Posting a video link on your Facebook page can be a great way to share interesting, informative, or entertaining video content with your friends, family, and followers. Whether it’s a cute video of your pet, a how-to tutorial you found helpful, or a funny video you want to brighten someone’s day with, sharing videos on Facebook is easy and only takes a few steps.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know to successfully post a video link on your Facebook page, from finding the right video to share to customizing your video post for the best experience. Follow our simple step-by-step instructions below to quickly become a pro at sharing videos on Facebook.
Find and Copy the Video Link
The first step to sharing a video on Facebook is finding the video you want to share and copying its link. Here are some tips for finding shareable videos:
- Search for videos on YouTube, Vimeo, news sites, Buzzfeed, and more. Look for videos that are interesting, helpful, entertaining, or informative.
- Check channels you subscribe to for new video uploads and content you want to share.
- Use Facebook Watch to discover curated videos tied to your interests and preferences.
- Find videos your friends have shared or videos going viral that you want to share with your network.
- Use the “Share” button under videos to easily copy the link.
Once you’ve found a great video to share, copy its link by clicking the “Share” button usually located right under the video. This copies the link to your clipboard, ready for pasting onto Facebook.
If there is no obvious share button, right-click on the video and select “Copy Video URL” or “Copy Link Address.” This grabs the link for you to paste.
Got your video link copied? Now let’s get to posting!
Create a New Post on Your Profile
With your video link copied, it’s time to create the Facebook post to share it. Follow these simple steps:
- Go to your Facebook page and click on “Create Post” at the top.
- In the text box that appears, paste the video link you copied earlier.
Pasting the link will automatically pull in a preview image and title from the video to your post.
Customize the Post
Now that your video is inserted, you can customize the post with a message, hashtags, tagged friends, and more:
- Add a message above or below your video explaining what it is, why you’re sharing, asking others to watch, etc.
- Use hashtags like #funny, #howto, #cute, etc. to make your video discoverable.
- Tag friends who would find your video interesting.
- Choose where you want to post – your timeline, friends’ timelines, groups, or events.
- Select the audience to share your post with like friends, public, or a custom list.
Adding a compelling message and customizing for your audience will drive more engagement on your video post.
Post
Once you’ve customized your video link post to your liking, hit “Post” to share it on Facebook! Your video link will now be live on your profile for friends and followers to watch and react to.
Best Practices
To ensure your video links show up properly and engage your audience, follow these best practices:
- Preview your video post to make sure the correct thumbnail, title, and metadata pulled in properly.
- Double check that your video link works. Clicking it should take you directly to the video.
- Use brief, catchy messaging to introduce your video and make it compelling to watch.
- Include emojis and formatting like bold text in your message to make it more eye-catching.
- Post at optimal times when your audience is most active on Facebook.
- Use relevant hashtags so your content becomes searchable.
Troubleshooting Issues
Though posting video links on Facebook is straightforward, occasionally issues pop up. Here are some common problems and how to fix them:
Link pulls in wrong/generic thumbnail
Facebook automatically generates a preview image from your video link. If the thumbnail looks generic or is not relevant, try deleting and re-pasting the link to refresh it. You can also upload a custom thumbnail image to display instead.
Video doesn’t play in post
Videos should auto-play directly within your Facebook post. If not, check that your link is valid and goes to the correct video source. Reposting the link may help. Ensure the video is under 60 minutes long, as Facebook limits video lengths.
Post doesn’t show video metadata
Facebook will automatically fill in a title, description, and other info from your video link. If that data is missing, try pasting the link in a new, unpublished post to refresh it. The video host may not have proper metadata enabled.
Link post gets flagged as spam
Facebook’s spam filters occasionally flag legitimate posts. If your video link gets blocked, try reposting it. Avoid using all-caps, sensational language, or repeatedly posting the same link which could trigger the spam block.
Embedding a Video Instead of a Link
An alternative to posting a video link is embedding the actual video file directly into your Facebook post. This allows the video to play in-line without leaving Facebook.
To embed a video:
- Click the “Embed” option under the video player.
- Copy the embed code provided.
- Paste the embed code into your Facebook post update box.
- Customize the text, audience, etc around your embedded video as desired.
- Post your update with the embedded video.
The benefit of embedding is that it keeps people within Facebook, but some disadvantage is that the video quality may be lower. Test out both approaches to see which one better fits your needs.
Conclusion
Posting video links on Facebook is an impactful way to engage your audience with interesting video content. Simply copy the link, create a compelling post, customize it for your audience, follow best practices, and troubleshoot issues as needed. With this easy process, you’ll quickly master sharing videos that your friends love watching and interacting with.
So find some great video content, create eye-catching posts, and watch your Facebook video links attract views, comments, and shares!