Instagram GIFs are a fun way to share what you’re feeling, get a laugh, or grab attention on your feed. Everyone from individual users and small businesses to major brands are in on the trend of these repeating video clips!
But because you can’t create GIFs directly inside Instagram, you’ll need a little help first.
This guide will cover everything you need to know to create your own GIFs using videos on your phone, how to share popular GIFs from the GIPHY app, and how to post GIFs on Instagram.
GIFs (animated images that play on a continuous loop) have been a hot topic on almost every social network for years now.
A GIF on Instagram might be used for comedy, to share shocking news, or to get a point across in a way that captures your followers’ attention. They can be simple, yet effective, ways to draw followers in and portray your page as a relevant brand.
Yes! Posting a GIF to Instagram requires a few simples steps and a third-party app.
Luckily, those steps are about to get easier, thanks to GIPHY being acquired by Facebook in May of this year!
This popular search engine is the definitive source for shareable GIFS, with a ton of integrations into your favorite platforms.
To post your GIF with GIPHY you’ll need to:
Below, we’ll explain these steps in detail to help you start posting your own GIFs on your Instagram!
Before you can learn how to post GIFs to Instagram, you’ll first need to download the app. GIPHY offers both a desktop app and a mobile app for Android and iOS!
Our favorite part: the app is free! We recommend that you start with the mobile app if you plan to share GIFs to Instagram as the desktop app doesn’t offer posting capabilities to Instagram just yet.
“We recommend that you start with the mobile app if you plan to share GIFs to Instagram.”
Logging into Facebook makes using the GIPHY app a breeze and allows you to post GIFs to both Instagram and Facebook.
If you don’t want to login to Facebook, you can also use an email address and password to log in to the app.
Now that you’re logged in to the app, you can browse new and popular GIFs right from the home page or use keywords to search the database. Choose keywords based on your moods, activities, popular TV shows or characters, and more to get just the right GIF for every situation.
Now that you’ve picked your GIF, it’s time to share. While you can upload GIFs to Instagram, you can also send them via Facebook Messenger and Facebook, Snapchat, Whatsapp, Twitter, and Messages.
Tap the “Share” button that looks like a paper plane.
You can also copy the GIF link directly or copy the GIF to paste it.
If you want to add a GIF to Instagram, tap the purple Instagram icon, allow access to your camera roll, and then open Instagram. It will then give you the choice to post to your Feed or to your Instagram Story.
This will save the GIF as a 15-second video square on your phone.
“If you want to add a GIF to Instagram, tap the purple Instagram icon, allow access to your camera roll, and then open Instagram.”
You have a couple of options for how to put GIFs on Instagram, including posting it to your Story or directly to your Feed. After you select where you want to post it, the steps to make it go live are the same as adding any new post on Instagram.
If you post your GIF to your Story, you can also use the GIF feature in Instagram Create Mode to create a full-screen version of a GIF (it displays in three tiles.) Finally, you can also add multiple GIF stickers to your Stories by tapping the Sticker tray!
Make your way to the GIPHY website and search for a GIF that you want to post. Once you find it, click on the GIF to be directed to the GIF detail page.
Click “Share” on the right side of the GIF and select the Instagram icon. Make sure you are logged into GIPHY, then enter your email in the pop-up box before clicking “Send”.
Your GIF will be emailed to the address you inputted as an .mp4 file. You can download it from your email on your phone so that you have the file to post on the Instagram app.
Now you are ready to post your GIF! Upload it to your story or feed in the Instagram mobile app just like you would any other video.
Now that you know how to add a GIF to your Instagram, it’s time for the next question: can you post a loop on Instagram?
Yes, and it’s not difficult!
While you might not be able to make a GIF on Instagram, GIPHY makes it easy to find popular apps or create your own so that you can create an Instagram post on your Feed or Story.
Love using GIFs to connect with and entertain your followers? You can use Tailwind’s new Instagram Planner app to upload your custom video files and schedule posts in advance!
Save your best GIFs to your phone, and post them on the go with Tailwind Instagram Planner.
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