal to one minute.

To do this, you need:

  1. Determine how many minutes the video lasts;
  2. Choose a video editor for cutting video;
  3. Edit the video so that it can be uploaded to Instagram;
  4. Upload one-minute video fragments to stories, starting from the first;
  5. Complete the story with the remaining parts.

Using this method, when uploading a story to Instagram, you can ignore the duration of the video.

Add a video to IGTV

If the content that needs to be uploaded to the story is quite voluminous and it will take a lot of time to cut it, then it would be appropriate to add the video to IGTV.

In order to upload a video up to one hour long to IGTV, you need to go to the mobile version of Instagram or use another method to open the social network on your computer.

The algorithm of actions for adding videos to IGTV and publishing stories with a link:

  1. Open your profile on a computer;
  2. Upload video to Instagram;
  3. Wait for video processing;
  4. On a smartphone, go to the section with IGTV;
  5. Find the desired video and copy the url to IGTV;
Add a video to IGTV
  1. Create a teaser story with a call to watch the video in full;
  2. Use a sticker to add a link to IGTV in stories.
Add a link to IGTV in stories

When viewing a story, users will click on a sticker with a link and get acquainted with the full version of the video content.

How long the story is shown

The posting period of the story is 24 hours from the moment of its publication on Instagram. At the end of the day, the content is deleted.

In order not to permanently lose the history, the account owner needs to set up archiving or activate automatic saving of stories to the device.

Archived stories can later be republished or made into Memories.

You can extend forty publications of a story by adding it to the albums with the current one. To do this, in the settings of the story, when playing it, click the appropriate menu item, select a folder or create a new one.

How to add stories to the current

Stories placed in the current may be there indefinitely.

The maximum number of stories that can be uploaded per day

Unlike the story duration time, Instagram does not set a limit on the number of stories posted. That is, you can download an unlimited number of them. This fact allows you to upload long videos, divided into minute fragments.

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Read related

How long does it take to upload a video to Instagram?

Table of contents:

  • 1 Minimum and maximum video length on Instagram in 2020
    • 1. 1 IGTV
    • 1.2 Posting
    • 1.3 Stories
  • 2 How can I post a video longer than one minute in one post?
  • 3 Video cutting application
  • 4 Questions from our readers

Who doesn't know how long an Instagram video lasts, we will shed some light on this question. When Insta first appeared in the public domain, the developers gave us the opportunity to upload videos with a duration of 15 seconds. This was a severe restriction that forced users not to stay on one post for a long time, but to scroll further, addicting them to endless viewing of the feed. Later, Insta developers took a step towards entrepreneurs and business accounts, and allowed to post promotional videos with a duration of 30 seconds. For the rest, the duration of the video remained unchanged.

And in 2017, at the request of many users, Insta made a single duration for everyone - 60 seconds, and in 2018 a new IGTV function thundered, with which you can upload videos longer than one minute. This update had a positive impact on everyone: both ordinary users and business profiles. With proper skill, it was possible to load a lot of semantic load and information into a minute video, and in 10 minutes you can show a full-fledged short film.

If you record a new video through the Instagram app, the recording will automatically stop after one minute of recording. For example, if you want to upload a video that is longer than a minute, you will have to shorten it. But now it's 2020 and the ways to upload long videos are only increasing. Let's talk about how long a video is in 2K20 (is that what they say?).

Minimum and maximum video length on Instagram in 2020

Today, there are three ways to post videos on Instagram: IGTV, Post, and Stories. Each of them has its own requirements and publication rules. So that you do not have misunderstandings about how to publish a video, we will talk in detail about each of them.

IGTV

As mentioned above, this option appeared in 2018 and amazed all lovers of detailed shooting. Finally, they no longer need to fit in 60 seconds and can fully reveal the topic. So:

Minimum video length is 61 seconds.

Maximum - 10 minutes.

But there is one exception. For verified accounts, the duration has been increased to 60 minutes. Not bad, right? There was an incentive to get a blue tick on Instagram.

Publication

The previous method is inconvenient because IGTV is not shown in a regular feed. Therefore, most users prefer the regular post format. There are no exceptions here.

Minimum duration is 2 seconds.

Maximum 60 seconds.

Stories

There were no fundamental changes in stories.

Minimum 2 seconds.

Maximum 15 seconds.

The only feature in 2020 is that you can post multiple stories and they will be displayed in chronological order. Those. you can cut a two-minute video into 8 pieces and upload them in order to your account.

How can I upload a video longer than one minute in one post?

We constantly have to dodge to get what we want. This case is no exception. To pull this off, we'll use the Insta carousel, which allows you to upload multiple content in one post. When uploading a video, we will cut it into pieces up to 60 seconds long.

It's cool to watch a recording that lasts several minutes in one post. This method is very convenient for publishing informational videos. At the output, we will get a video that is cut into different parts, flipping through which, you can continue to view the records. In principle, the same scheme works here as in stories.

Application for cutting video

In principle, any primitive video editor on the phone, even the built-in one, is equipped with this function. But let's imagine that you do not have a built-in editor, you desperately need to shred the video, and you have never done this. Our instructions will be as detailed as possible. Go!

  1. Go to the Play Market or AppStore and download the VideoShow application. We are talking about Android as an example, so we open the Play Market, find the application, download and install it.
  2. Then we find it in installed applications or directly from the software store, click on the "Open" button.
  3. After starting, click on the "Edit" button.
  4. Select the desired video from the phone's memory and tap on the "Next" button.
  5. Then select the "Change" section.
  6. Open the "Edit" subsection in the lower left corner.
  7. Select the "Crop" option and use the sliders to mark which part of the video we want to keep.
  8. After that, click "OK" and click on the check mark in the upper right corner.
  9. It remains only to save the video to your phone. To do this, tap on the inscription "Export" and choose where we want to send the video. We'll stop at the gallery.
  10. We are offered two free options for saving the video "Quick Mode" and "HD Mode". The first method will save the video in a compressed form, the quality will noticeably decrease. The second one will slow down the saving process, but the video will remain the same quality.
  11. We are waiting for the video to be saved and we can open the gallery to view the result.

There are rules, but there are those who circumvent them, in our case, we told you how long the video lasts on Insta , and how to upload a long video without breaking the rules. It is worth recalling that earlier it was possible to upload videos only in a “square” form, 640x640. Now, the developers have given preference to the quality of the downloadable content and have allowed us to upload videos in FULL HD format, with a resolution of 1920x1080. This, of course, slowed down the download, but the end result is worth it.

Questions from our readers

#1.

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