Table of Contents

Sharing YouTube Videos on Facebook: A Pro’s Guide

Sharing a YouTube video on Facebook is surprisingly simple, and there are several ways to do it. The most straightforward method involves copying the YouTube video’s URL and pasting it directly into a Facebook post. Facebook automatically generates a preview with the video’s thumbnail and title. Alternatively, you can use the “Share” button on YouTube itself to directly post to Facebook.

Understanding the Landscape: Why Share from YouTube to Facebook?

Let’s face it, we live in a cross-platform world. Your audience isn’t neatly siloed on one platform or another. They’re likely scattered across multiple social media channels, including both YouTube and Facebook. Sharing YouTube videos to Facebook is crucial for:

Expanding Reach: Tapping into Facebook’s massive user base instantly exposes your content to a wider audience that may not actively browse YouTube.
Driving Traffic: A compelling Facebook post with a YouTube video link acts as a gateway, funneling viewers from Facebook to your YouTube channel.
Boosting Engagement: Facebook’s social features (likes, comments, shares) create opportunities for increased engagement and discussion around your videos.
Content Promotion: Effectively using Facebook is a smart content promotion strategy that complements your organic YouTube efforts.

The Direct Approach: Copying and Pasting the YouTube URL

This is the simplest and most universally applicable method:

Find the YouTube Video: Navigate to the YouTube video you want to share.
Copy the URL: Click on the address bar in your browser and copy the entire URL of the video (e.g., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXXXXXXX). You can also use the “Share” button below the video and copy the link from there.
Compose Your Facebook Post: Open Facebook and start creating a new post.
Paste the URL: Paste the copied URL into the text box of your Facebook post.
Add Context: Before posting, write a brief description or call to action to encourage viewers to watch the video. A compelling caption is crucial.
Post: Click the “Post” button. Facebook will automatically generate a video preview.

Fine-Tuning Your Facebook Post

Don’t just paste and post! Spend a few extra moments to optimize your Facebook post:

Write a Killer Caption: The caption is your sales pitch. Explain what the video is about, highlight its key takeaways, and ask a question to encourage comments.
Use Relevant Hashtags: Incorporate relevant hashtags to increase the visibility of your post to users searching for specific topics on Facebook.
Tag Relevant Pages or People: If the video features specific people or is relevant to certain Facebook Pages, tag them to broaden the reach.
Consider Your Audience: Tailor your caption and hashtags to resonate with your specific Facebook audience.

The Integrated Method: Using YouTube’s Share Button

YouTube offers a direct sharing option that can streamline the process:

Find the YouTube Video: Go to the YouTube video you wish to share.
Click the “Share” Button: Below the video player, you’ll find a “Share” button. Click it.
Select Facebook: A list of sharing options will appear. Choose the Facebook icon.
Connect Your Accounts (If Needed): If this is your first time sharing to Facebook from YouTube, you may be prompted to connect your YouTube account to your Facebook account. Follow the on-screen instructions.
Compose Your Facebook Post: A new window will open with a pre-populated Facebook post containing the video link. You can edit the post to add your own description, hashtags, and tags.
Choose Your Audience: Select who can see your post (Public, Friends, Only Me, etc.).
Post to Facebook: Click the “Post to Facebook” button.

Advantages of Using the YouTube Share Button

Convenience: It simplifies the sharing process by directly integrating with Facebook.
Automatic Attribution: It ensures proper attribution by linking back to the original YouTube video.
Account Integration: Once connected, sharing becomes even faster in the future.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Sometimes, sharing YouTube videos to Facebook doesn’t go as smoothly as planned. Here are some common issues and how to address them:

Video Preview Not Appearing: This can happen if Facebook is having trouble retrieving information from YouTube. Try refreshing the page, clearing your browser cache, or waiting a few minutes and trying again. Sometimes Facebook’s link crawler needs a moment to catch up.
Incorrect Video Thumbnail: Facebook might pull an outdated or inaccurate thumbnail. Unfortunately, you often can’t directly change the thumbnail on Facebook after posting. Try refreshing the link preview by deleting and re-pasting the URL in your post (before publishing). If that doesn’t work, updating the thumbnail on YouTube itself is the best long-term solution, as Facebook will eventually update its cached version.
Privacy Settings: Ensure that the YouTube video’s privacy settings are set to “Public” or “Unlisted.” If the video is set to “Private,” only you (or authorized users) will be able to view it.
Broken Link: Double-check that you’ve copied and pasted the correct YouTube URL. A single typo can prevent the link from working.

Embedding vs. Sharing: Knowing the Difference

While sharing a link to a YouTube video is the primary focus here, it’s important to understand the difference between sharing and embedding.

Sharing: Involves posting a link to a YouTube video on Facebook, which directs users to YouTube to watch the video.
Embedding: Involves inserting the YouTube video directly into a website or blog post, allowing users to watch the video without leaving the page. Facebook doesn’t natively support embedding YouTube videos directly into posts. However, you can embed a YouTube video into a blog post on your website, then share that blog post on Facebook.

FAQs: Your Questions Answered

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about sharing YouTube videos on Facebook:

1. Can I schedule a YouTube video to be shared on Facebook?

Yes, you can schedule Facebook posts with YouTube video links using Facebook’s built-in scheduling tools or third-party social media management platforms like Hootsuite or Buffer.

2. Will sharing a YouTube video on Facebook help my YouTube channel?

Absolutely! Sharing drives traffic, increases visibility, and can lead to new subscribers and viewers on your YouTube channel.

3. Can I track how many people click on the YouTube link I shared on Facebook?

While Facebook Insights provides data on your post’s reach and engagement, it doesn’t directly track clicks on external links. Use a URL shortener like Bitly to create a trackable link for your YouTube video.

4. Can I share a YouTube video to a Facebook Group?

Yes, you can share YouTube videos to Facebook Groups just like you would share them on your personal profile or a Facebook Page.

5. Is it possible to share a specific timestamp of a YouTube video on Facebook?

Yes! When copying the YouTube URL, add &t=XmYs (replace X with minutes and Y with seconds) at the end of the link to start the video at a specific time.

6. Why is my shared YouTube video not playing correctly on Facebook?

This could be due to various reasons, including video format incompatibility, browser issues, or Facebook’s video player. Try clearing your browser cache, updating your browser, or checking the YouTube video’s format.

7. Can I share a YouTube Short to Facebook?

Yes, the process is the same as sharing a regular YouTube video. Simply copy the URL of the YouTube Short and paste it into your Facebook post.

8. Is there a limit to how many YouTube videos I can share on Facebook?

Facebook doesn’t impose a strict limit, but excessively sharing links in a short period might be flagged as spam.

9. Can I share someone else’s YouTube video on my Facebook page?

Yes, as long as the YouTube video is publicly available, you can share it on your Facebook page.

10. How do I share a YouTube video to my Facebook Story?

Use the YouTube app’s share feature, select Facebook, and then choose the “Share to Story” option.

11. Can I monetize YouTube videos shared on Facebook?

Sharing a video on Facebook doesn’t directly monetize the video. Monetization still occurs through YouTube’s Partner Program based on views on the YouTube platform.

12. Does sharing YouTube videos on Facebook affect my YouTube SEO?

Indirectly, yes. Increased traffic from Facebook can improve your video’s visibility and ranking on YouTube’s search results.