Short format videos are right now the most popular format of video consumption. Naturally, people are getting confused about the two most popular forms: Instagram reels and Youtube shorts. This article will help you understand the fundamental differences between Instagram Reels vs Youtube Shorts and help you decide which one is a better fit for you and your brand.

What are youtube shorts?

YouTube shorts are short form content videos launched by youtube,to compete with other social media apps like Instagram reels and tik-tok. The shorts are integrated within the YouTube app. The Youtube shorts are within 1 minute and provide a relief from the long form videos that can be time consuming. You can enhance Shorts with features such as video segmenting, app-based recording, and musical overlays.

Youtube launched shorts back in 2021 after the market was inundated with the short form content based videos such as instagram reels and YouTube wanted to capitalise on this phenomena and hence this was the birth of youtube shorts and its increasing popularity.

What are instagram reels?

Instagram reels have become Instagram’s fastest growing feature in recent times. These short, entertaining 90 second videos have truly captured the audience's attention and have led to a boost in the engagement for brands. Reels are truly a revolutionary phenomena and have acquired a vast creator and viewer base. Today, reels can include video clips, captions, stickers, filters and interactive backgrounds. 

The instagram algorithm now pushes reel to the forefront by giving you high engagement rates, increased number of followers and more traffic to your page but the trick is to be consistent with the reels you are posting as an individual or brand.

The differences between instagram reel and youtube shorts 

1. Only one minute long videos can be uploaded to YouTube Shorts. The maximum length of a Shorts video you can create by opening the YouTube app is 15 seconds.

Up to 15-second clips were initially supported by Instagram Reels. The time limit for uploads and recordings was initially set at 15 seconds, and it is currently 60 seconds.

2. Instagram reels allows the creators/influencers to include shopping links in their reels, The viewers can click on the the view products button and buy, save, or learn more details about the featured product. You can purchase the item without leaving the instagram page. Youtube shorts do not support links to shop on its videos. Youtube has been testing out features where the viewers can buy directly from the links but it is still in the testing stage. 

3. There is an array of features like polls, stickers,mentions and hashtags that reels let you explore. On the other hand, youtube shorts fall short in this area as you cannot put stickers and polls on any of the youtube shorts. This is the primary reason why reels are currently reigning supremacy in short format videos. 

4. Whether you have a public or private account, you can post your reel to your story, share with close friends, or in a direct message. It will vanish after 24 hours and won't show up on your profile.

You can choose whether to share your YouTube videos publicly, privately, or just with those who already have the link.

5. You can like, comment and share instagram reels, whereas youtube shorts have the ‘like’ or ‘dislike’ option which can prove to be a problem for brands.

So which one is better?

Instagram Reels may seem like a better choice than YouTube Shorts because it has more prominent features, but YouTube already has a huge market share for video content and will have greater organic reach. It all boils down to who your target audience is and where they are predominantly present and what you hope to accomplish in the end.

I hope you like the blog on Instagram Reels vs Youtube Shorts and found answers of your questions. 

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