How to Automatically Share Instagram Reels on Facebook?

Meta, previously known as Facebook Inc.,  currently owns social media platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp. This acquisition has prompted the company to introduce new features to facilitate seamless integration between all these platforms. Facebook and Instagram features are being integrated like never before. It is worth noting that both these platforms have a high number of users. Most of these users prefer using both these applications simultaneously. Thus, many advanced features are being created to enable the same and enhance user experience. Features like cross-posting, which enables users to share the same content simultaneously on both Instagram and Facebook,  are gaining immense popularity worldwide. 

We absolutely love scrolling through Instagram and Facebook reels in our free time, don’t we? We also share the most relevant reels with our friends and near ones. In fact, sharing reels on social media has become a new way to communicate and express feelings. But many of us are unaware of how reels came into being or how Meta was prompted to create this feature. Do not worry, because we have got you covered! Here, we will not only talk about the basics of reels but will also teach you on how to seamlessly cross-post your Instagram reels on Facebook. Let us dive in….

The emergence of Reels

A reel is a short-form video format that was first introduced on Instagram in 2020. Since then, this feature has gained significant momentum across the globe. Users started creating and uploading short videos with various types of content on their Instagram accounts. Brands also started creating such videos to promote their businesses. Such 60-90 minute content helped numerous users enhance their social media presence and make their accounts more vibrant. Reels are also gaining massive popularity on Facebook, driven by the increasing demand for video-based content on the application. 

The benefits behind sharing Instagram reels to Facebook:

With the rise of YouTube and TikTok videos across numerous countries, Meta made significant efforts to amplify video-based content on its platforms. That is why it first introduced Instagram reels, a short video content feature. Although this feature was added to Facebook, initially, users had to upload their content separately on both Facebook and Instagram. This was a lengthy and time-consuming process, especially for the ones trying to grow their brand. Thus, Meta introduced the cross-sharing option, allowing users to share a reel on Facebook and Instagram at the same time. Here are some of the benefits associated with cross-sharing of reels-

• You can reach a broader range of target audiences and get a higher engagement rate.
• It is potentially time and resource-saving
• You can make use of both Instagram and Facebook algorithms 
• You can amplify your organic reach due to higher chances of content discovery on explore tabs, discovery sections, and suggested feeds.
• Your content gets an extended lifespan due to its presence on both platforms.
• You can easily create a multi-platform identity.

Apart from these, there are several other advantages users can avail themselves of with the automatic reel cross-sharing feature. Meta has been making substantial advancements to help users optimize their content in such a way that it can be shared simultaneously on Facebook and Instagram without additional efforts or resources. In order to automatically share a reel from Instagram to Facebook, we do need to follow some simple steps. 

As we advance, we will elucidate the steps you need to follow to share Instagram reels on Facebook automatically. 

Here is how you can automatically share Instagram reels on Facebook

The very first step is to link your Facebook account to your Instagram account. Once you are done linking your account, if not previously linked, here are the steps you need to follow-

1. Open your Facebook Profile and navigate to the ‘Accounts Center’ option
2. Then select the linked Instagram account
3. You will come across the ‘sharing across profiles’ section
4. In the aforementioned section, you will see various options like reels, posts, and stories
5. Click on ‘Reels’ and click on the ‘Set Up’ option. Then click on allow. 
6. By doing this, you have enabled cross-sharing of reels on both platforms
7. If you want to manage visibility, you can go back to your Facebook profile, open settings, navigate down to reel settings, and choose an option between ‘Public, Friends, or Custom.’
8. You can also customize your captions or hashtags separately for Facebook and Instagram when you cross-share a reel.

If you think that cross-sharing reels would resonate with your content goals, look no further and avail these features. All you need to do is follow the aforementioned steps!

Points to remember for a better experience

Although automatic cross-sharing of reels is a simple process, but, you can come across some glitches or errors. Here is a guide to fixing such glitches for a smooth and hassle-free experience-

• Ensure stable internet connectivity while linking your accounts, enabling the cross-sharing feature, or uploading a reel.
• Cross-check if both Instagram and Facebook accounts are linked before cross-posting
• Make sure that your content adheres to both Facebook and Instagram guidelines to avoid any future trouble.
• Take care of the aspect ratio (format) so that it gets uploaded in the same quality on both platforms. Note that reels are typically uploaded in a vertical format with an aspect ratio of 9:6.
• Monitor your reel performance separately for both platforms. You can use Instagram insights for Instagram and Facebook analytics for Facebook.
• Make sure that your content is optimized for mobile viewing. 
• You can use Facebook and Instagram ads on both platforms to enhance your reach. 

Potential Disadvantages

Even with the numerous benefits of automatically sharing Instagram reels on Facebook, there are certain cons we need to address carefully. One wrong step can impact your engagement rate on both platforms. Here are some of the potential disadvantages associated with automatically cross-sharing reels on Instagram and Facebook-

1. It may impact your brand image because your Instagram audience may differ from Facebook’s. 
2. It prevents you from creating a platform or audience-specific content. 
3. Some audiences may find seeing the same content on both platforms exhausting or dissatisfying.
4. You may face certain issues with content formatting due to aspect ratio differences on both platforms. 
5. You may witness lower organic reach on Facebook. This is because Facebook generally emphasizes original Facebook content rather than cross-shared content. 
6. Managing comments on both platforms simultaneously may get tiresome at times.
7. You may end up breaching Facebook content guidelines by cross-sharing a reel that only adheres to Instagram guidelines.
8. Catering to different segments of audiences on different platforms may become difficult if you post the same content everywhere.

Thus, it is crucial to cross-check every single aspect before automatically cross-sharing reels from Instagram to Facebook.

Summing Up

Since its inception, Meta has been effortlessly trying to enhance the user experience across its platforms like Facebook and Instagram. With growing social media usage worldwide, there has been an escalating need for advanced features across social media applications. This prompted Meta to find ways to integrate certain Facebook features into Instagram and vice-versa, with cross-posting being the most pivotal one. Numerous individuals and brands have been trying to enhance their online presence by posting relevant content on their social media accounts. Creating and posting short-form video content has proved to be quite beneficial for content creators and brands. Initially introduced on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, Meta introduced the reel feature on Instagram in 2020. This feature allows users to post short-form video content on various topics or genres to increase their engagement. After the immense success of Instagram reels, Meta introduced it on its Facebook platforms. Initially, individuals had to post their reels separately on both platforms. However, to enhance user experience, Meta decided to integrate various Facebook and Instagram features. It added a new feature to enable users to cross-post reels automatically from Instagram to Facebook. The process is quite simple and time-saving, allowing people to post reels simultaneously on both platforms in no time. This feature is quite convenient for content creators and brands seeking higher audience engagement to promote their content. Cross-posting reels are an efficient option to reach a broader range of target audiences in less time and with minimal effort and resources. With its numerous benefits, automatic cross-posting of reels also comes with certain disadvantages. Therefore, it is important for users to consider all the pros and cons of automatically sharing Instagram reels on Facebook. If it sits right with their content goals, they can avail of this feature only with a few clicks.  In this write-up, we have tried to mention all the aspects related to the cross-sharing of reels on both platforms. We hope that the information we provided will help you analyze the potential benefits and disadvantages associated with availing of this feature, prompting you to make the right decision.