How to Post a 60-Second Instagram Story

In this article, I'll share how to take advantage of the new max time limit on Instagram Stories to share a 60-second video to your Stories (plus how to add a 60-second Story to your Stories Highlights).

How to Post a 60-Second Instagram Story

Earlier this year, Instagram began allowing up to 60-second video uploads for Story, which sounded like great news until we realized that IG would still automatically chop those longer vids up into 15-second chunks.

The good news is, that's no longer an issue.

You may have seen this in-app notification the last time you opened Instagram. This means that going forward, you can post your 60-second videos straight to Stories and add music, text, and stickers to them without having to add it all over again to each 15-second clip.

This opens up a lot of new possibilities for what you can do with Instagram Stories. In this article, I'll answer a few frequently asked questions about how to post a 60-second Instagram Story and what this means for the rest of the Instagram platform.

How to Post a 60-Second Instagram Story

The new 60-second limit for Instagram Stories applies to both videos uploaded from your device and videos filmed directly in the app. All you need to do to take advantage of the new 60-second time limit is film or record your IG Story as normal then hit send.

Can I Upload a Whole Instagram Reel to Instagram Stories?

Unfortunately, no. Although Instagram supports 60-second videos, it currently still cuts Reels previews off at 15 seconds. Considering that most people's Stories get better reach and engagement than their feed posts (or Reels, which are basically the same thing these days), you should still be sharing Reels to your Stories.

Still prompting viewers to click through to "Watch Full Reel"

Viewers will just need to tap through to watch the rest of the Reel.

Hopefully, Instagram will increase Reel preview windows on Stories to the full 60 seconds soon, which would decrease friction in the user experience and increase watch time for a lot of creators.

Can I Add a 60-Second Instagram Story to My Story Highlights?

You can!

Any Story is eligible to be added to a Story Highlight, and that includes new, longer Stories that meet the 60-second video length. You can add them from your active Stories or from your Stories Archive.

how to add a 60-second Instagram Story to a Highlight from IG Stories Archives

Related Article: Instagram Bio Ideas: How to Write the Perfect IG Bio

Can I Add a Video Longer than 60-Seconds to Instagram Stories?

60 seconds is currently the limit for both uploaded Stories and Stories filmed within the Instagram app. You can add a video longer than 60-Seconds from your Camera Roll, but Instagram will make you trim it.

Unfortunately, the user experience for trimming longer videos in app... isn't great.

The editing timeline is teeny tiny at the bottom of the screen and there are no timestamps to go by except when you're actually trimming the video. And even then, the numbers are SO small and there isn't much precision control when trimming.

If you want to post a longer video to your Stories, I recommend cutting it up before uploading it to Instagram with an online video editing tool, like Kapwing.

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