Linking your YouTube channel to your Facebook account can help you reach a wider audience and grow your following on both platforms. It allows your YouTube videos to be shared directly to your Facebook profile or page.
When you link the accounts, new videos you post on YouTube will be automatically posted to Facebook. You can save time and effort by syncing the accounts rather than manually uploading videos or copy-pasting links.
Linking is a straightforward process that only takes a few minutes. This guide will walk through the step-by-step instructions.
Benefits of Linking YouTube & Facebook
Here are some of the top benefits of linking your YouTube channel to Facebook:
- Increased exposure – Your YouTube videos will reach both your YouTube subscribers and your Facebook friends or followers. This can help grow your audience on both platforms.
- Simplified video sharing – Videos are automatically shared from YouTube to Facebook, saving you time and effort.
- Expanded reach – People who only use Facebook will now see your YouTube videos in their feeds and can subscribe to your YouTube channel.
- Analytics data – You can use Facebook Insights to view detailed analytics on how well your videos perform on Facebook.
- Monetization opportunities – Getting more eyes on your videos can lead to increased ad revenue or sponsorships.
In short, linking allows you to tap into the massive Facebook audience to drive more views, subscribers, and revenue from your YouTube videos. It’s a simple way to expand your social media presence.
Requirements to Link YouTube & Facebook
Before getting started, make sure you have the following:
- A Facebook account or page
- A YouTube account with a channel
- Admin access to both accounts – The accounts need to be under the same email address or you need admin privileges for both.
- Facebook App or Creator Studio – You’ll connect the accounts using either the Facebook App or Creator Studio.
As long as you have those requirements covered, you’re ready to link the accounts. Now let’s look at the step-by-step process.
How to Link YouTube to Facebook
You can link your YouTube channel to a Facebook account or to a Facebook Page, such as a business page. Here are the steps for both methods:
Link YouTube to a Facebook Account
- Go to the YouTube Studio dashboard and click on “Connected apps” in the left sidebar.
- Click on “+ Add new app.”
- Select “Facebook Page” from the drop-down menu.
- A pop-up will ask you to choose the Facebook account you want to link to. Select your account.
- Log into Facebook in the pop-up window.
- Select “Yes” to allow YouTube access to your Facebook account.
- Choose the Facebook profile you want to post your YouTube videos to.
- Select the privacy settings for auto-sharing your YouTube videos.
- Click “Save” to confirm the linkage.
Once connected, your new YouTube videos will auto-post to the selected Facebook profile.
Link YouTube to a Facebook Page
- Go to your Facebook page and click “Settings” at the top.
- Select “Templates and Tabs” from the left sidebar.
- Click on “Videos.”
- Toggle “Connected to YouTube” to on.
- Enter your YouTube channel URL when prompted.
- Click “Connect” to confirm.
This will connect your Facebook page and YouTube channel allowing auto-sharing of videos.
How to Customize Auto-Sharing Settings
Once your YouTube channel and Facebook account are linked, your videos will automatically post to Facebook by default. However, you can customize auto-sharing in your YouTube Studio settings:
- Go to YouTube Studio > Connected Apps > Facebook.
- Under “Default sharing settings,” choose whether to share videos publicly, to friends only, or turn off auto-sharing.
- Toggle “Allow comments on auto posts” on or off.
- Select categories of videos to auto-share such as only public, unlisted, etc.
- Click “Customize” to choose which playlists or videos to exclude from auto-sharing.
Customize these settings to control exactly which videos post and how they are shared to your connected Facebook account.
How to Manually Share YouTube Videos on Facebook
Even with your accounts linked for automated sharing, you may sometimes want to manually share specific YouTube videos to Facebook. Here’s how to do it:
- On YouTube, go to the video you want to share and click the “Share” button below the video.
- Select “Facebook” from the sharing options.
- Choose to share the video to your timeline, in a group, on a page you manage, or in a private message.
- Customize the Facebook post with a unique caption or description.
- Click “Post to Facebook” to share the video.
You can share videos to your own timeline, groups, events, etc. This way gives you more control over each individual video you share.
Best Practices for Sharing YouTube Videos on Facebook
Here are some top tips for getting the most out of sharing your YouTube videos on Facebook:
- Customize the auto-shared posts with eye-catching captions and meta descriptions when possible.
- Manually share certain videos likely to resonate with your Facebook audience.
- Post natively formatted square videos to Facebook for more engagement.
- Feature other videos at the end of each Facebook video to increase views.
- Ask viewers to like, comment, and share to help videos trend on Facebook.
- Analyze Facebook Insights to see which videos perform best.
- Promote your YouTube channel to encourage Facebook followers to subscribe.
Optimizing your video posts and promoted your YouTube channel can get your videos streaming to a bigger audience on Facebook.
Troubleshooting Linked YouTube & Facebook Accounts
If you’re having issues getting your YouTube and Facebook accounts to sync up, try these troubleshooting tips:
- Make sure both accounts are under the same email address or that you have admin access to both.
- Confirm the Facebook app is installed with access granted.
- Double check that sharing settings are enabled in YouTube Studio.
- Relink the accounts starting fresh from either YouTube or Facebook.
- Unlink then reconnect the accounts to reset the connection.
- Check that videos comply with Facebook’s policies and community standards.
If videos aren’t sharing automatically despite proper linking, try sharing videos manually or redoing the connection process.
Conclusion
Linking your YouTube channel and Facebook account is an excellent way to increase your reach and get your videos seen by a bigger audience.
The process only takes a few minutes to connect the accounts for automated video sharing. You can also manually share videos for more customization.
Linking YouTube and Facebook provides a great opportunity to grow your following across multiple platforms. So sync up your accounts to tap into the full potential of both communities.