Learn how to effectively repurpose your YouTube to Facebook video content. This guide covers optimization, formatting, and automation for maximum engagement.
FlowShorts Team
Learn how to make faceless YouTube videos step by step. Covers niches, AI voiceover, visuals, editing, and automated posting — everything you need to start today.
The best time to post YouTube Shorts is weekdays between 3 PM and 6 PM EST, with Tuesday and Wednesday delivering the highest engagement. This guide covers day-by-day timing, data from Buffer, Sprout Social, and Adobe, plus the late-night strategy that outperforms.
Learn how to add AI voice to YouTube Shorts with 3 proven methods. Covers the best AI voice generators, niche voice matching, monetization rules, and tips for natural-sounding TTS narration.
Start creating AI-powered short videos today with FlowShorts.
Get Started FreeYou can share a YouTube video on Facebook two ways: paste the YouTube link as a post, or download the video and upload it directly to Facebook. The second method (native upload) performs significantly better because Facebook's algorithm prioritizes video that keeps users on the platform.
This guide covers both methods, plus how to reformat your video for Facebook's different placements.
Posting a YouTube link on Facebook is fast, but it comes with trade-offs. Facebook de-prioritizes posts that send users to external sites. Native uploads get autoplay in the feed, better reach, and full analytics.
| Feature | YouTube Link Post | Native Upload |
|---|---|---|
| Algorithm priority | Low (external link) | High (keeps users on Facebook) |
| Autoplay | No (static thumbnail) | Yes (plays silently in feed) |
| User experience | Opens new tab or app | Plays in-feed, no redirect |
| Reach | Lower | Higher |
| Customization | YouTube's thumbnail and title | Full control over thumbnail, title, description |
| Analytics | Basic (clicks, reactions) | Full Creator Studio insights |
If you want engagement and reach, native upload is the better option for most use cases. Link shares are only useful when you specifically want to drive traffic to your YouTube channel.
This is the simpler approach:
This works for sharing other people's public videos or when you want viewers to watch on YouTube specifically (to boost YouTube watch time).
If it's your own video, download the original file from YouTube Studio: go to Content > hover over the video > click the three-dot menu > Download. This gives you the highest quality source file.
Better practice: save your final edited file to cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox) before uploading to YouTube. That way you always have the master file available.
YouTube videos are 16:9 (horizontal). Facebook's most engaging formats are vertical or square. Here are the specs for each placement:
| Placement | Aspect Ratio | Resolution | Max Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feed video | 1:1 (square) or 4:5 (portrait) | 1080x1080 or 1080x1350 | 240 minutes |
| Facebook Reels | 9:16 (vertical) | 1080x1920 | 90 seconds |
| Facebook Stories | 9:16 (vertical) | 1080x1920 | 60 seconds |
Use MP4 or MOV format, 1080p resolution, 30fps. These are the safe defaults for all Facebook placements.
Don't just center-crop your horizontal video. Important visual information at the edges of the frame will get cut off. Two better approaches:
Most Facebook users watch video with sound off. Add burned-in captions so your message reaches them regardless. You can auto-generate captions in most editors, but review them for accuracy before exporting.
One YouTube video can produce multiple Facebook posts:
This gives you a week of Facebook content from a single YouTube upload. For the full approach to automated cross-platform posting, see our guide on how to automate social media posts.
No. You own the content and can distribute it on any platform. The one risk area is music licensing. Some tracks from the YouTube Audio Library are licensed for YouTube only. Check the license terms, or use royalty-free music with a multi-platform license from the start.
It depends on the placement:
A good strategy: post the longer version to your feed, then cut a short teaser as a Reel that drives viewers to the full video.
Schedule whenever possible. Use Meta Business Suite (free) or a third-party scheduler to post during peak hours for your audience. Manual posting is fine for time-sensitive content, but a consistent schedule performs better with the algorithm. If you're managing multiple channels, see our guide on managing multiple social media accounts.
Yes. Paste the full URL in your post description. Facebook automatically makes it clickable. No follower minimum or special account type required.